Nibbles Poppelty-Poppett

Nibbles Poppelty-Poppett was a nice, plump, little mouse, with bright black eyes, and a silky coat of soft gray fur.

He lived with his mother, and his sisters and brothers, down a green lane near the river. There [Pg 8] were Sniffy and Snuffy, the twins, who were always having colds together; Gobble, who, I am sorry to say, was very greedy, and Little Topsy, the baby.

Nibbles’s father had come to a most untimely end in a mouse-trap, into which he had been beguiled by a too attractive bit of toasted cheese.

Poor Mrs. Poppelty-Poppett had then been obliged to move into a wee, little cottage, where she did cooking and washing to support her children. Her apple-seed cookies, pine-cone and maple sugar roly-poly, and cheese and acorn pies were quite famous among all the little squirrels, mice, and rabbits of the neighboring woods.

She had a tiny mite of a shop, in [Pg 10] the front part of her house, where Ruddy Squirrel, Frisky Bushy-Tail, and Bobtail and Rosamund Bunnikins-Bunny spent all their pennies on cakes and goodies.

It made Nibbles very unhappy to have his mother work so hard, although he did his best to help her; so at last he decided to go out into the world and seek his fortune.

One fine morning, bright and early, he kissed the family good-bye, and away he went, after making Sniffy, Snuffy, and Gobble promise to be good children and mind their mother.

Mrs. Poppelty-Poppett, shedding [Pg 11] many tears, had made a little bundle of his clothes, neatly tied up in a red bandanna handkerchief, which Nibbles easily carried over his shoulder, at the end of a stick.

At first he felt very sad and lonely, but the sun was so warm, and the crickets and birds were singing so gayly, that he soon cheered up, and trotted briskly along.

Towards noon Nibbles began to feel so very hungry that he decided it must be about dinner time. Not far off he saw, beneath a shady elm tree, a neat, cosy-looking house. From a branch of the tree there hung a sign, on which was written in large gold letters:

“That is just the place for me,” thought Nibbles, “for I am fond of guinea pigs.”

In front of the inn, leaning comfortably back in his chair, with his feet up against the door post, sat a fat, black and white guinea pig. When Nibbles went up to ask him if he could have some dinner, he saw that Mr. Guinea Pig was fast asleep, and snoring loudly.

“It is a pity to wake him,” [Pg 14] thought Nibbles, “but I am awfully hungry; and besides, his mouth is so wide open that he might easily swallow a wasp.”

Nibbles coughed, and then he whistled, but the Guinea Pig never stirred. Finally, in desperation, Nibbles got a straw, and began to tickle his nose.

First Mr. Guinea Pig twitched his nose, then he opened one eye; at last he gave such a tremendous sneeze that he nearly fell out of his chair, and with a snort he woke up.

“Hullo!” said he angrily. “What do you want? This is the third time [Pg 15] this morning that I have been waked up, and I’m sleepy and want my nap.”

“Excuse me,” answered Nibbles timidly, “but I am very hungry, and should like to have some dinner.”

“Well, go into the house and get the Salamander,” growled Mr. Guinea Pig. And before Nibbles could ask another question, he was sound asleep again, and snoring away as hard as ever.

“I wonder what the Salamander is?” thought Nibbles. “It sounds like a sandwich or a salad. The thing is to find it.”

As Mr. Guinea Pig completely [Pg 16] blocked the front doorway, Nibbles had to hunt about until he at last found another entrance. Then he wandered down a long hall with empty rooms on either side, but no Salamander could he find.

Finally he heard a squeaking and a squealing, which seemed to come from a room at the end of the hall. He knocked gently on the door, but, as no one answered, he ventured to peep in.

A bright fire was burning in the fireplace, in spite of its being a summer day, so the room felt very hot.

On a footstool in front of the [Pg 17] fire, sat two tiny guinea pigs, who had evidently just been washed, and were now being dried. Their hair had been carefully curled, and each had a blue ribbon tied around its neck in a big bow.

Mrs. Guinea Pig held on her lap a third little pig, whose hair she was curling, while the littlest piggy of all was sitting in the bathtub.

“I beg your pardon,” said Nibbles politely, “but can you please tell me where I can find the Salamander?”

Mrs. Guinea Pig, whose back was to the door, gave such a jump that she nearly dropped the little pig.

“Oh, come right in,” she said pleasantly, when she saw Nibbles. “I am delighted to see you, only please close the door, as I don’t like a draft.”

Nibbles thought a draft of fresh air was very much needed, but he said nothing, and closed the door.

“You will find the Salamander in the kitchen,” said Mrs. Guinea Pig. “He ought to be cooking [Pg 19] the dinner, but he probably is asleep, as the heat from the stove seems to go to his head.”

Just then there was a sudden splash and a loud squeal. While Mrs. Guinea Pig had been talking to Nibbles, one of the little pigs had jumped off the footstool, and had come over to see what the littlest piggy was doing. He had climbed up on the edge of the tub, and then had slipped, and fallen into the water, right on top of the baby.

Mrs. Guinea Pig was very angry with the naughty little pig for being disobedient, and also for spoiling its best blue bow. While she was giving him a shaking, the piggy on her lap fell onto the floor, and then there was such a squeaking and a squealing that Nibbles ran out of the room, without even waiting to say good-bye.

Nibbles was sorry that he had not asked where the kitchen was, but he preferred to hunt it up himself rather than to go back to Mrs. Guinea Pig’s hot bath-room, and after a little while he found it.

The tea-kettle was boiling cheerily on the stove, and Nibbles noticed a delicious odor of toasted cheese and bacon, but nowhere could he see the Salamander.

He looked in the cupboard and under the sink, behind the door and under the table, in the coalhod and behind the stove, until at last, being very hungry, he began to call: “Mr. Salamander! Oh, Mr. Salamander!”

At once he heard a sleepy, squeaky voice saying: “Yes, yes, I’ll get up in a minute. Is it time for breakfast already?”

The voice came from the stove, and, to Nibbles’s amazement, he saw the [Pg 23] oven door slowly open, and the most curious looking animal with a very sleepy face jump out. It looked like a fat black lizard, with large flame-color spots, bright black eyes, and queer, short little legs.

After giving such a prodigious yawn that Nibbles was afraid that he might never be able to shut his mouth again, he looked at Nibbles and said very sadly: “Oh, dear! I was having such a lovely dream when you woke me up.”

“I am very sorry,” replied Nibbles, “but I am so hungry that I shall soon be ready to eat my whiskers.”

“Well, well,” said the Salamander, “you sha’n’t wait another minute”; and he bustled about so fast that, before he knew it, Nibbles was eating large quantities of cheese and bacon pie, and drinking cups of tea so hot that it made him wink.

Meanwhile, the Salamander had climbed up on top of the stove, where he sat with his feet hanging over the edge, nodding and dozing.

“Oh, no,” replied the Salamander. “I belong to a very chilly family. We are all devoted to heat and poetry. Would you like to hear my favorite poem?”

“Do you remember what comes next?” he inquired anxiously. “I am afraid that I have forgotten.”

“No,” said Nibbles. “I am very fond of singing, but I don’t know any poetry.”

“Well,” yawned the Salamander, “in that case, I think, if you don’t mind, that I’ll take another nap. Poetry always makes me very sleepy.”

Then, curling his short little arms around the tea-kettle, and resting his head so near the spout that Nibbles was afraid the steam would blow it off, he began once more to recite very drowsily.

By this time Nibbles had eaten all that he possibly could, so he said good-bye to the Salamander, who paid no attention, and started off again.

As he trotted briskly down the hall, he could still hear the Salamander murmuring sleepily to himself: “He—likes—the—lit—tle—scar—let——flames——which——” and then nothing more; so he must have gone fast asleep.

Nibbles spent the night in a cosy nest which he found in a hazel bush, and early the next morning he was off once more on his travels.

Towards noon, while he was picking acorns for dinner, whom should he see, running along the road, but his cousin, Teenie Weenie, the dearest little white mouse in the world?

“Why, I live in a village not far from here,” replied Teenie Weenie. “And where are you going, Cousin Nibbles?”

“All right, come along,” answered Nibbles. “Two is company and one is none. Only don’t keep getting tired.”

“No, I certainly won’t,” promised [Pg 32] Teenie. “But you must come and have supper at my house before we start.”

By the time they reached the village, it was dark, and the lights in the houses were beginning to shine. They crept cautiously down the street until they came to a pretty house in the middle of a large garden.

A brightly lighted window was open, around which grew a honeysuckle. Up the vine ran Teenie Weenie, closely followed by Nibbles, and, sitting on the windowsill, they looked into a beautiful room.

On a long table there were numbers of lighted candles in high silver candle-sticks, and never had Nibbles seen such wonderful things to eat,—nuts and raisins, figs and dates, oranges and grapes, cakes and candy.

In a moment, Teenie Weenie and Nibbles had run across the room and jumped up on the table. Nibbles tried first one thing and then another, each tasting better than the last.

Suddenly Teenie Weenie gave a little gasp of terror, which startled Nibbles so that he nearly fell into a finger-bowl.

“What is the matter, Teenie?” he asked, rather crossly, for in his fright he had dropped a particularly nice bit of cake on the floor.

Nibbles looked around, and suddenly he saw, in a chair close by, a big gray and [Pg 36] white animal, which was evidently just waking up, and was stretching itself and yawning. Such terrible teeth and sharp claws as it had!

While Nibbles gazed at it, too frightened to move, the Cat turned around, and its green eyes glared as it saw the two trembling little mice.

Before the sleepy Cat could jump on the table however, Nibbles and Teenie Weenie were on the floor, and an instant later they were fairly tumbling out of the window into the garden. Down the village street they ran, and [Pg 37] never stopped until they were safe in the open country once more.

“Well,” said Nibbles, “I have never seen a Cat before, and I sincerely hope that I never may again. You may live in a village if you like, Teenie Weenie, but I prefer the quiet woods.”

They traveled on for several days, close to the river, until Nibbles suggested that it would be more fun and easier to sail than to walk.

They at once began to make a little raft with willow twigs and bits of birch bark, and to prevent the water coming through, they filled up the cracks with clay. The big bandanna handkerchief they used as a [Pg 39] sail, and with his jack-knife Nibbles whittled out a nice little rudder.

One warm, sunny day, they hoisted their sail and were just starting off, when they heard some one shouting. Looking around, they saw, on the bank above them, a big gray Rat, waving his hat and calling: “Wait a minute, and take me with you.”

“I am very sorry,” answered Nibbles, “but the raft is small and there is not room enough.”

“But I will go,” shouted the Water Rat very rudely, “and I am in a hurry too.”

Poor Teenie Weenie was frightened, for she knew that Water Rats sometimes ate mice, especially if they were cross or very hungry, so she begged Nibbles not to go near the shore.

As they sailed away, the Water Rat, I regret to say, danced with rage, making frightful faces at Nibbles and Teenie Weenie, and saying things which were not at all polite.

Day after day they sailed down the winding river, sometimes landing for dinner, and at night always tying their raft to a tree or bush in some sheltered cove, where they [Pg 42] could find a comfortable nest to sleep in.

One afternoon they came to a pretty wood, where they decided to spend the night. Near the bank was a dark, gravelly point, which seemed an excellent place to land. Nibbles got out, and was just beginning to pull the raft up high and dry, when suddenly the whole point began to move, and then something struck poor Nibbles, and sent him whizzing far out into the river.

Down down, down he sank, until he felt sure that he was going through to China. His head was buried in the [Pg 43] soft sand at the bottom of the river, and he had to struggle hard to free himself. Finally he came up to the surface of the water, and was able to swim to the raft, where little Teenie Weenie still sat, too terrified to move.

Floating on the water, so near the raft that he could have touched it, Nibbles saw a huge animal covered with brown scales. It had small black eyes, and a long tail, while its head was mostly made up of a very long nose, and a huge mouth full of sharp teeth.

“Hullo!” said the Animal, “I thought you were never coming up. [Pg 45] What kept you so long under the water?”

Poor Nibbles was dripping wet, covered with sand, and still gasping for breath, but he tried to answer politely:

“I could not come up any sooner, Sir, because my head was stuck in the sand. Will you please tell me what you are? I thought you were a landing place.”

“No, no,” replied the Animal, “my name is Scratchetty-Claw, and I am an Alligator of a very fine old family. I have lived in this river for a hundred years, and I probably shall live a thousand. I am very [Pg 46] sorry that I upset you, but I thought a fly had lighted on my back, so I swished my tail, and I am afraid that you rolled off.”

“I certainly did,” said Nibbles sadly, as he tried to wipe the sand out of his eyes and ears.

Suddenly Mr. Scratchetty-Claw opened his eyes very wide, and staring at Nibbles, he shouted:

Nibbles put up his paw, and, sure enough, there was something which felt like a ring. How it came there he could not imagine, but he must have pushed his head through it while he was floundering in the sand at the bottom of the river.

Teenie Weenie helped him pull it off, and when they had brushed the sand away, they found that it was a gold ring, beautifully carved, and set with diamonds and rubies.

“That must surely be the Lucky Ring of the foreign Prince, who [Pg 48] owns all this part of the country,” said the Alligator. “He lost it one day last summer, while out sailing, and nobody was able to find it. The Prince offered a big reward for its recovery, as he prized the ring more than anything he owned.”

“Just fasten your raft to my tail,” said the Alligator, “and I’ll take you there before you know that you’ve started. Only wait until I get my shade hat, as I don’t like the sun in my eyes.”

“Please don’t go too fast, Mr. [Pg 51] Scratchetty-Claw,” said little Teenie Weenie, timidly, “or we might be upset again.”

Scratchetty-Claw promised to be very careful, and after he had tied on his shade hat, and Nibbles had fastened the raft to his tail, away they went.

The Prince’s beautiful garden was close to the river, so when Nibbles and Teenie Weenie landed, they soon found their way to his palace.

Nibbles had put the ring around his neck again for safe keeping, but when he showed it to a footman in the palace hall, he took Nibbles [Pg 52] and Teenie Weenie at once to the Prince, who was sitting in a lovely rose arbor in the garden.

“I think I have found your lordship’s ring, which you lost. I have it around my neck.”

“In the sand at the bottom of the river,” answered Nibbles, and he told the Prince how nearly drowned he had been, and about Mr. Scratchetty-Claw.

“My old friend, the Alligator,” laughed the Prince. “Oh, I know him well, the lazy scamp, for he eats up all my best trout.”

Then he took the ring carefully from Nibbles’s neck, and put it on his own finger.

“You have given me back what [Pg 54] I prize most in the world,” he said, “and your reward shall be in proportion. Every year, as long as you live, you shall receive a bag of gold.”

Nibbles was almost too happy to speak, but he thanked the Prince and kissed his hand. A page was sent to bring the gold, and a few minutes later, Nibbles and Teenie Weenie, carrying the precious bag between them, were hurrying back to the raft.

They found Mr. Scratchetty-Claw fast asleep, but Nibbles, dancing with joy, woke him up to hear the great news.

“Good enough!” said the Alligator. “It’s a lucky thing for you that I tipped you into the river.”

“It certainly was,” said Nibbles, “for now my mother will never have to work any more. Let us hurry home to her as fast as we can, Teenie Weenie.”

“I’ll take you part of the way,” yawned Mr. Scratchetty-Claw, “although I am fearfully sleepy.”

Mr. Scratchetty-Claw towed them for a long way, until he became so sleepy that he had to stop and take a nap. He shed tears when he said good-bye to Nibbles and Teenie Weenie, but he soon settled himself comfortably on a mud bank in a shady spot, and in two minutes was snoring so loudly that you could have heard him half a mile away.

Nibbles and Teenie hoisted their sail, and, as they floated along, Teenie Weenie sang this song:

[Pg 58] For more than a week they sailed up the pretty river, but at last, one afternoon at sunset, they reached home. Quietly they stole up to the cottage and peeped in at the window.

There was Mrs. Poppelty-Poppett cooking supper, while Sniffy and Snuffy were peeling potatoes, and Gobble was eating an apple behind the door.

Nibbles tapped gently on the window-pane, and Mrs. Poppelty-Poppett turned quickly around. With a squeak of perfect delight, she cried: “Oh, here is Nibbles!” and ran to the door, upsetting the soup-kettle right into the fire in her haste. Of course, Sniffy and Snuffy, Gobble and the baby, all ran out, too, and then they all talked together so fast that no one knew [Pg 61] what any one else was saying. Pretty soon they quieted down, and Nibbles told them of his wonderful adventures, and of the finding of the Lucky Ring. When he gave his mother the bag of gold, poor little Mrs. Poppelty-Poppett did not know whether to laugh or cry with happiness, so she did both. She had worked hard for her children, and now there would be comfort and plenty for the rest of her life.

After a little while she dried her eyes, and thought of supper. It was all in the fire and burned up!

“Never mind,” said Nibbles. “Teenie Weenie and I would far rather have some of your nice corn cake and toasted cheese than soup.”

So they all helped, and in a few minutes everything was ready; and how good the supper tasted!

When at last they went to bed, they all dreamed of bags of Lucky Rings, and rivers of gold, guarded by Alligators, who ate nothing but toasted cheese and corn bread.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NIBBLES POPPELTY-POPPETT ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”
• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.
• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate .

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org .

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Nibbles Poppelty-Poppett

NIBBLES
POPPELTY-POPPETT

EDITH B. DAVIDSON

Chapter I

The Poppelty-Poppetts

Chapter II

The Guinea Pigs’ Rest

Chapter III

The Salamander

Chapter IV

The Terrible Cat

Chapter V

Down the River

Chapter VI

Mr. Scratchetty-Claw

Chapter VII

The Lucky Ring

Chapter VIII

Nibbles’ Return

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE