So the nice old rat gentleman called the two piggie boys into his farmhouse and he gave them the pumpkin.

Oh! so big as it was!  I’m sure I never could tell you what a fine, large pumpkin he gave to Curly and Flop.  The one that was turned into a coach for Cinderella was very small along side of this.

“What shall we do with it?” asked Flop Ear.

“Make a lantern of it, of course,” said his brother.  “We can scoop out the insides, and cut the eyes and nose and mouth, put a candle in it, and have a lot of fun.”

“All right,” said Flop, “we’ll do it.”

So they tied a string around the pumpkin and lifted it between them, each one carrying his share.  And the loaf of bread was put on top, where it would not fall off.

Well, the piggie boys had not gone very far, carrying the pumpkin home to make a Jack o’lantern, when, all of a sudden, out from behind a lot of bushes, jumped a big wolf.  Isn’t it funny how those bad creatures seem to always bother the piggie boys?  Every once in a while something is happening to them.

I can’t help it.  I wish I could, but you know I have to write things exactly as they happen.  Anyhow, out from behind the bushes jumped the wolf, and as soon as he saw those sweet, tender little piggies he exclaimed: 

“Oh joy!  Oh, happiness!  Oh, appetite!  Now is my chance!  I shall certainly grab those two piggies and carry them off to my den.”

And he chased after Flop and Curly.

But, as luck would have it, they heard him coming, and they started to run with the big pumpkin and the loaf of bread.  Still the wolf came closer and closer.

“I’ll have you in a few minutes!” he cried.

“I believe he will!” exclaimed Flop.  “What shall we do?”

“What can we do?” asked Curly, as he helped his brother to jump over a stone, and lifted the pumpkin at the same time.  “What can we do?”

“Why not make a Jack o’lantern of the pumpkin and scare the wolf?” suggested Flop.  “Some of our friends did that once.”

“We haven’t time,” said Curly.  “If we stopped to make a Jack o’lantern the wolf would catch up to us and grab us.  I’ll tell you what to do.  Let’s scoop out a hollow place in the pumpkin and get inside it.  Then the wolf won’t see us.”

“Good!” cried Flop.  So he and his brother ran on as fast as they could to get far ahead of the wolf.  Then they stopped for a minute, and, with their sharp hoofs, they cut the top off the pumpkin.  Then, with their digging noses, they dug out the soft seeds, and soon the pumpkin was all hollowed out, so they could jump inside.

“Get in!” cried Curly to Flop.

“What about the loaf of bread?” asked his brother.

“Never mind that.  We can get another.  We must get away from the wolf,” cried Curly.

So they jumped inside the pumpkin, and only just in time, for the wolf came rushing down the hill.  But Curly and his brother wiggled themselves inside the pumpkin, and away it rolled down toward the piggies’ house.  The wolf saw the loaf of bread on the hill, and he thought sure the piggie boys were near it.  So he made a grab, but he did not get them.