Nibbles Poppelty-Poppett

Nibbles Poppelty-Poppett was a nice, plump, little mouse, with bright black eyes, and a silky coat of soft gray fur.

He lived with his mother, and his sisters and brothers, down a green lane near the river. There were Sniffy and Snuffy, the twins, who were always having colds together; Gobble, who, I am sorry to say, was very greedy, and Little Topsy, the baby.

Nibbles’s father had come to a most untimely end in a mouse-trap, into which he had been beguiled by a too attractive bit of toasted cheese.

Poor Mrs. Poppelty-Poppett had then been obliged to move into a wee, little cottage, where she did cooking and washing to support her children. Her apple-seed cookies, pine-cone and maple sugar roly-poly, and cheese and acorn pies were quite famous among all the little squirrels, mice, and rabbits of the neighboring woods.

She had a tiny mite of a shop, in the front part of her house, where Ruddy Squirrel, Frisky Bushy-Tail, and Bobtail and Rosamund Bunnikins-Bunny spent all their pennies on cakes and goodies.

It made Nibbles very unhappy to have his mother work so hard, although he did his best to help her; so at last he decided to go out into the world and seek his fortune.

One fine morning, bright and early, he kissed the family good-bye, and away he went, after making Sniffy, Snuffy, and Gobble promise to be good children and mind their mother.

Mrs. Poppelty-Poppett, shedding many tears, had made a little bundle of his clothes, neatly tied up in a red bandanna handkerchief, which Nibbles easily carried over his shoulder, at the end of a stick.

At first he felt very sad and lonely, but the sun was so warm, and the crickets and birds were singing so gayly, that he soon cheered up, and trotted briskly along.

Towards noon Nibbles began to feel so very hungry that he decided it must be about dinner time. Not far off he saw, beneath a shady elm tree, a neat, cosy-looking house. From a branch of the tree there hung a sign, on which was written in large gold letters:

THE GUINEA PIGS’ REST.

“That is just the place for me,” thought Nibbles, “for I am fond of guinea pigs.”

In front of the inn, leaning comfortably back in his chair, with his feet up against the door post, sat a fat, black and white guinea pig. When Nibbles went up to ask him if he could have some dinner, he saw that Mr. Guinea Pig was fast asleep, and snoring loudly.

“It is a pity to wake him,” thought Nibbles, “but I am awfully hungry; and besides, his mouth is so wide open that he might easily swallow a wasp.”

Nibbles coughed, and then he whistled, but the Guinea Pig never stirred. Finally, in desperation, Nibbles got a straw, and began to tickle his nose.

First Mr. Guinea Pig twitched his nose, then he opened one eye; at last he gave such a tremendous sneeze that he nearly fell out of his chair, and with a snort he woke up.

“Hullo!” said he angrily. “What do you want? This is the third time this morning that I have been waked up, and I’m sleepy and want my nap.”

“Excuse me,” answered Nibbles timidly, “but I am very hungry, and should like to have some dinner.”

“Well, go into the house and get the Salamander,” growled Mr. Guinea Pig. And before Nibbles could ask another question, he was sound asleep again, and snoring away as hard as ever.

“I wonder what the Salamander is?” thought Nibbles. “It sounds like a sandwich or a salad. The thing is to find it.”

As Mr. Guinea Pig completely blocked the front doorway, Nibbles had to hunt about until he at last found another entrance. Then he wandered down a long hall with empty rooms on either side, but no Salamander could he find.

Finally he heard a squeaking and a squealing, which seemed to come from a room at the end of the hall. He knocked gently on the door, but, as no one answered, he ventured to peep in.

A bright fire was burning in the fireplace, in spite of its being a summer day, so the room felt very hot.

On a footstool in front of the fire, sat two tiny guinea pigs, who had evidently just been washed, and were now being dried. Their hair had been carefully curled, and each had a blue ribbon tied around its neck in a big bow.

Mrs. Guinea Pig held on her lap a third little pig, whose hair she was curling, while the littlest piggy of all was sitting in the bathtub.

“I beg your pardon,” said Nibbles politely, “but can you please tell me where I can find the Salamander?”

Mrs. Guinea Pig, whose back was to the door, gave such a jump that she nearly dropped the little pig.

“Oh, come right in,” she said pleasantly, when she saw Nibbles. “I am delighted to see you, only please close the door, as I don’t like a draft.”

Nibbles thought a draft of fresh air was very much needed, but he said nothing, and closed the door.

“You will find the Salamander in the kitchen,” said Mrs. Guinea Pig. “He ought to be cooking the dinner, but he probably is asleep, as the heat from the stove seems to go to his head.”

Just then there was a sudden splash and a loud squeal. While Mrs. Guinea Pig had been talking to Nibbles, one of the little pigs had jumped off the footstool, and had come over to see what the littlest piggy was doing. He had climbed up on the edge of the tub, and then had slipped, and fallen into the water, right on top of the baby.

Mrs. Guinea Pig was very angry with the naughty little pig for being disobedient, and also for spoiling its best blue bow. While she was giving him a shaking, the piggy on her lap fell onto the floor, and then there was such a squeaking and a squealing that Nibbles ran out of the room, without even waiting to say good-bye.

Nibbles was sorry that he had not asked where the kitchen was, but he preferred to hunt it up himself rather than to go back to Mrs. Guinea Pig’s hot bath-room, and after a little while he found it.

The tea-kettle was boiling cheerily on the stove, and Nibbles noticed a delicious odor of toasted cheese and bacon, but nowhere could he see the Salamander.

He looked in the cupboard and under the sink, behind the door and under the table, in the coalhod and behind the stove, until at last, being very hungry, he began to call: “Mr. Salamander! Oh, Mr. Salamander!”

At once he heard a sleepy, squeaky voice saying: “Yes, yes, I’ll get up in a minute. Is it time for breakfast already?”

The voice came from the stove, and, to Nibbles’s amazement, he saw the oven door slowly open, and the most curious looking animal with a very sleepy face jump out. It looked like a fat black lizard, with large flame-color spots, bright black eyes, and queer, short little legs.

After giving such a prodigious yawn that Nibbles was afraid that he might never be able to shut his mouth again, he looked at Nibbles and said very sadly: “Oh, dear! I was having such a lovely dream when you woke me up.”

“I am very sorry,” replied Nibbles, “but I am so hungry that I shall soon be ready to eat my whiskers.”

“Well, well,” said the Salamander, “you sha’n’t wait another minute”; and he bustled about so fast that, before he knew it, Nibbles was eating large quantities of cheese and bacon pie, and drinking cups of tea so hot that it made him wink.