shytail, the little boy squirrels, and what they did. They lived near
Sammie and Susie Littletail. But the story to-morrow night will be about
Uncle Wiggily making maple sugar.

XIX

UNCLE WIGGILY MAKES MAPLE SUGAR

Uncle Wiggily Longears walked out of the burrow. First he stretched one
leg, then he stretched another leg; then he gave a big, long stretch to
his third leg, and then, would you believe it? he stretched his fourth
leg. Next he wiggled both ears, one after the other, and said:

"I feel very fine indeed! Oh, yes, and a boiled carrot besides, very
fine!" He looked up at the blue sky, which had some little white clouds
on it, just like small snowbanks, or bits of lamb's wool. "I never knew
when I felt better," went on Uncle Wiggily Longears. "Even my
rheumatism does not hurt much." Just then he saw Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy
coming out of the burrow, and he spoke to her: "Aren't Sammie and Susie
up yet?" he asked.

"They are just washing their faces and hands, ready for breakfast,"
answered the muskrat nurse. "They will soon be out."

Sure enough, in a little while the two bunny children came running out.

"Oh, what a lovely day!" cried Susie Littletail, and she wrinkled up her
nose, and made it go very fast, almost as fast as an automobile or a
motorcycle. "Doesn't it smell fine?" she asked her brother, and she took
a good, long breath.

"It smells just like spring," answered Sammie. "The wind is nice and
warm, there are lots more birds around than there were, and the grass is
getting greener and greener every minute," and he turned a somersault,
he felt so glad that summer was coming.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, three times, just like that. "Now
I know what makes me feel so fine. It is because spring is here. We must
get ready to boil maple sugar."

"What is maple sugar?" asked Susie.

"What? I am surprised at you!" exclaimed Sammie. "Maple sugar is that
brown, sweet stuff you buy in the store, and in the winter you eat it on
your pancakes, or you can shave it up and put it on hot rice, or you can
put it on fritters. That is what maple sugar is."

"Exactly," went on Uncle Wiggily, and he stretched the leg with the
rheumatism in so that it hardly hurt him a bit. "Well, children, we are
going to make some maple sugar. Come with me, and I will show you how.
Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy, we shall have to ask you to help us. We need your
sharp teeth to gnaw a hole in the tree."

So Uncle Wiggil