ace under the trees.

"Oh, I guess that monkey won't hurt me," said Uncle Wiggily as he stepped
boldly out, and as soon as the monkey saw the rabbit, he called most
politely:

"Well, what do you want?"

"I want to earn a cent, by chasing boys from out the tent," replied Uncle
Wiggily.

"Good!" cried the monkey. "So you heard me sing? I'm tired of being the
whole show. I need some one to help me. Come over here and I'll explain
all about it. If you like it, you can go to work for me, and if you do,
your fortune is as good as made."

"That's fine!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "And I can do tricks in the show,
too."

"Fine!" exclaimed the monkey, hanging by his tail from a green apple tree.
"Now, I'll explain."

But, just as he was going to do so, out jumped a big black bear from the
bushes, making a grab for Uncle Wiggily. He might have caught him, too,
only the monkey picked up a cocoanut pie off the ground and hit the bear
so hard on the head, that the savage creature was frightened, and ran
away, sneezing, leaving the monkey and the rabbit alone by the show-tent.

"Now, we'll get ready to have some fun," said the monkey, and what he and
Uncle Wiggily did I'll tell you in the following story which will be about
the old gentleman rabbit and the boys--that is, if the molasses jug
doesn't tip over on my plate, and spoil my bread and butter peanut
sandwich.

STORY XI

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE BOYS

"Well," said the monkey after the bear had run away. "I guess we can now
sit down and talk quietly together; eh, Uncle Wiggily?"

"Yes," said the old gentleman rabbit. "But what is it that you want me to
do? I heard you sing that funny little song, about the boys coming in the
tent. But I don't exactly understand."

"That's just it," replied the monkey. "You see, it's this way. I have a
little sort of a circus-show here, and the troublesome boys don't want to
pay any money to get in. So when my back is turned they crawl under the
tent, and so they see the show for nothing--just like at the circus."

"Oh, so that's how it is?" asked Uncle Wiggily. "And you want me to keep
out the boys?"

"That's it," said the monkey. "Here's a big stick, with which to tickle
the boys who crawl in under the tent without paying. Now I'll practice my
tricks."

So the monkey did a lot of tricks. He stood on his head, and he hung by
his tail, and he danced around in a circle. Then he pounded the drum, not
so hard as to hurt it, but