Then along came
Lulu and Alice Wibblewobble, and Lulu had her white kittie with her.
"My kittie ought to play, as long as I can't play, especially as she knew
how to roll a ball," spoke Lulu. So Jimmie said the kittie could very
nicely with her paws.
"But that's all the girls who are going to be on the team," said Jimmie
very decidedly.
Well, they started to play, and they had an old wooden door knob for a
ball. I just wish you could have seen them, honestly I do. It was as good
as going to a show, where they charge five pins to get in. Bully, the
frog, was the catcher, for all he had to do was to open his large mouth,
and the ball would go right in. Uncle Wiggily was a sort of judge, or
umpire. That is, he sat in the shade, on a pile of soft leaves, and told
when it was right for one of the players to give up the bat, and let some
one else have a chance.
Now whom do you suppose threw the ball? Why, Johnnie Bushytail. And
Billie was on first base, while Jimmie Wibblewobble had the bat, which was
a piece of hickory stick. He was to hit the ball and Sammie Littletail and
the white kittie, whose name was Sadie, were to chase it.
Oh, what fun they had! Jimmie knocked the ball as hard as he could, and
then he ran, and Sadie and Sammie tried to put him out, that is to tag him
with the ball, for that's the way they played. Then it came Bully's turn
to bat, while Johnnie Bushytail caught, and then you should have seen how
cutely Sadie, the kittie, would roll the ball along to first base whenever
any one hit it.
And as for Billie Bushytail, when it was his turn, he knocked a ball away
over in the field, and Lulu ran after it, even if she wasn't supposed to
play. She threw it back too, and then she went and sat down with Alice and
Susie and Sister Sallie. Uncle Wiggily did fine at umpiring, and he was as
kind and good as could be, so no one found fault with what he said, even
when he had to rub his leg that had rheumatism in it.
But something dreadful happened. I've got to tell about it, or else it
wouldn't be fair, and we must always be honest and fair in this world, no
matter whether we want to or not. It was Jimmie's turn at the bat again.
He hit the ball very hard.
Away it sailed, over the fence and across the field, and then, oh, don't
breathe or wiggle for a few seconds now! then, if that ball didn't smash,
bang, crash right into the window of Grandfather Goosey-Gander's house!
Yes, sir, it broke the windo
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