to see what was the matter.

Susan still rocked to and fro and said, "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!"

Bunny said, "Will you never tell us what is the matter?" Susan said finally,

     "I have some pride, but thought to ride,
     In the merry-go-round, above the ground."

Then the Seventeen Little Bears all turned somersaults at once, and Susan cried, "Stop them, stop them, or they will break their little bones."

Then the most surprising thing happened!

The Seventeen Little Bears made a low bow and said,

     "In the merry-go-round we'll go,
     Laughing gayly, ha, ha, ho, ho!"

They ran out the back door and Bunny and Susan went after them. There stood a neat little merry-go-round, as fine as you please.

"Where?" and "How?" and "Why?" and "Please tell us about it," said
Bunny and Susan.

The Seventeen Little Bears replied,

     "Get inside, and have a ride,
     Bunny and Susan, side by side."

They all jumped into the merry-go-round and rode in seats side by side. Round and round and round they went.

Bunny waved his hat and Susan waved her red sunbonnet! The Seventeen
Little Bears shouted, "Hurrah, hurrah!"

They went faster and faster. Bunny said, "I am afraid the wind will blow off my fur and whiskers."

Susan said, "The wind will blow off my spectacles."

Faster, faster, faster they went! Would they never stop?

The Seventeen Little Bears said,

     "This is a very funny business,
     It gives us all a little dizziness."

Faster, faster, faster they went! It began to rain. First the rain fell with a few drops, then it came down in sheets. My! how wet they were!

Faster, faster, faster went the merry-go-round.

Suddenly Bushy-Tail ran and jumped right into the merry-go-round and said, "What will you give me if I stop the merry-go-round?"

Bunny said, "I will give you a warm seat by the fire, sir."

Susan said, "I will give you a basket of cookies."

The Seventeen Little Bears said, "We will give you seventeen pieces of peppermint candy."

"Help, help, help!" they all cried, "Do stop the merry-go-round!"

Bushy-Tail looked as saucy as you please.

"I can ride faster than this," he said, "I was brought up in a merry-go-round. I want Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes to come and pay me a visit."

Bushy-Tail said no more, and Bunny saw there was no use to mince matters, and the rain was coming down harder and harder.

Bunny said, "If Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes want to pay you a visit I have no objection."

Then the merry-go-round went slower and slower, and slower, and finally stopped.

Bushy-Tail said, "Go get Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes for me or I will eat you all up!"

They all went into the house. They pretended to look for Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes, though they knew they had gone away. They looked in every nook and corner, but knew well enough that Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes had gone sailing away with Grandpa Grumbles.

Bushy-Tail was angry. He went down the road calling, "Woo, woo, woo!"
He would not even stop for his basket of cookies.

Bushy-Tail called back,

     "Where they have gone to nobody knows,
     I'll find Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes."

Bunny and Susan said, "We are glad to get out of the merry-go-round, but we must send word to Grandpa Grumbles not to let Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes out. Who will carry the message?"

The First Little Bear said, "It is so far to go."

The Second Little Bear said, "I am all out of breath."

The Third Little Bear said, "Oh wait 'till to-morrow."

Now, will you believe it? The Seventeen Little Bears sat on their seventeen little stools as though, nothing had happened!

Bunny and Susan got ready to go out in the rain. They took their raincoats and caps and umbrellas. They went to Grandpa Grumbles' house.

The Seventeen Little Bears said in a sing-song way,

     "We really are not quite polite,
     We're selfish as can be,
     We sit on stools around the fire,
     Just singing merrily!"

CHAPTER VII

When Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes rode home with Grandpa Grumbles in his green cotton umbrella they sang a merry song,

     "Oh, ho! It is fun to go riding along,
     Singing and whistling a right merry song."

The umbrella came to the chimney of Grandpa Grumbles' house. It began to close up a little.

"Help, help!" cried Snubby Nose, "we shall be squeezed to death!"

Tippy Toes sat very still. He made himself as small as possible.

Grandpa Grumbles said,

     "Down my chimney every one goes,
     How we shall travel the umbrella knows!"

Then whisk! Before they could wink an eyelash they were safely down the chimney.

Snubby Nose cried and he screamed and he howled!

Tippy Toes danced this way, and he danced that way, and said, "Oh,
Grandpa Grumbles, how I enjoyed the ride!"

Grandpa Grumbles said,

     "Off to bed when the merry winds blow,
     So back up the chimney old Grandpa can go."

Snubby Nose said, "You are not going to leave us alone in this house are you?" Then he cried and he screamed and he howled!

Tippy Toes danced this way, and danced that way, and before they could say another word, whisk! up the chimney old Grandpa Grumbles was off and away. He went off to ride in his green cotton umbrella.

Tippy Toes kissed Snubby Nose and led him before the mirror, singing,

"Who will visit us to-day?"

The mirror answered,

"Bushy-Tail is on his way."

Snubby Nose said, "What fun it is to have the mirror talk. Come, let us bolt the doors and windows. We will not let Bushy-Tail in."

They danced again before the mirror and sang,

"We're locked in safely, that we know,"

The mirror said,

"Down the chimney he can go."

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes said, "Oh" and "Ah," and "Oh" and "Ah." "We never thought of the chimney! What shall we do with the chimney?"

They built a roaring fire, and none too soon, for they could hear the "patter, patter, patter" of feet upon the roof.

Bushy-Tail climbed down from the roof. He looked in at the window and said, "Please let me in, please let me in."

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes sat as still as they could in their little chairs by the fire and never winked an eyelash.

Bushy-Tail said, "Let me in or I will come down the chimney, fire or no fire."

Then Snubby Nose coughed and Tippy Toes sneezed.

Bushy-Tail climbed the roof once more. Out came the smoke in great puffs. He gave it up and then went away down the path growling every step of the way.