And because of Uncle Wiggily's umbrella held over his
head, the nuts did not hurt him or Johnnie at all. And when the bear
had run far away the squirrel boy gathered all the nuts he wanted, and
he and Uncle Wiggily went safely home. And the bear's nose was sore
for a week.

So if the hickory nut cake doesn't try to sit in the same seat with the
apple pie and get all squeezed like a lemon pudding, I'll tell you next
about Uncle Wiggily and Susie's dress.

STORY XIX

UNCLE WIGGILY AND SUSIE'S DRESS

Uncle Wiggily Longears, the nice old gentleman rabbit, was reading the
paper in his hollow stump bungalow, in the woods, while Nurse Jane
Fuzzy Wuzzy, the muskrat lady house-keeper, was out in the kitchen
washing the dinner dishes one afternoon.

All of a sudden Uncle Wiggily fell asleep because he was reading a
bed-time story in the paper, and while he slept he heard a noise at the
front door, which sounded like:

"Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat!"

"My goodness!" suddenly exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, awakening out of his
sleep. "That sounds like the forest woodpecker bird making holes in a
tree."

"No, it isn't that," spoke Nurse Jane. "It's some one tapping at our
front door. I can't answer because my paws are all covered with
soapy-suds dishwater."

"Oh, I'll go," said Uncle Wiggily, and laying aside the paper over
which he had fallen asleep, he opened the door. On the porch stood
Susie Littletail, the rabbit girl.

"Why, hello Susie!" exclaimed the bunny uncle. "Where are you going
with your nice new dress?" for Susie did have on a fine new waist and
skirt, or maybe it was made in one piece for all I know. And her new
dress had on it ruffles and thing-a-ma-bobs and curley-cues and
insertions and Georgette crepe and all sorts of things like that.

"Where are you going, Susie?" asked Uncle Wiggily.

"I am going to a party," answered the little rabbit girl. "Lulu and
Alice Wibblewobble, the duck girls, are going to have a party, and they
asked me to come. So I came for you."

"But I'm not going to the party!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "I haven't
been invited."

"That doesn't make any difference," spoke Susie with a laugh. "You
know they'll be glad to see you, anyhow. And I know Lulu meant to ask
you, only she must have forgotten about it, because there is so much to
do when you have a party."

"I know there is," Uncle Wiggily said, "and I don't blame Lulu and
Alice a bit for not asking me. A