Not far from where Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg lived in the pen with their papa and mamma, there was a big, tall hill. Oh, ever so much taller than a house, but not quite so high as the church steeple, and it was a very hard hill to climb, but, once you had gotten to the top, you could see off, ever so far; farther than from here to the end of the rainbow, which is very far indeed.

Now, though Buddy and Brighteyes, the two little guinea pig children, had lived near the hill ever since they were mere babies, they had never climbed to the top of it. There were two reasons for this. One was because the hill was so high and the other was because it was so steep.

It seemed as if no one would ever be able to scramble up the sides of this hill, or, if they did, very likely they would tumble down again, just like a boy sliding over the ice and snow on his sled.

But one fine morning when the sun was shining and the birds were singing Buddy said to Brighteyes:

"Let's climb up to the top of the hill to-day?"

"What for?" asked his sister, as she tied her hair ribbon in a double bow knot, very pretty indeed to look at, let me tell you.

"Why, so we can see away off where the sky and the mountains come together beyond the hill," said Buddy. "You can see beautiful scenery from the tip-top, you know."

"What good will that do?" asked Brighteyes, who was very fond of asking questions that were hard to answer. "What is the good of looking at the scenery?" she wanted to know.

"Because," answered her brother, "every one does that where there is a high hill. I heard some of the summer boarders at the farmhouse, near our pen, telling each other what a beautiful view there was to be had from the hill. We must see it for ourselves. There is no one around now, and we can climb to the top."

"I don't care very much about it," spoke Brighteyes. "I would rather find another box of peanut candy;" but because she loved Buddy, and did not want him to start off alone, she consented to climb the big hill with him. So they started off. At first it was rather easy, and they went up quite fast. At the foot of the hill were blackberry bushes and the guinea pig children gathered as many berries as they could eat.

But, as they went farther and farther up, the bushes grew more scarce, until there were none. Then came a place where there was tall grass and many stones, so that it was hard to walk. But Buddy and Brighteyes kept on, and pretty soon they met a grasshopper.

"Where are you going?" asked the grasshopper.

"To the top of the hill, to see the view," answered Buddy.

"You will never get there, the way you are going," said the grasshopper. "You should jump as I do," and he gave three big hops and a little one to show how well he could do it.

"We cannot hop," remarked Brighteyes, "but we have a friend who can."

"Who?" asked the grasshopper, as he scratched his two big hind legs together, like a man playing the fiddle.

"Sammie Littletail, the rabbit," said Buddy. "He can hop."

"Yes, Sammie is a good jumper," admitted the grasshopper, and he hid under a stone, for just then he saw a big bird looking hungrily at him. Well, Buddy and Brighteyes went on and on, and up and up, and pretty soon they met an ant.

"Where are you going?" asked the ant.

"To the top of the hill, to see the fine view," replied Brighteyes, as she paused to get her breath, which she had nearly lost.

"You will never get up the way you are going," said the ant. "You should crawl, as I do," and she crawled over a stone to show how it should be done. But Buddy and Brighteyes could not crawl, and they told the ant so. Still they kept on, and pretty soon they met a bird.

"You had better fly to the top of the hill as I do," said the bird. "It's much easier than walking," only, of course, Buddy and Brighteyes could not fly.

But the two guinea pig children were not discouraged, and they kept on and on, and pretty soon, really and truly honestly, they were at the very top of the hill—a place where they had never been before.

They could look off to the mountains, and they saw a lake, and they could see the place where the end of the rainbow was, whenever there was a rainbow, and they felt happy, because everything was so lovely, and Buddy said:

"I feel so glad, I must sing a little song." So he sang this one, which can only be sung on top of a hill:

Then Buddy tried to do a little dance, but what do you s'pose happened? Why, he lost his balance, and toppled over, and then he grabbed hold of Brighteyes, who was looking at the fine view, and she toppled over, and then, wiggily-waggily, woggily-wee! they both tumbled down that steep hill, head over heels like Jack and Jill.

And they went down faster, and faster, and faster, rolling over and over, and they saw stars, and several different lakes, and lots of clouds and ever so many things. They were both frightened, and they thought surely they were going to be hurt, for they were nearing the bottom, when all of a sudden what should come along but a big load of hay!

Buddy and Brighteyes hit a stone, bounced up in the air, and then came down, flippity-flop! right on top of the soft hay, and they weren't hurt the least bit. Then they slid down off the hay, before the man who was driving it saw them, and ran home. And they didn't climb a hill again for ever and ever so long.

Now, if I hear a potato bug whistle a tune on a cornstalk fiddle, I'm going to tell you next about Buddy and Brighteyes going in bathing.