Jumpo cried:

"But those are for Uncle Wiggily, if you please, Mr. Snake."

"Oh, what do I care?" asked the snake, most impolitely. "I will eat
these tarts, and then I will eat you."

Well, of course Jumpo felt dreadfully on hearing that, and he was
wondering how Uncle Wiggily would feel not to get the tarts, when, all
of a sudden, the monkey boy thought of the sticky chestnut burr he still
held.

"I'll fix that snake!" he cried. And then, just as the snake was going
to eat the tarts Jumpo threw the sharp burr at the wiggly, crawly
creature. The prickly stickers went into his skin, next to his
forty-'leven ribs and land sakes goodness me and some roast peanuts!
That snake was so tickled that he laughed and he sneezed and he coughed
and splittered and spluttered, and he fell over backwards off the basket
of jam tarts, turning a somersault.

Then Jumpo saw his chance. He made a grab for the basket and ran off
with it before the snake had finished sneezing and laughing and
coughing, and so the crawly creature couldn't catch him.

Then the green monkey boy went on to Uncle Wiggily's house and gave him
the tarts. The old gentleman rabbit was very glad to get them, and after
thanking Jumpo gave him ten peppermint candies--five for himself and
five for Jacko.

And then Uncle Wiggily sent a policeman dog back with Jumpo, so the
snake wouldn't hurt him, but the crawly creature had to go to a dentist
to have the chestnut burr stickers pulled out of his ribs and so he
wasn't able to catch anybody that night.

And that will be all for this evening, if you don't mind. Now for the
next story how about Jacko and the roast chestnuts, eh? Well, that's
what it will be if the ashman doesn't take our door mat to make a pair
of roller skates for the pussy cat so she can play tag with the puppy
dog.

STORY XV

JACKO AND THE ROAST CHESTNUTS

"Who wants to stay in this afternoon, and help me clean the
blackboards?" asked the owl lady teacher one day as it was almost time
for the animal pupils to go home.

"I do!" cried Jacko and Jumpo Kinkytail.

"I do!" cried Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow the puppy dog boys.

"So do I!" exclaimed Johnnie and Billie Bushytail, the squirrels.

And all the other children, including the three Wibblewobbles, Dottie
and Munchie Trot, Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg--all of them--said they also
would be glad to help teacher.

"But I only need one," said the owl lady, "and as Jacko has been a very