jimmie wibblewobble was out flying his kite. he had made it all himself, out of sticks, and paste, and paper and strings, and it was a very fine kite indeed. it was nearly as large as the little boy duck, and it was the kind of a kite that doesn't need a tail. that was good, because a tail gets all tangled up in the weeds.
well, jimmie was flying his kite, and the wind was pretty strong, and the kite was pulling real hard, just like a little dog pulls, when you tie a rope to his collar, and he wants to get away. pretty soon along came bully, the frog.
"does your kite pull much?" he asked.
"does it?" replied jimmie. "well, i should say it did!"
"let me hold it a minute, will you?" asked bully, and jimmie very kindly let him. then along came billie and johnnie bushytail, and sammie littletail, and they all took turns holding the kite.
well now, in a few minutes, something dreadful is going to happen to jimmie. i tell you in advance so you won't be frightened, and, really, there is no need to be, for i'll see to it that, after the thing happens, jimmie will be all right again. now if you watch, and listen closely, you can tell the moment the thing happens. it's almost time.
the wind kept growing stronger and stronger, and it blew the dust up in a cloud, and it blew bits of paper and sticks along with the dust, and raised a dreadful commotion.
then long came alice and lulu wibblewobble. they had been to the store for their mamma, and had just come back. they felt the strong wind blowing on their feathers, and alice said to her brother:
"you had better take down your kite, jimmie. the wind may blow it away, and you with it."
"oh, i guess i can hold it," answered the little boy duck, as he let out some more cord. the kite was now almost out of sight, and it was pulling harder than ever.
then, all at once, if jackie and peetie bow wow, the two puppy dogs, didn't come along. jackie had his white spot on his nose, and peetie had his black spot on his nose, so that you could tell them apart. and those two doggies felt so full of fun that they ran right up and made believe bite jimmie's yellow heels.
now you know it feels queer to have two puppy dogs biting your heels, even if it is only in fun, and as soon as jimmie felt jackie and peetie nipping him, he turned around quickly and cried out:
"oh, don't do that!"
but the minute he looked around, if the kite string didn't get tangled in his legs, and then if the wind didn't blow a regular strong blast, the kind that howls down the chimney on a cold night; and oh, dear me, suz-dud! if jimmie wasn't carried right up in the air by his kite! there, i told you something would happen, and it did! maybe you'll believe me next time.
well, up and up and up went jimmie, pulled by the kite, until he was quite high in the air, hanging dingling, dangling down—o! by his yellow heels. oh, it was a perfectly dreadful position to be in! really it was, and i'm not fooling a bit, honestly.
"oh, oh! save him!" cried lulu.
"yes, somebody get him down; please do!" added alice, flapping her wings.
billie bushytail tried to jump up in the air, and grab hold of poor jimmie, but he couldn't reach him, and then sammie littletail, he tried, but he couldn't reach him, and all the while poor jimmie was being carried higher and higher by the kite.
"save me! oh, save me!" he cried, but there didn't seem to be any way of getting him down, and it began to look as if he would go right up to the sky.
on the ground lulu and alice were running here and there, flapping their wings and quacking, and billie and johnnie bushytail were chattering, and as for sammie littletail, he made a noise just like a rabbit. oh, there was great excitement, i can tell you!
mr. cock a. doodle, the rooster, he came running out, and he crowed as loud as ever he could crow, as if that could do any good. then he flapped his wings as hard as he could, and that didn't do any good, either. jimmie kept going farther and farther away.
"oh, will no one save him?" asked lulu, crying big tears.
"wait a minute, i'll try it!" said bully, the frog. "i am a good jumper, and i'll jump up. maybe i can pull the kite down." so he jumped up as high as ever he could, but it wasn't nearly high enough, and bully came back on the ground, ker-thump, ker-bump! and jimmie wibblewobble kept on going up. poor bully hurt his ankle, too, and he was lame for some days.
"run and tell grandfather goosey-gander," cried lulu. "maybe he can think up a way of getting jimmie down."
so they all ran and told the old gentleman duck, for mr. and mrs. wibblewobble were away that afternoon. grandfather goosey-gander hurried out, and he squinted up at jimmie, who looked only about as big as a baby chicken now, he was so far away, and then the grandfather flapped his wings.
"nothing can save him!" said grandfather goosey-gander, very solemnly, "jimmie has gone to the sky!"
then, oh, how badly lulu and alice felt for their little brother! and all the others felt badly, too, for they liked jimmie. but don't get excited now. all will be well in a very few minutes. do not fear.
bully, the frog, made one more jump, hoping to reach the kite, and pull it down, but he might as well have tried to jump over the moon, which only a hey-diddle-diddle-cat-and-the-fiddle-cow can do. well, it looked as if jimmie was gone for ever, when, all at once, there was a rushing of wings, and who should appear, but a kind fish hawk, that once gave johnnie and billie bushytail a ride on his back.
"i will save jimmie!" cried the fish hawk.
so he flew up in the air, right to the kite, and, with his strong beak, he tore a hole in the paper to let the air through. then the kite came gently down, just like a red balloon, or maybe a blue one, that you get at the circus, and some one sticks a pin in it. yes, the kite came gently down, and jimmie came with it, and that's how he was saved!
and, maybe he wasn't glad! well, i just guess, and some cornstarch pudding besides! of course peetie and jackie were very sorry for biting jimmie's heels and never did it again. now, if i don't get stung by a bee, i'll tell you to-morrow night about alice in a bag.
