"Well, not exactly," was the answer, "but you just run along after me, and I'll get a tail for you, in less than no time."

Then there was a rustling in the branches, and a great, big owl, with ears that looked like horns, flew out, and Buddy was frightened. But the owl said:

"Oh, don't be alarmed, little boy. Just follow me, and I'll see that you get a tail."

So the owl flew along through the dark, dismal woods, going slowly, and close to the ground so Buddy could follow, and pretty soon, the owl stopped in front of a hole in the side of a hill.

"There is where the tail is," said the owl. "Just wait and I'll have it out to you in a jiffy and a half," and bless me, if that owl didn't go in that hole. He stayed there some time, and Buddy could hear voices inside, talking, and land sakes, goodness me alive, and a cherry pie!

out of that hole was thrust a great, big, bushy tail. A tail, and nothing else, believe me, if you please.

"Oh, what a fine tail!" cried Buddy in delight.

"Do you think so?" asked a voice. "Then just grab hold of it, hold tight, and it's yours!"

Well, Buddy didn't think there was any danger, so he grabbed hold of the tail, and held on tight, but oh, dear me! instead of pulling the tail out, he found himself being pulled in. Yes, sir, right into that hole, and land knows what would have happened if Buddy's sister, Brighteyes, hadn't come along just then on her way home from her aunt's house. She saw right away that the bushy tail was fast to something inside the hole.

"That's a fox's tail!" she cried, "and he's pulling you into his den!

Let go, quickly! Let go, Buddy!"

So Buddy let go just in time, though the fox and the owl rushed out and tried to grab him, but they fell down, and couldn't get up in time, and he and his sister ran home. You see it was just a trick of that owl and fox, to get Buddy into the den, and eat him up, but they didn't, I'm glad to say. And after that Buddy never wanted a tail. Now if it doesn't rain in the dishpan and turn the umbrella inside out, I'll tell you in the next story about Buddy walking a tight rope.

STORY X

BUDDY WALKS A TIGHT ROPE

One day after Buddy Pigg had been on a visit to Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow, the two puppy dogs, who were once in a circus, he came home all excited. He ran out in the yard, began pawing over in the woodpile, and soon he ran into the house, where Brighteyes, his sister, was washing the potatoes for dinner.

"Do you know where there is any wire, Brighteyes?" the little boy guinea pig asked.

"Wire? No, I haven't seen any around the house. What do you want of it?

Are you going to wire a tail on to yourself?" and Buddy's sister smiled just the least bit.

"Please don't remind me of that," said Buddy, for he felt a little ashamed of the time he had tried to get a tail for himself and had been nearly dragged into a fox's den, as I told you in the story before this one. "No, Brighteyes, I'm not going to make a tail. I am going to do a circus trick, and you can see me if you want to," he said.

"Oh, Buddy! are you really?" she cried, and she was interested all of a sudden, you see, for she had never seen much of a circus.

"Yes, I'll do the trick, if I can find a bit of wire," went on Buddy.

"Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow told me how to do it; and I'm sure I can.

It's walking a tight rope, and it's very hard to do."

"Oh! then you want rope, not wire," went on Brighteyes, as she put the pan of potatoes on the table.

"Wire is what the circus performers use," insisted her brother, "but if you can't find any I suppose rope will do."

"I saw some up in the attic," said Brighteyes. "I'll get it for you.

But, Buddy, isn't it dangerous? Do you s'pose mamma and papa would let you do it?"

"There's not much danger," answered Buddy. "I'll not put the rope up very high, and I'll put some pillows on the ground underneath, so that if I fall I won't get hurt much."

Well, Brighteyes found a long rope, and she helped Buddy tie it from one clothes post to the other, across the yard, so that it looked like a real tight rope in a circus.

"Oh, you can never get on that!" she cried to her brother, as she saw how high up it was.

"Yes, I can," he replied. "You just watch me. But first I must put some pillows underneath, in case I fall."

So he ran into the house and got a lot of feather pillows and put them on the ground under the rope, Brighteyes helping him.

Then Buddy got some old soap boxes, piled them one on top of the other, and, by climbing up on them, he was able to step to the rope.

"Oh, how thin and slender and shaky it is!" cried Brighteyes. "You never can walk across that, Buddy!"

"Yes, I think I can," he answered. "But I must get a pole to balance myself with," so he got off the boxes and ran to the woodpile, got a piece of an old broom handle, and ran back to the rope again. He stepped one foot out on it, to try it, and it seemed quite strong, though it wabbled a bit from side to side, like a duck's tail.

"Oh! are you really going to walk on it?" cried Brighteyes in delight.

"I really am," answered her brother.

"Then you ought to have an audience to applaud you and clap when you do it," she went on. "Wait, and I'll run and get Johnnie and Billie Bushytail and Sammie and Susie Littletail, and--"

"No, don't!" cried Buddy, quickly. "Better wait until I walk across a few times, first, so as to sort of practise. Then I'll do the trick before folks."

So he got up on the rope, standing up on his hind legs, and balancing the pole with his front paws and he steadied himself for a moment and then took a step. My! but that rope wiggled, though, from side to side, almost like a hammock, only, of course, not as safe as a hammock. But Buddy kept bravely on, and took another step--and land sakes laddy-da!

if that rope didn't wiggle more than ever.

"Oh, take care! You'll fall!" cried Brighteyes, and she screamed.

"Oh, Brighteyes, don't do that, please!" begged Buddy. "You make me nervous, and then I can't walk the tight rope."

So Brighteyes, whose real name was Matilda, you know, kept real still and quiet, just like a little mouse when it wants a bit of cheese, and Buddy took another step out on the tight rope.

He held his balancing pole by the middle, and he went slowly and cautiously, and he was actually walking that slender rope!

But he kept looking down and wondering whether he would fall or not, and he got to thinking about the feather pillows, and wondering if they were thick enough and soft enough, so that he wouldn't get hurt if he should fall, when all at once, quicker than you can wheel the baby carriage down hill, when he was right in the middle, Buddy's foot slipped, and down he went, right a straddle across the tight rope, and the pole fell with a bang!

[Ill.u.s.tration]

And Brighteyes screamed, for she couldn't help it, but Buddy didn't dare call out. No, all he could do was to cling there with his teeth and his paws to that swaying rope.

"Oh!" cried Brighteyes, "you're going to fall, Buddy!"

"I've fallen already," he panted. "But I'm going to land on the ground in a minute, for I can't hold on any longer!"

And he looked down, picking out a soft spot to fall on, but, oh, dear me, and a sour pickle! If the pole, when it fell down, hadn't knocked the pillows to one side, and there was only hard ground for Buddy to land on. Well, maybe he wasn't frightened, and Brighteyes was also frightened, too flabbergasted, you see, to go and fix the pillows in place again, and they didn't either of them know what in the world to do.

I don't know what might have happened, for Buddy couldn't hold on much longer, but, just as he was going to let go, along came Uncle Wiggily Longears. He saw what the trouble was at once, and up he rushed and with his crutch he piled the pillows in a soft heap right under Buddy, and then Buddy let go the tight rope and down he came, just like in a feather bed.