small boy. "Now all you want is someone to bump into you, and you probably wouldn't EVER shove people about again!"
The children went off together, grinning. They didn't feel in the least sorry for Sam—it would teach him a lesson!
Sam went down the street too, sniffling miserably. He didn't mean to bump into anyone else he met that evening! What with pricks and wobbles and bangs, he had had quite enough.
Someone padded behind him. Someone soft bumped violently into him! Over went Sam and rolled into the same patch of mud into which he had bumped so many others. He sat up and yelled.
"Sooty!" said Pink-Whistle's voice. "Sooty—you shouldn't have bumped into him like that—you really shouldn't. Look how muddy he is!"
"I couldn't help it!" said Sooty. "Honestly, Master, he'll NEVER bump anyone again!'
Booty's right—and do you know, when the children heard all about Sam's queer adventures the next day, one boy looked very wise, and said:—
"It rather sounds as if old Mr. Pink-Whistle was around last night, Sam. You'd better be careful!
Now, however did he guess?
CHAPTER VIII
MR. PINK-WHISTLE GETS A LETTER
ONE day a letter popped through Mr. Pink-Whistle's letter-box.
Sooty the cat picked it up and took it to his master. "A letter for you, Master—marked URGENT," said Sooty. "Ah," said Pink-Whistle. "It looks as if it is from a child—so it certainly is urgent."
He opened the letter and read it out aloud to Sooty:
"Dear Mr. Pink-Whistle:
"I do hope this gets to you. I'm a little girl called Katy, and I live with my mother. We haven't much money, but we have a nice lot of hens, and they lay eggs, which we sell.
"But somebody comes and takes the eggs. We don't know who it is, but it is very serious for us because we do need the money we get for the eggs. We hardly have any to take to market now.
"You go about the world putting wrong things right, dear Mr. Pink-Whistle. Do you think you can put this right?
"Your loving friend, KATY."
"PS.—I know about you because of the stories I've read."
"What a nice little girl she sounds!" said Sooty. "Will you help her, Master?"
"Of course!" said Pink-Whistle. "I'll go along this very day. Look up a bus to—let me see, what's the address—Tipkin-on-the-Hill. I've never been there before."
Sooty went off to get the bus time-table, and soon Mr. Pink-Whistle had discovered the bus that went to Tipkin-on-the-Hill. He put on his hat, said goodbye to Sooty, and set off. Nobody took much notice of the funny little man on the bus, except two children who noticed his pointed ears and green eyes.
SOOTY WENT OFF TO GET THE BUS TIME-TABLE.
"He's like Mr. Pink-Whistle!" whispered one to the other. "Oh—suppose he is!"
Mr. Pink-Whistle didn't say a word, he just twinkled at them. Then he suddenly made himself invisible—and the two girls stared at his empty seat in surprise. They didn't know that he had got up very quietly, tiptoed to them, and slipped big bars of chocolate into their school-bags! How exactly like Mr. Pink-Whistle to do a thing like that.
When he got to Tipkin-on-the-Hill he went to find Katy. She was feeding the hens, and they were clucking round her—cluck-cluck-luck-luck-cluck. Cluck-cluck-luck-luck—cluck! Then the cock stood up straight and crowed. He had suddenly seen Mr. Pink-Whistle, and he knew him.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo! We're pleased to welcome YOU! Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
"Good morning, Katy," said Pink-Whistle, and the little girl swung round at once. She stared in delight.
"Oh! You've come! Oh, you really are Mr. Pink-Whistle, aren't you?" said Katy.
"Yes, I really am," he said. "I'm sorry to hear of your trouble. Tell me about it."
Katy told him. "Somebody comes and takes the eggs at night—and often in the daytime, too! Our cottage is lonely, as you see—and when I'm at school and Mummy is at work, anyone can slip in here and steal the eggs."
"I'll find out who it is," said Pink-Whistle. "Don't you worry any more. Are your
The children went off together, grinning. They didn't feel in the least sorry for Sam—it would teach him a lesson!
Sam went down the street too, sniffling miserably. He didn't mean to bump into anyone else he met that evening! What with pricks and wobbles and bangs, he had had quite enough.
Someone padded behind him. Someone soft bumped violently into him! Over went Sam and rolled into the same patch of mud into which he had bumped so many others. He sat up and yelled.
"Sooty!" said Pink-Whistle's voice. "Sooty—you shouldn't have bumped into him like that—you really shouldn't. Look how muddy he is!"
"I couldn't help it!" said Sooty. "Honestly, Master, he'll NEVER bump anyone again!'
Booty's right—and do you know, when the children heard all about Sam's queer adventures the next day, one boy looked very wise, and said:—
"It rather sounds as if old Mr. Pink-Whistle was around last night, Sam. You'd better be careful!
Now, however did he guess?
CHAPTER VIII
MR. PINK-WHISTLE GETS A LETTER
ONE day a letter popped through Mr. Pink-Whistle's letter-box.
Sooty the cat picked it up and took it to his master. "A letter for you, Master—marked URGENT," said Sooty. "Ah," said Pink-Whistle. "It looks as if it is from a child—so it certainly is urgent."
He opened the letter and read it out aloud to Sooty:
"Dear Mr. Pink-Whistle:
"I do hope this gets to you. I'm a little girl called Katy, and I live with my mother. We haven't much money, but we have a nice lot of hens, and they lay eggs, which we sell.
"But somebody comes and takes the eggs. We don't know who it is, but it is very serious for us because we do need the money we get for the eggs. We hardly have any to take to market now.
"You go about the world putting wrong things right, dear Mr. Pink-Whistle. Do you think you can put this right?
"Your loving friend, KATY."
"PS.—I know about you because of the stories I've read."
"What a nice little girl she sounds!" said Sooty. "Will you help her, Master?"
"Of course!" said Pink-Whistle. "I'll go along this very day. Look up a bus to—let me see, what's the address—Tipkin-on-the-Hill. I've never been there before."
Sooty went off to get the bus time-table, and soon Mr. Pink-Whistle had discovered the bus that went to Tipkin-on-the-Hill. He put on his hat, said goodbye to Sooty, and set off. Nobody took much notice of the funny little man on the bus, except two children who noticed his pointed ears and green eyes.
SOOTY WENT OFF TO GET THE BUS TIME-TABLE.
"He's like Mr. Pink-Whistle!" whispered one to the other. "Oh—suppose he is!"
Mr. Pink-Whistle didn't say a word, he just twinkled at them. Then he suddenly made himself invisible—and the two girls stared at his empty seat in surprise. They didn't know that he had got up very quietly, tiptoed to them, and slipped big bars of chocolate into their school-bags! How exactly like Mr. Pink-Whistle to do a thing like that.
When he got to Tipkin-on-the-Hill he went to find Katy. She was feeding the hens, and they were clucking round her—cluck-cluck-luck-luck-cluck. Cluck-cluck-luck-luck—cluck! Then the cock stood up straight and crowed. He had suddenly seen Mr. Pink-Whistle, and he knew him.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo! We're pleased to welcome YOU! Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
"Good morning, Katy," said Pink-Whistle, and the little girl swung round at once. She stared in delight.
"Oh! You've come! Oh, you really are Mr. Pink-Whistle, aren't you?" said Katy.
"Yes, I really am," he said. "I'm sorry to hear of your trouble. Tell me about it."
Katy told him. "Somebody comes and takes the eggs at night—and often in the daytime, too! Our cottage is lonely, as you see—and when I'm at school and Mummy is at work, anyone can slip in here and steal the eggs."
"I'll find out who it is," said Pink-Whistle. "Don't you worry any more. Are your
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