The Jumble Book

	THE JUMBLE BOOK
By David Cory
A JUMBLE OF GOOD THINGS
GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY NEW YORK

Copyright, 1920, by
GEORGE SULLY AND COMPANY
—————
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the U. S. A.

Contents

["HELLO CENTRAL!"]

"Hello Central!"

"Give me all the little boys and girls in the World. I want to tell them about the JUMBLE BOOK!"

"Hello! Is that you, Jimmy?"

"Well, this is David Cory, the JUMBLE BOOKman. Do you like Indian stories? You do, eh? Well, you'll find some in the JUMBLE BOOK. Good-by!"

"Hello, Polly!"

"This is the man who wrote the JUMBLE BOOK. Do you like Fairy Stories? I thought you did. Well, you'll find lots of them in the JUMBLE BOOK. Good-by."

"Hello, Billy."

"This is the JUMBLE BOOKman. Do you like stories about animals? Well, I'm glad you do, for I've written a lot of them for you in the JUMBLE BOOK. Good-by."

"Hello, Mary!"

"This is your friend David Cory. What kind of stories do you like? All kinds, eh? Well, the JUMBLE BOOK'S the book for you, then. You'll find all kinds of stories all jumbled together between its covers! Good-by!"

The Jumble Book

LITTLE SIR CAT

Little Sir Cat Takes a Farewell Look at the Castle

Once upon a time I promised to tell a little boy how Little Sir Cat caught the Knave of Hearts who had run away with the Queen's tarts.

Well, Sir! That Knave had run only about half way across the courtyard when Little Sir Cat pounced on him as if he were a mouse, and his Highness, the Knave of Hearts, stopped right then and there, but he spilt the tarts all over the ground. Wasn't that a shame?

LITTLE SIR CAT TAKES A FAREWELL LOOK AT THE CASTLE

This made the King dreadfully angry, and he "beat the Knave full sore," as the rhyme goes in dear "Old Mother Goose," and if you don't believe me, just get the book and see for yourself. "Now ask me a favor, and it shall be granted," said the Queen who had asked Little Sir Cat to come into the castle and sit on the throne by her side.

"Tell me where I may find my fortune," answered Little Sir Cat.

"Ah!" cried the Queen, "that is not so easy. For each of us must make his own fortune. But I will help you," and she called for her old seneschal.

"He will not find it on Tart Island," said the old retainer. "Mayhap in Mother Goose Island he will find it."

So pretty soon, not so very long, Little Sir Cat left the big castle, and by-and-by he came to an old willow tree by a pond. And who do you think he saw? Why, little Mrs. Oriole sitting close beside her nest that hung like a big white stocking from the branch. As soon as she saw Little Sir Cat she began to sing, and all her little birds peeped out of the nest, but they didn't say anything, for they had never met him before. "Children, this is Sir Cat. I knew him when he lived in a castle," said Mrs. Oriole.

Well, after that, he went in to the farmyard, for it was noontime, and he was hungry, and knocked on the kitchen door. Just then the Cuckoo Clock in the kitchen sounded the hour of noon, and the farmer's wife looked out of the window to see if her man was coming through the gate, when, of course, she spied Little Sir Cat.

"Dinner is ready. Come in, Kitten!" So he stepped into the neat, clean kitchen, and as soon as the good woman had put on a clean apron, they sat down to supper. By-and-by the cuckoo came out of her little clock and said: "Time for kittens to be in bed," and the twinkle, twinkle star shone through the window, and sang a little lullaby:

"Sleep, little pussy cat, sleep.
The little white clouds are like sheep
That play all the night while the moon's shining bright.
Sleep, little pussy cat, sleep."

And in the next story you will find what Little Sir Cat did when he woke up in the morning.

Little Stories of Famous Animals

How a Dog Discovered a Hot Spring

Tradition reports that Charles IV. discovered the Carlsbad Spring, but after you have read this little history perhaps you will agree with me that if it hadn't been for his dog he never would have even seen the spring.

It happened this way: More than four hundred years ago Charles IV. was hunting in the neighborhood. In the exciting chase and pursuit of a stag he suddenly lost all trace of it. As he paused, undecided which course to take, he heard the yelping of one of his hounds, and following the sound, he found it lying scalded in the waters of the spring, which, as you know, is a stream of water probably escaping from a smoldering volcano way down deep in the earth. The faithful animal had followed the stag's leap into the valley, and had missed a sure footing on the rocks near by.

On the top of the hill, which is now called the Hirschensprung (stag's leap), a cross has been erected, and a little lower down a lookout house has been built. Still farther down, on a high pointed rock, a citizen of Carlsbad has had erected an iron figure of a chamois.

After chance had made known the hot waters of the spring to Charles IV., he had a bath and a hunting lodge built there, which were called after him, Karlsbad.

The real discoverer of the spring, the faithful hound, has no mention made of him by name or monument, although the crest of the hill is named for a stag and the spring after a king.

[TESSIE, TOTTIE AND TEDDY]

Or the Three Tiny T's

The Three Tiny T's All in a Row.

[CHAPTER I]

"Listen," whispered Tessie, "I've got a secret to tell you; snuggle up so nobody'll hear!"

Tottie squeezed up close to her little sister, and Teddy shoved himself along the piazza seat until all three were packed as tight as little sardines.

"What is it?" asked Tottie.

"Hurry up and tell," whispered Teddy, hugging Tessie's arm, while Tottie squeezed her hand with her little fat fingers.

"S-s-sh!" replied Tessie, "s-s-sh!"

"Tessie!" called mother's voice, "Tessie, come here, I want you to run down to the grocer."

"Oh, dear!" sighed the three tiny T's.

Tessie jumped up quickly and ran inside the house, closely followed by Tottie and Teddy.

"You can wear your roller skates," said mother, "and Teddy can put on his and go with you, if he wishes."

In a few minutes the skates were strapped on each impatient little foot, and mother's darling messengers were gliding down the front walk.

"Be very careful not to break the eggs," said mother, as she stood in the doorway watching them go out of the gate. "Hold the bag tight and don't go fast on the way home."

[CHAPTER II]

Tessie and Teddy skated along smoothly on their errand for mother. The roller skates behaved very well, and did not try to race with each other, so that neither little messenger had a fall, or even a bump against anybody on the sidewalk who did not get out of the way in time.

The fat grocer man said good morning very pleasantly, and gave them each a little animal cracker. Tessie told him what she wanted, and while he was counting out the eggs and putting them in the bag, she stroked his big tiger cat, who lay half asleep on the top of the sugar barrel.

"Here you are, Miss," said the grocer man, handing the package to Tessie, "and be careful, little man," he added, turning to Teddy, "that you don't run into sister and upset her—you won't have any eggs if you do!"

"Of course not," replied Teddy, biting off the hind legs of his buffalo cracker. "I'll take care," and both children wabbled over the floor and through the doorway out onto the sidewalk.

Everything went along beautifully. Teddy kept well behind so that Tessie would have plenty of room, and the distance was half over, when something happened. About a block from the house, the sidewalk ran down a small hill. Although Tessie had time and again coasted down without the slightest trouble, today it seemed as if she were going very much faster than usual. Perhaps she was a little worried over the bag of eggs. At any rate, all of a sudden her feet behaved very badly, and before she could help it, one foot went off to one side and Tessie did, too. Down she went in a heap. Crash! smash! mash! there were scrambled eggs all over the walk!

Crash! There Were Scrambled Eggs All Over the Walk.

Tessie turned a frightened glance towards Teddy who just came up.

"O dear me! How shall I ever explain to mother?" cried poor little Tessie.

[CHAPTER III]

After Tessie and Teddy arrived home they hunted around for mother to tell her the awful news, and how sorry they were that the bag of eggs was lying out on the sidewalk in funny yellow patches, with bits of broken shell strewn all around.

About half an hour later Tessie was telling her little kitten what mother had said. "And, Pussy dear," confided Tessie, "don't you ever try to carry any robin's eggs down from the nest. If you do, you'll find you get sliding faster and faster, and before you reach the ground your foot will slip and down you'll come with a crash!"

Pussy looked up out of the corners of her blinky green eyes but said nothing.

"And maybe your mother won't be so nice about it," added Tessie. "My mother didn't scold me 'cause when I 'splained how my skate nearly came off and tripped me up she just wiped my eyes, 'cause I felt awful sorry, and told me not to cry about it any more, and by and by she gave us all a lump of sugar."

Tess Was Telling Her Little Kitten What Mother Had Said.

Just then puss jumped through the low open window and skipped over the lawn. Tessie stepped out on the piazza to see what she was about. At the foot of the old apple tree pussy stopped and then ran up the trunk and out on a limb.

"I do believe," exclaimed Tessie, "that she is going to try to bring down some eggs from the robin's nest."

"What did my little girl say?" asked mother, who came out on the porch at that moment. When Tessie explained it all, mother laughed and said, "Why, there aren't any eggs now in that nest, little girl—don't you know all the little robins were hatched long ago?"

"Well, I don't believe pussy knows it," answered Tessie, "for there she is now looking into the nest—how disappointed she'll be!"

[CHAPTER IV]

"Goodness me, Tottie, why don't you fasten the button!" cried Tessie to her little sister. But Tottie was too frightened to answer; she just stood still while sister fastened the little white pants which had slipped down on the tops of her pink slippers.

"Let's go out in the garden now," said Tessie, and the two little sisters ran out on the piazza and down the walk. They found brother Teddy already there filling his wagon with grass, for the lawn had just been cut and was covered with the loose grass.

"We'll make a big hay mow!" cried the children, and very soon they had piled up the fragment grass as high as their heads. It was great fun rolling over it, or covering each other up until nothing but a little toe stuck out at one end, or the tip of a little pug nose showed at the other.

"Goodness Me, Tottie, Why Don't You Fasten the Button!"

After a while pussy came by, but when she had been covered up deep with the ticklish grass, she escaped by jumping over the green haymow, and ran off to the barn. She most likely thought it was more fun in the hay loft hunting for mice than being covered up in a big green grass hay-mow out on the lawn. Perhaps, too, she was afraid some one might step on her when under the grass. At any rate, she didn't come back, and by and by it was time for the children to go in for luncheon. I don't know whether pussy heard the bell or not, but she came in from the barn in time to get her saucer of milk before the children had finished.

"Pussy never has to bother with buttons," said Tessie, looking over at Tottie, and smiling.

"No," answered Tottie, "'cause she has only fur."

[CHAPTER V]

Tottie never liked to take a bath until one day Mother said: "Let's make believe you are in the big ocean wading and there are lots of little silver fishes swimming all around."

It Was Lots of Fun in the Big Round Tin Tub.

After this Tottie wanted to take a bath all the time, for Mother bought some toy fishes and Tottie didn't have to make believe very hard.

It was lots of fun in the big round tin tub. It was painted green on the outside and yellow on the inside, which looked just like the sand on the seashore. And then, too, it had a nice wide, flat edge all around, so that it seemed almost like a beach to Tottie.

Sometimes Mother would put a little red bathing cap on Tottie's head and let her wade for a while before her bath. Tottie then kept her little shirt on, making believe it was a lovely silk bathing suit. Perhaps the little fishes thought she was a big fat giantess. At any rate they slipped through her soapy little fingers as if they were swimming away for their very lives. This made Tottie laugh very much, and she would soap them well so that they would even slip through the water for quite a distance when she squeezed them real hard.

Tottie's sister Tessie often wanted to play like her little sister, but Mother said, "You are too big a girl, Tessie, not to take your bath without making a play of it." Brother Teddy, too, wanted to get the fishes to play with when he took his bath, but Mother said to him, "These are Tottie's fish. You and sister Tessie are big enough to be good while in the tub without toys," so Tottie was the only one in the house who made believe that the bathtub was the big ocean and her little toy silver fishes real live ones!

[TOO-WIT, TOO-WOO AND HIS OWL FAMILY]

Too-Wit, Too-Woo lived in a big hollow tree with his family. There was Mrs. Too-Wit, and their two little sons, T'wit and T'woo. In one of the biggest holes in the old hollow tree they had a very comfortable home.

Every night as the shadows began to creep through the Great Forest, T'wit would sing a little song. He was very proud of it, for he had made it up himself. He would look over at T'woo as much as to say, "You never could make up such a lovely song," and then he would toot across to his brother:

"How happy I am
In the forest so deep;
I sing and I play
While other folks sleep!"

T'woo was quite provoked to think that his brother had made up such a pretty song, and he tried very hard to think up one for himself. Finally, one evening just as T'wit was about to sing his evening verse, T'woo opened his beak very wide, and before T'wit could commence, he tooted across:

"All thro' the night
I sing and I play,
While other folk do
Just the opposite way!"

T'wit was so surprised that he almost fell off the limb on which he sat, winking and blinking in the early twilight.

Mr. and Mrs. Too-Wit, Too-Woo looked at each other as much as to say, "Did you ever see such bright children as ours?"

Presently Mr. Too-Wit flew off for his evening flutter, and both his small sons followed, while Mrs. Too-Wit went inside the house.

"Where are you going, father?" asked T'wit as they flew along silently; but his parent did not vouchsafe a reply until they neared the edge of the forest. Then he turned and said, "You two boys sit here while I fly over to tell my little friend some news," and with these words, off he flew straight for the Indian camp, leaving the two small owls perched on a limb of a tree. When he reached a tent near a big tree, he fluttered down to the ground, and gave a low hoot. The little Indian boy pushed his head out: "What is it, Too-Wit?" he asked.

"There's a flock of wild turkeys roosting in the clump of trees by the lake. Bring your bow and arrows before it gets too dark. I'll wait at the edge of the wood for you. T'wit and T'woo are keeping a look-out while I'm here."

Little Indian hastily picked up his bow and arrows, and started off for the lake. As he drew near the clump of trees, he crept stealthily along, so as not to frighten the wild turkeys. When he was near enough, he fitted a bow to his arrow, and taking careful aim, shot one of the birds. The flock became frightened as soon as they saw one of their comrades fall, and taking wing, they flew off in all directions, not before, however, the little Indian boy had shot off his bow the second time. This time, his aim was not so true; the turkey must have been only slightly wounded, because there was no trace of him, save a few feathers, when little Indian ran up to the spot where he had last seen him.

Picking up the bird which he had killed with his first arrow, he turned back to the camp. "Thank you," he said to Too-Wit, as he passed the tree on which his feathered friend sat, "You see, I've got my dinner for tomorrow."

Too-Wit spread his wings, and his two small sons followed after, and presently they were all three back at the big hollow tree, where Mrs. Too-wit had a nice supper all ready for them.

The next afternoon Little Indian and Too-Wit went to see two funny little Frogs who lived in the lake.

"Look," said Little Indian to Too-Wit. "Aren't they cunning?"

"Yes," answered the Owl; "that's Freddie and Fannie Frog. Wait a minute and I'll fly over and tell them how kind you are, for the Forest Folk are quick to trust a friend."

So Too-Wit flew over to where Freddie and Fannie Frog were contentedly sitting on their lily-pad under the long grass on the edge of the lake.

"Hello, hullo, Too-woo!" cried Too-Wit.

Freddie jumped up so quickly that the lily-pad tilted to one side, and overboard went Fannie Frog with a splash.

But Fannie knew how to swim, as every well-trained Lady Frog does, and after shaking the water from her eyes, she scrambled back upon the lily-pad, none the worse for her ducking.

But, dear me, I forgot to say she had lost her pretty parasol! Little Indian saw it floating away from the spot—a pretty little lily, the petals of which Fannie had bent downward until they had made a very nice umbrella top, indeed, and by holding it up by the stem, she was able to keep the hot sun from freckling her funny little face.

"Oh, where's my parasol?" screamed Fannie. "Oh, dear! oh, dear! there it is, 'way out of my reach!"

Little Indian leaned over the bank and picked up the lily.

"Oh, thank you!" said Fannie, now smiling again; "thank you so much!"

"Oh, that's nothing!" answered Little Indian. "I'm glad to be able to get it for you. It certainly would be a shame to lose such a pretty thing!"

Just then a breeze sprang up, and away drifted the lily-pad with Freddie and Fannie.

Little Indian watched them as they sailed away, for Fannie was now holding up for a sail the little pink parasol, which helped to pull their boat along at a good pace.

Then Too-Wit, Too-Woo said good-by, and flew back to his home in the forest.

The big, round sun was now going down behind the purple hills, the shadows were slowly filling all the nooks and corners of the big forest, and the lake, in the gathering darkness, looked dim and gloomy.

Little Indian could no longer see the lily-pad boat. "They must have landed on the other side of the lake by this time," he thought, as he started for home, and when he came out of the forest he was glad to see in the distance the cheerful glow of his camp fire.

[COME, LITTLE PUSSY CAT!]

"Come, little Pussy Cat, let us go
To see a pussy cat movie show.
Shaggy Angoras and kittens white,
Big Tom Cats as black as night,
And nice old Tabby Cats drinking tea,
Oh, the Pussy Cat Show is the one to see."

[JIMMY SAVES HIS TEDDY BEAR]

"Clang, clang!" went the bell on the fire engine, and the whistle blew fiercely as the wheels rumbled along over the pavement.

Tommy ran across to the nursery window and pressed his face against the pane.

"Nurse, nurse!" he called out. "The engine has stopped just across the way. Why, it's at Jimmy Watson's."

Margaret, the nurse, looked out. "Why, so it is, dearie me!" she cried. "Just see the smoke."

Ladders were being placed against the house, and firemen in big red helmets ran up and down, dragging the hose after them and squirting water through the windows. It was very exciting and Tommy danced up and down on his toes. Just then a mass of flame shot up through the roof, and smoke poured out of the upper windows in big black clouds.

"I guess Jimmy's room is all burning up," said Tommy. "Just see the smoke going out of his window."

As he finished speaking he saw Jimmy himself coming down the front steps, holding tightly in his hands his favorite Teddy bear. After him came his mother and the servants, each carrying something.

"Dearie me!" said Nurse Margaret, "I'm afraid the house will be all burned up."

"Well," replied Tommy, "there's one thing to be thankful for, Jimmy has saved his Teddy bear."

["DO UNTO OTHERS"]

Phil and Marjorie had been very selfish. When baby brother had toddled up to them after dinner and asked them for a little bite of their candy they had run away and hidden behind the bureau, where they greedily ate it all. Soon after, while they were looking out of the nursery window, they saw a little boy earn a nickel by carrying several packages for a lady up to the front doorstep of her house. To their great surprise he ran down the street and gave it to a poor blind man on the corner.

This made the children think how mean they had been to their little brother. So Phil said, "Let's go to the candy shop and buy a peppermint stick for baby brother. We'll take our very own money."

"Let's give the poor blind man something, too," added Marjorie, as she turned her bank upside down to get out the money.

"And I'll give my other five-cent piece to the little boy who was so kind to the blind man!" cried Phil.

When they returned both children were smiling happily. "Did you see how glad the poor boy was to get the five cents?" asked Phil.

"Yes," answered Marjorie, "and did you hear how gratefully the blind man thanked me?"

But all that baby brother said was "Yum! Yum!" as he sucked away on his pink and white peppermint stick!

THE JOLLY JUNGLE FOLK

Mikey Monk Plays Naughty Pranks

All The Jungle Folk were mad, every one was wild,
Everybody wore a scowl, not a creature smiled.
What was all this row about? Listen to what had
Happened in the Jungle to make them all so mad.
Mikey Monk had climbed a tree. Who was Mikey Monk?
Mikey was a monkey and full of life and spunk;
Also full of naughty tricks, I am sad to say,
That is why the Jungle Folks are so mad to-day.
Up a tree had Mikey climbed, clear up to the top,
Then he threw some cocoanuts, threw them down ker-flop.
Charlie Crocodile got mad, so did George Giraffe,
And they both grew angrier when they heard his laugh.
Harry Hippopotamus happened to come near;
Suddenly a cocoanut whistled by his ear.
He had hardly time to wink when another shot
Made him think he'd better not linger in that spot.
Tommy Tiger came along on his stealthy toes;
Suddenly a cocoa ball barely grazed his nose.
Oscar Ostrich sauntered by as a nut came down;
"Goodness, what was that?" he squawked, with an angry frown.
Harry Hippopotamus looked around and said,
"Don't you think there's something queer happening overhead?
It is rather difficult," he added, with a sigh,
"Finding out why cocoanuts are raining from the sky!
"Say, why don't you fellows ascertain the cause?
Where is a Policeman to enforce the laws?
Oscar Ostrich, won't you go—for you are so fleet—
See if you can run across a Copper on his beat?"
Sure enough, in half a wink back again he came
With a big Policeman, Eddie Elephant by name.
"What is this disturbance? Move along!" he said.
Suddenly his helmet tumbled off his head.
"Who did that?" he shouted, when another nut
Whistled by his ivories, hit him on the foot.
With his trunk he grabbed the tree, gave some mighty heaves,
My! what a commotion up amongst the leaves.
Then he butted all his might with his great big head.
"Break it up in kindling wood!" Tommy Tiger said.
Back and forth the tall tree swayed with a swishing sound,
Then a little scream was heard, something bumped to the ground.
Mikey Monk had lost his grip; on the ground he lay.
All the animals rushed in, pounced upon their prey.
"Break away!" the Copper said, "I arrest him now.
I will lock him up at once; we will show him how
"To obey the Jungle Laws. He won't sleep a wink
After he has been to Court. He'll have time to think
In the Jungle Jail how bad he has been to-day.
After he gets out again he won't disobey."
Over Tommy Tiger's head then he thrust his trunk;
By the ear he grabbed a hold of naughty Mikey Monk.
All the jungle populace joined in the parade.
Mikey Monk was crying—he was now afraid.
"Let me go!" he cried and sobbed, "and I'll promise you
Never more a naughty thing will I ever do."
But the big Policeman just kept straight ahead.
Did not even answer him; only shook his head.
At King Lion's Court at last stopped the big parade,
And before the King of Beasts Mikey was arrayed.
Very stern the Lion looked at the grave complaint,
Though of course he must have known Mikey was no saint.
When the Cop had finished Mikey held his breath,
He was all a-tremble; almost scared to death.
All the angry animals shouted, "Do not fail
To commit this Monkey to the Jungle Jail!"
"As you wish," King Lion answered with a roar.
Then they slipped the handcuffs over Mikey's paw
And Policeman Elephant took poor Mike away
To the Jungle Lockup, where he had to stay.
Till the Jungle Animals thought that just about
Punishment enough he'd had! then they let him go;
And no better monkey after this than he
In the Jolly Jungle ever climbed a tree

[LITTLE BOY BLUE]

Little Boy Blue, where have you gone?
The cows are eating the tall green corn.
Drive them away or Farmer Lane
Will give you a beating with his cane.

[MASTER SPARROW'S BREAKFAST]

"Oh, my! what a snowstorm!" Little Dorothy looked out of the window at the fast falling flakes, which covered up so quietly and softly the shivering brown grass on the lawn and the trembling rose bushes in the garden. "How warm they'll be," said Dorothy to herself, "with their eiderdown covers."

Just then a little sparrow flew down on the walk and looked up at the window. "Hello!" said Dorothy, "what do you want?" The little bird turned his head first to one side and then the other, as if he didn't quite hear what Dorothy was saying behind the pane of glass. "Don't you hear me?" she called out, but he turned his head, as if to say, "No!" Dorothy pushed up the window and called out, "What do you want, birdie?" but he flew away just across the walk to the maple tree, where he sat looking at her with his queer little eyes. Every now and then he would turn his head this way and that way, as if, so Dorothy thought, trying to hear what she was saying. But Dorothy wasn't saying anything now. She was so disappointed that her little friend had flown off and that he should be afraid of her, just because she had opened the window, that she turned to Mother, who came into the room at that moment, and said: "Mother, just look at that cute little bird; only just a minute ago he was hopping on the walk right down here, but when I opened the window to say 'How-de-doo!' he flew over to the maple tree. See him over there?"

"I think he is waiting for you to give him some crumbs for breakfast," Mother answered with a smile. "Run into the dining-room and ask Mary for a piece of bread and we will see if Master Sparrow won't come back again."

"Oh, goody!" cried the little girl, and in a few minutes she was back at the window with enough crumbs for an army of sparrows.

"Open the window gently," said Mother, "and throw out the crumbs, and we will see what Master Sparrow will do."

Mr. Sparrow did exactly what Mother thought, and Dorothy hoped he would do. He looked at them with his little bright eyes and turned his head first this way and then that way, and after that, to Dorothy's delight, flew over to the crumbs and ate them up as if he had a great, big, healthy appetite. And when all the crumbs were gone he turned his head this way and that way (and I think he winked one of his little black eyes at Dorothy, only I'm not quite sure about this) and flew away.

"Oh, Mother!" cried Dorothy, "I think that's his way of talking—wagging his little head—something like the way Bijou wags his stubby tail!" And Mother said she thought so, too.

[TRANSPLANTING THE FLOWERS]

"Oh, see that wagon full of flowers. I wish we could get some," cried Bertie to sister Phillis.

"I'll ask Mother," replied Phillis; "she said the other day that we might buy flowers for our garden."

"Good," said Bertie, "where's my bank?"

And when Phillis found hers, both children ran down the stairs and out into the street. As soon as they had bought the flowers they hurried to the yard at the back of the house where each had a little garden.

"Look, Mother," said Phillis, "Bertie has two geraniums and one lily, and I have three tulips."

"They are very pretty," said Mother; "be careful how you handle these frail little plants. By-and-by they will be stronger."

Then she helped take them out of the pots and place them carefully in the earth.

"Now you must water them. But remember never to water plants if the sun is shining on them." After everything was cleaned up nice and neat, the children felt just a little bit tired, so Mother told them they might go over to the drug store and get an ice cream soda, at which Bertie and Phillis both gave Mother a great big kiss.

LITTLE SIR CAT

Little Sir Cat Helps Piggie

The next morning as Mrs. Oriole was singing her pretty song, all of a sudden, a big tramp cat ran up the tree. And he would have caught Mrs. Oriole right then and there if Little Sir Cat hadn't shouted: "Don't touch that little bird!" And would you believe it? That tramp cat said, "I won't!" and began to purr:

"Last Saturday night a week ago
I went to the city to see a fine show.
And Sunday morning, just for a lark,
I chased a gray squirrel all over the Park!"

and then he grinned like a cousin of his from Cheshire, and climbed down the tree.

LITTLE SIR CAT HELPS PIGGIE

Well, all of a sudden, Little Sir Cat said "Phist!" which so frightened that naughty cat that he ran away, and I guess he's running yet, for nobody ever saw him again. And this made the little Orioles so happy that they began to sing:

"Oh, how brave is Little Sir Cat!
We like the feather in his hat,
But more than that we like the way
He saved our Mother Bird to-day!"

which so pleased Little Sir Cat that he took a cracker out of his pocket and gave it to them. And after that he said good-by and went upon his way, and by and by he met a big Turkey Gobbler who was being fattened for Thanksgiving. But he didn't know it. Oh, my no! He just thought the farmer fed him nice things because he loved him.

"Helloa!" said Little Sir Cat, "how is Mrs. Turkey?" But the old Turkey Gobbler never answered. He just gobbled, gobbled, not food, you know, but air, for that is the way a turkey talks.

"I can't understand you. You had better go home and talk to Mrs. Turkey," said Little Sir Cat, and away he went, hoping next time to meet a more sociable person.

Well, pretty soon he saw a little pig caught in the fence. So he helped him out and then they set off together, and after a while, not so very far, they came to a big pond where some boys were sailing toy boats. And they were the funniest, queerest little toy boats you ever saw. In fact, they weren't boats at all, but big wooden letters. And just then a little bird began to sing:

"Big 'A' and little 'B'
Went a-sailing on the 'C.'"

"They're Alphabet Boats," cried Little Sir Cat. "I once read about Alphabet Town where all the letters were alive,—'A' was an Ant, and 'B' was a Bee, and if you weren't an artist you couldn't write letters to your friends."

"He, he!" laughed little Piggie Porker, "that was a queer place."

Well, after that Little Sir Cat and Piggie Porker went into the wood to see Goggle Woggle, a little dwarf who knew just where the fairies and Giant Oatencake lived. And as soon as Goggle Woggle saw Little Sir Cat and Piggie, he said: "Let's go up the hill to Giant Oatencake. I've got a wooden sword and if he comes out of his castle, I'll cut off his head!" So off they went, Little Sir Cat, Piggie and Goggle Woggle, and by and by, not so very long, they came to the top of the hill.

"Wait a minute till I get my sword ready," said Goggle Woggle, and maybe it took him quite a long time, for he was just a little bit afraid, you know. And so would you and so would I if we were going to fight Giant Oatencake.

But Little Sir Cat said: "Don't be afraid. I'm with you!" and this made Goggle Woggle feel lots braver. And after that he shouted:

"Come out of your castle!"

Now Giant Oatencake was only a great big tremendous cornstalk, and as soon as Goggle Woggle struck him with his sword, a big ripe ear of corn fell to the ground.

"Here is his head," cried Goggle Woggle, as he put it under his arm. "I'll make pop-corn balls out of it," and he ran back to his big tree in the wood. And in the next story you shall hear what happened after that, unless

The little mouse in the pantry
Catches my Tabby Cat,
And my little yellow canary
Runs away with a high silk hat.

[AS I WAS GOING UP MURRAY HILL]

As I was going up Murray Hill,
Murray Hill was dirty;
There I met a pretty Miss,
Very trim and perty.
"Little Miss, pretty Miss,
If I had a trillion
I would wed you, but, alas!
I only have a million!"

[SANTA'S LETTER FROM DOT]

Dear Santa Claus, I hope that you
Will find it easy to get through
Our chimney, 'cause if you should stick
Up there where all the smoke is thick,
What would we do, and what would you,
For goodness sakes, what would you do?
So if you find it is not wise
Enough for you to safely slide
Down to our room without mistake,
The attic window you must take.
It's quite close to the chimney, too,
And big enough, I know, for you.
I'll creep up there the day before
And leave unlocked the attic door;
And if I can I'll open, too,
The window so you can get through
Without the leastest bit of fuss
With all the presents you've for us.
I don't see how you'll tell apart
Our stockings, so you'd better start
With mine; it's close up to the clock;
The next is father's silken sock;
The others all are just like mine,
'Cept Jimmy's—his is tied with twine.
I want a doll with violet eyes
Who, when you squeeze her, "Mamma!" cries;
And little baby carriage, too,
With pillows and a cover blue;
Some candy and a china set
Of teacups for my dolly pet.
Jim wants a ball, a mask and bat,
A soldier suit, a gun and hat,
Some candy and a picture book
For rainy days at which to look.
Mother says she'll write to you,
And father says that he will, too.
Now, please remember what I've said
About the attic overhead;
The window which I'll leave for you
Wide open so you can get through;
And whose each stocking is, and where,
When you come creeping down the stair,
Good-by, dear Santa Claus, I've wrote
All I can think of in this note.

[THE ANGELS' SONG]

"Hark!" the herald angels cry
Leaning from the starry sky,
"In a manger Christmas morn
Christ the baby King is born!"
Near Him stand the lowly kine,
O'er her little babe divine
Mother Mary bends her face
Full of wonder, tender grace.
Kneeling are the Wise Men Three,
Silent in humility.
In the humble wooden stall
Sleeps the baby King of all.
On the straw that warms His bed
Shines the halo 'round His head,
Like a little candle's light
Making all the stable bright.
Hark! the dewy Heavens ring
With the song the Angels sing,
"In a manger Christmas morn
Christ the baby King is born!"

THE LITTLE RAG-A-MUFFINS

"I wish I could do something for those poor little Brown children," said Susan one morning as she and brother Billy sat by the nursery window reading. "Their father is out of work, and I'm afraid they won't get any Thanksgiving dinner this year."

"I tell you what," suggested Billy, "as we have spent all our money, let's dress up in some of mother's old clothes and make believe we are rag-a-muffins. We'll slip out carefully tomorrow morning, without making any noise."

"That's a fine idea," said Susan. "We can use your water colors to paint our faces."

About 10 o'clock Thanksgiving morning the children went quietly upstairs to their playroom and painted their faces. Then, after dressing, they crept downstairs and out of the house. Their queer costumes attracted much attention, and their pretty, wistful ways gained for them many friends. In an hour, when they had counted their pennies, they found to their delight that they had over three dollars.

"Now we had better hurry to the store and buy the things," said Susan. The kind-hearted butcher let them have a chicken for half price, in order that there should be no disappointed little hearts over the lack of sufficient funds. The basket was soon filled to overflowing and on the top of the vegetables was placed with great care a mince pie.

The Browns were very grateful and Bobby, Billy and Susan were very happy to think that they had done it all themselves.

LITTLE SIR CAT

Little Sir Cat Visits Mrs. Porker

As Little Sir Cat and Piggie Porker traveled on they met Sir Launcelot, the noble Knight of good King Arthur's round table, riding a great horse with Miss Muffet in the saddle. Well, by-and-by, along came old Dame Trot with a basket of eggs on her arm. She was singing in a high cracked voice a funny song that went like this:

"Who wants to buy some nice fresh eggs
Laid by a hen with yellow legs,
Yellow legs and a bright red comb,
In a little round nest in my own dear home?"

"How much are they?" asked Sir Launcelot, taking a gold piece from his purse. And of course, she didn't answer but handed the basket to him with a curtsy. "They are yours, Sir Knight," and, taking the gold piece, she wrapped it up in her handkerchief and put it away in the pocket of her short green skirt.

Sir Launcelot laughed, for he knew that a gold piece was too much to pay for the eggs, but he was such a generous knight he didn't care.

LITTLE SIR CAT VISITS MRS. PORKER

Then Piggie took Little Sir Kitten home with him to meet Mrs. Porker and the little Porkers. And after a while Little Sir Cat set out again to find his fortune.

Well, by-and-by, he came to a tall flag-pole at the top of which floated a beautiful flag with red stripes and silver stars. But Little Sir Cat didn't know what flag this was, for he had never crossed the ocean blue, and Mother Goose Land is not on this side of the water, you know. And then a big bird said, "Three cheers for the Red, White and Blue!" He was the big American Eagle, only, of course, Little Sir Cat didn't know that either; he only knew Mother Goose people, you see.

"Why, I didn't think you could cheer so well," said Little Sir Cat, and he opened his knapsack and took out a red, white and blue lollypop and gave it to him, and wasn't that eagle pleased? Well, I should say he was. He flapped his wings and began to sing:

"Oh, I'm the bird as you all have heard
Who fights for the U. S. A.
I love the stars on our beautiful flag
As I watch it wave from my lonely crag,
And I give a screech that is heard afar,
Three cheers for every silver star,
And the bands of red and white and blue,
And the soldier boys who are brave and true,
And the sailor lads on the deep wide sea,
Oh, the U. S. A. is the land for me!"

And when he finished he said to Little Sir Cat, "Climb on my back and we'll fly away, far away, across the water wild with spray, way, way off to the U. S. A."

Isn't it wonderful how an eagle could say things like this in rhyme? It must have been because he was in Mother Goose Land where everybody talks in poetry.

"I'm afraid I can't," replied Little Sir Cat. "My mother would worry if I went so far away." So the big eagle said good-by, but before he left, he pinned a tiny red, white and blue flag on the little Kitten's coat.

On another page of this jolly book,
If you just turn over the pages and look,
You'll find a story about Sir Cat
And the Cow that jumped over the Moon Man's Hat.

[Ten Little Boy Scouts]

One little Boy Scout beating a tat-too;
A little comrade heard the call—then there were two.
Two little Boy Scouts climbing up a tree;
Along came another one—then there were three.
Three little Boy Scouts standing by the door;
Running out they met a Scout—then there were four.
Four little Boy Scouts in the water dive;
Another one swam up to them—then there were five.
Five little Boy Scouts doing lots of tricks;
Their captain called out, "Shoulder arms!"—then there were six.
Six little Boy Scouts looking up to heaven;
An airship brought another down—then there were seven.
Seven little Boy Scouts got to school quite late;
They found a scholar in the room—then there were eight.
Eight little Boy Scouts dressed up very fine;
They caught a little ragged one—then there were nine.
Nine little Boy Scouts chased a speckled hen;
They bumped into another Scout—then there were ten.
Ten little Boy Scouts yelling "Hip, hurrah!"
This is all there is to tell—these are all there are!

[THE LITTLE GREEN LADY FROG]

Billy Bull Frog had a deep bass voice, and every night he would sit on a big flat rock amid tall sedge grass and sing. There was a little green lady frog that sang a beautiful soprano, but, you see, his voice was so loud and strong and deep that hardly any one could hear her when she sang. She could hardly ever hear herself, for the louder she sang the more noise Billy would make, till finally the little green lady frog wouldn't sing at all.

But this did not make Billy feel badly, because he loved to hear his own voice so much. The little green lady frog would sit very still on her lily pad, and would not even look at Billy when he sang. But, oh, dear me! he was so conceited about his own voice that he thought the little green lady frog was jealous of him.

She wasn't at all, and Billy was wrong, and was acting very, very foolishly. The real truth of the matter was that the little green lady frog had heard a tree toad singing in a tree quite close to the lake, and she thought his voice very beautiful, because it was a high tenor, and it sounded much better when she sang with him than it did when she sang with Billy Bull Frog.

At first she hardly dared sing with Tommy Tree Toad, because she was afraid of Billy Bull Frog, and then, too, she didn't know Tommy Tree Toad very well.

But after a while she became bolder and one night, when the moon was shining brightly in the sky and throwing a silver path from the water right up to Tommy Tree Toad's tree, she climbed up the bank and stood on the silver path of the moon and listened while Tommy sang his most beautiful song.

And the longer she waited the more she wanted to go close up to the big tree and sing with Tommy. He kept singing in his beautiful tenor voice, "Kum-kum, kum-kum!" and at last she hopped along the silver way up to the big tree. And then they sang a lovely duet together and all the frogs in the lake held their breath because it was so sweet.

[THE PRINCESS LIL]

The Princess Lil stood on the edge of the lake waiting for her turtlemobile to take her to her lily castle, which rested on the bright waters in the center of the lily pond.

Presently she heard the honk, honk of chauffeur Billy Bullfrog's horn, and in another moment the turtlemobile swung around the tall sedge grass.

"You're late," she said, as she took her seat.

"I'm sorry, your Royal Highness," said chauffeur Billy Bullfrog, "but the turtlemobile was tired, and I couldn't make him put on more speed."

The princess made no reply, but sat gazing at the setting sun's reflection in the bright waters of the lake. The sky was all fairy colors, and just above the green tree tops the evening star was shining.

The turtlemobile glided swiftly in and out among the lily pads and hummocks of grass until it came to the open water. In the center of the lake was a beautiful white lily. Here the turtlemobile stopped, and the Princess Lil stepped out on the smooth green lily pad. Quickly running across, she tripped lightly down the golden stairway inside the stem of the beautiful white pond lily. When she reached the bottom of the golden flight, she opened a little door, and entered her pink and white chamber. Throwing herself down on a silken couch, she rang a bell, and presently a pretty little fairy appeared.

"Lorelei," said the princess, "I am weary; bring me my gossamer kimono, and do you loosen my hair. Afterwards you may coil it again and fasten it with a single firefly, as I wish to sit out in the garden after supper."

The moon was shining brightly as the Princess Lil ran up the golden staircase and out upon the big flat lily pad, which was arranged like a beautiful garden. There were small pink flowers growing in little beds of moist earth, and winding in and out was a narrow path of tiny shiny pebbles. Over this the princess tripped until she came to the end of the path, where she sat down, and began to sing softly, oh, so softly, a fairy lullaby.

"Gently the wind of the dewy night blows,
Over the quivering stream;
While children are sleeping, the fairies are peeping,
Singing to them a dream.
"Over and over, from daisy and clover,
From all of the sweet flower throng,
The fairies are swinging and drowsily singing,
A sweet little hush-a-by song."

"Ah!" said the little princess as she finished; "I think all the little boys and girls are asleep by this time. Indeed, I'm sure they are, for there goes the blue-bell tinkling 'Nine o'clock!'

"Good night, sweet moon!" she cried, as she paused before the portal of her lily castle, "good night, sweet moon!"

And then the little fairy princess ran down the golden staircase and disappeared in her pink and white chamber.

[DOROTHY'S NEW ROLLER SKATES]

Little Dorothy always begged her mother to loop up one of her window curtains when she went to bed, that she might go to sleep watching the stars twinkle, and in the morning see the sun rise, and after he had risen, see if his goldy locks were all on end, as her own often were.

One morning she woke up, not quite as early as usual, and found her room full of light, which seemed to dance about some bright object on a chair by her bedside. For a moment she lay quite still, thinking that perhaps it was some fairy's wand which caused such a glitter, and that presently a real, live fairy, with beautiful gold wings, would perch on her thumb, and offer to grant her three wishes like other obliging fairies she had read about. And the very first wish that came into her head was for a pair of roller skates; and having got fairly awake at last, she saw that this bright something by her bedside was indeed a beautiful new pair of skates, so bright that she could see her own happy face reflected in them!

"Mother, mother!" she called out, "come quick! Did you or the fairies bring me these lovely new skates?"

Mother smiled. "Who do you think?" she asked, cuddling her little daughter up close.

"I guess it was you, dear mother," answered the little girl, with a grateful hug; "you're better than any fairy."

After breakfast Dorothy hurried off to the park. She strapped her skates on as fast as she could and was just about to glide away on the smooth pavement when she noticed a poor little girl standing near, watching her with almost a hungry expression in her sad brown eyes. "Do you like to skate?" asked Dorothy.