“I think I will,” said Uncle Wiggily.  And he was just reaching for another carrot, when suddenly from outside sounded a terrible racket.

“Where is he?  Let me get at him!  I want him right away—­that rabbit I mean!” cried a voice, and Uncle Wiggily jumped up in great fright, and looked for some place to hide.  The giant jumped up, too, and grabbed his big club.

But don’t be alarmed.  Nothing bad is going to happen to our Uncle Wiggily—­in fact he is going to have lots of fun soon.

So if my motorboat doesn’t turn upside down and spill out the pink lemonade, I’ll tell you in the next story about Uncle Wiggily and the giant’s little boy.

STORY XXX

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE GIANT’S BOY

Let me see, I believe I left off where Uncle Wiggily was in the house of the good giant, and the old gentleman rabbit heard a terrible noise.  Didn’t I?

“My goodness!” exclaimed the rabbit, jumping up so quickly that he upset one of the giant’s toothpicks, on which he had been sitting for a chair, for the giant’s toothpicks were as large as a big chestnut tree.  “My goodness!” cried Uncle Wiggily, “what in the world is that?”

“I guess it’s my little boy coming home from school,” said the good giant as softly as he could, but, even then, his voice was like thunder.  “He must have heard that you were here.”

“Will he hurt me?  Does he love animals?” asked the rabbit, for he was getting frightened.  “Will your little boy be kind to me?”

“Oh, indeed he will!” cried the good giant.  “I have taught him to love animals, for you know he is so big and strong, even though I do call him my little boy, that it would be no trouble for him to take a bear or a lion, and squeeze him in one hand so that the bear or lion would never hurt any one any more.  But, just because he is big and strong, though not so big and strong as I am, I have taught my boy to be kind to the little animals.”

“Then I will have no fear,” said Uncle Wiggily, winking his nose—­I mean his eyes—­and just then the door of the giant’s house opened and in came his little boy.

Well, at first Uncle Wiggily was so frightened that he did not know what to do.  I wonder what you would say if you were suddenly to see a boy almost as big as your house, or mine, walk into the parlor, and sit down at the piano?  Well, that’s what the old gentleman rabbit saw.

“Ah, my little boy is home from school,” said the giant, kindly.  “Did you have your lessons, my son?”

“Yes, father, I did,” was the answer.  “And I learned a new song.  I’ll sing it for you.”

So he began to play the piano with his little finger nail, and still, and with all that, he made as much noise as a circus band of music can make on a hot day in the tent.  Oh, he played terribly loud, the giant’s boy did, and Uncle Wiggily had to put his paws over his ears, or he might have been made deaf.  Then the giant’s little boy sang, and even when he hummed it the noise was like a thunder storm, only different.  Now, this is the boy giant’s song, and you will have to sing it with all your might, as hard as you can, but not if the baby is asleep.