or poor Bully,
and before the frog boy could get out of the way the bird had gobbled
him up in his big bill. There Bully was, not exactly swallowed by the
bird, you understand, but held a prisoner in the big pouch, or skin
laundry-bag that hung down below the bird's lower beak.

"Oh, let me out of here!" cried Bully, hopping about inside the big bag
on the bird's big bill. "Let me out! Let me out!"

"No, I'll not," said the big bird, speaking through his nose because his
mouth was shut. "I'll keep you there until you give me all your marbles,
or until I decide whether or not I'll eat you for my supper."

Well, poor Bully was very much frightened, and I guess you'd be, too. He
tried to get out but he couldn't, and the bird began walking off to his
nest, taking the frog boy with him. Then Bully thought of his bag of
marbles, and, inside the big bill, he rattled them as loudly as he
could.

"Billie and Johnnie Bushytail may hear me, and help me," he thought.

And, surely enough the squirrel boys did. They heard the rattle of
Bully's marbles inside the Pelican's beak, and they saw the big bird,
and they guessed at once where Bully was. Then they ran up to the
Pelican, and began hitting him with their marbles, which they threw at
him as hard as they could. In the eyes and on his ears and on his
wiggily toes and on his big beak they hit him with marbles, until that
Pelican bird was glad enough to open his bill and let Bully go, marbles
and all. Then the bird flew away to its nest, and Bully and his friends
could play their game once more.

The Pelican didn't come back to bother them, but he had Bully's two
shooters, that he had swallowed. So Johnnie, the squirrel, lent the boy
frog another shooter, and it was all right. And, in case the rain
doesn't come down the chimney and put the fire out, so I can't cook some
pink eggs with chocolate on for my birthday, I'll tell you in the
following story about Bawly and the soldier hat.

STORY VIII

BAWLY AND THE SOLDIER HAT

Susie Littletail and Jennie Chipmunk were having a play party in the
woods. They had their lunch in little birch-bark baskets, and they used
a nice, big, flat stump for a table. They took an old napkin for a
tablecloth, and they had pieces of carrots boiled in molasses and
chocolate, and cabbage with pink frosting on, and nuts all covered with
candy, and some sugared popcorn, and all nice things like that, to eat.

"Oh, isn't this lovely!" excla