"In the afternoon his cousin Will came up to see him. 'Why, Chimbo!'

he cried. 'Why do you sit moping here in the house, when all the boys are out? Come and play marbles with me on the piazza. Ned and Harry are out there waiting for you. Come on!'

"'Oh, dear!' said Chimborazo.

"'What's the matter?' asked Will. 'Haven't you any marbles? Never mind. I'll give you half of mine, if you like. Come!'

"'Oh, DEAR!' said Chimborazo.

"'Well,' said Will, 'if that's all you have to say when I offer you marbles, I'll keep them myself. I suppose you expected me to give you all of them, did you? I never saw such a fellow!' and off he went in a huff.

"'Well, Chimborazo,' said the fairy G.o.dmother, 'what do you think of "Oh, dear!" now?'

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Touching his lips with her wand."]

"Chimborazo looked at her beseechingly, but said nothing.

"'Finding that forty-five times was not enough for you yesterday, I thought I would let you have all you wanted to-day, you see,' said the fairy wickedly.

"The boy still looked imploringly at her, but did not open his lips.

"'Well, well,' she said at last, touching his lips with her wand, 'I think that is enough in the way of punishment, though I am sorry you broke the bell-punch. Good-by! I don't believe you will say "Oh, dear!" any more.'

"And he didn't."

CHAPTER VI.

The rain continued for several days; and though Toto, mindful of the sad story of Chimborazo, tried hard not to say "Oh, dear!" still he found the time hang very heavy on his hands. On the fourth day, however, the clouds broke away, and the sun came out bright and beautiful. Toto s.n.a.t.c.hed up his cap, kissed his grandmother, and flew off to the forest. Oh, how glad he was to be out of doors again, and how glad everything seemed to be to see him! All the trees shook down pearls and diamonds on him (very wet ones they were, but he did not mind that), the birds sang to him, the flowers nodded to him, the sunbeams twinkled at him; everything seemed to say, "How are you, Toto? Hasn't it been a lovely rain, and aren't you glad it is over?"

He went straight to the forest pool, hoping to find some of his companions there. Sure enough, there was the racc.o.o.n, sitting by the edge of the pool, making his toilet, and stopping every now and then to gaze admiringly at himself in the clear mirror.

"Good-morning, c.o.o.n!" said Toto; "admiring your beauty as usual, eh?"

"Well, Toto," replied the racc.o.o.n complacently, "my view of the matter is this: what is the use of having beauty if you don't admire it? That is what it's for, I suppose."

"I suppose so," a.s.sented Toto.

"And you can't expect other people to admire you if you don't admire yourself!" added the racc.o.o.n impressively. "Remember that! How's your grandmother?"

"She's very well," replied Toto, "and she hopes to see you all this afternoon. She has made a new kind of gingerbread, and she wants you to try it. I have tried it, and it is very good indeed."

"Your grandmother," said the racc.o.o.n, "is in many respects the most delightful person I have ever met. I, for one, will come with pleasure. I can't tell about the rest; haven't seen them for a day or two. Suppose we go and hunt them up."

"With all my heart!" said Toto.

They had not gone far before they met the wood-pigeon flying along with a bunch of berries in her bill.

"Where are you going, Pigeon Pretty?" inquired Toto; "and who is to have those nice berries? I am sure they are not for yourself; I believe you never get anything for yourself, you are so busy helping others."

"These berries are for poor Chucky," replied the wood-pigeon. "Ah, c.o.o.n," she added reproachfully, "how could you hurt the poor fellow so? He is really ill this morning in consequence."

"What have you been doing to Chucky, you naughty c.o.o.n?" asked Toto.

"Biting his nose off?"

"Oh, no!" said the racc.o.o.n, looking rather guilty, in spite of his a.s.surance. "Dear me, no! I didn't bite it _off_. Certainly not! I--I just bit it a little, don't you know! it was raining, and I hadn't anything else to do; and he was _so_ sound asleep, it was a great temptation. But I won't do it again, Pigeon Pretty," he added cheerfully, "I won't really. Take him the berries, with my love, and say I hope they will do him good!" and with a crafty wink, Master c.o.o.n trotted on with Toto, while Pigeon Pretty flew off in the opposite direction.

They soon arrived at the mouth of the bear's cave, and looking in, saw the worthy Bruin quietly playing backgammon with his devoted friend Cracker. The latter was chattering as usual. "And so _I_ said to him,"

he was saying as Toto and c.o.o.n approached, "'_I_ think it is a mean trick, and I'll have nothing to do with it. And what is more, I'll put a stop to it if I can!' So he said he'd like to see me do it, and flounced off into the water."

"Humph!" said Bruin, "I never did think much of that muskrat."

"What's all this?" asked the racc.o.o.n, walking in. "Anything the matter, Cracker?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Bruin playing backgammon with his friend Cracker."]

"Good-morning, c.o.o.n!" said Bruin. "Morning, Toto! Sit down, both of you. Cracker was just telling me--"

"It is that muskrat that lives in the pool, you know, c.o.o.n!" broke in the squirrel excitedly. "He wants to marry the Widow Bullfrog's daughter, and she won't have him, because she's engaged to young Mud Turtle. So now the muskrat has contrived a plan for carrying her off to-night whether she will or no; and if you will believe it, he came to _me_ and asked me to help him,--me, the head squirrel of the whole forest!" and little Cracker whisked his tail about fiercely, and looked as if he could devour a whole army of muskrats.

"Don't frighten us, Cracker!" said the racc.o.o.n, with a look of mock terror. "I shall faint if you look so ferocious. I shall, indeed! Hold me, Toto!"

"Now, c.o.o.n, you know I won't have Cracker teased!" growled the bear.

"He's a good little fellow, and if he wants to help the Widow Bullfrog out of this sc.r.a.pe, he shall. I believe she is a very respectable person. Now, I don't know whether I can do anything about it myself.

I'm rather large, you see, and it won't do for me to go paddling about in the pool and getting the water all muddy."

"Certainly not!" said the squirrel, "you dear old monster. I should as soon think of asking the mountain to come and hunt mosquitoes. But c.o.o.n, now--"

"Oh, I'm ready!" exclaimed the racc.o.o.n. "Delighted, I'm sure, to do anything I can. What shall I do to the muskrat? Eat him?"

"I suppose that would be the easiest thing to do," said the bear.

"What do you say, Cracker?"

"He is very hard to catch," replied the squirrel. "In fact, you _cannot_ catch a muskrat unless you put tar on his nose."

"That is true," said the racc.o.o.n. "I had forgotten that, and I haven't any tar just now. Would pitch or turpentine do as well, do you think?

They all begin with 'A', you know."

"I'm afraid not!" said the squirrel. "'Tar to catch a Tartar,' as the old saying goes; and the muskrat is certainly a Tartar."

"Look here!" said Toto, "I think we have some tar at home, in the shed. I am quite sure there is some."

"Really?" said the squirrel, brightening up. "Good boy, Toto! Tell me where I can find it, and I'll go and get it."