w! Wouch! Oh, dear!" and, letting go of the rabbit, ran away to jump
in the ice water to cool off.

But the bees did not sting Uncle Wiggily, for they liked him, and he
thanked them for driving away the bear. So everything came out all
right, you see, and if the foot-stool gets up to the head of the class
and writes its name on the blackboard, with pink chalk, I'll tell you
next about Uncle Wiggily and the dogwood tree.

STORY XVII

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE DOGWOOD

"Where are you going, Uncle Wiggily?" asked Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the
muskrat lady housekeeper, as the nice old rabbit gentleman started out
from his hollow stump bungalow one afternoon.

"Oh, just for a walk in the woods," he answered. "Neddie Stubtail, the
little bear boy, told me last night that there were many adventures in
the forest, and I want to see if I can find one."

"My goodness! You seem very fond of adventures!" said Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy.

"I am," went on Uncle Wiggily, with a smile that made his pink nose
twinkle and his whiskers sort of chase themselves around the back of
his neck, as though they were playing tag with his collar button. "I
just love to have adventures."

"Well, while you are out walking among the trees would you mind doing
me a favor?" asked Nurse Jane.

"I wouldn't mind in the least," spoke the bunny uncle. "What would you
like me to do?"

"Just leave this thimble at Mrs. Bow Wow's house. I borrowed the dog
lady's thimble to use when I couldn't find mine, but now that I have my
own back again I'll return hers."

"Where was yours?" Uncle Wiggily wanted to know.

"Jimmie Caw-Caw, the crow boy, had picked it up to hide under the
pump," answered Nurse Jane. "Crows, you know, like to pick up bright
and shining things."

"Yes, I remember," said Uncle Wiggily. "Very well, I'll give Mrs. Bow
Wow her thimble," and off the old gentleman rabbit started, limping
along on his red, white and blue striped rheumatism crutch, that Nurse
Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy had gnawed for him out of a bean-pole. Excuse me, I
mean corn stalk.

When Uncle Wiggily came to the place where Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow,
the little puppy dog boys lived, he saw Mrs. Bow Wow, the dog lady, out
in front of the kennel house looking up and down the path that led
through the woods.

"Were you looking for me?" asked Uncle Wiggily, making a low and polite
bow with his tall silk hat.

"Looking for you? Why, no, not specially," said Mrs. Bow Wow, "