Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-01-13
CHILDREN'S EVENING STORY

"Well, WE'LL" cried Uncle Wiggily
Longears, this is quite a family
party. Oh, my, yes, and some pepper.
hash besides" '"' ."E" .
where did you come from?' asked
Papa Bushytail. 81 haven't seen you
in some time" ., a..
mo" answered the rabbit, my
family and I have been away on a
visit"
Then Papa Bushytail told the rab.
bits how glad he was to see them
again. and Johnnie and Billie and
Sister Sallie told about meeting the
fairy hen and the trick she had per-
formed.
II can do some tricks, too, If some
one will help me-" said Sammie Little
tail. 81 learned them in a circus"
I'll help you" agreed Billie Bushy-
tail.
Then come over here where we
can practice" whispered Sammie, and
so the little boy rabbit and the little
boy squirrel went behind a big tree.
Pretty soon they were all ready to
do their tricks. They had quite an
audience, and they used a large, fiat
stump for a platform. They turned
single and double somersaults, they
stood IN each others head, they jump
ed over each others back, and they
iuggled acorns until you would Won
der how they did 1t. Then they stood
on their hind legs and danced, and
Billie Bushytail took a stick and
chewed it in three pieces, right in
front of the audience. Oh, it was a
most delightful time! and | wish you
all could have been there. I'm sure
you would have enjoyed it.
But, after a while, it was time for
the rabbits to go home, and they
started off. Billie Bushytail said he
would walk a short distance with
Sammie, and he did.
IF you see any horse chestnuts
save me one," begged Uncle Wiggily
Longears. 81 need it for my rheuma-
tism. Even though the red fairy did
cure it for a while. it came back on
account Of me getting my feet wet
the other night. Oh, dear. yes, and
a bit of horse radish %besides!"
So Billie and Sammie said they
would and they went off looking for
horse chestnuts, and the first thing
they. were all alone in the woods, the
others having gone on ahead. Well,
they found a horse chestnut, and soon
caught up to Mamma and Papa Little
tail, and Susie and Uncle Wiggily
and Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy. Then,
at last, they we're at the rabbit house,
and Sammie asked Billie:
Cant you come and stay a few
days with me?' .,< -
II guess so,' answered Billie, III
l could send word home" .." z
"Oh, I'll go and tell your papa and
mamma" offered Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy,
and she went as quickly as you can
blow out a match. ) g
Well, Billie stayed with Sammie
several days, and he had quite an
adventure, too. 1t was one day when
Sammie was out trying to dig q hole
down through to China. A big hawk
grabbed Billie and carried him away
up in the air, and Sammie was SO
frightened he didn't know what to
do. But If a little green fairy man
whom Sammie knew didn't suddenly
appear. and change into an eagle, and
chase after that hawk! And the eagle
took Sammie on his back and Sam
ME hit the hawk with a stick and
saved Billie Bushytail, which adven-
ture you can read all about in the
first book Of this series entitled Bed
time Stories: Sammie and Susie
Iaittletail." Well, you know you never
can tell when fairies are going to ap-
pear, nor what they T going to do,
and, as it happens, some are going
to appear in this book, and tomorrow
night I'll tell you a fairy story about
Johnnie Bushytail, and how he was
shut up in a hollow tree by a bad fox
and how he got out again. Now, go
to sleep and wait for tomorrow. "