The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-07
Bedtime Stories
BY HOWARD r. GARIs


Uncle Wiggily Longears, the rabbit
gentleman, was sitting on the front
porch of his hollow stump bungalow
one morning. wondering what sort of
an adventure he would have that day,
when, all at once, along came Sammie
Littletail, the rabbit boy.
"Oh, Uncle Wiggily" cried Sam
mic, his pink nose twinkling almost
like his uncle's. Have you a bit of
of leather, Uncle Wiggily?"
Leather" exclaimed the old rab-
bit gentleman, with a sort of sneeZe,
for there had been an April shower
a few minutes before and some misty
water flew up his nose. Has your
shoe a hole in it that you need to
mend it with bit of leather"
mo, I'm glad to say my shoe is all
right" answered the rabbit boy.
What 1 want the leather for is to
make a sucker"
"A Sucker?" cried the bunny man.
DO you mean a fish ?''
mo, though some fish have suckers
on them so they can hold on to rocks"
said Sammie. And that's what 1 want
to make-a leather sucker that will
hold on to rocks and stones, so 1 can
lift them up by it,
Tell me about it, said Uncle Wig
gily, and I'll look and see if 1 have
what you want"
So the rabbit boy told the bunny
gentleman how to take a round or
square piece of leather, make a hole
in the center and through the hole
put a string. In the end of the string
you must tie big knot, so it will not
slip through the hole.
Then you soak the leather in wa
ter, and when it is soft, and spongy-
like, you press the sucker down flat
on a stone with your foot, holding the
long string in your hand. And the
piece of leather sticks fast, or sucks
itself to the stone so tightly that you
can hardly pull it off. And when you
lift on the string up comes the leather
sucker, stone and all.
"Oh, I guess 1 can find you some
leather for that, Sammie,' said I'm
Gle Wiggily. II have an old pair of
boots, and you can cut a piece out of
one Leg"
This Sammie did, thanking Uncle
| Wiggily kindly. Then when Sammie
had his sucker he went about, soak
ing it in every little April shower pud-
die he saw, pressing it down, squee-
gee-like, on flat and round stones, and
lifting them up by the sucker and
string.
''Ho. This is fun,' cried Sammie, as
he played with his sucker.
Lots of fun!'' said Johnnie Bushy-
tail, the squirrel, who also had one of
the homemade leather toys
Let's see whose sucker is the
strongest" said Billie, the other SPUR
rel chap.
Then the animal boys went about
with their bits of leather on strings,
lifting up stones, boards and other
things.
They are having lots of fun" said
Uncle Wiggily, as he watched them.
L think l must get a sucker myself,
! n q dx-ar
you wait and see what happens
1t was not long after this that, one
| afternoon, as the bunny gentleman
was walking in the woods, he heard
some one saying:
oh, dear. There they go. Now
I'll never see them againi oh, dear"
Hal I wonder what that can be ?"
thought Uncle Wiggily Some one in
trouble. most likely. I'll see if 1 can
help. 1t may turn out to be an ad-
So he peeked between the trees and
there the rabbit gentleman saw Sam
mic Littletail (whose tail was so short
| they called him that name), there Mr.
Longears saw Sammie looking down
in deep, dark, dismal well, which
once had water in it, but which was
now as dry as a firecracker
Why, Sammie," cried Uncle Wig.
gily. You aren't going to jump down
that empty well: I hope,"
mo, indeed said Sammie, but he
spoke sadly. 81 am not going to jump
down. tho my school books did,
What" cried Uncle Wiggily. Your
school books jumped down the well:
Impossiblei"
well. they didn't exactly jump
said Sammie. But they fell out of
my paws when I was leaning over to
look. And 1 can't get them up. tho
I've tried every way. And 1 can't
study my lessons for tomorrow, and
I'll have to go to the foot of the class,
and-oh. dear"
Never mind, I'll help you," said
Uncle Wiggily. So he tried to get
Sammie's books I'D from the bottom
of the we'll. But 10 matter ] ow Ions
a stick Uncle Wiggily used he could
not reach the books. Even his red
white and blue striped rheumatism
crutch, that Nurse Jane had gnawed
for him out of u cOrnstalk, was not
long enough.
"Oh, I'll never see my nice books
again!" cried Samnie--
Yes, you will,' exclaimed Uncle
wiggily. as, all of sudden he thought
of a new plan
Howl" asked the rabbit boy
sucker!" cried Uncle Wiggily, and
when the rabbit boy took it out of his
pocket, Uncle Wiggily soaked it in a
nearby spring of water, tied a long
piece of grapevine rope to it and low
cred the sucker into the well. The
soft, spongy, sticky piece of leather
held fast to Sammie's spelling book,
which was on top, and then the bun
ny gentleman and the rabbit boy cas-
lily lifted the other strap full of books
out of the well.
There you are" said Uncle Wig
gily. smiling, and pinkling his twink
nose.
Murray! Thank you," cheered
Sammie. and then he ran home with
his books and the leather sucker
which had been SO useful. And if the
tablespoon doesn't throw the egg beat
er at the custard pie when it's play
ing tag with the oatmeal dish I'll tell
you next about Uncle Wiggily and
Susie's lunch.-(Copyright, 1917, by
Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.)