did you ever go barefooted in the summer time? i suppose you have, and i don't blame you a bit, especially on hot days, or when you are at asbury park or ocean grove. now, to go barefooted, you know, you have to take off your shoes and stockings, and that's quite a bother at times.

well, alice wibblewobble didn't have to do this when she wanted to go barefooted, for, you know, she never wore shoes and stockings in summer. you see it would be too much trouble to take them off every time she went in swimming with lulu and jimmie, so that's why it was arranged that she never had to wear any.

now it happened one day, oh, i guess it must have been about a week and a minute after lulu had been frightened by that big dog, that alice was going to the store for her mother. the store was kept by mr. drake, who had a little round door knob on the top of his head, so his hat wouldn't blow off in windy weather.

"bring me a pound of butter and some cornmeal, alice," her mother had said to her, "and be sure the cornmeal is fresh. i am going to fry some for your father's supper."

so alice said she would be sure about it, and she started off.

"want me to come, alice?" asked lulu.

"no, dear," replied her sister. "i think it is too hot for you to-day. i'll soon be back again."

"better take jimmie," went on lulu. "you may meet the bad dog or an ugly fox."

"no," spoke alice again, "i think i'll go alone. besides, jimmie is off with sammie littletail, playing leapfrog. i'll go alone."

so off she went. now i'm going to tell you why she wanted to go alone, but don't whisper it to any one. you see, alice thought maybe she might meet the fairy prince, for she still hoped that some day he would change into a king with a golden diamond crown on his head.

but, as she walked on toward mr. drake's store she saw nothing of the fairy prince, though she kept a sharp lookout. well, she got the pound of butter and the cornmeal, and to make sure it was fresh she ate a little, for that's the surest way to tell. then she started for home, with the butter under one wing and the cornmeal under the other.

well, all of a sudden, just as she got past the weeping willow tree, if she didn't step on a sharp stone and cut her foot, because, you see, she had no shoes on, and the stone was very, very sharp, almost as sharp as an exclamation point; yes, indeed! there, i had the printer put one in (!) so you could see how very sharp it is. always be careful of exclamation points, children.

"oh! oh! oh!" cried alice, as she felt the sharp stone go in her foot, and she had to sink down to the ground, it hurt her so. then the cornmeal fell from under her wing and the bag burst and it spilled all over. then the butter fell from under the other wing, but that didn't get hurt any. it only got some dents in it, and you know that doesn't matter, for butter.

"oh, dear! whatever shall i do?" cried alice again. "i—i can't walk on my sore foot, and i can't carry the cornmeal and the butter! oh, dear! oh, dear! my foot's bleeding, too!" and, sure enough it was. poor alice! how sorry i feel for her.

"ah, if only the fairy prince would appear now," she went on. "he would cause a golden chariot to take me home!"

you see, alice hadn't gotten over being romantic, even if she had cut her foot. oh, my, no, and a diamond earring besides!

well, as true as i'm telling you, no sooner had she made that wish about the fairy prince than a voice called out:

"who is crying? does any one need help?"

"yes," replied alice, "i do. i've cut my foot, and i've dented the butter in several places, but that doesn't matter much, and i've spilled the cornmeal."

"oh, what a lot of troubles for one poor little duck girl!" cried the voice again. "perhaps, i can help you," and who should come along but uncle wiggily longears, the nice old gentleman rabbit. "let us see what's the trouble," he went on, and he put his strongest spectacles over his nose and he looked at the cut in alice's foot. then he cried:

"oh, i should say that was a cut! oh, my, yes! no doubt about it whatever! but there, don't cry," he added, for he saw some tears running down alice's yellow bill. "i'll fix it for you."

so he got some nice, soft leaves, and he tied them on her sore foot with some stout grass. then she felt better, but she couldn't walk, and she didn't know how she was ever going to get home. so she asked uncle wiggily.

"why, the easiest thing in the world!" cried uncle wiggily. "all i have to do is to say a little verse, and i'll think of a way." so he said this little verse:

"wiggily, waggily, woggily wome,

how shall i get alice home?

she has hurt herself quite much

and she'll have to use my crutch."

of course, uncle wiggily knew that wasn't a very good verse, but it was the best he could do.

"you shall use my cornstalk crutch, that nurse jane fuzzy-wuzzy made for me," he went on. "it will be just the thing."

"won't you need it?" asked alice, very politely.

"no," said uncle wiggily. "my rheumatism is much better to-day. you may have it," and he fitted it under alice's wing, and she could walk pretty well, not having to use her sore foot.

then that kind old rabbit scraped up all the cornmeal, and he put some in his big left ear and some in his big right ear, because the bag was broken, and he carried the dented butter, which wasn't hurt the least mite.

then they started for the duck pen and they reached it safely, alice limping along as well as she could. and uncle wiggily told mamma wibblewobble about the accident, after he had emptied his left ear and his right ear of the cornmeal and had handed over the dented butter. dr. possum was called in to put some salve on alice's foot, and she was soon better.

now that's all to-night, but, if the moving man doesn't take my typewriter away, i shall tell you to-morrow night about jimmie in a tall tree.