Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes | Page 9

What shall we do with the chimney?"
They built a roaring fire, and none too soon, for they could hear the "patter, patter, patter" of feet upon the roof.
Bushy-Tail climbed down from the roof. He looked in at the window and said, "Please let me in, please let me in."
Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes sat as still as they could in their little chairs by the fire and never winked an eyelash.
Bushy-Tail said, "Let me in or I will come down the chimney, fire or no fire."
Then Snubby Nose coughed and Tippy Toes sneezed.
Bushy-Tail climbed the roof once more. Out came the smoke in great puffs. He gave it up and then went away down the path growling every step of the way.
All this time Bunny and Susan were coming nearer every minute. They said, "What if we should meet Bushy-Tail?"
In less time than it takes to tell it, Bushy-Tail came down the bend of the road scolding and waving his beautiful tail to and fro.
He howled, "Bring out Snubby Nose, bring out Tippy Toes or I will eat you up."
I do not know what in the world would have happened if Grandpa Grumbles had not come sailing along just then. He came sailing down in his green cotton umbrella and said, looking hard at Bushy-Tail,
"Jump inside and have a ride, There's room for you and me beside."
Bushy-Tail jumped into the umbrella. He was pleased you may be sure. They rode away, and away, and away, over houses, over tree-tops, and over a big blue lake. Then they began to sail slowly down, down, down.
Bushy-Tail said, "Oh, Grandpa Grumbles, don't land us in the lake! Oh, Grandpa Grumbles, look out what you are doing!"
Grandpa Grumbles then said loudly,
"Speak into my better ear, I am so deaf I cannot hear."
Bushy-Tail cried out as loud as he could, "Oh, Grandpa Grumbles, we are going down into the lake! Look out, look out! We shall be drowned!"
Grandpa Grumbles shouted,
"Speak a little louder, please, Shall we sail above the trees?"
Bushy-Tail got so excited he did not know what he was doing. He got right out of the umbrella and went splash, dash, into the lake.
[Illustration: "BUSHY-TAIL WENT SPLASH, DASH, INTO THE LAKE"]
Grandpa Grumbles, as he sailed homeward, said,
"Sink or swim, just as you please, For I have no desire to tease."
He left poor Bushy-Tail to swim to shore.
When Grandpa Grumbles got home he saw smoke coming out of his chimney. He grumbled,
"It seems to me quite like a bore, To have to enter by the door."
He was so used to sailing down the chimney!
The door opened for him and there stood Bunny and Susan. Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes danced up to him and told him how Bushy-Tail had tried to get in.
Grandpa Grumbles shook his green umbrella fiercely and said,
"He will not come this way again, Either in sunshine or in rain."
Then Bunny and Susan and Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes begged Grandpa Grumbles to tell what had become of Bushy-Tail, but Grandpa Grumbles would only say,
"I am so deaf 'tis hard to hear, Come, speak a little louder, dear."
Then Bunny spoke into his right ear, and Susan spoke into his left ear, and asked him to tell where he had left Bushy-Tail.
Grandpa Grumbles shook his head and said,
"Bunny and Susan, what do you say? I am so old and deaf to-day."
Then Snubby Nose cried into his right ear, and Tippy Toes cried into his left ear, but Grandpa Grumbles only said,
"I can't hear, my deafness grows; Ask the umbrella, for it knows."
Then the Cotton-Tails asked the umbrella what had become of Bushy-Tail and the umbrella said,
"Bushy-Tail went swimming away, But he'll come back in a year and a day."
"Oh" and "Ah" and "Oh" and "Ah," cried all the little Cotton-Tails, "Bushy-Tail is swimming away is he?"
They all went merrily to bed.

CHAPTER VIII
The next morning Grandpa Grumbles called out,
"The Cotton-Tails are all in bed, Every one is a sleepy-head."
"My fur and whiskers, we have overslept," said Bunny Cotton-Tail. "It is nine o'clock by my little silver watch."
"Bless my buttons," cried Susan, "I meant to get up and get breakfast."
Tippy Toes was the first down stairs after Grandpa Grumbles. He danced this way and he danced that way, and set the table for breakfast.
Grandpa Grumbles had a fine breakfast ready. They all sat down except Snubby Nose. Grandpa Grumbles said,
"Where is Snubby Nose? 'tis plain, He must have gone to sleep again."
Now, what do you suppose happened next? Grandpa Grumbles went upstairs and took Snubby Nose by the feet and dragged him out of bed. He made him dress in a hurry and come down to breakfast! All the time Snubby Nose cried and he screamed and he howled!
Bunny and Susan and Grandpa Grumbles soon finished their breakfast. They went for a walk but Tippy