ears at the top of their
lungs. "A Toy Shop!"

"Who is telling this story?" asked Grandpa Grumbles. He began to tell
the story in real earnest. He said, "I am going to open a Toy Shop in
the woods."

"Not a real Toy Shop," said Snubby Nose. "You don't mean a real Toy
Shop," said Tippy Toes.

Grandpa Grumbles shook his green cotton umbrella and grumbled, "Now, I
shall have to start all over again."

So he began once more, "I am going to open a Toy Shop in the woods."

"Will you make a rocking-horse?" asked the First Little Bear.

"Will you make drums?" asked the Second Little Bear.

"Will you make horns? Toot, toot, toot!" said the Third Little Bear.

Now, will you believe it? All the Seventeen Little Bears put their paws
to their mouths as though they had horns and cried, "Toot, toot, toot!"

Grandpa Grumbles shook his umbrella fiercely and shouted,

"I will not tell the story to-day,
I will take my umbrella and go away."

_Then the most surprising thing happened!_

Grandpa Grumbles held fast to the handle of the umbrella and sailed out
through the open window!

"Oh," and "Ah," said Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes, "that was rather
sudden!"

"Oh," and "Ah," said the Seventeen Little Bears, "how fast he went!"

Then they were as merry as you please. Whenever any one would cough or
sneeze the other ones would say, "Let us talk about Grandpa Grumbles'
Toy Shop! Can you hear him hammer away? Can you hear him saw?"

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes put on their hats and coats and danced this
way, and that way, and said, "We will go and, visit Grandpa Grumbles'
Toy Shop."

At this very minute, to the surprise of all, Grandpa Grumbles came
sailing in through the window. He said,

"If I were little and young and gay,
I'd sail away for a year and a day."

The Seventeen Little Bears shouted, "Please tell us about the Toy
Shop!"

Grandpa Grumbles shook his umbrella. Out fell a little rocking horse.
He shook it again. Out fell a horn. He shook it again. Out fell a drum.

The Seventeen Little Bears shouted, "Hurrah, hurrah! It is really true,
Grandpa Grumbles, you are going to open a Toy Shop."

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes and the Seventeen Little Bears did not know
whether Grandpa Grumbles was teasing or not. They did not know if he
meant to open a real Toy Shop.

The Seventeen Little Bears said, "Will you tell us the whole story
to-morrow?"

CHAPTER X

The Seventeen Little Bears stil