o rich I bought one of them, and
now I wish I hadn't. Here I am, miles from home, and I can't get it to
go. I've twisted the thing-a-ma-bob, and poured oil down the what-is-it,
and squirted gasoline on the dingus-dingus, and wiggled the
touch-me-not, and jiggled the who-is-it and even tickled the
tinkerum-tankerum. Still it won't go, and it keeps making that bang-bang
noise like a gun whenever I turn the crank. Oh, and my rheumatism hurts
me so! And I'm so tired!"

"Perhaps I can help," said Jumpo. "Does that crank in front make music
like a hand organ?"

"I only wish it did," spoke the rabbit, as he gave it another twist. But
there was only another bang.

"I give up!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "That crank doesn't do anything."

"Never mind!" cried Jumpo. "I'll help you home. You sit up in the auto
and steer it, and I'll get a rope and pull you home along the road, and
you'll be there in time for supper."

Well, the rabbit gentleman didn't believe the green monkey was strong
enough to pull the heavy car, but Jumpo was, and soon the auto and Jumpo
and Uncle Wiggily were safe home, and the auto man soon had the machine
fixed, so it would run like an alarm clock.

And that night Uncle Wiggily came to the monkey boys' house, and gave
them each a peppermint candy and told them a story before they went to
bed. And, in case the man across the street, who has an auto, doesn't
put one of the big rubber tires on our front doorknob, to make it look
like a doughnut, I'll tell you another story on the next page. It will
be about Jumpo and Susie Littletail.

STORY XI

JUMPO AND SUSIE LITTLETAIL

It had rained quite hard in the night and when Jacko and Jumpo
Kinkytail, after they had gone to bed, suddenly woke up in the darkness
and heard the drops pattering on the roof, the little red monkey boy
said to his green brother:

"Oh, dear! Now we can't go off in the woods to-morrow and take our lunch
and play camping, as we were going to do."

"No; isn't it too bad?" agreed Jumpo. "It always seems to rain at the
wrong time, doesn't it?"

"Come, come!" exclaimed Mr. Kinkytail, who was in the next room. "You
boys must go to sleep. The sun may shine to-morrow. Don't grumble and
find fault ahead of time."

And surely enough, the sun was shining brightly the next morning, and as
it was Saturday the Kinkytails didn't have to go to school.

"Oh, goody!" exclaimed Jacko as he leaped out of bed and saw what a fine
day it was.