Chapter 1

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_BEDTIME STORIES_

BULLY AND BAWLY NO-TAIL (THE JUMPING FROGS)

BY HOWARD R. GARIS

Author of "Sammie and Susie Littletail," "Uncle Wiggily's Automobile," "Daddy Takes Us Camping," "The Smith Boys," "The Island Boys," etc.

_ILLUSTRATED BY LOUIS WISA_

A. L. BURT COMPANY PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK

THE FAMOUS BED TIME SERIES

Five groups of books, intended for reading aloud to the little folks each night. Each volume contains 8 colored illustrations, 31 stories, one for each day of the month. Handsomely bound in cloth. Size 6-1/2 x 8-1/4.

Price 60 cents per volume, postpaid

HOWARD R. GARIS' Bed Time Animal Stories

No. 1. SAMMIE AND SUSIE LITTLETAIL No. 2. JOHNNY AND BILLY BUSHYTAIL No. 3. LULU, ALICE & JIMMIE WIBBLEWOBBLE No. 5. JACKIE AND PEETIE BOW-WOW No. 7. BUDDY AND BRIGHTEYES PIGG No. 9. JOIE, TOMMIE AND KITTIE KAT No. 10 CHARLIE AND ARABELLA CHICK No. 14 NEDDIE AND BECKIE STUBTAIL No. 16 BULLY AND BAWLY NO-TAIL No. 20 NANNIE AND BILLIE WAGTAIL No. 28 JOLLIE AND JILLIE LONGTAIL

Uncle Wiggily Bed Time Stories

No. 4 UNCLE WIGGILY'S ADVENTURES No. 6 UNCLE WIGGILY'S TRAVELS No. 8 UNCLE WIGGILY'S FORTUNE No. 11 UNCLE WIGGILY'S AUTOMOBILE No. 19 UNCLE WIGGILY AT THE SEASHORE No. 21 UNCLE WIGGILY'S AIRSHIP No. 27 UNCLE WIGGILY IN THE COUNTRY

For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the publishers

A. L. BURT CO., 114-120 East 23d St., New York

Copyright, 1915, by R. F. FENNO & COMPANY

BULLY AND BAWLY NO-TAIL

The stories herein contained appeared originally in the Evening News, of Newark, N. J., where (so many children and their parents were kind enough to say) they gave pleasure to a number of little folks and grown-ups also. Permission to issue the stories in book form was kindly granted by the publisher and editor of the News, to whom the author extends his thanks.

Contents

STORY I BULLY AND BAWLY GO SWIMMING 9 STORY II BULLY MAKES A WATER WHEEL 15 STORY III BAWLY AND UNCLE WIGGILY 21 STORY IV BULLY'S AND BAWLY'S BIG JUMP 26 STORY V GRANDPA CROAKER DIGS A WELL 34 STORY VI PAPA NO-TAIL IN TROUBLE 40 STORY VII BULLY NO-TAIL PLAYS MARBLES 46 STORY VIII BAWLY AND THE SOLDIER HAT 52 STORY IX GRANDPA CROAKER AND THE UMBRELLA 58 STORY X BAWLY NO-TAIL AND JOLLIE LONGTAIL 65 STORY XI BULLY AND THE WATER BOTTLE 71 STORY XII BAWLY NO-TAIL GOES HUNTING 77 STORY XIII PAPA NO-TAIL AND THE GIANT 83 STORY XIV BAWLY AND THE CHURCH STEEPLE 90 STORY XV BULLY AND THE BASKET OF CHIPS 97 STORY XVI BAWLY AND HIS WHISTLES 104 STORY XVII GRANDPA CROAKER AND UNCLE WIGGILY 110 STORY XVIII MRS. NO-TAIL AND MRS. LONGTAIL 117 STORY XIX BAWLY AND ARABELLA CHICK. 123 STORY XX BAWLY AND ARABELLA CHICK. 128 STORY XXI GRANDPA AND BRIGHTEYES PIGG 135 STORY XXII PAPA NO-TAIL AND NANNIE GOAT 141 STORY XXIII MRS. NO-TAIL AND NELLIE CHIP-CHIP 148 STORY XXIV BULLY AND ALICE WIBBLEWOBBLE 154 STORY XXV BAWLY AND LULU WIBBLEWOBBLE 161 STORY XXVI BULLY NO-TAIL AND KITTIE KAT 168 STORY XXVII HOW BAWLY HELPED HIS TEACHER 174 STORY XXVIII BULLY AND SAMMIE LITTLETAIL 180 STORY XXIX BULLY AND BAWLY AT THE CIRCUS 186 STORY XXX BULLY AND BAWLY PLAY INDIAN 194 STORY XXXI THE FROGS' FAREWELL HOP 200

BULLY AND BAWLY NO-TAIL

STORY I

BULLY AND BAWLY GO SWIMMING

Once upon a time, not so very many years ago, there were two little frog boys who lived in a little pond near a nice big farm. It wasn't very far from where Peetie and Jackie Bow-Wow, the puppy dogs, had their home, and the frogs' house was right next door to the pen where Lulu and Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble the ducks lived.

There was Bully No-Tail, and his brother Bawly No-Tail, and the reason Bawly had such a funny name was because when he was a little baby he used to cry a good bit. And once he cried so much that he made a lot more water in the pond than should have been there, and it ran over, just like when you put too much milk in your glass, and made the ground all wet.

The last name of the frogs was "No-Tail," because, being frogs, you see, they had no tails.

But now Bawly was larger, and he didn't cry so much, I'm glad to say. And with the frog boys lived their papa and mamma, and also a nice, big, green and yellow spotted frog who was named Grandpa Croaker. Oh, he was one of the nicest frogs I have ever known, and I have met quite a number.

One day when Bully and Bawly were hopping along on the ground, close to the edge of the pond, Bully suddenly said:

"Bawly, I think I can beat you in a swimming race."

"I don't believe you can," spoke Bawly, as he thoughtfully scratched his left front leg on a piece of hickory bark.

"Well, we'll try," said Bully. "We'll see who can first swim to the other side of the pond, and whoever does it will get a stick of peppermint candy."

"Where can we get the candy?" asked Bawly. "Have you got it? For if you have I wish you'd give me a bite before we jump in the water, Bully."

"No, I haven't it," replied his brother. "But I know Grandpa Croaker will give it to us after the race. Come on, let's jump in."

So the next minute into the pond jumped those two frog boys, and they didn't take off their shoes or their stockings, nor even their coats or waists, nor yet their neckties. For you see they wore the kind of clothes which water couldn't hurt, as they were made of rubber, like a raincoat. Their mamma had to make them that kind, because they went in the water so often.

Into the pond the frogs jumped, and they began swimming as fast as they could. First Bully was a little distance ahead, and then Bawly would kick out his front legs and his hind legs, and he would be in the lead.

"I'm going to win! I'll get the peppermint candy!" Bawly called to his brother, winking his two eyes right in the water, as easily as you can put your doll to sleep, or play a game of marbles.

"No. I'll beat!" declared Bully. "But if I get the candy I'll give you some."

So they swam on, faster and faster, making the water splash up all around them like a steamboat going to a picnic.

Well, the frogs were almost half way across the pond, when Lulu and Alice Wibblewobble, the duck girls, came out of their pen. They had just washed their faces and their yellow bills, and had put on their new hair ribbons, so they looked very nice, and proper.

"Oh, see Bully and Bawly having a swimming race!" exclaimed Lulu. "I think Bully will win!"

"I think Bawly will!" cried Alice. "See, he is ahead!"

"No, Bully is ahead now," called Lulu, and surely enough so Bully was, having made a sudden jump in the water.

And then, all of a sudden, before you could take all the seeds out of an apple or an orange, if you had one with seeds in, Bawly disappeared from sight down under the water. He vanished just as the milk goes out of baby's bottle when she drinks it all up.

"Oh, look!" cried Lulu. "Bawly is going to swim under water!"

"That's so he can win the race easier, I guess," spoke Alice.

"What's that?" asked Bully, wiggling his two eyes.

"Your brother has gone down under the water!" cried the two duck girls together.

"So he has!" exclaimed Bully, glancing around. And then, when he had looked down, he cried out: "Oh, a great big fish has hold of Bawly's toes, and he's going to eat him, I guess! I must save my brother!"

Bully didn't think anything more about the race after that. No, indeed, and some tomato ketchup, too! Down under water he dived, and he swam close up to the fish who was pulling poor Bawly away to his den in among a lot of stones.

"Oh, let my brother go, if you please!" called Bully to the fish.

"No, I'll not," was the answer, and then the big fish flopped his tail like a fan and made such a wave that poor Bully was upset, turning a somersault in the water. But that didn't scare him, and when he had turned over right side up again he swam to the fish once more and said:

"If you don't let my brother go I'll call a policeman!"

"No policeman can catch me!" declared the fish, boldly, and in a saucy manner.

"Oh, do something to save me!" cried poor Bawly, trying to pull his toes away from the fish's teeth, but he couldn't.

"I'll save you!" shouted Bully, and then he took a stick, and tried to put it in the fish's mouth to make him open his jaws and let loose of Bawly. But the stick broke, and the fish was swimming away faster than ever. Then Bully popped his head out of the water and cried to the two duck girls:

"Oh, run and tell Grandpa Croaker! Tell him to come and save Bawly!"

Well, Alice and Lulu wibbled and wobbled as fast as they could go to the frog house, and told Grandpa Croaker, and the old gentleman gave one great big leap, and landed in the water right down close to where the fish had Bawly by the toes.

"Boom! Boom! Croak-croak-croaker-croak!" cried Grandpa in his deepest bass voice. "You let Bawly go!" And, would you believe it, his voice sounded like a cannon, or a big gun, and that fish was so frightened, thinking he was going to be shot, that he opened his mouth and let Bawly go. The frog boy's toes were scratched a little by the teeth of the fish, but he could still swim, and he and his brother and Grandpa were soon safe on shore.

"Well, I guess we won't race any more to-day," said Bawly. "Thank you very much for saving me, Grandpa."

"Oh, that's all right," said Mr. Croaker kindly. "Here is a penny for each of you," and he gave Bully and Bawly and Lulu and Alice each a penny, and they bought peppermint candy, so Bully and Bawly had something good to eat, even if they didn't finish the race, and the bad fish had nothing. Now, in case I see a green rose in bloom on the pink lilac bush, I'll tell you next about Bully making a water wheel.

STORY II

BULLY MAKES A WATER WHEEL

Bully No-Tail, the frog boy, was sitting out in the yard in front of his house, with his knife and a lot of sticks. He was whittling the sticks, and making almost as many chips and shavings as a carpenter, and as he whittled away he whistled a funny little tune, about a yellow monkey-doodle with a pink nose colored blue, who wore a slipper on one foot, because he had no shoe.

Pretty soon, along came Dickie Chip-Chip, the sparrow boy, and he perched on the fence in front of Bully, put his head on one side--not on one side of the fence, you know, but on one side of his own little feathered neck--and Dickie looked out of his bright little eyes at Bully, and inquired:

"What are you making?"

"I am making a water-wheel," answered the frog boy.

"What! making a wheel out of water?" asked the birdie in great surprise. "I never heard of such a thing."

"Oh, no indeed!" exclaimed Bully with a laugh. "I'm making a wheel out of wood, so that it will go 'round and 'round in the water, and make a nice splashing noise. You see it's something like the paddle-wheel of a steamboat, or a mill wheel, that I'm making."

"And where are you going to get the water to make it go 'round?" asked Dickie.

"Down by the pond," answered Bully. "I know a little place where the water falls down over the rocks, and I'm going to fasten a wooden wheel there, and it will whizz around very fast!"

"Does the water hurt itself when it falls down over the rocks?" asked Dickie Chip-Chip. "Once I fell down over a little stone, and I hurt myself quite badly."

"Oh, no, water can't hurt itself," spoke Bully, as he made a lot more shavings. "There, the wheel is almost done. Don't you want to see it go 'round, Dickie?"

The little sparrow boy said that he did, so he and the frog started off together for the pond. Dickie hopping along on the ground, and Bully flying through the air.

What's that? I'm wrong? Oh, yes, excuse me. I see where I made the mistake. Of course, Dickie flew through the air, and Bully hopped along on the ground. Now we're all straight.

Well, pretty soon they came to the pond and to the little place where the water fell over the rocks and didn't hurt itself, and there Bully fastened his water-wheel, which was nearly as large as he was, and quite heavy. He fixed it so that the water would drop on the wooden paddles that stuck out like the spokes of the baby carriage wheels, and in a short while it was going around as fast as an automobile, splashing the drops of water up in the sunlight, and making them look like the diamonds which pretty ladies wear on their fingers.

"That's a fine wheel!" cried Dickie. "I wonder if we could ride on it?"

"I guess we could," spoke Bully. "It's like a merry-go-round, only it's turned up the wrong way. I'll see if I can ride on it, and if it goes all right with me you can try it."

So Bully hopped on the moving water-wheel, and, surely enough, he had a fine ride, only, of course, he got all splashed up, but he didn't care.

"Do you mind getting your feathers wet?" he asked of Dickie as he hopped off, "because if you don't mind the wet, you can ride."

"Oh, I don't mind the wet a bit," said the sparrow boy. "In fact, I take a bath every morning and I wet my feathers then. So I'll ride on the wheel and get wet now."

Well, he got on, and around the wheel went, splashing in the water, and then Bully got on, and they both had a fine ride, just as if they were in a rainstorm with the sun shining all the while.

But listen. Something is going to happen, I think. Wait a minute--yes, it's going to happen right now. What's that animal sneaking along through the woods, closer and closer up to where Bully and Dickie are playing? What is it, eh? A cat! I knew it. A bad cat, too! I could just feel that something was going to happen.

You see that cat was hungry, and she hoped to catch the sparrow and the frog boy and eat them. Up she sneaked, walking as softly as a baby can creep, and just then Dickie and Bully got off the wheel, and sat down on the bank to eat a cookie, which Bully found in his water-proof pocket.

"Now's my chance!" thought the cat. "I'll grab 'em both, and eat 'em!" So she made a spring, but she didn't jump quite far enough and she missed both Bully and Dickie. Dickie flew up into a tree, and so he was safe, but Bully couldn't fly, though he hopped away.

After him jumped the cat, and she cried:

"I'll get you yet!"

Bully hopped some more, but the cat raced toward him, and nearly had the froggie. Then began quite a chase. The cat was very quick, and she kept after Bully so closely that she was making him very tired. Pretty soon his jumps weren't as long as they had been at first. And the cat was keeping him away from the pond, too, for she knew if he jumped into that he would get away, for cats don't like water, or rain.

But finally Bully managed to head himself back toward the pond, and the cat was still after him. Oh, how savage she looked with her sharp teeth, and her glaring eyes! Poor Bully was much frightened.

All of a sudden, as he hopped nearer and nearer to the pond, he thought of a trick to play on that cat. He pretended that he could hardly hop any more, and only took little steps. Nearer and nearer sneaked the cat, lashing her tail. At last she thought she could give one big spring, and land on Bully with her sharp claws.

She did spring, but Dickie, up in the tree, saw her do it, and he called to his friend Bully to look out. Then Bully gave a great big hop and landed on the water-wheel, and the cat was so surprised that she jumped, too, and before she knew it she had leaped on the wheel also. Around and around it went, with Bully and the cat on it, and water splashed all over, and the cat was so wet and miserable that she forgot all about eating Bully. But Bully only liked the water, and didn't mind it a bit.

Then the frog boy hopped off the wheel to the shore and hurried away, with Dickie flying overhead, and the cat, who was now as wet as a sponge, and very dizzy from the wheel going around so fast, managed to jump ashore a little while afterward. But her fur was so wet and plastered down that she couldn't chase after Bully any more, and he got safely home; and the cat had to stay in the sun all day to dry out. But it served her right, I think.

Now in case the little boy next door doesn't take our baby carriage and make an automobile of it, I'll tell you next about Bawly and Uncle Wiggily.

STORY III

BAWLY AND UNCLE WIGGILY

Bawly No-Tail, the frog boy, was hopping along through the woods one fine day, whistling a merry tune, and wondering if he would meet any of his friends, with whom he might have a game of ball. He had a baseball with him, and he was very fond of playing. I just wish you could have seen him stand up on his hind legs and catch balls in his mouth. It was as good as going to the best kind of a moving picture show. Perhaps some day you may see Bawly.

Well, as I said, he was hopping along, tossing the ball up into the air and catching it, sometimes in his paw and sometimes in his mouth, when, all of a sudden he heard a funny pounding noise, that seemed to be in the bushes.

"Gracious, I wonder what that can be!" exclaimed Bawly, looking around for a good place to hide.

He was just going to crawl under a hollow stump, for he thought perhaps the noise might be made by a bad wolf, or a savage fox, sharpening his teeth on a hard log, when Bawly heard some one say:

"There, I've dropped my hammer! Oh, dear! Now I'll have to climb all the way down and get it, I s'pose."

"Well, that doesn't sound like a wolf or a fox," thought Bawly. "I guess it's safe to go on."

So he didn't hide under the stump, but hopped along, and in a little while he came to a place in the woods where there were no trees, and, bless you! if there wasn't the cutest little house you've ever seen! It wasn't quite finished, and, in fact, up on the roof was Uncle Wiggily Longears, the old gentleman rabbit, putting on the shingles to keep out the rain if it came.

"Oh, hello, Uncle Wiggily!" called Bawly, joyfully.

"Hello," answered the rabbit carpenter. "You are just in time, Bawly. Would you mind handing me my hammer? It slipped and fell to the ground."

"Of course I'll throw it up to you," said Bawly, kindly. "But you had better get behind the chimney, Uncle Wiggily, for I might hit you with the hammer, though, of course, I wouldn't mean to. You see I am a very good thrower from having played ball so much."

"I see," answered Uncle Wiggily. "Well, I'll get behind the chimney."

So Bawly picked up the hammer and he threw it carefully toward the roof, but, would you believe me, he threw it so hard that it went right over the house, chimney and all, and fell down on the other side.

"My! You are too strong!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily laughing so that his fur shook. "Try again, Bully, if you please."

"Oh, I'm Bawly, not Bully," said the frog boy.

"Excuse me, that was my mistake," spoke the old gentleman rabbit. "I'll get it right next time, Peetie--I mean Bawly."

Well, Bawly threw the hammer again, and this time it landed right on the roof close to the chimney, and Uncle Wiggily picked it up and began nailing on more shingles.

"If you please," asked Bawly, when he had watched the rabbit carpenter put in about forty-'leven nails, "who is this house for?"

"It is for Sammie and Susie Littletail," answered Uncle Wiggily. "They are going to have rabbit play-parties in it, and I hope you and Bully will come sometimes."

"We'll be glad to," spoke Bawly. Then Uncle Wiggily drove in another nail, and the house was almost done.

"How do you get up and down off the roof?" asked Bawly, who didn't see any ladder.

"Oh, I slide up and down a rope," answered Uncle Wiggily. "I have a strong cord fastened to the chimney, and I crawl up it, just like a monkey-doodle, and when I want to come down, I slide down. It's better than a ladder, and I can climb a rope very well, for I used to be a sailor on a ship. See, here is the rope."

Well, he took hold of it, near where it was fastened to the chimney, to show the frog boy how it was done, but, alas, and also alack-a-day! All of a sudden that rope became untied, it slipped out of Uncle Wiggily's paw and fell to the ground! Now, what do you think about that?

"Oh, my! Now I have gone and done it!" exclaimed the elderly rabbit, as he leaned over the edge of the roof and looked down. "Now I am in a pickle!--if you will kindly excuse the expression. How am I ever going to get down? Oh, dear me, suz dud and a piece of sticking-plaster likewise. Oh, me! Oh, my!"

"Can't you jump, Uncle Wiggily?" asked Bawly.

"Oh, my, no! I might be killed. It's too far! I could never jump off the roof of a house."

"Perhaps you can climb down from one window shutter to the other, and so get to the ground," suggested Bawly.

"No," said Uncle Wiggily, looking over the edge of the house again. "There are no window shutters on as yet. So I can't climb on 'em."

Well, it did seem as if poor Uncle Wiggily would have to stay up there on the roof for a long, long time, for there was no way of getting down.

"If there was a load of hay here, you could jump on that, and you wouldn't be hurt," said Bawly, scratching his nose.

"But there is no hay here," said the rabbit carpenter, sadly.

"Well, if there was a fireman here with a long ladder, then you could get down," said Bawly, wiggling his toes.

"But there is no fireman here," objected Uncle Wiggily. "Ah, I have it, Bawly! You are a good jumper, perhaps you can jump up here to the roof with the rope and I can fasten it to the chimney again and slide down as I did before."

"I'll try," said Bawly, and he did; but bless you! He couldn't jump as high as the house, no matter how many times he tried it. And the dinner bell rang and Uncle Wiggily was very hungry and very anxious to get off the roof and eat something.

"Oh, I know how to do it!" cried Bawly at length, when he had jumped forty-sixteen times. "I'll tie a string to my baseball, and I'll throw the ball up to you. Then you catch it, untie the string, which I'll keep hold of on this end, and I'll tie the rope to the cord. Then you can haul up the rope, fasten it to the chimney, and slide down."

"Good!" cried Uncle Wiggily, clapping his front paws together in delight.

Well, if you'll believe me, Bawly did tie the string to his baseball and with one big throw he threw it right up to Uncle Wiggily, who caught it just as if he were on first base in a game. And then with the little cord, which reached down to the ground, he pulled up the big rope, knotted it around the chimney, and down he slid, just in time for dinner, and he took Bawly home with him and gave him a penny.

Now if it should happen that I don't lose my watch down the inkwell so I can see when it's time for my pussy cat to have his warm soup, I'll tell you in the story after this about Bully's and Bawly's big jump.

STORY IV

BULLY'S AND BAWLY'S BIG JUMP

One day Mrs. No-Tail, the frog lady, looked in the pantry to see what there was to eat for dinner and there wasn't a single thing. No, just like Mother Hubbard's cupboard, the pantry was bare, though there was a bone in it that was being saved for some time when Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow, the puppie-dog boys, might come on a visit.

"Oh, some one will have to go to the store to get something for supper," said Mrs. No-Tail. "Do you feel able to go, Grandpa Croaker?"

"Well, I could go," said the old frog gentleman, in his deepest bass voice, which sounded like the rumble of thunder over the hills and far away, "but I promised I would go over and play a game of checkers with Uncle Wiggily Longears. He has just finished the playhouse for Sammie and Susie, and he wants to show me that. So I don't see how I can go to the store very well."