Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-15

II will help you if I CAM spoke
Uncle Wiggily. Let me see your fid
de-
The crab showed it to the rabbit
gentleman. 1t was made from a hol-
low shell, with long piece of wood
fora handle, and for strings there
were strands of sea weed stretched
tight, and for bow the fiddler crab
had a piece of sawedged sea grass,
made stiff with salt. But the fiddle was
broken in several places and the sea
weed strings we're broken, too for the
sea COW had accidentally stepped on it.
But think can fix it," said Uncle
Wiggily. 81 have to mend so many
toys for Charlie and Arabella Chick
and Johnnie and Billie Bushytail and
Sammie and Susie Littletail, that am
quite good at that sort of work. !
think | can mend your fiddle"
And, surely enough, Uncle Wiggily
did fix it, and in little while the
fiddler crab could play on his fiddle and
he made some nice music.
"Oh, can't thank you enough" said
the crab to the rabbit. Now I can
play at the sea urchin's party tonight"
and with that he. started up the beach
on his long legs, to buy himself a new
necktie for the party. -.
Well, Uncle Wiggily was feeling glad
and happy that he was able to do the
fiddler crab a favor, and he was Won
dering what would happen next, when,
all of sudden, out from behind a rock
jumped the pretty mermaid lady. She
was combing her long hair with the
backbone Of a fish, that looked exactly
like comb and she smiled and cried
out: 7
"Ah, ha, now have you, Uncle Wig
am not going to hurt you. am just
going to take you away with me, down
under the ocean where l live. 1 want
you to amuse my children, while take
singing lessons
But don't want to co." said Uncle
Wiggily. II like it better upon land,
and, besides, I have to go back home,
soon."
mo, you must come with me-, said
the mermaid lady kindly, but firmly. 4
can't let you co." and with that she
suddenly reached out and grasped
Uncle Wiggily by his ears. He strug-
gled to get loose but he couldn't.
ooh, please let me co." he begged.
mo, l am sorry to say can't" an.
swered the mermaid. 81 will do you no
harm as the sea lion would, but still
must have you for my children, just
the same
Well, she held tightly to him, and
she was just going to dive down under
the ocean with him, and Uncle Wiggily
was sure he would be drowned, when
all of sudden, voice called:
Here, Mrs. Mermaid, you must let
Uncle Wiggily co." and there stood
the fiddler crab, with his violin that
the rabbit gentleman had mended.
"Oh, no, I'll not let Uncle Wiggily
co. the sea lady said firmly. II must
keep him."
Then must make you let him co."
exclaimed the fiddler crab with a
laugh. With, that he began to play a
song on his fiddle, and as soon as the
mermaid lady heard the song she had
to sing 1T whether she wanted to or not.
And, when she sang, she had to move
her hands up and down to beat time,
and of course she then had to let go OF
Uncle Wiggily's ears.
"Now's your chance! Hop away!
Hop away" cried the crab. fiddling
faster and faster. And you can well be-
lieve that Uncle Wiggily did hop away
for though the mermaid lady did not
mean to be unkind, still Uncle Wigg1ly
didn't want to go under the ocean with
her.
"Thank you, fiddler crab" the rab.
bit called, as he hoped over the board
walk, and hurried on to his hotel. you
did me great favor"
"You did me one, too, so now we
are even," replied the crab and then
the mermaid stopped singing and said
to the crab:
"We1l, if can't have Uncle Wiggily
will you come and play for my chill
dren?"
Il will" said the crab kindly and
then he and the mermaid jumped into
the ocean and swan away, and Uncle
Wiggily felt better when he saw the
sea lady disappear.
So that's all now, If you please, as
7 am sleepy, but, in case the dog in the
house back of us doesn't bark and
wake up the pussy cat, so that It
scratches a hole in the rubber ball and
let's all the water run out, I'll tell you
next about Uncle Wiggily and the sea
lion. 1880, -