quills so
tickled the bear and hurt him that he nearly sneezed his head off, and
tears came into his eyes.

"Now's our time! Come on, let's get away from here!" cried the porcupine
to the rabbit, and up out of the bear's den they scrambled, and got safely
away before the bear had finished his sneezing.

"Oh, you saved my life," said Uncle Wiggily to the prickly porcupine, "and
I thank you very much." Then they traveled on together, and they had an
adventure the next day.

What it was I'll tell you soon, when, in case the boys who go in swimming
don't duck my typewriter under water and make it catch the measles, I'll
tell you about Uncle Wiggily and the toadstool.

STORY XXIII

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE TOADSTOOL

"Were you much frightened when you were in the bear's den?" asked the
prickly porcupine as he and Uncle Wiggily went along the road next day.
They had slept that night in a hole where an old fox used to live, but
just then he was away on his summer vacation at Asbury Park, and so he
wasn't home.

"Was I frightened?" repeated the old gentleman rabbit, as he looked to see
if there was any mud on his crutch, "why I was so scared that my heart
almost stopped beating. But I'm glad you happened to come along, and that
you stuck your stickery-ickery quills into the bear's nose. It was very
lucky that you chanced to come past the den."

"Oh, I did it on purpose," said the porcupine. "After you got me out of
the trap, and I scurried away, I happened to think that you might go past
the bear's house, so I hurried after you, and--well, I'm glad that I
did."

[Illustration]

"So am I," said the rabbit. "Will you have a bit of my carrot sandwich?"

"I don't mind if I do," said the porcupine, polite-like, so he and the
rabbit traveler ate the carrot sandwiches as they walked along.

"Well, I don't believe I'm ever going to find my fortune," said Uncle
Wiggily sadly. "I began to have hopes, when I picked up the
twenty-five-cent piece, but now the bear has that and I have nothing. Oh,
I certainly am very unlucky."

"Never mind," said the porcupine, "I'll help you look." But even with the
sharp eyes, and the sharp, stickery-ickery quills of the hedgehog, Uncle
Wiggily couldn't find his fortune.

But it is a good thing the old gentleman rabbit had company, for as they
were walking along under some trees, all of a sudden a big snake hissed at
them, like a coffee-pot boiling over. And then the snake uncoiled