p you squeeze out some of
this juice in the bottle for Nurse Jane."

Then Uncle Wiggily and the cow lady pulled up some of the peppermint
plants and squeezed out the juice between two clean, flat stones, the
cow lady stepping on them while Uncle Wiggily caught the juice in the
empty bottle as it ran out.

"My! But that is strong!" cried the bunny uncle, as he smelled of the
bottle of peppermint. It was so sharp that it made tears come into his
eyes. "I should think that would cure indigestion and everything
else," he said to the cow lady.

"Tell Nurse Jane to take only a little of it in sweet water," said the
cow lady. "It is very strong. So be careful of it."

"I will," promised Uncle Wiggily. "And thank you for getting the
peppermint for me. I don't know what I would have done without you, as
the drug store was closed."

Then he hopped on through the woods to the hollow stump bungalow. He
had not quite reached it when, all of a sudden, there was a rustling in
the hushes, and out from behind a bramble bush jumped a big black bear.
Not a nice good bear, like Neddie or Beckie Stubtail, but a bear who
cried:

"Ah, ha! Oh, ho! Here is some one whom I can bite and scratch! A
nice tender rabbit chap! Ah, ha! Oh, ho!"

"Are--are you going to scratch and bite me?" asked Uncle Wiggily.

"I am," said the bear, snappish like. "Get ready. Here I come!" and
he started toward Uncle Wiggily, who was so frightened that he could
not hop away.

"I'm going to hug you, too," said the bear. Bears always hug, you know.

"Well, this is, indeed, a sorry day for me," said Uncle Wiggily, sadly.
"Still, if you are going to hug, bite and scratch me, I suppose it
can't be helped."

"Not the least in the world can it be helped," said the bear,
cross-like and unpleasant. "So don't try!"

"Well, if you are going to hug me I had better take this bottle out of
my pocket, so when you squeeze me the glass won't break," Uncle Wiggily
said. "Here, when you are through being so mean to me perhaps you will
be good enough to take this to Nurse Jane for her indigestion, but
don't hug her."

"I won't," promised the bear, taking the bottle which Uncle Wiggily
handed him. "What's in it?"

Before Uncle Wiggily could answer, the bear opened the bottle, and,
seeing something in it, cried:

"I guess I'll taste this. Maybe it's good to eat." Down his big, red
throat he poured the strong peppermint juice, and then--well, I guess