Lulu, Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble | Page 5

they had reached the
pen where they lived, "you may go out and swim around a bit with your
new bonnets on until your papa comes home. I want him to see how
well they fit you, for I think I have very good taste when it comes to
bonnets."
"Oh, I don't want to wear my new one," spoke Lulu. "I will put on my
old one and go and play with Jimmie and Bully, the frog."
So she did, but Alice, who was very fond of nice clothes, went for a
swim on the pond. At first she paddled around, gazing down in the
water, which was just like the looking-glass some men shave by, and
she thought: "Oh, what a lovely bonnet I have! How fine I shall look
when I go for a walk on Sunday!"
And just then--really I'm not exaggerating a bit--If it didn't begin to rain!
Now, of course, rain couldn't hurt Alice any, for she was a duck and
was used to the water, but she knew it would spoil her new bonnet. So
she took it off and laid it under a big burdock plant leaf near the pond,
to keep the flowers and ribbons dry.
"I wish it would stop raining," said Alice, after a while. "I want to go
home," but the big drops kept on falling, and she had to remain near her
bonnet for fear something would happen to it.
Then, in a little while, oh, maybe half an hour or so, all at once as quick
as a wink, along came Mooleyooly, the big brown cow. Mooleyooly
walked up to the burdock leaf, under which was the new bonnet, and
Mooleyooly saw the pretty yellow flowers on it, and she saw the blue
flowers on it and she saw the red flowers on it. Then Mooleyooly said,
as she licked her lips with her red tongue:
"What have we here? It looks very nice."
"It is nice," answered Alice proudly, for she was glad to have some one,
even a cow, admire her bonnet.
"It looks just like the green meadow where I live," went on Mooleyooly,

"with buttercups, and daisies, and ragged sailor flowers and some red
poppies growing in it. Oh, very fine, indeed. Why, those flowers are
real!" exclaimed the cow, looking carefully at the new bonnet under the
big leaf.
"Of course," cried Alice, "certainly they are real."
"Better and better!" went on Mooleyooly. "Most delightful, I am sure!"
Then, oh, how sorry I feel that I have to tell it--then, if that brown cow
didn't start right in and eat up Alice's new bonnet!
Yes, sir, every single bit, down to a bunch of green grass that looked so
pretty on it. She ate it all up at one mouthful, before Alice could cry out
"stop" or "halt" or "cease" or any words like that. Well, of course, Alice
cried. Wouldn't you, boys and girls--I mean, of course, you girls--have
done the same? Well, I guess so!
Then, when the cow saw how sorry Alice felt, Mooleyooly felt badly,
too, and she cried great big tears until you would have thought it was
raining harder then ever. Then, being a good cow, Mooleyooly
promised to get Alice a new bonnet, which she did, made of the finest
straw in the stable.
So Alice had a hat for Sunday after all, even if one was eaten up by
mistake. Well, pretty soon it stopped raining and Alice went home with
the bonnet the cow gave her, and Mamma Wibblewobble said it was
even better than the one she had bought. Now, wasn't that rather odd? I
thought so, myself.
To-morrow night if you do not sneeze, I hope to have the pleasure of
telling you how Jimmie Wibblewobble almost fell over the waterfall;
but don't let that alarm you the least bit, for he was saved in a most
wonderful way.

STORY IV
JIMMIE AND THE WATERFALL

It was such a nice day that Mr. and Mrs. Wibblewobble decided to go
visiting, as they had an invitation to call on Mrs. Greenie, the frog lady
who lived at the end of the pond. So the two ducks, after seeing that the
pen was in order, and the windows nice and clean, in case any company
should call on them while they were out, started off, swimming very
slowly, for they had their best clothes on and did not want to splash
water on them.
"Now, I hope you children will be good," called Mamma
Wibblewobble to Jimmie and Lulu and Alice. "Don't get into any
mischief and we'll be back at supper time."
"We'll be good," promised Alice, but Jimmie and Lulu didn't say
anything, though, of course they meant to be good