DENT
BKS
-----
RK
61.
.T167
1939
FORGET-ME-NOT
MAUDE M. TANNER, DMD


FORGET-ME-NOT
By
MAUDE M. TANNER, D.M.D.
Illustrated by
DOROTHEA J. SNOW
FOLLETT PUBLISHING COMPANY
Chicago, Illinois
9128





sleep, and maybe it will be all right in the morn-
ing. We've lots to do tomorrow."
Buddy shut his eyes tight; but try as he
would, he could not fall off to sleep. There was
so much to think about. All of his friends were
coming to his birthday party. There would be
cake and ice cream-and games—and PRESENTS!
But, oh, how his gum hurt! What if he
couldn't eat the ice cream and cake at his party?
“I wish I could go to sleep,” thought Buddy.
And then he remembered. Daddy said he always
counted sheep when he couldn't fall asleep.
"Maybe I can count the bedposts,” Buddy whis-
pered to himself. “1...2...3...” he began to count.
And then he saw the strangest sight. There,
perched on the fourth bedpost, was a little dwarf
no bigger than Buddy's thumb. He was short and
fat, and had the funniest little legs. About his
neck he wore a pink collar and on his head a
pearl crown.
“Heigh-ho!” he said, with a merry grin.


10
“Oh, I will, Mr. ... uh ... uh ... Dwarf,” said
Buddy, who did not know yet what to call his
little visitor.
“Call me Billy Forget-Me-Not. That means
you must not forget to keep my face clean.”
"All right, Billy. I'll keep your face clean. But
I wish you would tell me who you are.”
The little dwarf just laughed and smoothed
his pink collar. “Some day you will know who I
am. Now listen to my song,
Forget me not, and you shall see
How bright and clean my face will be.”
Suddenly, Billy stopped singing. He hopped
to his toes, waved his crown, and before Buddy's
very eyes turned a somersault into the air and
disappeared.
Buddy scrambled to the foot of the bed as
fast as he could.
CRASH! BANG!
“Ouch!” cried Buddy, as he opened his eyes
"Ouch!" cried Buddy,
as he rubbed his head



。
YAMAME


12
and rubbed a sore spot on his head. For a mo-
ment he didn't know what had happened. Then
he remembered the little dwarf. “Billy, Billy,
where are you?”
Out of bed he jumped and began looking
everywhere. He looked under the bed and be-
neath the pillows and bedcovers. He even looked
in his shoes, and in his box of toys, and in his
milk truck and his electric train.
"Billy Forget-Me-Not!” called Buddy. “Where
are you? Why don't you answer me?”
Where could he be? And who was Billy
Forget-Me-Not? He didn't look like a fairy, or a
brownie either.
“He must be a really truly dwarf,” said Buddy.
Just then Mother came in. “Happy birthday,
Buddy,” she said. “Why, what are you doing on
the floor? Have you lost something?”
“I can't find Billy Forget-Me-Not,” said Buddy.
“Billy who?” asked Mother.
“Billy Forget-Me-Not, a little dwarf who came
Buddy couldn't find the
little dwarf anywhere


Budoy's Birthoay Party
CHAPTER
TWO
UDDY WAS SO EXCITED
that he could hardly eat his breakfast. He had
so many things to do before the party!
He picked out games and toys for his friends
to play with. He hid the peanuts for the Treasure
Hunt. He put some of the peanuts where they
would be easy to find. But he grinned to himself
as he put one in each of Daddy's rubbers. Who
would ever think of looking there!



.
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ARNAVN
IR


Mt. Jewett Free Public Library
25
As he turned the crank, little buckets on a chain
picked up the sand and dumped it into a red box.
Soon Buddy's head began to nod.
But just then he heard Mother say, “Come,
come, Buddy. Don't go to sleep on the floor.
Let's hop into bed. Here, I'll help you tonight.”
Buddy was too tired to remember to brush
his new tooth. Even Mother forgot to remind him.
Buddy was no sooner tucked into bed than
who should appear but Billy Forget-Me-Not! He
was smoothing his pink collar just as he had done
before, but looking not quite so merry.
“Hello,” he said, nodding his head so hard that
his pearl crown slipped down over his left eye.
“Oh, Billy Forget-Me-Not!” cried Buddy.
“Why didn't you come to my party? I tried and
tried to find you.”
“I was there all the time,” said the little dwarf,
putting his crown back in place.
"Where?” asked Buddy. “I didn't see you."
“You didn't see me, but I was there," answered
4/4 0


Billy Gets His Face Washed
CHAPTER
THREE
EXT DAY WHEN THE
mail came, there was a letter for Buddy-the first
letter he had ever received. “Oh, look!” he cried
proudly. “It's for me. See! This spells my name,
Buddy Sharp.”
"Well, well!” said Mother, almost as excited as
Buddy. “It's from Grandmother Sharp down on
the farm. I wonder what she can be writing to
you about."
28


30
And that's how Buddy came to spend his
vacation on Grandfather's farm. Some days after
breakfast he would go out to the meadow or corn-
field and help Grandfather mow hay or plow
corn. Or he would help Grandmother pick cher-
ries or blackberries. Every day he went for a long
ride on Pudge, the little black-and-white pony.
How proud he was that he could ride without
falling off!
One evening, after the day's work was done,
Buddy coaxed Grandfather to let him ride one
of the big work-horses.
“All right,” said Grandfather. "Wait until I
take Old Ned's harness off and you can ride him
down to the water trough."
Buddy found Old Ned's broad back harder to
stick to than little Pudge's. Twice he almost
slipped off. Then he reached up and caught hold
of Old Ned's mane. By the time they reached the
water trough, Buddy was out on Old Ned's neck
holding on for dear life. Suddenly, Old Ned low-
It was fun to
feed the chickens


40
But the more Billy shouted and kicked, the
harder Buddy scrubbed at his face and collar.
“Now you can't say that I don't try to keep you
clean,” laughed Buddy.
Billy was soap-suds from head to foot, and so
slippery that Buddy had all he could do to keep
the little fellow from getting away. “Here, behave
yourself,” Buddy called. “Why are you making
such a fuss? You asked me to wash your face,
didn't you? Then why don't you hold still and
let me do it?”
All Billy could answer was, “Ug-g... Bl-f-f
... Aw-w-w... Glub... Glub.”
Just as Buddy was reaching for the towel, he
felt someone shaking him. Mother's voice said,
“Buddy! Buddy! What are you doing up at this
time of night? Why, goodness gracious! You have
SOAP in your mouth!”
For a moment Buddy couldn't answer; he
was still only half awake. Then he sputtered,
"I...I...I... know it. It tastes awful.”


48
whose blue eyes seemed to twinkle all the time.
“Hello, Buddy,” he called. “I haven't seen you
for a long while. What's your trouble?”
“I have a sore tooth,” Buddy answered.
“Let me see it,” said the dentist.
He took one look at Buddy's tooth. Then he
stopped smiling.
“Why, Buddy, that's your sixth-year molar.
Don't you ever brush your teeth?”
“I forget to,” said Buddy, hanging his head.
“But you must not forget,” said the dentist,
shaking his finger at Buddy just the way Billy
Forget-Me-Not had done so many times. “Your
teeth chew all your food. Think how hard they
work for you.”
Buddy lay back in the big chair and tried to
listen to the dentist's voice as he worked on the
tooth. But it was a warm day. Buddy had been
awake so much the night before that now he
began to feel very sleepy.
“I'm surprised at you, Buddy,” said the dentist.
"I forget to," said Buddy,
hanging his head