"oh, dear, i wonder what we can do to-day?" exclaimed jacko kinkytail, as he got up one saturday morning and saw that it was raining quite hard.
"yes, isn't it too bad," said his brother, the green monkey. "here it is saturday, when there is no school, and we can't go out and play. oh, dear!"
"oh, my!" cried mamma kinkytail, as she came in to see if her boys were ready for breakfast. "why are you so sad?"
"i guess you'd be sad if you couldn't go out and play," answered jacko, as he parted his hair on the left side and took the kinky spots out of his tail where he had slept on it in the night.
"we'll see if we can't have some fun in the house," his mamma said. "just you get your breakfasts and then you boys can help me dust a bit. then i'll think up some way so you may have some fun, even if it rains."
"oh, goody!" cried jacko and jumpo together, and they jumped up and down, and jacko climbed on jumpo's back and tried to touch the ceiling, only jumpo toppled over and they both fell right down on top of the bed, so they weren't hurt.
"now, if you'd only jump around, and help me dust, it would be better than jumping on the bed," said their mamma with a laugh. so they got some old rags, and soon all the furniture was polished so shiny that you could see yourself standing upside down in it.
"now for the fun!" said mrs. kinkytail. "jacko, you get me some bowls with warm water in them, and, jumpo, you shave up some of that nice smelling soap in the bathroom."
"are you going to wash us, ma?" asked jumpo, scared like.
"no, indeed. you will have your baths tonight. this is a little trick i am going to do for you. while you are getting the soap and water and bowls i will go to the telephone. but you mustn't listen to what i say."
well, of course, the monkey boys promised, and they got the things their mamma told them to, while she was telephoning. then she showed them how to mix up the soap and water in the bowls. just as this was finished the door bell rang.
"i wonder who that can be?" said jacko, surprised like.
"suppose you go and see," answered his mother with a smile.
jacko went to the front door and looked down toward the ground, for you know the monkeys' house was up in a high tree. in the rain he saw three duck children standing there.
"oh, it's lulu and alice and jimmie wibblewobble!" cried jacko in delight. "oh, how did you happen to come in all the rain?"
"why, your mamma telephoned for us," said jimmie, as he wiggled his wings to toss off some of the water, for you know the ducks didn't need umbrellas.
"oh, come right up!" cried jumpo, who had also run to the door. "we're going to have fun. come up."
"but how can we, when there are no stairs?" asked lulu.
"wait, i'll let down the basket," spoke jacko, and soon he lowered a basket, fastened to a rope. this was always kept for visitors, but the monkeys could climb up without it.
into the basket alice and lulu and jimmie stepped, and jacko and jumpo pulled them up, for monkeys are very strong.
"come right in, jimmie, and your sisters, too," invited mrs. kinkytail. "did you bring the pipes, jimmie?"
"yes, ma'am," said the boy duck.
"what pipes?" jumpo wanted to know.
"some nice, new, clean clay pipes, that you are going to blow bubbles with," explained his mamma. "that is the good time i have made for you. you are going to have a soap-bubble party. now, children, come right out in the kitchen and the party will begin."
"oh, how lovely!" cried alice wibblewobble, as she looked in a glass to see if her hair ribbon was on straight. "i love soap bubbles."
"so do i," said lulu, whistling just like a boy.
out in the kitchen a soft cloth had been spread on the floor for the bubbles to fall on, so they wouldn't get hurt. and jimmie put the new pipes on the table beside the bowls of soap and water.
"now, begin," said mamma kinkytail. so each one dipped a pipe into the soapy water and began to blow. oh, what fine bubbles they made! some were white, and some blue, and some green, and some red—just like the rainbow colors.
lulu blew a very big bubble, almost as big as the moon looks, and all of a sudden it burst, making her sneeze like the time when uncle wiggily got the water up his nose.
then jacko blew a bubble and bounced it on the soft cloth until it looked like a football rolling along.
"oh, see mine!" cried alice, as she shook one off her pipe. it floated about the room. "it's on jumpo's head!" said alice. and, surely enough, it was, only it didn't stay there very long, as it burst. and jimmie wibblewobble blew one that almost reached the ceiling. then jumpo blew two at once, like twins, and they stayed on the cloth a long time.
oh! they were having such fun that they didn't even think of the rain. they blew hundreds of bubbles, and laughed and shouted until you would have thought there were a dozen children at the party. and then, all of a sudden, something happened.
all at once there was a noise at the window, and a great big black bear poked his head in. he gave a growl and cried:
"ah, ha! now i'll have plenty for my supper. i am very fond of monkeys and ducks. i'm glad i climbed up the tree to get you. all ready now, i'm coming in!"
"you get right out of here, you bad bear!" cried lulu.
"no, i will not," said the bear, savage like.
"i'll go tell my mamma if you don't," said jacko, for mrs. kinkytail wasn't in the kitchen just then.
"i'm not afraid!" growled the bear. "here i come in after you."
well, he was just getting in through the window, when lulu wibblewobble cried:
"oh, let's blow a whole lot of bubbles at him and scare him!"
and that's what those brave animal children did. they dipped their pipes in the soap and water and blew forty-'leven-sixteen-twenty-one bubbles and shook them at the bear. and my! how frightened he was. he'd never seen soap bubbles before, and he thought they were red and green and yellow and blue cannon balls going to hit him on his nose and toes.
quickly he turned around and crawled out of the window and down the pole before any of the bubbles could burst and make him sneeze, and he ran off to the woods, and so that's how he didn't eat anybody that night.[pg 166]
then mrs. kinkytail came in and heard what happened, and she said lulu was a very bright little duck girl to think of it. then the mamma monkey called:
"come into the dining-room now and have ice cream and cake." and, oh! wasn't it good!
then they blew more bubbles and soon the party was over, and jacko and jumpo were glad it had rained. now on the next page, if the boy who lives in the corner house doesn't lose his roller skates down our chimney and make it sneeze, you may read about jacko and the paper chain.[pg 167]
