Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-05-04
Children s EDening Story

But it was easier to say That tnan IL
was to do it. Uncle Wiggily thought
he could find the cellar stairs in the
dark but, no sooner had he taken q
few hops than. all of sudden, "bang!'
he went up against barrel, hurting
himself.
"Ouch." the rabbit gentleman cried.
IT bumped my shins!"
He rubbed his legs with his front
paws, and then he started off again.
The cellar was very dark, especially
as the door up at the head of the stairs
had blown shut.
Now | am sure I'll soon be at the
stairs" Uncle Wiggily said, starting
off once more.
"Ker-bunko!' he suddenly went
banging into box He couldn't see
what sort of box it was, but he could
feel, and it didn't feel very moe, for
he had bumped his nose.
"Ouch!!" cried Uncle Wigglly.
There are more boxes and barrels in
this cellar than l had any idea OF.
guess must be going the wrong way
He turned around in the dark and
started off once more. This time he
thought surely he would reach the
steps, go up them, and get some
matches for his candle, but, all at
once:
"Whacko." Poor Uncle Wiggily
bumped his head against a shelf that
hung down from the ceiling.
"Oh me! Oh, my!" he cried This is
terrible! What am to do?" He turned
this way and that. but, in the dark, he
always ran into something, or
stumbled over something at every
step. Uncle Wiggily didn't know where
he was. He was lost in the dark down
in ais own cellar.
At last, after knocking down many
boxes and falling over barrels, Uncle
Wiggily saw little light shining
ahead of him.
ooh, do hope that is a match, or a
candle some one has left down here!'
he said. Carefully he made his way to
the little point of light.
| And, when he found it, what do you
suppose 1t was? Why, bottle filled
with lightning bugs! The bottle was
quite dusty, but when Uncle Wiggily
wiped it off with his handkerchief the
glass was clean. and the light Of the
fire flies inside the bottle shone
through, so the rabbit gentleman could
see his way about the wark cellar with
out stumbling.
"Oh, how lucky I discovered this
FREELY lantern!' he exclaimed, as he
found the stairs and started up them
these must be the fire flies Sammie
Littletail, the rabbit boy. was playing
with one day, and he left them in my
cellar. Well, am glad he did, fol
they came in very useful for me-
Then Uncle Wiggily took his apples
and. with his candle and the fire fly
llantern. he went upstairs, just in time
to pay for the G.. o. D. bundles from
the five and ten cent store. And wher
/ Nurse Jane came back she said Uncle
Wiggily had had quite an adventure.
81 think so myself" he agreed. "ant
the next time go down cellar in the
( dark am going to take matches witt
me. But the FREELY lantern will dt
until spring, when I will let the light
lining bugs out, for it Is too cold tt
have them fly now
! So Uncle Wiggily ate his apples. ant
also gave the puppy dog boys some
and this teaches us that we neet
never be afraid in the dark, for it cal
harm no one. And the next story il
going to be about Uncle Wiggily ant
Billie Wagtail, the goat boy. Ant
please don't let the spoon holder g
sliding on the molasses jug, or thu
egg beaten won't like it.