an, but when he got old he bought him a nest in the woods with the
pennies he had saved up, and he lived in peace and quietness, and played a
mouth organ on Sundays.
Well, you will hardly believe me, but it's true, no sooner had Uncle
Wiggily and the pussy put up the lunch, wrapping some for each visitor in
nice, green grape leaves, than the first ones of the picnic party began to
arrive. They were Dickie and Nellie Chip-Chip, the sparrows, for they
could fly through the air very quickly, and so they came on ahead.
"We got your invitation that the July bug left us, Uncle Wiggily, and we
came at once," said Dickie.
"Where are the others?" asked the old gentleman rabbit.
"They are coming," answered Nellie, as she tied her tail ribbon over
again, for the bow knot had become undone as she was flying through the
air.
Well, in a little while along came hopping, Sammie and Susie Littletail,
the rabbit children, and Billie and Johnnie Bushytail, the squirrel
brothers, and Bully and Bawly the frogs, and Dottie and Munchie Trot, the
ponies, and Lulu and Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble, the duck twins, and
Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg, and oh, all the boy and girl animals I have
ever told you about.
And oh! how glad they were to see Uncle Wiggily. He had to tell them all
about his travels after his fortune before they would go off in the woods
to the picnic. But at last they went, each one with a little leaf-package
of lunch. The July bug came along, too, and he had a very little package
of good things, because he was so small, you see, but it was enough.
They all sat down on the ground with flat stones for plates, and sticks
for knives and forks, and they ate their picnic lunch there. Oh, they had
the finest time, and it didn't matter if some ants did get in the sugar.
Uncle Wiggily said they could have all they wanted of the sweet stuff.
And, when the picnic was almost over, there was a sudden noise in the
bushes, and two bad foxes sprang out. One tried to grab Uncle Wiggily, and
another made a dash for Lulu Wibblewobble.
"Oh dear!" cried Dottie Trot, without looking to see if her hair ribbon
was on straight. "We shall all be eaten up!"
"No, you won't!" cried the brave July bug. "I'll fix those foxes!"
So that brave July bug just buzzed his wings as hard as he could, and
straight at those foxes he flew, bumping and banging them on their noses
and in the eyes, so that they gave two separate and distinct howls, an
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