El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-14

I haven't had an adventure IN some
time. I really wish something would
happen"
Uncle Wiggily had no sooner thought
this than, all of a sudden, something
did happen. He slipped into big pud-
die with his rubber boots The water
came nearly to the top OF them, but
that did not so much matter as dld
something else. For when the bunny
uncle tried to pull his feet up out of
the puddle he couldn't do it. No, sir,
he could no more pull his feet up than
you could get out of sticky fly paper
in case you happened to sit down in
it, which / hope you never do; though
our cat did once. And such a timei
Ny This is quite too bad" cried
Uncle Wiggily- Il wonder what could
have happened2 My feet are caught
fast" He squirmed about a bit with
his feet in the rubber boots. Then he
said:
Il know what has happened. Ny feet
are held tight in the crooked, twisted
old root of a tree that is down under
the puddle. I'm caught as badly as if
/ were in a trap. On, dear This is an
adventure. all right, but not the kind
1 like / wonder how / can get loose"
And well might the bunny uncle
wonder. His feet were caught fast in
the root. away down under water and
he could not reach down with his paws
to loosen them, for he had his UNI
brella in one paw ana the basket Of
groceries on the other, and he could
lay neither of them down, for there was
water all around him.
oh. DEAR" cried Uncle Wiggily. Il
s'pose ! could pull my feet out Of the
rubber boots and just leave them caught
in the puddle, but if I did that I'd have
TO go home pare-pawed, and I'd catch
my rheumatism worse than ever. Oh,
dear What shall / doT'
Just then. through the woods Uncle
Wiggily heard the sound Of a drum.
"Dub-dub, Dubbity- dubbity dub
'Ha. | wonder if that can be Sam
ME Littietail. the bunny boy. coming
along with his Christmas drum? If il is
he can help me-" said Mr.. Longears.
Uncle Wiggily, still caught fast,
looked through the trees. and he saw
some one sailing along in q washtub.
And it was the butcher man, in his
white apron and cap. with "a big knife
in his hand. who was drum ming, with
the knife handle on the sides Of the
tub. And the butcher sang this song;
Rub "a dub-dubi Three men in a tub.
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick
maker
They all jumped out OF hard baked
potato"
why that's in Mother Goose" cried
Uncle Wiggily, joyful like. This
butcher must be a friend of hers. ]
wonder If he could help me?'
Just then the butcher saw Uncle
Wiggily caught fast in the puddle, and.
stopping his WashtuO snip, ne aSAeus
Are you IN trouble?"
Trouble? ! should say 7 was" cried
the bunny uncle. MY feet are caught
in a tree root down under the water
and l, can't get loose. Can you help
meT'
4 can and will" replied the butcher.
Then, with his long sharp knife, he
reached down under the puddle and cut
the tree root that was holding Uncle
Wiggily's feet fast taking care not 10
cut the bunny uncles rubber boots.
There you are" cried the butcher.
Now you're loose"
"Oh. thank you so much said Uncle
Wiggily, hopping out of the puddle.
But ! thought there were three rub
a-dub-dub men in a tub. You are only
one"
We'll, there were three az US said
the butcher. But since Mother Goose
wrote that verse about us after we
Jumped out OF the baked potato, we
grew so large that three of us had hard
work to fit in one tub. SO now we each
have a tub to ourselves. Now 1 must
sail on. The baker and candlestick
maker and / are having a boot race
I hope l win. ood-by. And on he
sailed in his tub, while Uncle Wiggily,
his feet no longer caught fast. went
safely on his hollow stump bungalow
through the rain.
So he was saved by the butcher, you
see. and if the gas lamp doesn't 60
down cellar in the dark and stumble
over the fire shovel when it's playing
in the ashes, I'll tell you next about
Uncle Wiggilv and the baker.
Copyright. 1915. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.