Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-12
Children's Evening Story


Bird said Jimmie. - H. .'. .. ....,.->7 3
He will be along presently" said
Uncle, Wiggily. You children sit
down in the shade and eat your taffy,
and he may fly by at any time
So down they sat in the shade. and
they looked to see how. many different
favors Of salt water taffy they had.
Then the duck children saw some
beautifully colored butterflies, and
they started to run after them, and
Uncle Wiggily stretched out on the
soft moss under a tree, and soon-he
l-was-fast-fast asleep-eepys 427...
Well he slumbered there very nicely
for some time, dreaming OF a great big
carrot pie that Mrs. Littletail had made
for him, while Lulu and Alice and
Jimmie wandered farther and farther
into the doows, listening for the fish,
hook bird, y 49,, -sr-s ..,r~
And then. all of a sudden, out from
a black hollow stump. there crawled
big. ugly snake Now some snakes
are kind and good, but this one was a
bad one, and, as soon as he saw Uncle
Wiggily, this snake began to hiss like
the rarlor steam radiator on frosty
morning in June. p -.~ts..~4.
@,"Ah ha! he Kissed. Now is my
chance to get the rabbit!" >"t<-,
So. crawling very softly, so as not
to awaken Uncle Wiggily, the snake
came nearer and nearer to him. Then
he reared up on the end Of his tail,
and was just going to take bite when
suddenly the rabbit gentleman awak-
ened s..-
The snake had accidentally tickled
the rabbit under the chin with his TAIL
and whenever any one did that to
Uncle Wiggily, he always awakened
suddenly. He saw the snake rearing
up over him.
ooh. what are you going to do?"
the rabbit cried in alarmed surprise.
Bite you!" replied the snake, i'm
politely, sticking out his tongue, which
was like fork with two prongs on 1t.
Bite you all up"
please don't" begged Uncle Wig
gily.
Eyes. I shall. It's no use saying
please nor even to beg my pardon"
Kissed the snake. Your time has
come. and I can tell that even without
looking at my watch"
Well. he was just going to bite Uncle
Wiggily Longears, and the rabbit gen.
tleman was wishing some one would
come to help him, or that Alice or Lulu
or Jimmie were nearby, so he could
send them for boardwalk policeman
dog. but the duck children we're far
away. a . .--
Then, all at once, through the woods
there sounded a cry:
"Fish-hook. Fish-hook!'
"Oh, it's the fish-hook bird exclaim-
ed Uncle Wiggily. IF he would only
chase the snake away. Help! Help!
Mr.. Fish-hook bird! Help" cried the
rabbit. $50 r.., .s- .. =.
"Fish-hook. Fish-hook! Forty-'leven
fish-hooks in that snakes tall" cried
the bird. "Of course, I'll help you,
Uncle Wiggily! Nsh-hook!"
Then that bird flew down, crying
ish.hooks as loudly as he could and
the bad snake heard him, and fearing
he would get sharp f1sh-hook stuck
in his tail the srawly snake Kissed
once or twice, stuck out his forked
tongue at the rabbit gentleman and
then, coiling up, he rolled away, like
hoop, and so Uncle Wiggily was
saved.
;ka Observation-Disclosures thata
Then Lulu and Alice and Jimmie
Wibblewobble came running back
"Oh, Uncle Wiggily," they cried, 1--WE
have looked all over but We couldn't
find the fish-hook bird"
Here he is now spoke the rabbit
gentleman, land he saved me from a
snake, for which I thank him. Show
the children how you call your queer
cry, birdie"
So the bird called, "Fish-hook; Fish
hook! Forty-leven fish-hooks" and
then he flew away. And the duck
children were very much surprised.
But there is really fish-hook bird in
the woods near Asbury Grove and he
is cousin to the whip Poor WIFI
bird, though. hope, poor Will never
gets whipped don't you?
So Uncle Wiggily and the duck
children went back to their bungalows
after having had nice time in the
woods, and now must stop for this
is the end Of the story. But in case
the bed-spring doesn't jump up and
hit the ceiling so that the collar-button
falls into the water pitcher and scares
the red ant when it comes to drink,
I'll tell you next time about Uncle.
,Wiggily and Sammie Littletail.