“Don’t you dare sting me!” growled the wolf.  “Take the bonnet if you wish, but don’t touch me,” and he threw the bonnet to one side.

Some of the bees alighted on the bonnet, and as soon as they found that the flowers were not real they got quite angry.  And they thought the wolf had played a trick on them, so they flew at him, and stung him on his nose and tail and eyes and lips and even on his tongue, until he cried out with pain and fright.  Then he let go of Pinky and her mamma and ran down into his den, and the pig lady was safe.  The bees never stung them once, but were very kind to them, and with their wings brushed the dirt off Mrs. Twistytail’s bonnet so that it was as good as new.

Then the bees flew away, Mrs. Twistytail and Pinkey went safely home, and the wolf had to stay in his den for a week and put witch hazel on his stings.

So that’s all tonight, if you please, but next, in case the kitchen stove doesn’t go out on the porch and play hide-and-seek with the hammock, I’ll tell you about Curly and the sour milk.

STORY XIX

CURLY AND THE SOUR MILK

“Oh, mamma!” exclaimed Curly the little piggie boy, as he rushed into the house one noon and nearly upset his little sister Pinky, in her new go-cart.  “What do you think?  There isn’t going to be any school for two weeks!”

“Why not?” asked Mrs. Twistytail, who was just getting dinner.

“Because the schoolhouse roof blew off in the storm last night,” said Flop, who was Curly’s brother, “and it will take two weeks to put a new one on.  So the nice owl lady teacher said we could have a vacation.  Oh, I’m so glad!”

“My goodness me, sakes alive and some Montclair caramels!” cried Mrs. Twistytail.  “A school vacation this time of year—­so near winter.  I never heard of such a thing.”

“But it will be all the nicer,” said Curly, “and we can go after chestnuts every day.  Hi-yi!  Hurrah!” and he squealed and jumped around the room, and so did Flop, and they were the two most delighted little pigs you ever saw.  Just then along came Uncle Wiggily Longears, the old gentleman rabbit.

“What’s this!” he cried.  “What is going on here?”

“No school!” squealed Curly.  “No school!  We have a vacation!”

“The very thing!” suddenly said the old gentleman rabbit.  “I was just wishing it was summer time, so some of my animal friends could come away with me.  I am going on a little vacation trip myself, and I thought I would have to go alone.  But if there is no school, then Curly and Flop can come with me.”

“Where to?” asked Flop.

“To Raccoon Island in Lake Hopatcong,” answered Uncle Wiggily.  “We’ll go up to my bungalow, stay two weeks and have a good time.”

“Oh, fine!” cried Curly.

“Oh, joyousness!” squealed Flop, as he spun about on one leg and tickled Baby Pinky with the other.