Lulu, Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble

								

wonderful way.

STORY IV
JIMMIE AND THE WATERFALL

It was such a nice day that Mr. and Mrs. Wibblewobble decided to go
visiting, as they had an invitation to call on Mrs. Greenie, the frog lady
who lived at the end of the pond. So the two ducks, after seeing that the
pen was in order, and the windows nice and clean, in case any company
should call on them while they were out, started off, swimming very
slowly, for they had their best clothes on and did not want to splash
water on them.
"Now, I hope you children will be good," called Mamma Wibblewobble to
Jimmie and Lulu and Alice. "Don't get into any mischief and we'll be back
at supper time."
"We'll be good," promised Alice, but Jimmie and Lulu didn't say anything,
though, of course they meant to be good also. Only, sometimes, you know
how it is, just when you want to be good and make no trouble something is
sure to happen; that is, most always. Well, that's the way it was this
time.
The papa and mamma ducks hadn't been gone more than half an hour before
Jimmie thought of something to do. Of course, he didn't know it was
mischief but it was, all the same.
It happened that at one end of the pond where the ducks lived there was a
waterfall. That is, the water ran from the pond, and fell over a high wall
of stones upon some more stones down below, and made a lot of foam and a
rushing, gurgling noise that was very cool in summer, making you think of
ice cream and all nice things like that. And besides this there was, near
the waterfall, a big mill, with a wheel that went around and around, to
grind the corn and grain.
Well, Jimmie's papa and mamma hadn't been gone more than half an hour
before the little boy duck called to Lulu and Alice. "Let's see how near
we can go to the waterfall," he said.
Now this was a very dangerous thing to do, because there was a strong and
swift current at the fall, and any one who went too near it might be
carried over. Mr. and Mrs. Wibblewobble knew this, and many times had told
their children to keep away. But, you see, Jimmie forgot, or else didn't
want to remember, so he called to his sisters, telling them to see how
near they could go.
"I'll not," spoke Alice. "And you hadn't better either, Jimmie. You know
what mamma said."
"Oh, well, the water's low now," replied Jimmie. "I don't believe there's
any danger. Come on, Lulu."
"All right," said Lulu. So she and Jimmie started to swim as close as they
could to the waterfall. But Alice stayed near shore, and who should come
along but Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy, the muskrat nurse who was out for a
walk. She told Alice about Sammie and Susie Littletail, and said the
little rabbit children were well.
Now all this while Jimmie and Lulu were swimming nearer and nearer to the
waterfall. They could hear the water splashing on the rocks below, and
they liked to listen to it.
"We had better stop," called Lulu, after a while.
"No, I'm going closer," declared Jimmie. "There is no danger; come on!"