ountry, you know, and eat, and eat, and
keep on eating. Well, that's just the way it was, believe me, if you
please.

Now, something is going to happen. I can't help it, and it's not my
fault. You see that box, with the nice things to eat on the toadstool
tables, was only a trap. No sooner had the two guinea pigs begun eating
than some one hiding in the bushes pulled on a long string, and the
string snapped out a piece of wood that was holding up the box, and the
box fell down, and Brighteyes and Buddy were caught under
it--prisoners--just like a mouse in the trap.

They stopped eating pretty quickly then, let me tell you. Buddy was just
going to have a second helping of marshmallow-chocolate clover when the
box fell over, and it was so dark inside that he couldn't find his
mouth.

"Oh, dear!" cried Brighteyes. "What has happened?"

"We're in a trap!" shouted Buddy. "The bad fox has us in a trap! Come,
we must get out!"

They jumped down from the toadstool seats and upset the toadstool
tables, and the dishes fell on the floor, but they didn't care. Then the
two guinea pig children tried to lift up the box, but they couldn't, and
they tried to dig under it, but they couldn't, and they didn't know how
in the world they were going to get out.

Then, all of a sudden they heard some one whispering outside the box.
Buddy thought it was the fox, so he cried: "You had better let us out of
here, Mr. Fox, or we'll have you arrested!"

"Why, that's Buddy Pigg!" cried the voice, and all of a sudden the box
was lifted and there stood the two groundhog boys; Woody and Waddy Chuck
were their names. "We didn't mean to catch you," said Woody. "We were
only going to play a joke on our big brother, but you got in the box by
mistake. We're very sorry."

But they couldn't help laughing, and I really think the groundhog boys
meant to play a joke on Buddy and Brighteyes and had followed them
through the woods and hid in the bushes and put the things under the box
and all that just on purpose; I really do.

But, anyhow, Buddy and Brighteyes weren't hurt a bit, and Woody and
Waddy gave them all the good things they could eat before the guinea
pigs ran home.

Now, in case it should happen that all the ice in our refrigerator isn't
melted, so we can fry some for pancakes, I'll tell you next about Buddy
in the berry bush.

STORY XXIII

BUDDY IN THE BERRY BUSH

Buddy Pigg didn't know what to do. You see he was home all alo