it was a few days after jumpo kinkytail, the little green monkey boy, had been taken ill with the sniffle-snuffles, and now he was all better, for the hot peanuts had made him well. he and his brother jacko, the red monkey, were hurrying along the road together to get to school before the last bell rang.

"for we must not be late," said jumpo.

"no, indeed," agreed jacko. "shall i carry your books for you, jumpo? you are not yet strong from having been ill."

"thank you, i'll be glad to have you carry them," said jumpo politely, so jacko put his brother's books in the loop of his tail together with his own, and they got to school just as the doors were being closed.

"now the class in number work will recite," said the owl teacher, as she took a piece of blue chalk and went to the blackboard. "if i had two apples, and jacko kinkytail gave me three more, how many would i have?" asked the teacher, and she wrote a big figure 2 on the blackboard, and under it a big 3. "you may answer, jumpo," she said.

jumpo thought for a few seconds.

"well, can't you tell?" asked the owl kindly.

"if you please," said jumpo, after a bit, "it can't be apples that jacko would give you, because it's pears that jacko has in his pocket. three pears—i saw mamma give them to him for recess. i can't add pears and apples together."

well, the whole class laughed at that, and the teacher said:

"i was only making believe, jumpo, just as when uncle wiggily longears pretends as he tells you a story. however, we will say two pears and three pears, if that will suit you better. you may come to the board and add up this sum for me."

so jumpo went to the board, and he took the piece of blue chalk in his left paw. and then he couldn't seem to help doing a funny trick. when the teacher wasn't looking he reached over, and with his tail he took an eraser and erased the numbers from another part of the board where jennie chipmunk was doing a sum in arithmetic, so jennie didn't have any numbers to add up, and she cried out:

"oh, dear!"

"what's the matter?" asked the teacher quickly, and then, turning around, she saw the mischief jumpo had done.

"you may go to your seat," she said to the green monkey, sad like, "and you must stay in after school. sammie littletail, you may finish the sum on which jumpo started. he is too playful today."

at first jumpo thought it was fun to have rubbed out jennie chipmunk's numbers with his tail, and then he felt sorry. he was more sorry as his brother and all the other pupils went out when school was done, and he had to stay in the room. he could hear the boys having a ball game, and the girls were playing tag, and jumpo wished he hadn't been bad. but that's the way it is sometimes in this world.

after a bit the teacher said:

"you may go now, jumpo. tomorrow please try a little harder to be good. i know you can if you will."

"yes'm," was all jumpo said.

it was quite late when he got out, and all the boys and girls had gone home. jumpo thought he might as well go home, too, but as it wasgetting dark he didn't go through the woods. instead he went around by way of grandfather goosey gander's home.

now, not far from where the old gentleman gander lived there was a bad fox who had built himself a bungalow. and he was a very rich fox, having ice cream for supper nearly every night. still he was never satisfied. he wanted a goose, or a rabbit, or a squirrel, or a monkey, or something like that. so when he looked out of his bungalow window, and saw jumpo kinkytail coming along, this fox said to himself:

"ah, ha! perhaps i can have a monkey supper tonight. i must catch that little green chap." still the sly fox knew better than to rush out and try to grab the monkey. "i must play a trick on him," he said to himself. "what shall i do?"

now, outside the fox's bungalow was a freezer full of ice cream ready for his supper. quickly taking out the can with the ice cream in it, the fox left nothing there but the wooden tub filled with freezing ice and salt. on this he put a sign which read: "help yourself to ice cream."

well, of course, when jumpo saw that sign he thought he would take some cream.

"i'll eat a bit," he said, "and bring some home to my mamma and papa and jacko. oh, some one was very kind to leave this here for me." you see, he didn't know the trick the fox had made up to catch him.

into the freezing mixture of ice and salt poor jumpo plunged his paw, and in an instant it was frozen fast there, and he couldn't get it out, as the late afternoon was cold. pull and pull as he did, the little green monkey was held fast, just as if he was in a trap.

"oh, dear! this is terrible! oh, it isn't ice cream at all. it's just ice, and i'm frozen fast. will no one help me?" cried jumpo.

"no," said the fox, "no one will, and when it gets dark enough, so no one can see me, i'm coming out and get you and eat you. i have you fast, just where i want you."

and indeed it did seem so, for the harder jumpo pulled the tighter he was held. he begged and pleaded, but it was of no use. it got darker and darker, and the fox was just coming out with a hatchet to chop jumpo's paw out of the ice, so he could take him inside the bungalow stump, when, all of a sudden, grandfather goosey gander heard the monkey boy's cries.[pg 41]

"that is some one in trouble!" exclaimed the old gander gentleman, and he put back on the stove the hot flatiron with which he was ironing his silk hat ready for sunday. so he opened the door and called: "what's the trouble?"

"i'm frozen fast in the ice cream tub, and the fox is going to catch me!" cried jumpo.

"ha! hum! we'll see about that!" shouted grandfather goosey gander. in an instant he caught up the hot flatiron off the stove, and out he ran. then, before the fox could get at the monkey boy the goose gentleman had put the hot flatiron on the ice in the tub, taking care not to burn jumpo. and there was a sizzling, hissing sound, and in another instant the ice was melted because of the hot flatiron, and jumpo was free. then he ran to grandfather goosey gander's house with the old gentleman, and the fox didn't get him, and pretty soon jumpo went home to tell the folks all about it. and for some time after that jumpo was a good monkey boy in school.

now, in the next story i'm going to tell you about jacko and the paper bag—that is, if the sofa cushion doesn't get tangled up in the lamp chimney and spoil the pudding for supper.[pg 42]