“Wear that to Nannie’s party, Lulu,” said the rabbit gentleman, and Lulu did, the hat being fastened to her feathers with a long pin made from the stem of a fern.  And when Lulu reached the party all the animal girls cried out: 

“Oh, what a sweet, lovely, cute, dear, cunning, swell and stylish hat!  Where did you get it?”

“Uncle Wiggily made it,” answered Lulu, and all the girls said they were going to get one just like it.  And they did, so that fern hats became very fashionable and stylish in Woodland, and Lulu had a fine time at the party.

So this teaches us that even a mud puddle is of some use, and if the rubber plant doesn’t stretch too far, and tickle the gold fish under the chin making it sneeze, the next story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the snow drops.

STORY XII

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE SNOW DROPS

“Uncle Wiggily!  Uncle Wiggily!  Will you come with me?” called a voice under the window of the hollow stump bungalow, where the old gentleman rabbit was sitting, half asleep, one nice, warm afternoon.

“Ha!  Come with you?  Who is it wants me to come with them?” asked the bunny gentleman.  “I hope it isn’t the bad fox, or the skillery-scalery alligator with humps on his tail that is calling.  They’re always wanting me to go with them.”

The rabbit looked out of the window and he heard some one laughing.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad fox, nor yet an unpleasant alligator,” said Mr. Longears.  “Who is it wants me to come with them?”

“It is I—­Susie Littletail, the rabbit girl,” was the answer.

“And where do you want me to come?” asked Uncle Wiggily.

“To the woods, to pick some flowers,” answered Susie.  “The lady mouse teacher wants me to see how many kinds I can find.  You know so much about the woods, Uncle Wiggily, that I wish you’d come with me.”

“I will,” said the nice rabbit gentleman.  “Wait until I get my tall silk hat and my red, white and blue striped barber pole rheumatism crutch.”

And, when he had them, off he started, holding Susie’s paw in his, and limping along under the green trees and over the carpet of green moss.

Uncle Wiggily and the little rabbit girl found many kinds of flowers in the woods.  There were violets, some white, some yellow and some purple, with others blue, like the ones Uncle Wiggily used to make blueing water for Nurse Jane’s clothes.  And there were red flowers and yellow ones, and some Jacks-in-their-pulpits, which are very queer flowers indeed.

“Here, Susie, is a new kind of blossom.  Maybe you would like some of these,” said Uncle Wiggily, pointing to a bush that was covered with little round, white balls.

“Oh, I didn’t know the snow had lasted this long!” Susie cried.  “I thought it had melted long ago.”

“I don’t see any snow,” said Uncle Wiggily, looking around.