Enid Blyton by Mr Pink-Whistle's Party

into the wall himself. He peered into the shadows angrily, trying to see who it was that had warned the two girls. He was afraid that it might be a policeman, and he shot off into the darkness.
    Pink-Whistle felt sure that he wouldn't appear again, and he set off down the street, wondering if he could do anything about this tiresome Sam.
    Suddenly someone came running behind him, and bumped hard into him, giving him a shove at the same time. A shout of laughter told Mr. Pink-Whistle that it was Sam again!
    Over went the little man like a skittle—Sam was certainly good at bumping! Pink-Whistle found himself sitting in a big patch of soft mud—most unpleasant!
    "Ha! Sam again, I suppose!" he said, angrily. "I'm small—so he thought I was a child. Well, it's certainly time he was stopped—and I'll soon stop him, too!"
    Pink-Whistle got up, caught a bus and went home to his little cottage.
    He told Sooty, his cat, all that had happened. Sooty grinned. He put Pink-Whistle's coat to dry, and made him some tea.
    "You want to get the old Wobbly-Man to walk down that street” he said. "It would give Sam a most unpleasant surprise to find someone he couldn't possibly push over!"
    "Good idea," said Pink-Whistle. "And what about me walking down the pavement carrying a nice bunch of prickly holly, Sooty?"
    "I'd like to be there and see Sam bumping into that!" said Sooty. "And what about putting a hat and a pair of boots and a coat on a great big balloon, and putting a walking spell into the boots?"
    Pink-Whistle nearly fell off his chair with laughing. "Oh dear—you do think of peculiar things," he said to Sooty. "Yes, we'll certainly do the balloon idea. You see, it's just too dark to see properly at that time in the afternoon—so Sam won't be able to see who he's bumping, and as I and the Wobbly-Man are both small, he will think we are children and come rushing full speed at us!"
    "And he is sure to want to bump into someone who looks nice and fat like the Walking Balloon," said Sooty. "Well, you're certainly going to have some fun to-morrow, Master!"
    Pink-Whistle went to see the Wobbly-Man after he had had his tea. The Wobbly-Man nodded and smiled. He was always ready for a joke. He had no feet at all, only a curved base, and he got along by wobbling himself fast. Ha!
    He would give Sam a shock to-morrow!
    "Nobody's ever knocked me over yet," he said to Pink-Whistle, "and nobody ever will! I'll be along to-morrow Pinkie!"
    The next morning Pink-Whistle gathered some fine holly out ofhis garden—two big armfuls.

    SOOTY WHISPERED TO PINK-WHISTLE, " NOW'S THE TIME TO BEGIN, MASTER."
    Then he sent Sooty to buy a balloon, a long one, not a round one.
    He blew it up as big as ever he could, but he had to put a bit of magic into his blow because he wanted a rather big balloon. He stuck an old top-hat on it with glue and put a pair of old boots at the bottom, also stuck on with glue—very strong glue it was, too!
    He slipped a walking spell inside each of the boots, and then draped an old brown coat round it—it really did look most peculiar!
    Sooty began to laugh. "I must come and watch!" he said. "I really must! Please let me, Master!"
    "Well, I shall want you to pick up the boots, coat and hat when Sam bumps into Mr. Balloon and bursts him, pop!" said Mr. Pink-Whistle. "So you can come. First I'll walk along with the holly—then I'll tell the Wobbly-Man to do his bit—and then we'll set Mr. Balloon walking along on his magic boots!"
    At four o'clock the next afternoon the Wobbly-Man, Mr. Pink-Whistle, Mr. Balloon and Sooty were all waiting for Sam. The children came out from school in a bunch that afternoon, because that was the only way they could stop Sam from bumping into them. He was too much of a coward to tackle a lot of children together.
    Sam was cross. Blow! Wouldn't some child run home alone? Well, he would hide and see. So, as usual, he slipped into a doorway and watched.
    The children ran down the street—and