one day jumpo kinkytail, the little green monkey, was ill with the sniffle-snuffles and could not go to school. i don't know whether it was because he had missed his lesson the day before, or because he waded through a mud-puddle on his way home, and got his feet wet that made him sniffle. anyhow dr. possum came and gave him some bitter medicine.
it was so bitter that jumpo made a funny face like two sour oranges and a piece of lemon pie all rolled up together. and his brother jacko laughed, which didn't make jumpo feel any better.
"humph! i don't laugh when you are ill," said jumpo, twisting up his face like a crooked doughnut.
"i'm sorry, but really i couldn't help it," said jacko, as he got ready to go off to school. "you do make the funniest faces, jumpo. but i'll tell the teacher you can't come to class, and i'll ask her what lesson you are to study. then i'll bring home your books."
"oh, you needn't bother," said jumpo quickly. "i—i guess i'm not sick enough for that. just tell teacher that i can spell cow now. i know better than to begin it with a 'k.'" for that is the lesson jumpo had missed the day before he was taken ill.
well, jacko started for school, and on the way all the other animal children asked him where his little green brother was.
"i'm very sorry," said bully no-tail, the frog, when he had heard what was the trouble. "i like jumpo because he is the same color i am, and tomorrow i'm going to bring him some green grapes so he can play marbles with them in bed."
"that will be nice," said jacko. then he got to school and told the teacher about jumpo. of course the owl lady was also sorry for the little sick monkey, and she wrote him a nice note on a piece of white cocoanut, so that after jumpo had read it he could eat the cocoanut—that is, when he was well enough.
pretty soon it was time for school to be out, and jacko hurried home to be with his sick brother.
"i'll just take the short path through the woods," thought the little red monkey. "then i'll be home quicker. and i wish i had a penny, or a five-cent piece. then i would buy jumpo an ice cream cone. but i haven't any money."
so of course when one has no money one can buy no ice cream cones, but still jacko wished it just the same, which shows that he had a kind heart.
he was going through a dark part of the woods, when all of a sudden he saw, just in front of him, some small, whitish looking things, like little stones.
"ha! i wonder what these are?" said jacko, as he took hold of his books in his tail and went carefully forward. "perhaps that is a trap to catch me."
then he saw that the little things were a lot of peanuts, all strung out in a row on the ground, like grains of corn, one after another. "ah, ha! i see!" exclaimed the jack o'lantern—oh, i beg your pardon, i mean the red monkey. "these are peanuts. some one has been along here with a bag that had a hole in it, and the peanuts dropped out," went on jacko. "well, if i knew to whom they belonged i'd give them back. but, as i don't, i'll take them home to my sick brother, and later on, if some one claims them, i'll save up my pennies and pay them back."
so with this kind thought in mind, jacko set to work to gather up the peanuts. there were quite a number of them, when they were all in one pile—as many as two five-cent bags full.
"i think i will eat just one, to see if they will be good for jumpo," said jacko, after a while. so, with his strong, white teeth he cracked the shell of one peanut and ate it—that is, he ate the peanut, not the shell. of course, you understand and i suppose i needn't have mentioned it. but, anyhow, i did.
"oh, my! oh, dear! oh, hum suz dud!" exclaimed jacko, when he had eaten the peanut. "this will never do at all. the peanuts are damp, and wet, and not nice and brown and crisp as they ought to be." for you know there is nothing more unpleasant than half-roasted and soft peanuts—even onions aren't much worse, i think.
"i must build a fire and roast them nice and hot and fresh," said jacko. "then they will be good for sick jumpo." so then and there jacko built a little fire in the woods, and set to work to roast the peanuts over again, first taking his[pg 33] books out of his tail and putting them safely on a stump where they wouldn't burn.
when the fire was nice and hot, jacko took a tin can, put the peanuts in it, and set the can on the hot coals. then he stirred the peanuts with a long stick so they wouldn't burn.
he was doing this, and thinking how pleased his brother would be, when, all of a sudden there was a noise up in a tree over jacko's head, and down climbed the black bear. he landed right near the red monkey and that bear cried out:
"oh, ho! things are nice and warm and comfortable here. i have come just in time. now i will have a good supper. i was afraid i wasn't going to have any."
"were you—that is, were you thinking of eating the peanuts?" asked jacko. "because if you were, they are my brother's."
"no. i wasn't thinking of eating the peanuts," growled the bear. "i was thinking of eating you. and now i am done thinking, and i am going to get busy. here i come!"
then, with a growl, he made a grab for jacko, but the monkey jumped back. he was thinking very hard, for he didn't want to be eaten up. then he said very quickly:
"will you grant me one favor before you eat me, mr. bear?"
"what is it?" growled the shaggy creature.
"please let me take the peanuts off the fire so they won't burn," spoke jacko.
"go ahead," growled the bear. "that will be the last thing you do."
"we'll see about that," thought jacko, as he tied a hard knot in his tail. then, taking a lot of damp leaves in his paws so he wouldn't get burned, he lifted off the fire the can of hot peanuts. and then and there, while the bear was still growling, the red monkey threw the hot pan, hot peanuts and all, right on top of the bear's soft and tender nose.
"wow, oh, wow! my! oh, my!" howled the bear, and he felt so badly about it that he ran off through the woods to find a spring of water where he could cool his nose.
but jacko didn't wait for the bear to come back. instead, the red monkey gathered up the hot peanuts from where they had fallen. into his school bag he packed them as fast as he could and then he set out for home on the jump, and got there safely.
and oh! how glad jumpo was to get the hot roasted peanuts. in fact they made him well the next day. and he said jacko was a brave monkey boy to think of such a trick to play on the bear. and so did mr. and mrs. kinkytail.[pg 35] but you are sleepy now, so you must go to bed. good night.
and the next story will be about jumpo and the ice cream—that is, if the bathroom looking-glass doesn't see the pussy cat standing on its head under the stove and get so frightened it can't clean its teeth.[pg 36]
