's a fire, let's run and see it!" cried Jumpo, getting out of
his chair. "Maybe they'll let us squirt some water on the blaze."

"Silly monkey chaps!" cried Mamma Kinkytail, as she laughed at them,
"that is not a fire bell, that is the school bell, for school starts
to-day, and you must hurry or you will be late."

"Oh, dear! School!" cried Jacko, making a funny face.

"Oh, me! Oh, my!" said Jumpo. "Have we got to go to school?"

"To be sure," answered their mamma. "Vacation and play time is over, and
you must be at your lessons. Hurry now, there go Sammie and Susie
Littletail, and Sammie has on a new suit."

"Yes, and there go the Bushytail brothers," added Jumpo as he saw two
squirrel boys hurrying past while the school bell rang louder and
louder.

"Oh, come on, let's go. We'll have some fun!" cried Jacko, and before
you knew it he was hanging by his tail from the front door bell knob,
and the next moment he had scrambled down the tree trunk and was running
after the squirrels and rabbits.

"You've forgotten your books!" called his mamma.

"Never mind, I'll take them," said Jumpo, kindly, so, picking up his own
books and those of his brother, he wound his long tail about them, and
down he scrambled from the little house in the tree, and soon he, too,
was running to school, while the bell went on ringing.

"Ding-dong! Dong-ding!"

Now the school where the monkeys, and all the other animal children
studied, was a hollow stump in the woods, and a wise old owl bird was
the teacher. Soon all the pupils were in the room, and the teacher told
them how glad she was to see them back, and she said she hoped they had
all had nice vacations.

"And I have quite a treat for you," went on the teacher. "Uncle Wiggily
Longears, the rabbit, who has just returned from seeking his fortune all
over the world, is going to tell you a story this afternoon, if you all
have your lessons this morning. Now we will have the class in spelling.
Jacko Kinkytail, please spell me the word dog."

"I don't like to," said Jacko, waving his tail to and fro, bashful like.

"Why not?" asked the owl teacher, surprised like.

"I'm afraid if I spell the word a dog might come in through the window
and bite us."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the teacher. "Jumpo, you spell dog."

"D-o-g," spelled Jumpo, as nicely as could be.

"Very good," said the teacher. "Now, Jacko, you see no dog came in at
all, so you may go to the blackboard, Jumpo, and write