alligator accidentally sticking out. Yes, it was the alligator trying to
fool dear old Uncle Wiggily.

"Oh, ho!" cried the wise old rabbit. "I guess I won't go in there after
all," so he hopped to one side and the alligator kept waiting for him to
come in so he could eat him, but when the rabbit didn't come in the savage
creature with the skillery-scallery tail cried:

"Well, aren't you coming in?"

"No, thank you," said the rabbit. "I have to go on to seek my fortune,"
and away he hopped. Well, that alligator was so angry that he gnashed his
teeth and nearly broke them, and he crawled after Uncle Wiggily, but of
course, he couldn't catch him.

Uncle Wiggily was pretty careful after that, and whenever he came near a
prickly briar bush he listened with both his long ears stuck up straight
to see if he could hear any sounds like an alligator. But he didn't, and
so he kept on.

Well, it was coming on toward evening, one afternoon, and the old
gentleman rabbit was tramping along the road, wondering where he would
sleep, when all of a sudden something came bursting out of the bushes
toward the rabbit, and a voice cried out:

"Hide! Hide! Uncle Wiggily. Hide as quickly as you can!"

"Why should I hide?" asked the old gentleman rabbit. "Is there a giant
coming after me?"