Chapter 7

Then Billie and Johnnie tried to open up a place through the bottom part of the briars for Buddy to slide out, but they couldn't do it, and they were very sorry they had jumped off the plank so quickly, for that made all the trouble.

Well, it began to look as though Buddy would never get out, and he felt like crying, only he was brave, and didn't shed a single tear. Then Johnnie suggested that he and Billie go up a tall tree, and lower a string down to Buddy in the bush, and try to pull him up that way. They tried it, but it wouldn't work, for the stickers still caught in the little guinea pig's fur.

So they didn't know what to do, and were just going to give up, when who should come bounding along but Sammie Littletail. He knew what to do in a second.

He dug a burrow, beginning outside the berry bush, and slanting it up under the roots, so that it came out inside, right near where Buddy was crouched down inside the clump of briars. The burrow was like a tunnel, and was big enough for Buddy to crawl out through, which he did, never getting scratched once. They all said Sammie was very smart to think of that, and I agree with them. Then they all played sea-saw some more, until it was time to go home.

Now in case there is a cool breeze, to blow the dust out of the poor coalman's eyes, I'll tell you next about Buddy and Brighteyes bringing home the cows.

STORY XXIV

BRINGING HOME THE COWS.

Not far from where Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg lived, there was a man who had a farm, and on the farm were a number of cows that gave milk. Out of the milk butter was made, and sometimes, when the butter was all churned, the farmer's wife would take some of the buttermilk that remained in a pail and set it down where Dr. Pigg and his family could get it.

They thought this was very kind of the farmer's wife, and Dr. Pigg told his children that if they could ever do her a favor, they must be sure to do so. They promised, though for some time they had no chance to do any kindness to the farmer or his wife either. But just you wait and see what happens.

One day, in the middle of summer, when it was very hot every place, except in the cool and shady woods, Buddy and Brighteyes were strolling along under the trees near a brook, throwing pebbles in the water and floating down bits of bark and chips, which they pretended were boats sailing off to distant countries.

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Buddy at last, "I wish I had something to do. There's nothing to do here."

"Why do you always want to be doing something?" asked his sister. "Why aren't you content to sit here in the shady woods, and sail the boats?"

"Because," answered Buddy, and that was the only reason he could give. Then Brighteyes thought of a new game to play. She took a piece of bark for her boat, and she found a nice, white chip for Buddy, and they made believe their boats were having a race down stream, and Buddy's boat won, which made him feel quite happy.

Well, pretty soon, the sun began to go down behind the hills, and the two guinea pig children knew it was time to go home, so they started off. But they had not gone very far before they came to a field, with a fence around it, and the field was quite hilly and stony and very large. Near the fence sat a man, and he had one shoe off, and he was looking at his foot.

"Oh dear!" Buddy and Brighteyes heard him say, for they could understand the man's language, if they couldn't talk it. "Oh dear! I've cut my foot on a sharp stone," the man said, "and I don't see how I can walk away over through the field and climb the hills after the cows. Oh dear; this is bad luck, and it's almost milking time, and the cows are sure to be away back in the far end of the pasture, and I can't go after them. I'll call them, and maybe they'll come to me, for I surely can't walk after them."

So the man stood up on one foot and called: "Co Boss! Co Boss! Co Boss! Co! Co! Co!" Then he waited quite some time, but the cows didn't come, and he called again: "Co Boss! Co Boss! Co Boss!" and he waited some more, but still the cows didn't come. "Oh, I guess I'll have to go after them, no matter if I have cut my foot," said the man at last, and he put on his shoe, though it hurt him, and he began to limp over the hilly field, very slowly and painfully.

All at once Brighteyes said to Buddy: "Oh, Bud, that man is the farmer, and it's his wife who gives us the buttermilk! Wouldn't it be nice if we could do him a favor, and go and drive the cows home for him?"

"How, could we?" asked Buddy. "The cows are big and we are little. We never could drive them home."

"We can try," said Brighteyes cheerfully. "Come, we'll hurry on ahead of the farmer and perhaps I shall think of a plan."

So the two little guinea pig children slipped under the fence and ran up across the hilly field, and the farmer, who was limping along, calling "Co Boss!" every once in a while, never saw them. His foot was hurting him very much and he had to go slowly.

Well, Buddy and Brighteyes kept on, bounding over the stories and stopping now and then to eat some blackberries or huckleberries or raspberries or a few late, wild strawberries, and pretty soon they came to the back part of the field, where, resting in the shade of some trees, were all the cows.

Oh, I guess there was a dozen and a half of them--big, nice mooley cows, with brown eyes and long tongues, and they were all chewing their cuds like gum, you know, and wondering why the farmer didn't come to drive them home to milk, for they hadn't heard him calling them, you see.

"How are we ever going to drive them home?" asked Buddy of his sister.

"Let me think a minute," said Brighteyes, so she thought real hard for a minute, or, possibly a minute and a little longer, and then she exclaimed: "We must each take a long, leafy tree branch, and go up behind the rows, and wave the branches, and tickle the cows with the leaves, and they'll think it's a boy driving them home, and they'll march right along, and the poor farmer, with his sore feet, won't have to come after them."

And that's exactly what Buddy and Brighteyes did. They got some branches, gnawing them off a tree with their sharp teeth, and with the leaves they tickled the cows until they almost made them sneeze.

The cows looked around, expecting to see some boys driving them, but Buddy and Brighteyes hid behind their big branches, and the cows were none the wiser. So they swallowed their cuds, blinked their eyes, switched their tails, and started up and down the hills, over the field, toward the barnyard to be milked.

Now, before the farmer-man had come very far from the fence, he met the cows, and maybe he wasn't surprised to see them coming. But he was glad, too, let me tell you, for he didn't have to walk any farther with his cut foot.

Then Brighteyes and Buddy ran and hid, for they did not want to be seen, and the man jumped upon the back of a gentle cow, and rode her all the way home, and told his wife how the whole herd, in some strange manner, had come all the way from the back of the field alone. You see he didn't know Buddy and Brighteyes had driven them.

Well, in a few days the man's foot was well, so he could drive the cows himself, and the farmer's wife gave Dr. Bigg's family lots of buttermilk; for, somehow, she guessed that the little guinea pig boy and girl had done the farmer a kindness, as their papa had told them to.

Now the following story will be about Buddy on horseback--that is, providing no cats get into our coalbin to scratch the furnace and make it go out.

STORY XXV

BUDDY RIDES HORSEBACK.

One night Buddy Pigg's mamma came into his room, where he was sleeping soundly and dreaming he was playing a ball game with Bully and Bawly, the frogs, and Mrs. Pigg gently shook her little boy by the shoulder.

"Wake up, Buddy!" she called. "Wake up!"

"What's the matter, mother?" Buddy exclaimed, as he sat up in bed. "Is the house on fire?"

"No," she answered, "but your papa is very sick, and I want you to go for Dr. Possum." Then Buddy jumped up very quickly and began to dress, for he loved his papa very much, and would do anything in the world for him. When Buddy was ready to start he heard Dr. Pigg groaning very hard, and saying:

"Oh, dear, what a pain I have! Oh, dear! When will Dr. Possum come?"

"Buddy is going for him at once," Mrs. Pigg said. "He will soon be here. But have you no medicine that you can take?" For Dr. Pigg had once worked in a hospital, and generally had some medicine in the house, but this time he had none that would stop his pain. So Buddy had to get ready to go for the doctor, while Mrs. Pigg and Brighteyes made mustard plasters for Dr. Pigg.

Well, when Buddy was all dressed, he happened to look out of the window, and he saw how dark it was, for there was no moon that night, and the stars were all hidden behind clouds. But do you s'pose Buddy was going to stay home on that account? No, sir-ee! He was frightened, and I guess you'd have been, too, but he was brave, and he made up his mind he'd go for Dr. Possum.

So Buddy put on his hat and coat and went out of the front door and into the dark night, where, for all he knew, a bad fox might be waiting to grab him. But Buddy took a long stick, and he filled his pockets with stones, and he made up his mind he would throw them at the fox if he saw him.

The little guinea pig boy went on, and on, through the woods, toward Dr. Possum's home, and, after a while, he was not so frightened as he had been at first. Then, all of a sudden, as he was passing a big, black bush, he heard a funny noise. First he thought it was a wolf or a bear, and then he heard a voice say:

"Oh, come on down into the burrow, Waddy."

Then Buddy knew it was the two groundhog boys, Woody and Waddy, who had made the funny noises, but they didn't mean to scare him, and he wasn't at all frightened now. Woody and Waddy had heard Buddy coming along, and, a moment later, they saw him and asked where he was going.

"I'm going after Dr. Possum, because my papa is sick," said Buddy.

"Wait and we'll let you take our lantern," said Woody, and he hurried down into the burrow, and came back with a large bottle, filled with lightning bugs, which gave plenty of light. And it had a string on, to carry it by. As Buddy took it, very thankfully, Waddy said he hoped he would find the doctor at home.

Then Buddy started off again, but he hadn't gone much farther through the woods before he heard another noise. This noise was a real loud one, like some giant tramping up and down, and stamping his feet, and suddenly there came a great snort, and the earth seemed to shake, and a big, black thing jumped up in front of Buddy, scaring him frightfully.

He trembled so that the cork nearly came out of the bottle of lightning bugs, and, if it had, the fireflies would have been spilled all over the ground, worse than when you spill your ice cream cone--only it didn't happen, I'm glad to say, but almost. Then the black shape stood still, and a great voice called out:

"Where are you going with that lantern?"

"If you please, kind sir," answered the little boy guinea pig, "I'm going for Dr. Possum for my papa, who has a terrible pain. The groundhog boys lent me this lantern. But who are you, if you please, kind sir?"

"Why, I am Gup, the horse," was the answer. "So you are going for Dr. Possum, eh? He is a friend of mine. I'm sorry if I frightened you. Yes, I'm only Gup, the horse. You see, my name is Gup because there is a little boy at our house, and he can't talk very plainly, and he calls me 'Gup' when he wants to say 'get up,' you see. However, it doesn't much matter, and I don't mind.

"But, speaking of doctors, I know where Dr. Possum lives, and I'll take you right to his house in less than no time. Besides, you and your sister were so kind as to drive the cows home for the man who cut his foot, and as he is a friend of mine I want to return your kindness to him. Jump upon my back, Buddy."

"Oh, I'm afraid I'll fall," said Buddy, when he saw how high up Gup's back was from the ground.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the horse. "I wouldn't let you fall for the world. Here, hold up your firefly lantern so you can see, climb upon that low stump, and then you can jump on my back. I'll stand still, and then I'll take you right to Dr. Possum's house."

So Buddy got up on Gup's back. It was the first time he had ever ridden a horse or been up so high, and, of course, for a while, he was frightened. But Gup told him just how to cling tightly to his big neck and how to hold the lantern so the lightning bugs would shine on the path, and then Gup started off.

Oh, how fast he went! Right through the woods, he galloped, and he never bumped into a tree or a bush even once. He went gently, too, so that Buddy would not fall off, and, my goodness sakes alive! in a short time the little guinea pig boy was at Dr. Possum's house. He knocked on the door, rat-a-tat-tat, and, luckily, the doctor was at home. He got right out of bed, took his satchel of medicines and was just going to get into his automobile to go to Dr. Pigg's house, when he found that his auto was broken. Either the spark was off the plug or the plug was off the spark, I forget which. Then Gup said:

"Get right up on my back, doctor. I can carry you and Buddy, too. It's no great weight, I assure you. Never mind the automobile. They are always making trouble."

So Dr. Possum, with his medicine box, climbed upon Gup's back, behind Buddy, and he helped hold the little guinea pig on during the ride home. Faster and faster went Gup through the dark woods his hoofs going "tat-a-tat-too," and he didn't bump into a tree or a bush, and he did not jar off Buddy or Dr. Possum, and pretty soon there they were safe at Dr. Pigg's house, and Dr. Possum gave Buddy's papa some medicine that soon made him better. Then Gup, the kind horsie, took Dr. Possum safely back through the dark woods as straight as a string.

In the morning Dr. Pigg was all well again, and he said Buddy was very brave to go off for a doctor in the night, and I think so, too.

Now, in case it doesn't thunder too hard and scare the chimney so that it falls off the roof, I'll tell you next about Buddy and Brighteyes tumbling down hill.

STORY XXVI

BUDDY AND BRIGHTEYES FALL DOWN HILL

Not far from where Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg lived in the pen with their papa and mamma, there was a big, tall hill. Oh, ever so much taller than a house, but not quite so high as the church steeple, and it was a very hard hill to climb, but, once you had gotten to the top, you could see off, ever so far; farther than from here to the end of the rainbow, which is very far indeed.

Now, though Buddy and Brighteyes, the two little guinea pig children, had lived near the hill ever since they were mere babies, they had never climbed to the top of it. There were two reasons for this. One was because the hill was so high and the other was because it was so steep.

It seemed as if no one would ever be able to scramble up the sides of this hill, or, if they did, very likely they would tumble down again, just like a boy sliding over the ice and snow on his sled.

But one fine morning when the sun was shining and the birds were singing Buddy said to Brighteyes:

"Let's climb up to the top of the hill to-day?"

"What for?" asked his sister, as she tied her hair ribbon in a double bow knot, very pretty indeed to look at, let me tell you.

"Why, so we can see away off where the sky and the mountains come together beyond the hill," said Buddy. "You can see beautiful scenery from the tip-top, you know."

"What good will that do?" asked Brighteyes, who was very fond of asking questions that were hard to answer. "What is the good of looking at the scenery?" she wanted to know.

"Because," answered her brother, "every one does that where there is a high hill. I heard some of the summer boarders at the farmhouse, near our pen, telling each other what a beautiful view there was to be had from the hill. We must see it for ourselves. There is no one around now, and we can climb to the top."

"I don't care very much about it," spoke Brighteyes. "I would rather find another box of peanut candy;" but because she loved Buddy, and did not want him to start off alone, she consented to climb the big hill with him. So they started off. At first it was rather easy, and they went up quite fast. At the foot of the hill were blackberry bushes and the guinea pig children gathered as many berries as they could eat.

But, as they went farther and farther up, the bushes grew more scarce, until there were none. Then came a place where there was tall grass and many stones, so that it was hard to walk. But Buddy and Brighteyes kept on, and pretty soon they met a grasshopper.

"Where are you going?" asked the grasshopper.

"To the top of the hill, to see the view," answered Buddy.

"You will never get there, the way you are going," said the grasshopper. "You should jump as I do," and he gave three big hops and a little one to show how well he could do it.

"We cannot hop," remarked Brighteyes, "but we have a friend who can."

"Who?" asked the grasshopper, as he scratched his two big hind legs together, like a man playing the fiddle.

"Sammie Littletail, the rabbit," said Buddy. "He can hop."

"Yes, Sammie is a good jumper," admitted the grasshopper, and he hid under a stone, for just then he saw a big bird looking hungrily at him. Well, Buddy and Brighteyes went on and on, and up and up, and pretty soon they met an ant.

"Where are you going?" asked the ant.

"To the top of the hill, to see the fine view," replied Brighteyes, as she paused to get her breath, which she had nearly lost.

"You will never get up the way you are going," said the ant. "You should crawl, as I do," and she crawled over a stone to show how it should be done. But Buddy and Brighteyes could not crawl, and they told the ant so. Still they kept on, and pretty soon they met a bird.

"You had better fly to the top of the hill as I do," said the bird. "It's much easier than walking," only, of course, Buddy and Brighteyes could not fly.

But the two guinea pig children were not discouraged, and they kept on and on, and pretty soon, really and truly honestly, they were at the very top of the hill--a place where they had never been before.

They could look off to the mountains, and they saw a lake, and they could see the place where the end of the rainbow was, whenever there was a rainbow, and they felt happy, because everything was so lovely, and Buddy said:

"I feel so glad, I must sing a little song." So he sang this one, which can only be sung on top of a hill:

"It's very hard to climb a hill, But when you're at the top, You feel so very fine and good Because it's there you stop. If you should still keep on and on, I wonder where you'd land? By sliding down the other side With sandals full of sand?"

Then Buddy tried to do a little dance, but what do you s'pose happened? Why, he lost his balance, and toppled over, and then he grabbed hold of Brighteyes, who was looking at the fine view, and she toppled over, and then, wiggily-waggily, woggily-wee! they both tumbled down that steep hill, head over heels like Jack and Jill.

And they went down faster, and faster, and faster, rolling over and over, and they saw stars, and several different lakes, and lots of clouds and ever so many things. They were both frightened, and they thought surely they were going to be hurt, for they were nearing the bottom, when all of a sudden what should come along but a big load of hay!

Buddy and Brighteyes hit a stone, bounced up in the air, and then came down, flippity-flop! right on top of the soft hay, and they weren't hurt the least bit. Then they slid down off the hay, before the man who was driving it saw them, and ran home. And they didn't climb a hill again for ever and ever so long.

Now, if I hear a potato bug whistle a tune on a cornstalk fiddle, I'm going to tell you next about Buddy and Brighteyes going in bathing.

STORY XXVII

BUDDY AND BRIGHTEYES GO BATHING

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Buddy Pigg one day. "Oh, dear! Oh, dear me suz dud!"

"Why, Buddy, dear, whatever in the world is the matter?" asked his mamma, and Brighteyes, who was mending some stockings, looked up at her brother in much surprise.

"Oh, dear!" cried the little guinea pig boy again, "I wish I had something to do. It's so hot and dry and dusty here. I wish some of the fellows would come around or--or I even wish school would begin again, so I would have something to do."

Now when a boy wishes for school, in the middle of vacation, you may be sure something serious is the matter. Mrs. Pigg knew this at once, so she asked:

"What would you like to do, Buddy?"

"I don't know," he answered, rather cross and fretful-like, which wasn't very nice, I suppose.

"All the boys have gone to Asbury Park or Ocean Grove," said Brighteyes, "and I guess you are lonesome, Buddy. It must be lovely at the seashore," and Brighteyes sighed the least bit, and took such a big stitch in the stocking she was mending that she had to rip it out and do it over again.

"Well, we can't go to the seashore this season because the salt air doesn't agree with your father," said Mrs. Pigg. "If all goes well, we shall soon be in the country, however. But now, what do you like best about the seashore, Buddy?"

"Going in bathing," he answered.

"You can do that right here at home," said his mamma. "I will get out your bathing suits, and you and Brighteyes can go swimming in the pond back of our house."

"That will be lovely!" cried Brighteyes, and she jumped up so quickly that she dropped the basket of stockings, and her pink hair ribbon came off, and she was all confused-like.

"There are no waves in the pond, like down in the ocean at Asbury," complained Buddy. "It is no fun to go in bathing where there are no waves."

"Ha! What's that?" cried a voice, and then Percival, the old circus dog, who was staying with the Piggs while the Bow Wow family, with whom he lived, was away for the summer--Percival, I say, got up from where he had been sleeping under a mosquito net to keep off the flies. "No waves, eh? So you want waves, do you, when you go in bathing, Buddy?" asked Percival.

"Yes," answered Buddy Pigg, "I do, Percival."

"Then," exclaimed the old circus dog, "you and Brighteyes shall have them. Get on your bathing suits and come down to the pond. When you get there you'll find waves enough; I'll guarantee that! Oh, my, yes, and a life-preserver besides!"

"How?" asked Buddy. "There are never any waves in that pond."

"Just you wait and see," said Percival.

Mrs. Pigg smiled, but she didn't say anything, and went after the bathing suits, while Buddy and Brighteyes wondered what was going to happen. Percival ran out, winking first one eye and then the other, and not both together, like some dollies do when they go to sleep, and he gave three short barks and a long one, just to show how glad he felt to be doing something.

Well, it didn't take Buddy and Brighteyes very long to put on their bathing suits. Then they hurried out of the back of the house and went toward the pond.

"Do you really s'pose there'll be waves?" asked Buddy.

"I don't know," answered his sister. "Percival is a very smart dog, you know."

Well, they ran down to the pond, and the first thing they saw when they got there were cords fastened to sticks driven down into the ground, just like the ropes at Asbury Park, you know--if you've ever been there. The ropes are for the bathers to take hold of when the waves come.