What do you suppose Snubby Nose was doing all this time? He woke early
one morning and danced before the mirror and asked,
"Who is so ugly? Nobody knows."
The mirror answered, "Tippy Toes."
Snubby Nose cried, "That settles it, broken nose, or no broken nose, I
will go out and find Tippy Toes to-day. Perhaps he will be a fine
playmate for me."
Snubby Nose crept down stairs. He ran down the road and was soon out of
sight.
Bunny and Susan woke up and they looked in Snubby Nose's little bed,
but he was not there. They expected to hear him cry and scream and howl
any minute. They looked in the big chair. There was the pink flannel
wrapper but Snubby Nose was gone.
Bunny cried, "My fur and whiskers, he has gone out with his broken
nose."
Susan cried, "Bless my buttons, I expect to see him back any minute."
At that very minute Tippy Toes came tripping along, swinging his basket
to and fro and singing a nonsense song.
"My fur and whiskers, here he comes," cried Bunny, "and he is not
crying, but he is singing a song."
"Bless my buttons," said Susan, "he is not crying this time."
Tippy Toes came in and said, "Good morning Bunny and Susan, I have
brought you a present this fine winter morning."
Bunny and Susan could scarcely believe their ears, but Tippy Toes
opened his basket and took out the lamp and spectacles, and Bunny and
Susan were pleased, you may be sure.
Bunny lighted the lamp, saying, "How can I ever thank you, Snubby Nose?
Now I shall not burn my paw, as I read by candle-light."
Tippy Toes tried not to laugh when he was called "Snubby Nose." He
said, "Please tell me how you burned your paw, I am never tired hearing
about it."
Bunny Cotton-Tail began, "Once when I was young--"
"Rap-a-tap" was heard on the door, and Tippy Toes was so polite he went
to the door and brought the milk in.
Tippy Toes curled up then at Bunny Cotton-Tail's feet and begged, "Do
tell me now why you liked to read by candlelight."
Bunny Cotton-Tail began again, "Once when I was young--"
"Rap-a-tap" sounded on the door.
Tippy Toes went and let in the Grocer boy. He curled up again at Bunny
Cotton-Tail's feet and said, "Now Bunny, please tell me the story."
Bunny Cotton-Tail began again, "Once, when I was young--"
_Then the most surprising thing happened!_
Soot began to pour down the chimney. It flew all over the room. It
covered the carpet and furniture and pictures.
Bunny shouted, "My fur and whiskers, what can be the matter?"
Susan said, "Bless my buttons, there is soot all over the room." Tippy
Toes danced on this foot, and danced on that foot, and said,
"Let me go up the chimney because,
I think it may be Santa Claus."
Then Bunny and Susan laughed, but soon Bunny Cotton-Tail coughed, and
Susan sneezed, so Tippy Toes knew something must be done at once. He
ran outdoors and looked up at the chimney.
There was Bushy-Tail, the sly old Fox acting as a chimney-sweep. He was
sweeping the chimney with his long, beautiful tail.
[Illustration: "HE WAS SWEEPING THE CHIMNEY WITH HIS LONG, BEAUTIFUL
TAIL"]
Tippy Toes cried, "Please come down and I will show you how to dance."
Bushy-Tail was surprised you may be sure. He thought it was Snubby
Nose, and Snubby Nose never said, "Please."
He jumped off the roof with a bound and howled, "Oh, ho! So you will
show me how to dance, will you?"
Then Bushy-Tail chased Tippy Toes away and away and away in the woods.
Tippy Toes said to himself,
"I'm in a corner without a doubt,
But if I keep cheerful I will get out."
At that very minute they met old Grandpa Grumbles. He said,
"It is getting cold I've heard it said,
Bushy-Tail where are your mittens, red?"
_Then the most surprising thing happened!_
Bushy-Tail gave a howl and ran away as fast as his legs could carry
him.
"What does it all mean?" asked Tippy Toes.
Grandpa Grumbles replied, "Why, Snubby Nose, you have a poor memory if
you have forgotten about the red mittens. Don't you remember that Santa
Claus gave Bushy-Tail a pair of magic mittens?"
Tippy Toes said, politely, "Please tell me about it."
Grandpa Grumbles said, "Bushy-Tail put on the red magic mittens and
they pinched his paws."
"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Tippy Toes, "How long did he have to wear those
mittens?" Grandpa Grumbles answered,
"Really, now, I cannot say,
But I guess it was a year and a day."
Then Tippy Toes laughed so hard that he doubled right up in a little
ball and rolled over and over.
"Come, come," said Grandpa Grumbles, "You had better go back to see
Bunny and Susan, they may think Bushy-Tail has eaten you up."
So they traveled back together to see Bunny and Susan. When they came
to the house there was soot on everything. There was soot on the carpet
and furniture and pictures. There was soot on the new lamp, and on
Susan's spectacles.
Grandpa Grumbles shouted,
"You are careless folks, I do declare,
To let the soot blow everywhere."
Bunny Cotton-Tail coughed, and Susan sneezed, and Grandpa Grumbles
said,
"Into the kitchen, one, seven, three,
You are as careless as can be."
He made Bunny and Susan go into the kitchen; then he said to Tippy
Toes,
"Come, get a broom and an apron or two,
We'll clean this room, that's what we'll do."
Soon Grandpa Grumbles and Tippy Toes had everything out of the room. It
did not take long to make it as clean as a pin.
Grandpa Grumbles looked hard at Tippy Toes.
"How does your nose feel?" he asked. "Come, sir, why don't you cry any
more?"
Tippy Toes danced this way, and danced that way, and sang to the big
mirror that hung on the wall,
"Who is so ugly? Nobody knows."
The mirror answered, "Snubby Nose."