ouse was a sign which read:

"If you want to be surprised, open this door and come in."

"Perhaps I can find my fortune in there, and get rid of the rheumatism,"
thought Uncle Wiggily, so he hopped forward. And just as he did so he
heard a voice calling to him:

"Don't go in! Don't go in there, Uncle Wiggily!"

The rabbit looked up, and saw Johnnie Bushytail, the squirrel boy, waving
his paws at him. Well, Uncle Wiggily started to jump back away from the
door of the little house, but it was too late. Out came a
scraggily-raggily claw, which grabbed him, while a voice cried out:

"Ah, ha! Now I have you! Come right in!"

And then, before you could shake a stick at a bad dog, the door was
slammed shut and locked, and there Uncle Wiggily was inside the house, and
Johnnie Bushytail was crying outside.

"That's the end of poor Uncle Wiggily!" said Johnnie. But it wasn't. For
I'll not leave the old gentleman rabbit alone in the house with that clawy
creature. And in the next story, providing our wash lady doesn't put my
new straw hat in the soap suds, and take all the color out of the ribbon,
I'll tell you about Uncle Wiggily and Fido Flip-Flop.

STORY IV

UNCLE WIGGILY AND FIDO FLIP-FLOP

Well, as soon as Uncle Wiggily found himself inside the bear's den--oh,
just listen to me! That was in the other story, wasn't it? Yes, we left
him in the funny little house in the woods, with the clawy creature
grabbing him.

Now, what do you suppose that clawy creature was? Why, a great, big owl,
to be sure, with round, staring, yellow eyes, and he had grabbed Uncle
Wiggily in his claws, and pulled him inside the house.

"Now, I've got you!" cried the owl. "I was just wishing some one would
come along, and you did. Some of my friends are coming to tea this
afternoon, and you'll do very nicely made up into sandwiches."

Wasn't that a perfectly dreadful way to talk about our Uncle Wiggily?
Well, I guess yes!

"Now you're here, make yourself at home," went on the owl, sarcastic-like,
as he locked the front door and put the key in his pocket. "Did you see
the sign?"

"Yes," said Uncle Wiggily, "I did. But I don't call it fair. I thought I
would find my fortune in here."

"The sign says you'll be surprised, and I guess you are surprised, aren't
you?" asked the owl.

"Yes," answered the rabbit, "very much so. But I'd rather have a nice
surprise party, with peanuts and lemonade, than this."

"No matter," said the o