By Ruth Plumly Thompson
Author of The Lost King of Oz, "The Wizard of Pumperdink," "King, King! Double King!" etc.
Author of The Lost King of Oz, "The Wizard of Pumperdink," "King, King! Double King!" etc.
Originally published in the Oakland Tribune, June 20, 1915.
The rainy season had set in, and it was very slow and wet in the jungle. Oliver Elephant had read all the books in the house, even his mother’s cook book and the Jungle calendar, and he and Uncle Abner had played checkers until they had nearly worn the checker board. There was nothing left to do, and Oliver, staring gloomily out the window, wished that he lived any place except the jungle. Suddenly sloshing along the sodden road he caught sight of a familiar figure. “Mother! Mother!” he called excitedly. “Here comes Tommy Tapir!” “Why sure enough it is!” said Mother Elephant, looking over Oliver’s shoulder. “Though what his mother can be thinking of to let him out in this kind of weather I can not imagine.”
Oliver, not bothering his head about this, ran to let Tommy in. And though he had worn a raincoat and his goloshes and carried a tree-mendous umbrella, Tommy was soaked all the way through, so that Mother Elephant had to lend him some of Oliver’s clothes. They were terrible baggy and loose on him, but Tommy said he didn’t care. “I just couldn’t stand it another minute,” he confided to Oliver, “and I thought if I came over here that your Uncle Abner might tell us a story.” “What’s that?” said Uncle Abner Elephant, putting down the paper and pretending to look very ferocious. “Go on, Uncle Abner, tell us a story!” begged Oliver.
“Well,” began Uncle Abner, looking out the window, “this weather surely does remind me of the time that Rob Rabbit came to the jungle. Just such a rainy, gloomy spell as this it was. Shaggy Lion, who was King at that time, was sitting under a tree growling at the weather, while the monkey pages were holding huge palm leaves to keep the rain off him, and all the other animals were sitting around just too bored and wet to even eat. And first thing you know, as they were all sitting there as glum as you please, down the road came an umbrella, even a bigger umbrella than Tommy’s there, wigwagging from side to side, but coming right on. ‘Hullo!’ said Shaggy Lion, sitting up. ‘Wonder what’s under that umbrella?’ He didn’t have to wonder long, though, because by that time the umbrella was right in the midst of them. They heard a funny noise underneath, as if some one were wrestling with himself—and ‘Pshaw’ and ‘Hang it’ and words like that came spluttering out from under the edges. Then all at once the umbrella closed, fell over with a flop, and out scrambled the wettest, skinniest little rabbit you ere did see!
“‘My name’s Robin,’ said he, ‘and I’d like to speak with the King.’ ‘Well,’ drawled Shaggy Lion, licking his chops, ’cause he reckoned he was going to gobble that rabbit up directly, ‘you’re a-lookin’ right at him!’”
“What did the rabbit say before the King ate him up?” gasped Tommy Tapir. Uncle Abner began to chuckle. “Say—why that rabbit just scratched his ear and remarked slow and solemn:
“‘How do I know you are a King?’ And all the other beasts began to grin. Lion was so shocked and surprised he pretty nearly choked. ‘Ca—can’t you see my crown?’ he roared. Rob Rabbit said he could see it all right, but that he’d like to hold it in his hands so that he could see it better. And all the beasts—who thought it a good joke on Shaggy Lion—said: ‘Let him hold it!’ And he did. And Rob Rabbit took the crown and put it on the ground—then he stood in the middle of it and reckoned that if a crown was what made a King—then he was it. Then all the beasts grinned some more at Rob Rabbit. But Rob stepped behind a tree and wriggling his nose, called: ‘How do I know you are King?’ And pretty soon all the other beasts began to look at Shaggy Lion and roar: ‘How do I know you are King?’ And Shaggy Lion began to feel mighty uncomfortable. You see, the rain had made all the beasts cross and crabbed and they were just dying for some kind of excitement, and that little rabbit stood behind the tree and sicked ’em on, and the first thing you know the whole lot of them were snarling and clawing at each other and rolling around in the mud. And when Shaggy Lion managed to untangle himself from the bunch, and, with his coat all ripped, started to run away, Rob Rabbit leaned away out and called: ‘Catch him! Catch him! How do you know he is King?’ And all of those crazy beasts went crashing and splashing through the pouring rain after Shaggy Lion—and while they were gone Rob Rabbit came out and took the crown and all the other things that he wanted (the animals had left all their belongings where they’d been sitting), and he tied them all up in Shaggy Lion’s purple robes, put up his big umbrella and went off back where he had come from. And what do you think of that?” finished Uncle Abner. But just then the lunch bell rang—and as you and I are not invited I can not tell you what Oliver and Tommy thought of the story. What do you think of it?
Oliver, not bothering his head about this, ran to let Tommy in. And though he had worn a raincoat and his goloshes and carried a tree-mendous umbrella, Tommy was soaked all the way through, so that Mother Elephant had to lend him some of Oliver’s clothes. They were terrible baggy and loose on him, but Tommy said he didn’t care. “I just couldn’t stand it another minute,” he confided to Oliver, “and I thought if I came over here that your Uncle Abner might tell us a story.” “What’s that?” said Uncle Abner Elephant, putting down the paper and pretending to look very ferocious. “Go on, Uncle Abner, tell us a story!” begged Oliver.
“Well,” began Uncle Abner, looking out the window, “this weather surely does remind me of the time that Rob Rabbit came to the jungle. Just such a rainy, gloomy spell as this it was. Shaggy Lion, who was King at that time, was sitting under a tree growling at the weather, while the monkey pages were holding huge palm leaves to keep the rain off him, and all the other animals were sitting around just too bored and wet to even eat. And first thing you know, as they were all sitting there as glum as you please, down the road came an umbrella, even a bigger umbrella than Tommy’s there, wigwagging from side to side, but coming right on. ‘Hullo!’ said Shaggy Lion, sitting up. ‘Wonder what’s under that umbrella?’ He didn’t have to wonder long, though, because by that time the umbrella was right in the midst of them. They heard a funny noise underneath, as if some one were wrestling with himself—and ‘Pshaw’ and ‘Hang it’ and words like that came spluttering out from under the edges. Then all at once the umbrella closed, fell over with a flop, and out scrambled the wettest, skinniest little rabbit you ere did see!
“‘My name’s Robin,’ said he, ‘and I’d like to speak with the King.’ ‘Well,’ drawled Shaggy Lion, licking his chops, ’cause he reckoned he was going to gobble that rabbit up directly, ‘you’re a-lookin’ right at him!’”
“What did the rabbit say before the King ate him up?” gasped Tommy Tapir. Uncle Abner began to chuckle. “Say—why that rabbit just scratched his ear and remarked slow and solemn:
“‘How do I know you are a King?’ And all the other beasts began to grin. Lion was so shocked and surprised he pretty nearly choked. ‘Ca—can’t you see my crown?’ he roared. Rob Rabbit said he could see it all right, but that he’d like to hold it in his hands so that he could see it better. And all the beasts—who thought it a good joke on Shaggy Lion—said: ‘Let him hold it!’ And he did. And Rob Rabbit took the crown and put it on the ground—then he stood in the middle of it and reckoned that if a crown was what made a King—then he was it. Then all the beasts grinned some more at Rob Rabbit. But Rob stepped behind a tree and wriggling his nose, called: ‘How do I know you are King?’ And pretty soon all the other beasts began to look at Shaggy Lion and roar: ‘How do I know you are King?’ And Shaggy Lion began to feel mighty uncomfortable. You see, the rain had made all the beasts cross and crabbed and they were just dying for some kind of excitement, and that little rabbit stood behind the tree and sicked ’em on, and the first thing you know the whole lot of them were snarling and clawing at each other and rolling around in the mud. And when Shaggy Lion managed to untangle himself from the bunch, and, with his coat all ripped, started to run away, Rob Rabbit leaned away out and called: ‘Catch him! Catch him! How do you know he is King?’ And all of those crazy beasts went crashing and splashing through the pouring rain after Shaggy Lion—and while they were gone Rob Rabbit came out and took the crown and all the other things that he wanted (the animals had left all their belongings where they’d been sitting), and he tied them all up in Shaggy Lion’s purple robes, put up his big umbrella and went off back where he had come from. And what do you think of that?” finished Uncle Abner. But just then the lunch bell rang—and as you and I are not invited I can not tell you what Oliver and Tommy thought of the story. What do you think of it?
Originally published in the Philadelphia Public Ledger, September 8, 1918
School Opens in Supposyville
Oh! not with frowns or solemn looks
Do ’Sposy children get their books.
Oh! not with groans or lagging feet
Do they go down each lane and street!
The opening day of school—well, I
Should just guess not—there’s not a sigh.
Indeed they come all out of puff;
They just can’t get there fast enough.
For in their quaint Supposy way
They turn it to a festive day.
Now we do things just upside down
In this old systematic town.
We have our concert at the close
Of school—’tis well enough I ’spose;
But seems to me ’twould put more heart
In things to have it at the start!
The way they do in S’posyville
And sort o’ sugar-coat the pill.
The King and Queen and half the court
Are there to help along the sport.
Heigh-ho! they start school here with fiddles,
Old-fashioned jigs and games and riddles,
Virginia reels and merry peals
Of laughter till each scholar feels
So welcome and so warm inside
He couldn’t be gloomy if he tried.
Once folks have laughed together they
Are friends for always and a day!
And then, to make things still more pleasant,
The King gives every one a present;
And makes a jolly little speech
And hands new copy books to each.
New copy books and pencils four,
Rules and rubbers, pens galore.
The Queen distributes bags and straps,
Brand-new raincoats, boots and caps!
And afterward comes ice cream pink
And little cakes and pies, I think.
Then home the lads and lassies trot,
Just captivated on the spot,
Resolved to study hard and do
Just what the teacher wants them to.
And I think ’twould be nice for us
To do the same and not to fuss.
’Cause if we want to grow up right,
We must do lessons every night
And learn a lot of useful things
Concerning figures, books and kings!
Do ’Sposy children get their books.
Oh! not with groans or lagging feet
Do they go down each lane and street!
The opening day of school—well, I
Should just guess not—there’s not a sigh.
Indeed they come all out of puff;
They just can’t get there fast enough.
For in their quaint Supposy way
They turn it to a festive day.
Now we do things just upside down
In this old systematic town.
We have our concert at the close
Of school—’tis well enough I ’spose;
But seems to me ’twould put more heart
In things to have it at the start!
The way they do in S’posyville
And sort o’ sugar-coat the pill.
The King and Queen and half the court
Are there to help along the sport.
Heigh-ho! they start school here with fiddles,
Old-fashioned jigs and games and riddles,
Virginia reels and merry peals
Of laughter till each scholar feels
So welcome and so warm inside
He couldn’t be gloomy if he tried.
Once folks have laughed together they
Are friends for always and a day!
And then, to make things still more pleasant,
The King gives every one a present;
And makes a jolly little speech
And hands new copy books to each.
New copy books and pencils four,
Rules and rubbers, pens galore.
The Queen distributes bags and straps,
Brand-new raincoats, boots and caps!
And afterward comes ice cream pink
And little cakes and pies, I think.
Then home the lads and lassies trot,
Just captivated on the spot,
Resolved to study hard and do
Just what the teacher wants them to.
And I think ’twould be nice for us
To do the same and not to fuss.
’Cause if we want to grow up right,
We must do lessons every night
And learn a lot of useful things
Concerning figures, books and kings!
Copyright © 2024 Eric Shanower and David Maxine. All rights reserved.
