THE weather continued cold for several days and the Teenie Weenies
enjoyed almost a solid week of skating. An old dripping pan, which stood
under a water spout at the corner of a big house near by, made a
wonderful place to try out their tiny skates.
The ice was fully an inch thick, and as it was frozen solid it made a
safe place to skate. The little people had a fine time on the smooth
ice, but at the end of the week a thaw set in and they were forced to
walk for their exercise.
“I’d advise you people to all go out and take a long walk, for I’m going
to have a dandy dinner and I want you to have good appetites so you’ll
enjoy it,” said the Cook Sunday morning as he stood tying on his apron
in the Teenie Weenie dining room door.
“Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you going to-to-to have for dinner?” asked the Dunce.
“A baked prune?”
“Well, here’s the menu,” grinned the Cook. “Potato soup, planked minnow,
mashed peas and grape salad. For dessert we’ll have a date stuffed with
chopped nuts and whipped cream.”
“Oh, good, good!” shouted the Dunce, catching the Lady of Fashion around
the waist and dancing about the room.
In a few minutes the Teenie Weenies bundled themselves into their warm
muffs, sweaters and mittens and started out on a long walk.
“Let’s go down and see if the creek is frozen over,” said the General.
“I haven’t been down that way for a long time, and it will make a nice
walk for us.”
There was quite a lot of snow on the ground, but as it was rather solid
the little people were able to walk on it without much trouble, and in a
short time they stood on the bank of the creek. For some time the Teenie
Weenies stood watching the huge cakes of ice as they floated down the
stream. In order to get a better view, the Lady of Fashion and the
Doctor stepped out on a piece of ice which had not been broken away from
the bank, and, to the horror of the little people, the piece of ice on
which they stood snapped off and floated out into the surging stream.
It was impossible to swim among the sharp cakes of ice, as a Teenie
Weenie would have been ground to pieces, for some of the cakes of ice
were as big as soda crackers.
“Oh, jimminie crickets!” cried the frightened Dunce. “The Lady of
Fashion and the Doctor will be drowned and then they won’t get any of
that go-go-good dinner the Cook is getting ready for us,” and the poor
Dunce burst into tears.
[‡Illustration: Frozen stream]
“Hold on a minute, Doc!” shouted a voice, and to the astonishment of the
frightened Teenie Weenies a squirrel ran up a bush which hung over the
stream. Hanging by his front feet, the squirrel swung his body down over
the stream so that his bushy tail was only an inch or two from the
water, and as the Lady of Fashion and the Doctor floated by he yelled to
the Doctor to catch on.
Catching the Lady of Fashion about the waist, the Doctor grabbed the
tail and the squirrel quickly pulled the two Teenie Weenies up to the
bush, down which they safely crawled to the bank.
The Teenie Weenies were not the only ones who enjoyed a good dinner that
day, for the little people presented the squirrel and his wife with four
hickory nuts, five English walnuts, and a half dozen almonds for his
bravery in rescuing the Lady of Fashion and the Doctor.
[‡Illustration: Walnuts]
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[‡Illustration: Hat house]