SAMMIE LITTLETAIL

One day when the nice young lady robin school teacher, about whom I told
you last night, called the roll of her class, to see if all the animal
children were there, Samuel Littletail, the rabbit boy, didn't answer.

"Why, I wonder where Sammie can be?" asked the teacher. "Has anyone seen
him this morning?"

They all shook their heads, and Bully No-Tail, the frog boy, answered:

"If you please, teacher, perhaps his sister, Susie, knows."

"Oh, of course! Why didn't I think to ask her?" said the teacher. So she
looked over on the girls' side of the room, but, would you believe it?
Susie, the rabbit girl, wasn't there either.

"That is very odd," said the teacher, "both Sammie and Susie out! I hope
they haven't the epizootic, or the mumps, or carrot fever, or anything
like that. Well, we'll go on with our lessons, and perhaps they will
come in later."

So the first thing the pupils did was to sing a little song, and though
I can't make up very nice ones, I'll do the best I can to give you an
idea of it. This is how it went, to the tune, "Tum-Tum-Tum, Tiddle
De-um!"

Good morning! How are you?
We hope you're quite well.
We're feeling most jolly,
So hark to us spell.

C-A and a T, with
A dot on the eye.
Makes cat, dog or rat,
Or a bird in the sky.

Take two and two more.
What have you? 'Tis five!
What? Four? Oh, of course,
See the B in the hive.

Now sing the last verse,
Ah, isn't it pretty?
We're glad that you like
Our dear little kittie.

Well, after the children had sung that they all looked around to see if
Sammie or Susie had come in, but they hadn't, and then the lessons
began, and everyone got a perfect mark. Still the rabbit children didn't
come, and after school Bully No-Tail said:

"I think I'll stop at Sammie's house and see what is the matter."

"I wish you would," spoke the teacher, "and then you can tell us
to-morrow. I hope he is not ill."

But Sammie was worse than ill, as Bully very soon found out when he got
to the house. He found Mr. and Mrs. Littletail very much excited. Mrs.
Littletail was crying, and so was Susie, and as for Nurse Jane
Fuzzy-Wuzzy, the muskrat lady, she was washing up the dishes so fast
that she broke a cup and saucer and dropped a knife and spoon. And Uncle
Wiggily Longears was limping around on his crutch, striped red, white
and blue like a barber pole, and s