hat do you wish? Remember,
though, that I am not a fairy and can't give you anything you want."

"Oh," answered the little boy guinea pig, "this is very easy, mamma. All
I want is a tail."

"A tail?" exclaimed his mamma in great surprise, and she wondered if,
after all, Buddy wasn't ill, for that was a very strange request. And
she began to wish that his papa was home, or that Brighteyes, who was
Buddy's sister, was in the house, to help look after him, but Brighteyes
had gone to see her aunt, and wouldn't be back till night.

"Yes," went on Buddy, "I want a tail. All the other boys and girls who
are friends of mine have them, and I don't see why I can't."

For you see guinea pigs never have tails. Why that is I don't know,
except, maybe, it's better that way in hot weather, but, anyhow, they
have no tails.

"You don't need a tail," said Buddy's mamma.

"Yes, I do, mother dear," he answered. "Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow have
tails, and so have Billie and Johnnie Bushytail, and the three
Wibblewobbles, and--"

"But Bully and Bawly, the frogs, have no tail," said Mrs. Pigg, "and
they are happy, Buddy."

"Well, they are in the water so much it doesn't show whether they have a
tail or not," went on Buddy.

"And Sammie and Susie Littletail haven't much of a tail, Buddy," said
Mrs. Pigg, as she looked in the oven to see if the biscuits were
burning.

"I know it, mother, but they have something of a tail," spoke Buddy,
"and maybe it will grow longer in time. I'd be glad if I had even as
much as Sammie has."

"Well," said Mrs. Pigg, "I'm sorry, Buddy, but I don't see how you are
ever going to get a tail. I haven't any, your father hasn't any, and we
get along very well. None of your relations have tails and they are
happy. They never had any. In fact there has never been a tail in our
family and I don't see why you want to start. Now run out and play, like
a good boy, and when Brighteyes comes back it will be supper time, and
we'll have hot biscuits and honey."

But, though Buddy ran out, he was not happy. There was a frown on his
face, and, as he walked through the woods, he kept thinking how nice it
would be to have a tail.

Pretty soon, oh, I guess in about a whisper and a squeak, Buddy Pigg
heard a rustling in the tree over his head. Then he saw two big, yellow
eyes peering down at him from the darkness of the woods, and a voice
called out:

"What's the matter, little boy? Why are you so sad?"

"Oh, I fee