, and keep the savage beasts
away?"

"Of course, we will!" cried the two lightning bugs. And they flew closer
to the rabbit. Then the savage fox, for he it was who had made a jump for
Uncle Wiggily, was so afraid of the sparkling lights, that he ran away and
hid in the bushes, fearing he would be burned. Then the two bugs called
for all of their friends to come and make the woods light so the old
gentleman rabbit could see.

And pretty soon seventeen thousand, four hundred and eighty-three big
lightning bugs, and a little baby one besides, came flying along, and the
woods were almost as light as day, and Uncle Wiggily could see to hop on.
The bugs flew ahead, shining themselves like fairy lanterns, and pretty
soon the rabbit came to a nice hollow stump, where he remained all night.
And some of the bugs stayed with him to keep the bears and foxes away.

Then, in the morning, after thanking the bugs, the rabbit traveled on
again, and he had another adventure. What it was I'll tell you on the next
page, when, in case my pussy cat goes in swimming and doesn't get her fur
wet, the story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the Phoebe birds.

STORY XIX

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE PHOEBE BIRDS

"Well, I don't seem to be finding my fortune very fast," said Uncle
Wiggily to himself the next day, as he traveled on, after the lightning
bugs had shown him the way out of the woods. "Here I've been tramping
around the country for a considerable while, and all I've found was one
cent, and that belonged to the chipmunk.

"I wish I could find a little money. Then I would buy some peanuts and
sell them, and make more money, and pretty soon I would be rich, and I
could go back home and see Sammie and Susie Littletail."

So he walked along, looking very carefully on the ground for money. All he
found for some time were only old acorns, and, as he couldn't eat them,
they were of no use to him.

"If Johnnie or Billie Bushytail were here now I would give them some," he
said. But the squirrels were far away frisking about in the tops.

Now, as true as I'm telling you, a moment after that, just as Uncle
Wiggily was going past a big stone, he saw something bright and shining in
the leaves.

"Oh, good luck!" he cried. "I've found ten cents, and that will buy two
bags of peanuts. Now I'll get rich!"

So he picked up the shining thing, and oh! how disappointed he was, for it
was only a round piece of tin, such as they make penny whistle