he
tree. "I am so sorry you are stuck, but I did not see you lean back
against me until it was too late. And now I can't get you loose, for
my limbs are so high over your head that I can not reach them down to
you. Try to get loose yourself."

"I will," said Uncle Wiggily, and he did, but he could not get loose,
though he almost pulled out all his fur. So he cried:

"Help! Help! Help!"

Then, all of a sudden, along through the woods came Neddie Stubtail,
the little bear-boy, and Neddie had some butter, which he had just
bought at the store for his mother.

"Oh!" cried the pine tree. "If you will rub some butter on my sticky
gum, it will loosen and melt it, so Uncle Wiggily will not be stuck any
more."

Neddie did so, and soon the bunny uncle was free.

"Oh, I can't tell you how sorry I am," said the pine tree. "I am a
horrid creature, of no use in this world, Uncle Wiggily! Other trees
have nice fruit or nuts or flowers on them, but all I have is sticky
gum, or brown, rough ugly pine cones. Oh, dear! I am of no use in the
world!"

"Oh, yes you are!" said Uncle Wiggily, kindly. "As for having stuck me
fast, that was my own fault. I should have looked before I leaned
back. And, as for your pine cones, I dare say they are very useful."

"No, they are not!" said the tree sadly. "If they were only ice cream
cones they might be some good. Oh, I wish I were a peach tree, or a
rose bush!"

"Never mind," spoke Uncle Wiggily, "I like your pine cones, and I am
going to take some home with me, and, when I next see you, I shall tell
you how useful they were. Don't feel so badly."

So Uncle Wiggily gathered a number of the pine cones, which are really
the big, dried seeds of the pine tree, and the bunny uncle took them to
his bungalow with him.

A few days later he was in the woods again and stopped near the pine
tree, which was sighing and wishing it were an umbrella plant or a gold
fish.

"Hush!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "You must try to do the best you can for
what you are! And I have come to tell you how useful your pine cones
were."

"Really?" asked the tree, in great surprise. "Really?"

"Really and truly," answered Uncle Wiggily. "With some of your cones
Nurse Jane started her kitchen fire when all the wood was wet. With
others I built a little play house, and amused Lulu Wibblewobble, the
duck girl, when she had the toothache. And other cones I threw at a
big bear that was chasing me. I