"Well, of all things!" cried Mrs. No-Tail. "That chocolate must have disappeared. It must have gone up like a balloon. I will have to buy some more of you, and put that on." Then she went over and looked at the cake, and she wondered at the queer scratches in the top, just as if a cat had clawed off the chocolate. But there were no cats around.

So Mrs. No-Tail and Nellie put more chocolate and cocoanut on the cake, and they went on washing up the dishes, and pretty soon, not so very long, in a little while Nellie looked at the cake again. And, would you believe me, the chocolate was all off once more.

"This is very strange," said Mrs. No-Tail. "That must be queer chocolate to disappear that way. Perhaps a fairy is taking it."

"Maybe Bully and Bawly are doing it for a joke," said Nellie. So she and Mrs. No-Tail looked from the window but they could see no one, not even a fairy, and, anyhow, Mrs. No-Tail knew the boys wouldn't be so impolite as to do such a thing.

"It is very strange," said the frog boys' mamma. "But we will put the chocolate and cocoanut on once more, and then we'll watch to see who takes it."

So they did, making the cake even better than before. Oh, with such thick chocolate and cocoanut on! and then they hid down behind the stove, and watched the window.

Pretty soon a big, s.h.a.ggy paw, with long, sharp claws on it, was put in the open window, and the paw went right on top of the cake, and sc.r.a.ped off some of the chocolate and cocoanut.

"Ah! Yum-yum! That is most delicious!" exclaimed a grumbling, rumbling voice, and the paw, all covered with the cake chocolate, just as a lollypop stick is covered with candy, went out of the window, and the paw was all cleaned off somehow, when it came back again. More chocolate was then sc.r.a.ped off the cake by those sharp claws.

"Oh, ho! This is simply scrumptious!" went on the voice, as the paw was pulled back. Then a third time it came, and sc.r.a.ped off what was left of the chocolate and cocoanut.

"Oh, how perfectly delightful and proper this sweet stuff is!" cried the voice. "I wish there was more!"

Then a great, big, s.h.a.ggy, ugly bear, the same one that once chased Nannie Goat, stuck his head in the window.

"Oh, did you sc.r.a.pe the chocolate off my cake?" asked Mrs. No-Tail.

"I did," the bear said, "have you any more?"

"No, indeed," she answered. "But you are a bold, bad creature, and if you don't get away from here I'll have you arrested."

"I am not a bit afraid," answered the bear impolitely, "and as there is no more chocolate I'll take the cake."

Well, he was just reaching for it with his sharp clawy-paws, and Mrs.

No-Tail and Nellie were very much frightened, fearing the beast would get them. But just then a man's voice cried out:

"Ah, ha! You bad animal! So I've caught you, have I? And you are up to your tricks as usual! Now you come with me!" And who should appear but the man from the animal park where the bear once lived. And he had a whip and a rope, and he tied the rope around the bear's neck and whipped him for being so bad, and took him back to his cage. And Mrs. No-Tail and Nellie were very glad. And I guess you'd be also. Eh?

There was some chocolate left, and some cocoanut, and soon the cake was even better than before, and Nellie had sold all her chocolate to Mrs.

No-Tail, and she could buy lots of pictures for the school. And Nellie took home a big piece of the cake for d.i.c.kie, her brother, and of course some for herself. So it all came out right after all, and that bear was very sorry for what he did.

Now, in the story after this one, if the fish we're going to have for supper doesn't swim away with my new soft hat and get it all wet, I'll tell you about Bully No-Tail and Alice Wibblewobble.

STORY XXIV

BULLY AND ALICE WIBBLEWOBBLE

"Bully," said the frog boy's mamma to him one Sat.u.r.day morning, when there wasn't any school, "I wish you would go on an errand for me."

"Of course I will, mother," he said. "Do you want me to go to the store for some lemons, or some sugar?"

"Neither one, Bully. I wish you would go to Mrs. Wibblewobble's house and tell the nice duck lady I can't come over to-day to help her sew carpet rags, and piece-out the bedquilt. I have to put away the winter flannels so the moths won't get in them, and then, too, it is so rainy and foggy that we couldn't see to sew carpet rags very well. Tell her I'll be over the first pleasant day."

"Very well," answered Bully, "and may I stay a while and play with Jimmie Wibblewobble?"

"You may," said his mother, and off Bully hopped all alone, for his brother Bawly had gone fishing.

It was a very unpleasant day for any one except ducks or frogs. For sometimes it rained, and when it wasn't rainy it was misty, and moisty, and foggy. And it was wet all over. The water dripped down off the trees and bushes, and even the ponds and little brooks were wetter than usual, for the rain rained into them, and splished and splashed.

But Bully didn't mind, not in the least. Away he hopped in his rubber suit, that water couldn't hurt, and he felt very fine. Soon he was at Mrs. Wibblewobble's house, and he delivered the message his mother had given him.

"And now I'll go play with Jimmie," said Bully. "Where is he, and where are Lulu and Alice, Mrs. Wibblewobble?"

"Oh! the girls went over to see Grandfather Goosey Gander," replied their mamma. "As for Jimmie, you'll find him out somewhere on the pond.

But be careful you don't get lost, for the fog is very thick to-day."

"I should think it was," replied Bully as he hopped away, "it's almost as thick as mola.s.ses." Well, pretty soon he came to the edge of the pond, and in he plumped, and began swimming about.

"Jimmie! Hey, Jimmie! Where are you, Jimmie?" he called.

"Over here, making a water wheel," answered the boy duck, and though the frog chap couldn't see him, he could tell, by Jimmie's voice, where he was, and soon he had hopped to the right place.

Well, Bully and Jimmie had a fine time, making the water wheel, that went splash-splash around in the water. And when they became tired of playing that, they played water-tag with the water-spiders, and then they played hop-skip-and-jump, at which game Bully was very good.

"Now let's go up to the house," proposed Jimmie, "and I'm sure mother will give us some cornmeal sandwiches with jam and bread and b.u.t.ter on."

Off they went through the fog, and it was now so thick that they couldn't see their way, and by mistake they went to the barn instead of the house. I don't know what they would have done, only just then along came Old Percival, the circus dog, and he could smell his way through the misty fog up to the house. Maybe he could smell the sandwiches, with jam and bread and b.u.t.ter on. I don't know, but anyhow Mrs. Wibblewobble gave him one when she made some for Bully and Jimmie.

Well, now I'm coming to the Alice part of the story. As Jimmie and Bully were eating their sandwiches on the back porch, not minding the rain in the least, all at once Lulu Wibblewobble came waddling along. As soon as she got to the steps she called out:

"Oh, is Alice home yet?"

"Alice home?" exclaimed Mrs. Wibblewobble. "Why, didn't she come from Grandfather Goosey Gander's house with you?"

"No, she started on ahead, some time ago," said Lulu. "She said she wanted to put on her new hair ribbon for dinner. She ought to have been here some time ago. Are you sure she isn't here?"

"No, she isn't," answered Jimmie. "She must be lost in the fog!"

"Oh, dear! That's exactly what has happened!" cried the mamma duck. "Oh, this dreadful fog! What shall I do?"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Wibblewobble," spoke Bully. "Jimmie and I will go and hunt her. We can find her in the fog."

"Oh, you may get lost yourselves!" said the duck lady. "It's bad enough as it is, but that would be dreadful. Oh, what shall I do?"

"I'll tell you," said Lulu. "We'll all hunt for her, and so that we will not become lost in the fog, we'll tie several strings to our house, and then each of us will keep hold of one string, and when we go off in the fog we can follow the string back again, and we won't get lost."

"That's a good idea!" cried Bully, and they all thought it was. So they each tied a long string to the front porch rail, and, keeping hold of the other end, started off in the fog, Mrs. Wibblewobble, Jimmie, Bully and Lulu. Off into the fog they went, and the white mist was now thicker than ever; thicker than mola.s.ses, I guess.

Mrs. Wibblewobble looked one way, and Jimmie another, and Lulu another, and Bully still another. And for a long time neither one of them could find Alice.