Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-10-20

1t on the roof, and then he fastened
4 the house together and crawled IN
side with his valise and his barber
pole crutch.
II guess won't make too many win
dows or doors,' thought Uncle Wig
gily. FOR q savage bear or burglar
fox might come along in the night.
and try to get it."
So he only made one door, and one
window In the house. But he made
little fireplace out of stones. and built
a little fire in 1t, to cook his supper.
But listen, you children must never.
never make fire, unless some big
person is near to put 1t out In case
it happens to run away, and chases
after you, to catch you. Fires are
dreadfully scary things for little folks,
SO please be careful.
] Well. Uncle Wiggily cooked his sup
per. frying some carrots in little tin
frying pan he had with him, and then
he said his prayers. and went to bed.
Soon he was fast. fast asleep.
/ Well. in the middle Of the night,
Uncle Wiggily was awakened in his
paper house by hearing funny noise
outside.
"Ha. Il wonder what that can be-"
he exclaimed. sitting up, and reaching
out for his crutch. The noise kept
on, "pitter-patter: pitter.patter-patter-
pitter: pat-pit-pat-pit.'
ooh that sounds like the toe nails
Of the burglar fox. running around the
house, said the rabbit. Then he lis
tened more carefully. and suddenly he
laughed: "Ha! Hal" Then he got up
and looked out of the window. why.
it's only the raindrops pitpattcring on
the roof" he said. Isn't it jolly to be
in house when it rains and you cant
get wet? After this every night I'm
always going to build paper house,
said Uncle Wiggily.
So he listened to the rain drops, and
he thought how nice 1t was not to be
wet. and he went to sleep again. And
pretty soon he woke up once more,
for he heard another noise. This time
is was a shifting, shopping, woofng
sort of uoise, and Uncle Wiggily
), knew it wasn't the rain.
I'm sure that's the, burglar fox"
he said. What shall I do? He can
smash my paper house with his teeth
and claws. and then eat me. should
have built a wooden house But it's
too late now I know what I'll do. I'll
dig a cellar underneath my paper
house. and I'll hide there, in case that
fox smashes the roof"
So Uncle Wiggily got up very softly
and right in the middle Of the dirt
floor of his paper house he began to
burrow down to dig a cellar. My, how
his paws made the sand and gravel fly,
and soon he had dug quite large eel
lar, in which to hide.
! And all this time the smiling, snoop-
ing sound kept on, until, all Of sud.
den voice cried:
LET me in"
who are your" asked Uncle Wig.
gily.
..I'm the bad alligator" was the an.
swer. "and II you don't let me in, I'll
smash down your paper house with
one swooop of my scalery. ailery tail. >
you can't come in!'' cried the rab
bit, and then that bad alligator gave
one swoop of his tail. and smashed
Uncle Wiggilys nice paper house all
to pieces!
But do you spose the rabbit was
there? No. indeed. He just grabbed
UP his crutch and valise. and ran down
into the cellar just as far and as fast
as he could run. just as the roof fell
in. And the cellar wasn't big enough
for the alligator to get in, and he had
to stay outside, and he couldn't get
Uncle Wiggily.
And then 1t rained, and Numbered
and lightninged, and the alligator got
scared, and ran of. but the rabbit gen
tleman was safe down in his cellar,
and he didn't get bit wet. and went
to sleep there for the rest Of the night
Now, please 60 to bed, and in case my
toothbrush doesn't go out roller skat
ing, and fall down and get baldheaded
I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily
and the paper boat