hit him on the nose with them, and he
was glad enough to run away. So you see how useful you are, pine tree!"

"Oh, I am so glad," said the tree. "I guess it is better to be just
what you are, and do the best you can," and Uncle Wiggily said it was.

And, if the roof of our house doesn't come down stairs to play with the
kitchen floor and let the rain in on the gold fish, I'll tell you next
about Uncle Wiggily and his torn coat.

STORY XXIX

UNCLE WIGGILY AND HIS TORN COAT

"Do you think I look all right?" asked Uncle Wiggily Longears, the
rabbit gentleman, of Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, his muskrat lady
housekeeper. He was standing in front of her, turning slowly about,
and he had on a new coat. For now that Summer was near the bunny uncle
had laid aside his heavy fur coat and was wearing a lighter one.

"Yes, you do look very nice," Nurse Jane said, tying her tail in a knot
so Uncle Wiggily would not step on it as he turned around.

"Nice enough to go to Grandfather Goosey Gander's party?" asked the
rabbit gentleman.

"Oh, yes, indeed!" exclaimed Nurse Jane. "I didn't know Grandpa Goosey
was to give a party, but, if he is, you certainly look well enough to
go with your new coat. Of course, it might be better if it had some
lace insertion around the button holes, or a bit of ruching, with
oyster shell trimming sewed down the back, but--"

"Oh, no, indeed!" laughed the bunny uncle. "If it had those things on
it would be a coat for a lady. I like mine plainer."

"Well, take care of yourself," called Nurse Jane after him as he hopped
off over the fields and through the woods to the house where
Grandfather Goosey Gander lived.

"Now, I must be very careful not to get my new coat dirty, or I won't
look nice at the party," the old rabbit gentleman was saying to himself
as he hopped along. "I must be very careful indeed."

He went along as carefully as he could, but, just as he was going down
a little hill, under the trees, he came to a place which was so
slippery that, before he knew it, all of a sudden Uncle Wiggily fell
down and slid to the bottom of the hill.

"My goodness!" he cried, as he stood up after his slide. "I did not
know there was snow or ice on that hill."

And when he looked there was not, but it was covered with long, thin
pine needles, which are almost as slippery as glass. It was on these
that the rabbit gentleman had slipped down hill.

"Well, there is no great harm done,"