of trouble. Oh, dear!
Oh, dear!"

"Ha! Trouble!" said Uncle Wiggily to himself. "This is where I come
in. I must see if I cannot help them."

He looked through the bushes, and there he saw Jillie Longtail, the
little girl mouse, and with her was Squeaky-Eeky, the cousin mouse.
And Squeaky-Eeky had a small sled with her.

"Why, what's the matter?" asked Uncle Wiggily, for he saw that
Squeaky-Eeky had been crying. "What is the matter, little mice?"

"Oh, hello. Uncle Wiggily!" cried Jillie. "I don't know what to do
with my little cousin mouse. You see she wants to slide down hill on
her Christmas sled, but there isn't any snow on any of the hills now."

"No, that's true, there isn't," said the bunny uncle. "But, Squeaky,
why didn't you slide down hill in the Winter, when there was snow?"

"Because, I had the mouse-trap fever, then," answered Squeaky-Eeky,
"and I couldn't go out. But now I am all better and I can be out, and
oh, dear! I do so much want a ride down hill on my sled. Boo, hoo!"

"Don't cry, Squeaky, dear," said Jillie. "If there is no snow you
can't slide down hill, you know."

"But I want to," said the little cousin mouse, unreasonable like.

"But you can't; so please be nice," begged Jillie.

"Oh, dear!" cried Squeaky. "I do so much want to slide down hill on my
sled."

"And you shall!" suddenly exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "Come with me,
Squeaky."

"Why, Uncle Wiggily!" cried Jillie. "How can you give Squeaky a slide
down hill when there is no snow? You need a slippery snow hill for
sleigh-riding."

"I am not so sure of that," spoke Uncle Wiggily, with a smile. "Let us
see."

Off through the woods he hopped, with Jillie and Squeaky following.
Pretty soon Uncle Wiggily came to a big tree that had fallen down, one
end being raised up higher than the other, like a hill, slanting.

With his strong paws and his sharp teeth, the rabbit gentleman began
peeling the bark off the tree, showing the white wood underneath.

"What are you doing, Uncle Wiggily?" asked Jillie.

"This is a slippery elm tree, and I am making a hill so Squeaky-Eeky
can slide down," answered the bunny uncle. "Underneath the bark the
trunk of the elm tree is very slippery. Dr. Possum told me so. See
how my paw slips!" And indeed it did, sliding down the sloping tree
almost as fast as you can eat a lollypop.

Uncle Wiggily took off a lot of bark from the elm tree, making a long,
sliding, slippery place.