The Story of Pinky Winky
Abner reads the story of Snorter the Pig to Cedric on August 31, 1943.
Once upon a time there was a little pink-eyed cotton-tailed rabbit named Pinky Winky. One day...
"Is Snorter in this story, Mr. Abner?"
"No. This about the rabbit, Cedric."
"Ol' Snorter sure learned his lesson, didn't he?"
One day little Pinky Winky was sitting by the edge of a pool of clear blue water. He looked down into the water and saw a little gold-colored fish swim by.
"Wish Snorter was in this story."
"Now you gotta be quiet, Cedric, or I won't read to you if you interrupt me."
Pinky Winky's eyes grew very large as he looked at the little gold-colored fish swim by. And suddenly he cried, "That is what I want to be! A gold-colored fish and swim underwater." Then he said to himself...
"Fer goodness sakes, Abner! What's goin' on here? What are you doin'?"
"Doggies, I never heared you come in, Lum."
"I told you to straighten up them books, not read 'em! Grannies, do I have to stay here ever' minute of the day to see that you do what I tell ya?"
"Well, it takes a lot of time to straighten up books, Lum."
"It does, the way you're doin' it! You oughta be ashamed of yourself anyway. A feller your age readin' books like that."
"This weren't fer me. I was readin' 'em to Cedric. Don't you want Cedric to get educated?"
"Well, them kinda books ain't fer Cedric!"
"What's wrong with 'em?"
"Well, I can understand 'em all right, Mr. Lum. In the other story, ol' Snorter... he's the little pig... and he... uh... what'd he do, Mr. Abner?"
"Don't you remember, Cedric? He seen a big field of grain..."
"I don't care what he seen! I don't wanna hear no more of that prittle-prattle. Now put those young'uns books back on the shelves, and get the rest of those books straightened up like I told ya! Grannies, this time we're gonna run this liberry right!"
"All right. All right."
"Well, c'mon, Mr. Abner. Read me what happens next to Pinky Winky. I like him almost as good as I do Snorter."
"No, you don't, Abner! Now, you ain't readin' no more of that to Cedric. He's got to work to do, so you better run on home, Cedric."
"Yes, mom."
"All right, Abner. Get busy there. I'm gonna clean up the feed-room and I want you to have that done by the time I'm through."
"All right. I'll have it did."
"Reckon I better be goin', Mr. Abner, if you ain't gonna read to me no more."
"Wait a minute. Don't go, Cedric. Wait'll Lum gets back there in the feed room. I'll finish this story. I'll read real quiet."
"Good. Good. See if you can get Snorter into the story some way or the other."
"Now whereabouts was we at?"
"Dontcha know? Pinky Winky saw a gold-colored fish, and he wanted to be one, too, so he could swim underwater."
Then Pinky Winky tried wavin' his tail back and forth like the little gold-colored fish was doin'. But, alas, his tail was so short it wouldn't wave.
"No! 'Course not! Rabbit ain't got no tail hardly!"
"No. Quiet. Don't make so much noise."
This made Pinky Winky so mad he jumped right into the pool and cried, "I will swim underwater without a tail!" But poor Pinky Winky could not swim underwater. Half-drowned he climbed out on the bank, coughin' and chokin'.
"I bet Snorter coulda did it! Pigs can swim underwater... I think."
"Don't talk so loud, Cedric."
Now Pinky Winky was more determined than ever that he was going to be a little gold-colored fish and swim underwater. So Pinky Winky turned away from the pool and shouted to Mr. Owl who was quietly perched on a nearby limb, "Ha ha, Mr. Owl, all you can do is sit on a limb and blink your eyes. But I'm going to be a gold-colored fish and swim underwater."
Mr. Owl just blinked twice and said, "Who-who. You can't doooo it. You can't doooo it. Who-who."
"Yes, I can! I'll find a way!" shouted Pinky Winky in an angry voice and off he ran.
"Read that part about the owl again, Mr. Abner. That who-who business."
"Not so loud, Cedric. We gotta hurry."
Now it so happened that Mr. Freddy Fox overheared Pinky Winky make his boast about becoming a fish and this was very bad because Mr. Freddy like to eat little white rabbits. So Mr. Freddy Fox, who was a very crafty fox, quickly thought up a plan t capture the little rabbit. He turned and ran straight to his friend, Bushy Tail, the sign painter, and said, "Bushy Tail, I want you to paint me a sign that says, 'Mr. Freddy Fox, Swimming Instructor. Special Free Lessons in Underwater Swimming."
"Well, that's just ol' Pinky wants... to learn to swim!"
"Well, that's the idee. Freddy Fox is just doin' that so he can catch Pinky Winky."
"Oh. Is Freddy gonna eat up ol' Pinky?"
"I don't know yet. We got to read the rest of the story, Cedric."
"I hope he don't eat him. I like Pinky Winky. Wish Snorter'd come along and help him."
"Well, keep quiet now, 'fore Lum hears us."
So Mr. Freddy Fox took his sign and put it up near a pretty little stream. Then he hid in the bushes and waited for Pinky Winky to come along. And sure enough, pretty soon Pinky Winky came slowly up to the stream still wondering how he could become a little gold-colored fish. Pinky Winky cried for joy when he saw the sign which the crafty fox had put up. "Now my wish will be granted!" the rabbit said gleefully.
Then he cried out in a loud voice, "Oh, Mr. Freddy Fox! Where are you, Mr. Fox? I wish to take swimming lessons!"
"No! Don't do that, Pinky! He'll eat you up! He's just sayin' that!"
So then Mr. Freddy Fox laughed to himself, "Ha ha! Ha ha!" and then he gave a great spring and leaped out of the bush straight at Pinky Winky....
"NO! GET AWAY FROM THERE, PINKY! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"
"Abner, what'd I tell you about readin' them stories? Don't try to deny it! I could hear ever' word you was readin' clear out there in the feed room! Give me that book!"
"Now wait a minute, Lum. We was just about through with it..."
"I said, Give me that book!"
"Dad blame it!"
"Go ahead. Straighten up the rest of 'em."
"Well, won't you even let us see how it comes out?"
"No, sir. I'm taking this book with me, so you can get some work done. I swan to goodness. Two growed men sittin' here entertainin' themselves readin' children's bedtime stories! You oughta be ashamed of yourselves, both of ya!"
"Well, I thought they were interestin'"
"If you're gonna read, you oughta read somethin' that'll help ya, instead of readin' somethin' like this. How you can get interested in a children's story is more'n I can figger. Now get busy."
"Dad blame that Lum. If he hadn't taken that book with him, we coulda read it in a whisper and found out how it come out."
"Yes, mom. Pore little Pinky Winky. Had to leave him and that ol' fox jumpin' right on him."
"Yeah. Dad blame it. I wish I was there to help the little feller."
"Oh. He'll get out of it someway or other."
"Well, how could he, Cedric? A little rabbit like him can't whip a great big fox!"
"Maybe ol' Snorter will come along and help him! Yes, mom, I bet that's what happens! Snorter saves him. He licks the fox and saves little Pinky Winky."
"Well, he couldn't have did that! Snorter weren't even in this story, Cedric!"
"Well, maybe he stopped by there on his way home, though."
"Stopped by where?"
"Well, you was readin' there where Snorter limped home a sadder but wiser piggy. He might've stopped by that swimmin' hole on his way home."
"Oh. No, no. That was the end of that other story, Cedric. Snorter couldn't have helped him. Nope, I'm just afeared the fox got Pinky."
"I still b'lieve Snorter saved him."
"By grannies, you're both wrong! When Freddy Fox jumped at Pinky, he hit his head on the sign, and fell in the creek and drownded!"
"He did?! Well, good!"
"And Pinky Winky went hippity-hop, hippity-hop... uh... here!"
"Huh?"
"Put this book in the shelf and keep it there! The very idee, you and Cedric, two growed men, wastin' your time readin' children's bedtime stories!"