Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-04-20
Children's EDening St0ry

| "Neddie, what are you doing?" asked
Beckie Stubtail, the little bear cub girl
of her brother, as they sat in the cave
house one evening after supper. Ned
die was in corner by himself and
Beckie was lonesome. She had just
| put her doll, Alice Helen Molassesjug
to sleep and it was not quite time, yet
for the bear children to go to bed.
What are you doing, Neddie?" ask
ed Beckie again.
Reading" answered Neddie, hardly
looking up from his book.
What about? Won't you please tell
me?' asked Beckie, coming over to
her brother and putting her fuzzy
cheek softly up against his.
"Oh this is book all about sailing,
and shipwrecks, and soldiers and guns
and being lost in the woods and all
that" answered Neddie. Girls don't
know anything about that"
II know about sailing" softly said
Beckie. "Once l went sailing across
the Wibblewobble duck pond with
Grandfather Goosey Gander in his red
plush steamboat"
Pooh! That wasn't really sailing,
said Neddie I'm this book a man went
sailing and he was shipwrecked and
Uncle Wiggily Longears was ship
wrecked once, in his airship,' inter-
rupted Beckie. ooh, Neddie. I'd just
love to go sailing" cried the little bear
girl, clapping her paws. II would take
my doll, Lucinda Janet Cocoanutcake,
along and we could have lots of fun,
Pooh! You can't go sailing in the
winter time!" said Neddie, sort OF SUI
percillious like, which means that boys
sometimes think girls don't know any
thing except about dolls.
Cant 60 sailing in the winter time!
I'd like to know why not?" exclaimed
Mr.. Whitewash, the polar bear gentle
man, sitting up on the cake Of ice
where he made his bed. He liked to be
as cold as an icicle, anyhow.
"iIow can you 60 sailing in the win.
ter time, when the ponds are all frozen
Iover?" asked Neddie. You can't, Mr..
Whitewash. What kind of a boat could
you use on ice?"
"Why, an iceboat to be sure" an
swered the old gentleman bear, who
used to live at the north. "You 60
sailing In winter on an iceboat, to be
sure! Ha! Ha! Ask me an easier rid.
die, Neddie! Ha! Hal"
Neddie sort of blushed behind his
ears, as bears do when anything like
that happens, and said:
"Oh, but wasn't asking you riddle
Mr. Whitewash But. tell me, please,
how do you make an ice boat that VIII
sail in winter?"
Neddie was interested now. and laid
aside his book Beckie, also, had some
thing to amuse her besides her doll.
,, Tell US how to make an Ice boat,
Mr.. Whitewash,' begged Beckie, patti.
ing the old gentleman bear under his
chin to make him feel jolly.
well, of course, it's rather hard to
make regular ice boat said the Po-
lar bear gentleman, "but Beckie, you
ana Neddie could make pretty good
ono with one of your sleds, clothes
ipole and a table cloth; that is, an old
one your mother didn't need any more.
"Oh, please tell us howl" cried Ned.
die. wiggling his paws in delight.
So Mr. Whitewash. sitting up on his
cake of ice, told the bear children how
to fasten clothes pole up straight on
sled. The pole was to be the mast
of the ship. The tablecloth was to be
the sail, made fast to the mast.
"And then, when the wind blows"
said Mr. Whitewash, you two bear
children can sit on your sled, and you
can go sailing over the ice-covered