in store down to the place where the man sells hot peanuts at five
cents a bag.

"That was a fine kick!" cried Sammie Littletail, the rabbit boy, who
came along just then. "A most dandy kick."

"Yes, but Jacko used his tail besides his foot to kick with, and I can't
do that," said Jimmie, sort of sad-like.

"Perhaps what I did wasn't just fair," admitted Jacko. "Never mind,
after school we'll have a good football game. We'll go down by our house
and play, so that my brother, who is sick with the toothache, can look
out of the window and watch us. Then he won't think so much of his
pain."

Well, the boy animals thought this was a good plan, so when school was
out they hurried with Jacko to the monkey-house. Then they began to
play football. They kicked the ball all around, up one side, down the
other, through the middle, and sometimes even sideways. And the ball
never said a word, nor so much as winked its eyes.

"Now, for a big, long kick!" suddenly cried Jacko, when he got a chance.
"I believe I can almost kick that ball to the end of the rainbow." Of
course, there wasn't any rainbow there at the time, but Jacko just said
that for fun.

Johnnie Bushytail, the squirrel boy, suddenly rushed at Jacko, trying to
kick the ball before the monkey boy could do so, but Jacko was too quick
for Johnnie, and kicked it first. Away sailed the ball, farther than
ever, and then something happened. The football went right over a high,
steep, straight-up-and-down hill, and fell into a big hole on the other
side.

"Oh, there goes my ball!" cried Jimmie Wibblewobble, and he tried not to
cry, though he felt very much like it.

"Never mind, we can get it again," said Billie Bushytail. "You oughtn't
to kick so strong, Jacko."

"I s'pose I ought not to," agreed the monkey boy, sort of sad-like. "But
I will go down and get the ball. Then we can play another game."

And all this while Jumpo was watching the boys from out of the window.
And his tooth didn't ache quite so badly when he saw what fun they were
having. He wished he was with them.

"What's the matter?" Jumpo asked, when he saw the ball bounce out of
sight over the hill.

"It's fallen down in a big hole, and I'm going after it," said Jacko.

So the red monkey and his friends went to the edge of the hill and
looked over. Oh! it was a very steep, dark place, and when Jacko saw how
far down he'd have to go he was a bit afraid.

"I don't believe I can go down there," he