Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-01
Children's Evening Story

knot that will always catch on things"
1 "Good!' cried the mouse.
! Fine" exclaimed the lobster, and
so they did as Uncle Wiggily told
them to. Then they got along very
| we'll, indeed, the mouse leading the
lobster who had hold OF the mousie's
TAIL and it was not long before they
were quite distance from the hollow
stump hotel, walking on the sand near
the ocean waves.
All of sudden, just as they turned
around corner by big stone, the
three friends heard voice, crying:
"Oh, I'll never get back! I'll never
get back! Oh, what shall I do? Oh, If
only I had Uncle Wiggily here!"
"Hark!" cried the mouse. did you
hear that?"
Indeed, did, replied the rabbit
gentleman, twinkling his nose.
whoever it is, he wants you,'
spoke the lobster in cold and shiv-
cry voice. Maybe it is the bad alli-
gator, or the bad bear, or some of
those other animals of whom you have
told me-"
Il guess we'd better be going
back, said the rabbit gentleman. SO
they turned around and just then the
voice called again: .so.,,.-. .. DE- .1--os
"Oh, will no one save me?" =
Some one wants to be saved,' said
the mouse, making his whiskers
shake. @..' D..
Then I'm going to save them!"
cried Uncle Wiggily. 81 must be
brave"
! So, though the mouse and the lob
ster tried to hold him back, Uncle
Waggily went forward, and there, on
the sand, he saw poor, stranded
clam-stranded you know means
stuck Yes, there was the clam, high
up on the sand, stuck fast. ~
"Oh, what is the matter?" asked
Uncle Wiggily and when the house
and lobster saw that there was moth
ing of which to be afraid, they came
up also. $3.50 'r.' ".. -. I'D"
| "Oh,"l answered the clam, II swan
too near the shore, not minding my
mamma, as I ought to have done. A
wave washed me up here and now the
tide has gone down leaving me high
and dry on the sand. and can't get
back into the ocean where I belong.
I'm fraid some one may come along
and eat me, for I can't move by my
self, you know. I have to be In wat
err"
I "Oh, we'll help you," said Uncle
Wiggily, so with his crutch he tried
to roll the clam back into the ocean,
but the clam was so hard and slippery
that the crutch slipped out from under
his shell every time. That plan didn't
wrok, so the mouse let the clam take
hold of it's tail, and then Mr. Mouse
tried to pull the clam back into the
water. But the mouse wasn't strong
enough, even though the clam didn't
pinch his tail hard at all. ~
ooh, I'll never get back into the
ocean," cried the clam.
Eyes, you WILL" said the lobster sud
denly. IF you can't get into the
ocean, I'll bring the ocean to you"
Then, with his strong claws the lob
ster dug a long channel, or little ditch,
in the sand. right down to the edge
Of the waves.
Then the water ran up that ditch
until it came to where the clam was
stranded and the clam was soon afloat
and all right after that, and no one
could catch him. e -. -. IT,. :.
THANK you all, ever 50 much, and
Uncle Wiggily most especially" said
the clam, as he settled down in his
ocean bed to 60 to sleep. For II you
hadn't brought the lobster to me I'd
still be stranded"
Then the clam went to sleep and
the three friends walked along the
beach, very happy that they had help
ed some one. And in the next story, in
case the dolls front tooth doesn't fall
out and bite a hole in the orange so
that 1t squeals like a little pig, I'll tell
you about Uncle Wiggily and the
'twinkling startlsh. ....