The Project Gutenberg eBook of The tale of Curly-Tail, by Laura Rountree Smith.

The Tale
of
Curly Tail

TEXT BY LAURA ROUNTREE SMITH

AUTHOR OF
JOLLY POLLY and CURLY TAIL, TIDDLYWINKS
COMICAL ANIMAL STORIES, ETC.

“The Child’s Book of Laughter”

ILLUSTRATED BY MAE H. SCANNELL.

“JUST RIGHT BOOKS”

ALBERT WHITMAN COMPANY

PUBLISHERS

CHICAGO ILLINOIS

The happy adventures of Curly-Tail and the fourteen Little Darling Dogs are simply told in this book. They are instructive stories and are full of humor and make enjoyable reading to all children.

Daddy Do-Little, the unusual Dog, and Pedro, the Parrot, are amusing characters.

“A Visit to Mrs. Santa Claus,” is something new and original for awakening the child’s attention. This book is of easy vocabulary and will aid the child’s learning.

One December day, Curly-Tail, the dearest little dog in the world, jumped upon his Rocking Horse and rocked away, away, away.

He said, “I will go to Santa Claus’ work-shop, perhaps I will find our old Parrot.”

He rocked away all day, and when night came he found a little cave in the woods. He went in and curled up and fell asleep.

He rocked away, away, away, again, and soon he said, “Some one is coming down the path, I hear the patter, patter of little feet.”

Then he set up a shout, for who should be coming to meet him but the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs?

Curly-Tail got down from the Rocking Horse and said, “I am going to Santa Claus’ work-shop and this Rocking Horse knows the way, who will go with me?”

“I will, I will, I will,” cried the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs in one breath, so Curly-Tail got on the Rocking Horse and rocked away, away, away, and the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs ran on behind.

“I see a light ahead,” shouted the first Little Darling Dog. “I see a light,” shouted the next, and the next.

Curly-Tail without waiting for an invitation rocked right in the open door, crying, “Hurrah for Mrs. Santa Claus! Here we are, the whole Curly-Tail family!”

She tried to count the Little Darling Dogs, but they danced about her so fast, she never knew which ones she counted twice, and which ones she never counted at all!

She said Santa Claus was not at home, and she never let any one go in his work-shop.

Then the first Little Darling Dog sat down on the floor and began to grumble, and the next Little Darling Dog began to weep, and the next Little Darling Dog got a scowly face, and such a noise you never heard.

He rocked gently to and fro on his wonderful Rocking Horse and said, “You make as much noise as Daddy Do-Little when he is lonesome.”

Mrs. Santa Claus said, “If the old fellow had a new coat, perhaps he[16] would not be so lazy or grumble so much. Here is my work basket, and some cloth, go to work if you please.”

Curly-Tail cried, “Hurrah! hurrah, we will make Daddy Do-Little a new coat out of this cloth.”

One Little Darling Dog began to unwind a spool of thread, and the other Little Darling Dogs sat around in groups threading needles!

“Oh, oh, oh,” cried the Little Darling Dogs, as they pricked themselves on the needles.

Then the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs began to sing a song and their needles flew faster and faster.

They would interrupt one another by shouting, “Who has the thimble? Who has the thread? Where is my needle?” and still the song sounded beautifully.

There, sure enough were little seats, and little tables. On each table was a plate with a pie smoking hot.

Mrs. Santa Claus opened the panel in the wall and went back into the house. She asked to see the coat, which they had tied up in a neat bundle.

The first Little Darling Dog began to untie the string which held the bundle, and the bundle hopped about in the strangest way.

Then the next Little Darling Dog said, “Let me untie it,” and the next one said, “I will untie it in a minute.”

At that very moment there, before their very noses, the bundle jumped out of the window and was gone!

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs thought their work was all lost and they began to weep and wail, but Curly-Tail said,

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs rubbed their eyes for they saw fourteen Rocking Horses standing in a row.

When they came to Daddy Do-Little’s house in the woods they all set up a shout, for there he stood in the doorway with his new coat on!

He was happy you may be sure, and they all rocked round him on their wonderful Rocking Horses.

Curly-Tail curled his little tail up tighter and tighter, as he ran down stairs three steps at a time, and he set[24] the table and got breakfast, before Daddy Do-Little had a chance to answer him.

Curly-Tail kept humming over and over, “A Happy New Year, A Happy New Year.”

Sure enough, there was a “rap, tap, tapping,” at the door, but when they got to the door, no one was there.

Now Daddy Do-Little was a famous old cook, and he felt like cooking that morning, but he called,

At that, Curly-Tail got out his little red cap and cape and market basket, and said, “I will go to the grocers and get the sugar.”

Little Curly-Tail went out of the house, “click,” went the gate and he started down the road.

Daddy Do-Little came to the door waving his red pocket handkerchief frantically, and shouted,

Sure enough, Curly-Tail did have a cold, and so he came back good naturedly, and got the handkerchief and started again to the grocers after the sugar.

This time he did not even get as far as the garden gate when Daddy Do-Little rapped on the window, crying,

Will you believe it? It took Daddy Do-Little three quarters of an hour to find his rusty-hinged old pocket book, and when he found it, it only had twenty-five cents in it.

“Pennies will do, pennies will do,” called a merry voice, but they could see no one.

“Click,” went the gate, he thought he was off in good earnest this time, but Daddy Do-Little cried again,

A great shout was heard and the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs came trooping down the road.

Daddy Do-Little was thoroughly and entirely cross at this unlooked for interruption, and he shouted,

Curly-Tail danced up to him and whispered, “Snowmen, let the Darling Dogs stay outside and make Snowmen.”

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs came on with a whoop and a bound, and Daddy Do-Little shouted,

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs went to work with a will, and Curly-Tail started off saying, “I will really, truly get the sugar this time.”

Just as he was nearly out of sight of the house, he heard a great shout, and[34] the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs ran after him and brought him back.

It took them all forty-seven minutes to decide what kind of sugar they wanted for their ginger snaps, and what kind of sugar to have on the frosting.

All this time, the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs jumped up and down and said, “Oh Daddy Do-Little are you really going to make nice, moist ginger snaps? And can we all stay to lunch?”

By and by Curly-Tail slipped off, and this time he went on safely to the grocery store.

He got brown sugar to put in the ginger snaps and red sugar to put on for frosting.

He went back home with a hop, and a skip, and a bound, and helped the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs make Snowmen, while Daddy Do-Little made the nice, moist ginger snaps.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs were so cold they begged to come in and warm their paws, so by and by they all shook off the snow and crept[37] quietly into the parlor and sat down in a semi-circle about the parlor stove, and warmed their paws.

Just as Daddy Do-Little came to the door to scold, the Parrot came out from his hiding place under the sofa and said,

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs crowded around and said, “It must be a magic cage, see it move.”

Curly-Tail said, “Where did you come from, Sir. I have looked for you over hill and dale.”

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs took out their fourteen little pocket handkerchiefs and laughed until they cried, waving their handkerchiefs in the air.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs got fourteen little pails of water, and carried out water to pour on their Snowmen.

Curly-Tail let the parrot out of his cage, and Daddy Do-Little finished his moist ginger snaps.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs went happily homeward each with a moist ginger snap, with red sugar upon it.

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah,” cried Curly-Tail, “at last we know the Parrot’s name,” they looked about, but the Parrot was nowhere to be seen!

Daddy Do-Little got out his new yellow and green walking stick, and started out to look for Curly-Tail.

Early that morning Curly-Tail had gone with a hop, and a skip, and a bound into Farmer Brown’s garden to get an apple to roast for dinner.

“Click,” went a spring, and for the first time in his life Curly-Tail was caught in a trap!

He said, “If I could only uncurl my tail, if I could only uncurl my tail I would feel happier.”

He was wondering what he would do when he heard the “patter, patter, patter,” of many little feet.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs were coming into Farmer Brown’s garden to get ripe, red, rosy apples to roast for dinner.

They came with a hop, and a skip and a bound, and suddenly stopped, for they saw poor Curly-Tail caught in the trap.

It took them one hour and fourteen minutes to find out how to open the trap, but at last the spring gave with a “click, click, click” and Curly-Tail was free once more.

They all were so glad to set Curly-Tail free that they danced round and round in a circle, and they all forgot to get the ripe, red, rosy apples for dinner.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs invited Curly-Tail to come to their home for dinner, which he gladly did.

They all sat down at the table and the Darling Dogs made a great noise eating their food.

Curly-Tail said, “If you will come to my little tent in the woods for supper, I will teach you some table manners.”

Then he curled his funny little tail up tighter and tighter, and ran away to his own little tent in the woods.

They all sat down at the table and began to talk at once, and drum with their silver spoons.

By this time they were so hungry and the food looked so good that they began to smack their lips.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs took their fourteen little spoons and began to eat their broth.

Curly-Tail gave each one a sip of milk to cool their mouths, and at this very minute, some one rapped on a tree outside saying,

They ran outside and hugged the old fellow and Curly-Tail was pleased to invite him into the tent.

The Darling Dogs forgot all about their table manners for Daddy Do-Little carried a great basket of good things to eat, and they danced about the basket and helped themselves.

By and by Daddy Do-Little grew tired of the noise and he whispered something into Curly-Tail’s left ear and they went outside.

Daddy Do-Little spread out his magic red cotton handkerchief, they stepped upon it and sailed away, away, away.

Over hill and dale they went and sailed right into Daddy Do-Little’s front yard and landed on his door step.

Curly-Tail went into the kitchen and put on a blue and white checked apron, and made a good fire.

Curly-Tail was all this time measuring and sifting and mixing. By and by he got out a rolling pin and rolled out some wonderful cookies.

Curly-Tail noticed that one cookie was larger than the rest and stuck to the pan.

It grew larger, and larger and larger, crack, crack it jumped suddenly out of the pan and came and stood in the doorway, shouting,

Curly-Tail came so near that the cookie animal felt his hot breath and he whispered,

Then the cookie dog jumped into a hole in a hollow tree, and though Curly-Tail stood and coaxed for an hour he would not come out.

Just as he remarked that he thought they would see the cookie dog no more, “rap-a-tap,” was heard at the window-pane, and there stood the cookie dog singing,

Curly-Tail opened the window and the cookie dog jumped into the cookie jar and fell asleep.

He looked into his cookie jar and his doughnut jar, and his cracker jar, and his ginger snap jar, and he found though they had been cooking to fill them up for days and days, they were all empty!

Curly-Tail tried to get breakfast and make Daddy Do-Little forget his troubles, but the old fellow would only sit in his high backed chair and scold.

By and by Curly-Tail said, “I have no doubt but Sly Foot, the old Wolf, knows where your cookies and crackers, and doughnuts, and ginger snaps are, and I will go and visit him to-day.”

Curly-Tail laughed as he put on his new coat and cap and mittens, but Daddy Do-Little said, “He will make mince meat of you in a minute.”

Though it was spring time, there had been a light fall of snow, and so Curly-Tail went down hill on his sled.

Daddy Do-Little was so sorry to see him go that he cried real tears into his new pocket handkerchief.

Curly-Tail rode away, away, away, until he came to Sly Foot’s den, then he stopped, for Sly Foot was within and roared.

Old Sly Foot was so surprised to see his visitor when he came out of the den that he had not a word to say, so Curly-Tail continued,

Old Sly Foot was so upset at the mention of the stolen doughnut jar that he turned a backward somersault in the snow crying,

Old Sly Foot was so surprised that Curly-Tail was not afraid of him, he sat down on the sled with pleasure and the first thing, the sled turned them head over heels in a snow drift.

Curly-Tail laughed and said, “Will you give up the doughnut jar, and the cookie jar, and the ginger snap jar, and the cracker jar?”

“Growling and thunder, I’ll not give them up for that one little bump,” said Old Sly Foot.

So, they dragged the sled up hill together, when the most surprising things began to happen!

The sled stood up on end, and began to chase Sly Foot down hill, it beat him too, at every step of the way.

Curly-Tail saw it was no use to mince matters, so he went into the woods to think.

He dressed up as a peddler and went back to Old Sly Foot’s den and began to sell his wares.

Suddenly Sly Foot said, “Those don’t look like a peddler’s feet, those don’t look like a peddler’s hands.”

Then his voice rose to a shriek and he said, “Those don’t look like a peddler’s ears,” and he pulled off Curly-Tail’s cap and saw he had been fooled.

Curly-Tail only wanted to get into the den to see where Old Sly Foot had hidden the cookies, and doughnuts, and crackers, and ginger snaps.

Old Sly Foot bound Curly-Tail to a chair and set a kettle over the fire to boil, saying,

Curly-Tail blew a little silver whistle and in trooped the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs, to his rescue.

As they could not find anything Sly Foot had taken, they all hastened away to the grocers, rattling their pennies in their pockets.

Soon they bought doughnuts, and cookies, and crackers, and ginger snaps to fill up Daddy Do-Little’s jars.

When he saw Curly-Tail and the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs with their little bags of cookies and doughnuts, and ginger snaps, and crackers, he was so pleased, he forgot he was old and cross and ran out smiling to meet them.

They went inside and began to eat out of their paper bags, and Daddy Do-Little told such funny ghost stories that the hair rose on their backs a couple of inches!

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs were afraid to go home in the dark, so Daddy Do-Little said.

He went to a big box and got out fourteen little hammocks, and strung them up on hooks for the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs to occupy.

Sure enough, they all ate up the contents of their little paper bags, while Daddy Do-Little told ghost stories.

One bright spring morning Curly-Tail got up early and crept down stairs very softly so he would wake no one.

He went into the kitchen and packed a little red and white basket with a lunch, and soon he was off, and away.

He said, “Daddy Do-Little is so lonesome, I will never come back until I can find Pedro to keep him company.”

He sang merrily as he went tripping along through the woods that led to the town.

He came up to the band wagon and began to spin around after his curly little tail, and the Band Master said,

Curly-Tail was never so proud before in his life, he danced round and round after his tight little tail, as he rode on[74] top of the Band Wagon, and the crowd cheered, and said “What a comical little fellow.”

By and by they came to a big tent and if you guessed fourteen years you could never guess who was walking outside on the tight-rope!

When Tangle-Tail saw Curly-Tail, he got down off the tight-rope in the twinkling of an eye and whispered something to him, then they both swung up together and walked the tight-rope together, their funny little tails curling and twisting tighter, every step of the way.

He rode on the horse’s backs in the ring, and he walked the tight-rope and danced on a big drum, but his most delightful adventure was still to come.

When the Circus was over, he went near one of the little side-show tents, and heard some one call out,

Curly-Tail was so excited he did not know what to do. He ran into the[77] tent and cried, “Pedro, our dear lost Pedro.”

Just then Tangle-Tail came into the tent, and said they must get a cage, and there was no time to lose as the Circus people were coming into the tent.

Then Tangle-Tail thought of an old dog-skin he had. He said they would wrap it around Pedro, and take him in it down the road.

Tangle-Tail was never so puzzled before in his life, and Curly-Tail did not know what to do either, and all the time Sly Foot was coming nearer and nearer.

He came so close, they could feel his hot breath on their cheeks, and he shouted, “By my whiskers and tail I will have a fine Sunday dinner!”

At this very minute, Pedro threw off the dog-skin and flew at Sly Foot, making a terrible noise, he said,

Sly Foot cried, “Let me go, Sir, let me go, Sir, I really meant no harm whatever, it was just my little joke.”

Sly Foot promised, and Pedro gave him a little peck on his head as he let him go.

By and by when Sly Foot had run away, Curly-Tail set up a shout, for the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs were coming to meet them.

He jumped up on his perch and began soon to swing to and fro on his little swing.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs sat down in their fourteen little green rocking chairs, and began to rock to and fro, to and fro.

Then they all laughed and made a great noise until Daddy Do-Little shook his Japanese Parasol, and pounded on the floor with it to bring the whole company to order.

This happened at breakfast, and the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs laid down their fourteen little spoons, and[85] Curly-Tail and Tangle-Tail called in one breath, “We will plant your garden, we will wish for Magic seed.”

Daddy Do-Little turned up his cup, and there inside, lay a package of garden seed.

Under everything he picked up was a package of garden seeds, a present from his little friends.

Then the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs slipped out of the house and took up their fourteen little rakes and hoes and spades, and began to make a garden.

“Cabbages and lettuce,” shouted Pedro, “and don’t forget my sunflowers, how I do like sunflower seeds!”

They worked all day with rake, and spade, and hoe, and wheelbarrow, and Daddy Do-Little and Pedro shouted directions from time to time.

The sun shone warm and bright, and then patter, patter, patter fell the rain in a sudden shower.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs took up their fourteen little rakes and went merrily homeward, shouting,

As he went off down the road Daddy Do-Little began to weep, but Curly-Tail cried,

When the moon came out Curly-Tail crept down stairs and went out into the garden, singing little songs like these,

Then the little seeds sent their roots down into the earth and they sent their green shoots up.

In the morning Pedro got breakfast and Daddy Do-Little was so happy to have company that he just sat in the corner and forgot to look out at his garden all day.

They went out together and Daddy Do-Little rubbed his eyes, for everything was coming up in even rows.

At that very minute Curly-Tail set up a shout, for the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs came trooping along, and they all had picnic baskets! They sang,

Sure enough, it was Curly-Tail’s birthday and the funny part of it was, nobody knew how old he was.

Curly-Tail danced so hard round, and round, and round, after his little tightly curled up tail, that I think he danced right out of the book, if you really want to know what became of him,

ALBERT WHITMAN’S
EASY READING JUVENILE LIBRARY
“JUST RIGHT BOOKS”

Profusely illustrated in colors; reinforced cloth binding; printed in large type on fine paper; jackets in color; price each, 60c.

The Tiddly Winks
Surprise Stories
The Party Twins
Washington’s Boyhood
Comical Circus Stories
Real Out-of-Door Stories
Fifty Funny Animal Tales
In and Out-Door Playgames
Child’s Garden of Verses
The Treasure Twins
Open Air Stories
Gingerbread Boy
Doll Land Stories
Tale of Curly Tail
Reading Time Stories
Knowledge Primer Games
Jolly Polly and Curly Tail
Flower and Berry Babies
Little Boy France
Busy Fingers Drawing Primer
Happy Manikin in Manners Town
The Vegetable and Fruit Children
The Dinner That Was Always There
Six Tiddly Winks and the A to Zees

PUBLISHED BY
ALBERT WHITMAN & COMPANY
CHICAGO, U. S. A.

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A VISIT TO MRS. SANTA CLAUS	Page	9
A HAPPY NEW YEAR	”	23
TABLE MANNERS	”	42
THE COOKIE DOG	”	57
THE CIRCUS DAY PARADE	”	70
GARDEN DAYS	”	84

Curly-Tail Jumped on a Rocking Horse	Frontispiece
Santa Claus	Page	9
Hurrah for Mrs. Santa Claus	”	13
The Bundle Flew Out the Open Window	”	21
No One Was at the Door	”	25
And He Started Down the Road	”	29
The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs Came Trooping Down the Road	”	31
Daddy Do-Little Made Nice Moist Ginger Snaps	”	35
The Snowmen Were Singing in the Moonlight	”	41
They Danced Round and Round the Circle	”	45
Over Hill and Dale They Went	”	51
It Jumped Suddenly Out of the Pan	”	55
The Old Fellow Would Only Sit in His High Back Chair and Scold	”	59
The Sled Turned Them Head Over Heels in a Snow Drift	”	63
Sly Foot Bound Curly-Tail to a Chair	”	67
What Should He See but a Circus Parade	”	71
They Walked the Tight-Rope Together	”	75
Pedro Threw Off the Dog Skin and Flew at Sly Foot	”	79
He Found Garden Seeds Everywhere	”	87
Curly-Tail Out in the Garden	”	91
He Danced Right Out of the Book	”	95

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The tale of Curly-Tail

PREFACE

CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

THE TALE OF CURLY-TAIL

A VISIT TO MRS. SANTA CLAUS

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

TABLE MANNERS

THE COOKIE DOG

THE CIRCUS DAY PARADE

GARDEN DAYS

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE