"aren't you glad it's saturday, when we don't have to go to school?" asked jacko kinkytail of his brother jumpo, the green monkey, when he awoke one morning.

"of course i'm glad," answered jumpo. "but what are we going to do today—go fishing?"

"no, indeed! why, have you forgotten about the little automobile which uncle wiggily gave us? it's down in the yard."

"oh, of course! and we can go for a ride in it. oh, how glad i am!"

and, would you believe me, jumpo was so happy that he jumped out of bed and hung by his tail from the back of the rocking chair.

and jacko took up a ball and caught it, first in one foot and then in the other, until it happened to slip away from him, striking jumpo on the nose.

"ouch!" cried jumpo, and he uncurled his tail from the chair and rubbed his nose.

"oh, i'm so sorry!" exclaimed jacko. "i didn't mean to do that. wait. i'll help you rub your nose."

well, he started to rub poor jumpo's sore nose, but jacko made a little mistake. he took up a piece of sticky fly paper instead of a handkerchief, and the fly paper stuck to the nose of the green monkey so that he could hardly breathe, and his mamma had to come running in the bedroom to see what was the matter.

"oh, you funny boys!" she exclaimed. "you are always up to some tricks. you had better get dressed at once and go out to play. it is a fine day."

"of course we will!" cried jacko. "come on, jumpo. we'll go for a long automobile ride."

so after mrs. kinkytail had taken the fly paper off jumpo's nose, the monkey boys had breakfast and they got ready to go out. the automobile which uncle wiggily had given the monkey boys, because it wouldn't go for him, had been fixed by mr. kinkytail, so it was now as good as ever. the tires were pumped full of wind and then jumpo climbed up on the seat and took hold of the steering wheel. jacko twisted the crank in front, and he did it very well, too, for, you know, he had plenty of practise in twisting the cranks of hand-organs, so he knew just how to do it.

and then the auto started off. whizz! whazz! whuzz! it went, down the street, faster and faster, until it was out on a nice country road.

"my! isn't this just fine!" cried jumpo.

"it certainly is as delicious as two ice cream cones and part of another one," replied his brother.

and they laughed and looked at each other and they nearly ran over a rooster, and the rooster crowed as loud as he could and said:

"you monkey boys had better look out where you are going! you have me all ruffled up."

"oh, i beg your pardon," said jumpo most politely. "we will go more slowly."

so he twisted some of the shiny things on the steering wheel, and he tickled the thing-a-ma-bob and pushed the tittle-cum-tattle-cum and the auto went slower. but even then it was going pretty fast.

"say, if a burglar fox chased us now, he couldn't catch us, could he?" said jacko.

"never in the world," answered his brother.

and just then a big, black bear stuck his nose out of the bushes and growled:

"hold on there, i haven't had any dinner yet."

"well, you can't eat us!" shouted jumpo, so he turned the what-you-may-call-it around backward and away they went faster than ever and the bear couldn't catch them, not even if he had put on roller skates to slide with.

well, after a while, not so very long, all of a sudden, as the monkey boys were riding along through the woods, all of a sudden, i say, their auto stopped. it wouldn't go a bit farther.

"what's the matter?" asked jacko.

"i don't know," said jumpo, looking all around.

"maybe the squee-gee is on crooked," said the red monkey.

"no, that's all straight," answered the green monkey, as he looked at it to make sure.

"then perhaps the busticated-what's-his-name needs oiling," suggested jacko.

so jumpo put some oil on the busticated-what's-his-name, but still that auto wouldn't go any more than a clock will if it isn't wound up.

"maybe all the wheels are off," spoke jacko.

so they got out to look, but the wheels were on all right and tight, and the big tires were full of wind like a bologna sausage. well, these monkey boys didn't know what to do, and they were beginning to be frightened, for they were in the deep woods, where there might be wolves. they began to wish they hadn't come so far, or else that they knew more about autos.

all of a sudden they heard a rustling in the bushes, and they looked around, fearing they might see the burglar fox, perhaps, but whom do you suppose it was? why, no one else than grandfather goosey gander.

"oh, our auto is stuck!" cried jacko.

"yes, it won't go," said jumpo.

grandfather goosey took one look at the machine, then he sniffed the air and said:

"why, of course, it won't go, you have no more gasoline. i know, for i once had a motor-boat and the same thing happened to me. you need gasoline, just as i did. go buy some gasoline."

"where can we get it; here in the woods?" asked jacko.

grandfather goosey gander sniffed the air again.

"i smell gasoline," he said, "and it's over this way. come with me." so he led the monkey boys through the woods toward a big stump, and there, right behind it, was aunt lettie, the old lady goat. and what do you s'pose she was doing? why, she was cleaning the spots off the[pg 125] trousers of jimmie wibblewobble, the duck boy, with gasoline. she had a big can full, for you know gasoline cleans spots off things very nicely.

"oh, will you please give us some of your gasoline to make our auto go?" asked jacko politely of the old lady goat.

"mercy sakes alive, child! of course i will," said aunt lettie.

so she gave the monkey boys some, and grandfather goosey gander showed them how to pour it in the tank of their car. then jumpo twisted the tinkerum-tankerum and away the auto went, whizz-whazz! and the boys had a fine ride.

they went through the woods and up one hill and down another, and when they were almost home a big savage wolf chased them, but he couldn't catch up to that auto; no, sir, no matter how he tried, and he couldn't bite any holes in the tires, either.

so jacko and jumpo got safely home, just in time for dinner, and they had huckleberry pie and chocolate drops on it with their milk.

so that's all now, if you please, but in case the spoonholder doesn't squeeze the salt-shaker and make the pepper box sneeze, i'll tell you on the next page about jumpo and the roast marshmallow candy.[pg 126]