at down on a green, moss-covered stone to wait for the
squirrel boy. And, while he was waiting the bunny uncle opened the bag
and looked at Johnnie's marbles. There were green ones, and blue and
red and pink--very pretty, all of them.

"I wonder if I have forgotten how to play the games I used to enjoy
when I was a boy rabbit?" thought the bunny gentleman. "Just now, when
no one is here in tile woods to laugh at me, I think I'll try and see
how well I can shoot marbles."

So he marked out a ring on the ground, and putting some marbles in the
center began shooting at them with another marble, just the way you
boys do.

"Ha! A good shot!" cried the bunny uncle, as he knocked two marbles
out of the ring at once. "I am not so old as I thought I was, even if
I have the rheumatism."

He was just going to shoot again when a growling voice over behind a
bush said:

"Well, you will not have it much longer."

"Have what much longer?" asked Uncle Wiggily, and glancing up, there he
saw a big bear, not at all polite looking.

"You won't have the rheumatism much longer," the bear said.

"Why not?" Uncle Wiggily wanted to know.

"Because," answered the bear, "I am going to eat you up and the
rheumatism, too. Here I come!" and he made a jump for the bunny uncle.
But did he catch him?

That bear did not, for he stepped on one of the round marbles, which
rolled under his paw and he fell down ker-punko! on his nose-o!

Uncle Wiggily started to run away, but he did not like to go and leave
Johnnie's marbles on the ground, so he stayed to pick them up, and by
then the bear stood up on his hind legs again, and grabbed the bunny
uncle in his sharp claws.

"Ah ha! Now I have you!" said the bear, grillery and growlery like.

"Yes, I see you have," sadly spoke Uncle Wiggily. "But before you take
me off to your den, which I suppose you will do, will you grant me one
favor?"

"Yes, and only one," growled the bear. "Be quick about it! What is
it?"

"Will you let me have one more shot?" asked the bunny uncle. "I want
to see if I can knock the other marbles out of the ring."

"Well, I see no harm in that," slowly grumbled the bear. "Go ahead.
Shoot!"

Uncle Wiggily picked out the biggest shooter in Johnnie's bag. Then he
took careful aim, but, instead of aiming at the marbles in the ring he
aimed at the soft and tender nose of the bear.

"Bing!" went the marble which Uncle Wiggily shot, right on the bear's
nose.