Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes danced this way, and danced that way, and cried, "Hear, hear, the story is going to begin!"

_Then the most surprising thing happened!_

Grandpa Grumbles pointed his green cotton umbrella at Snubby Nose and asked, "Which of your toys did you break first at Christmas?"

Snubby Nose could not remember, so he cried and he screamed and he howled!

Grandpa Grumbles said, "I cannot begin this story until I have nineteen questions answered."

Tippy Toes said, "Grandpa Grumbles, I can tell you which toy I broke first, I broke my little rocking-horse."

Then Snubby Nose shouted, "I broke my rocking-horse too."

Grandpa Grumbles pointed to the First Little Bear and said, "Which toy did you break first?"

The First Little Bear said, "I broke my little red drum."

Then the Seventeen Little Bears all held up their paws and said, "Let me tell, let me tell next which toy I broke at Christmas!"

Now, will you believe it? They all made such a noise that Grandpa Grumbles could not sit still another minute. He went downstairs shaking his green cotton umbrella, fiercely, and grumbling to himself as he went.

The Seventeen Little Bears cried, "Oh, come back and tell the story! We will be good."

Then Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes danced downstairs and said. "We will, be good, indeed we will be good."

Grandpa Grumbles still looked very cross. He grumbled,

"Speak into my other ear, 'Tis very hard indeed to hear."

Then Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes shouted into his other ear, "Please come back upstairs and tell us about the Toy Shop. We will be good, indeed we will."

Grandpa Grumbles said,

"Speak a little louder, please, If you do not want to tease."

Bunny and Susan saw that something must be done to make Grandpa Grumbles happy again, so Susan made a bowl of fine soup for him, and Grandpa Grumbles drew up to the table. He said,

"In cooking you can never fail, Thank you, dear Susan Cotton-Tail."

Then Bunny went upstairs and said to the Seventeen Little Bears, "You may get up and put on your little red wrappers and sit by the fire downstairs."

So the Seventeen Little Bears got up and put on their little red wrappers and crept downstairs. They crept down so softly that Grandpa Grumbles never heard a sound.

By and by when Grandpa Grumbles went back into the sitting-room there sat the Seventeen Little Bears on their seventeen little stools by the fire. Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes sat on the arm of Grandpa Grumbles'

chair. He was surprised you may be sure.

He began to tell his story quite as if nothing had happened. He said, "Last Christmas I went about and picked up all the broken toys I could find and I said I would open a Toy Shop and mend them so you could not tell them from new toys!"

"Hear, hear!" cried the Seventeen Little Bears softly.

"Hush, hush!" said Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes, "Grandpa Grumbles is talking."

Grandpa Grumbles went on, "On long winter evenings I sat and mended and glued and pasted the toys and soon they looked as good as new."

"Rap-a-tap," sounded on the door, "Rap-a-tap."

Bunny took the candle and went to the door. There stood Doctor Cotton-Tail.

He said, "Good evening, how are the Seventeen Little Bears? I heard they fell in the water!"

The Seventeen Little Bears stuffed their little paws into their mouths to keep from laughing, for they felt as well as ever, sitting before the fire in their little red wrappers.

Doctor Cotton-Tail took a seat by the fire and began to warm his paws, first one paw and then the other.

"Chilly spring weather, but most time to make garden," he said.

"Chilly weather," said Bunny Cotton-Tail.

"Chilly weather," said Susan.

_Then the most surprising thing happened_!

Grandpa Grumbles shook his green cotton umbrella and out came flower seeds falling everywhere. The Seventeen Little Bears scrambled to pick them up.

"Who will make your garden?" asked Doctor Cotton-Tail, looking at Bunny and Susan.

Bunny and Susan said, "We do not know, we are too old and stiff to make a garden."

"You will miss the turnips and cabbages," said Doctor Cotton-Tail.

Then he added,

"I came in a wagon, and as the Seventeen Little Bears are quite well, I can take them home."

Then the Seventeen Little Bears began to weep loud and long. They wept into their seventeen little pocket handkerchiefs.

Bunny and Susan said, "Never mind, dears, you can come to visit us again."

Soon the Seventeen Little Bears were tucked safely into the wagon and Doctor Cotton-Tail took them home.

"Bless my b.u.t.tons," said Susan, "you did not finish your story Grandpa Grumbles."

"My fur and whiskers," said Bunny, "I should like to visit your Toy Shop!"

Grandpa Grumbles said,

"At night I always shake my head, 'Tis time for all to go to bed."

The Cotton-Tail family knew that it was no use to tease, so they went merrily to bed.