The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-02
Bedtime Stories
Uncle wiggily and the Big Rain.
BY HOWARD r. eARIs

IL
where Uncle Wiggily Longears, the
rabbit gentleman. lived in hollow
stump bungalow with Nurse Jane
| Fuzzy WuZzy, his muskrat lady house,
keeper. 1t stormed for a week.
And it doesn't seem to even want
to STOP" spoke the bunny uncle as he
stood looking out the window, with
his pink, twinkling nose pressed
against the glass. Have we enough
to eat, Nurse Jane?"
Eyes, for little while longer. But
| in another day or so wen need bread
and sugar. 1 don't see how L am to
get out, though, to go to the store
after them"
Make your mind easy about that.
dear Miss Fuzzy wuzzy." spoke the
| bunny uncle, TN CO."
.But in this big rain you can't, -
said Nurse Jane. You'd get soaking
| wet"
Not in my rain coat, with my rub
Der boots on and an umbrella to keep
dry my tall silk hat said Uncle Wig
gily. a 81 ssI
! So two days after that. when it was
still raining hard, and there was no
more bread or sugar left in the hollow
stump bungalow. Uncle Wiggily, TAX
ing his pink, twinkling nose away
from the window, said:
Well, I'll go to the store, rain or
no rain
Away he started in his coat. rubber
boots and umbrella, but until he got
\ outside the bungalow he had no idea
| how hard it was raining. The big
| drops just pelted down. splashing even
thru the umbrella. But that was not
| the worst
| All over Woodland were big puddIes
OF water. and after Uncle Wiggily had
| stepped in two or three of them, go
ing in over the tops of his boots, he
said:
This will never do, 1 need a boat.
I'll have to get boat to go to the
| store'
Back he waded to S bungalow.
soaking wet, and while Nurse Jane
was drying him out by the fire he
| said:
Have we boat anywhere around
! the bungalow, Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy?" 8
Indeed we have not" she said.
You have an automobile and an air
| ship. but no boat
Neither an airship nor an automo-
| bile is of much use in a flood and
| rain said the bunny. 81 need a boat
/ and I guess I'll have to make one"
Can you?" asked Nurse Jane.
Indeed I cam" answered Uncle
wiggily.
'.How ?' asked the muskrat lady
Out of paper" replied the bunny
| gentleman. when was a boy rab-
| bit in school learned to make paper
boats. I'll make an extra large and
strong one now, out of brown paper,
and in thai I'll go to the store.''
SO Uncle Wiggily. getting big sheet
| of heavy brown paper. made the boat.
| first folding the paper into soldier
hat as you always do when you're
| turning out one of these canoes. In
a little while the boat was finished,
| and in it the rabbit gentleman started
! out once more thru the big rain to go
| to the store
/ He used Nurse James wooden pud-
/ ding spoon for a paddle. ] mean the
spoon was wooden, not the pudding.
| But Uncle Wiggily had not gone
| very far before something happened.
| The water of the puddles began to
| soak thru the paper boat. and the
| bunny, seeing that it was leaking
! quickly padded back to the bungalow
/ He reached the front steps only
| just in time. for his paper boat seemed
to melt like ice cream on a hot day,
| and all came apart
This will never dol" said Uncle
Wiggily. al can't go to the store in
| that kind Of a paper boat If only
had some paper thae water would not
wet
ct have some of the very kind, -
said Nurse Jane
| Where is it?s asked s-ncle Wig
4 giiy.
TITS the waxed paper that comes
wrapped around bread to keep it
fresh" said the muskrat ;ady. Water
cannot go thru waxed cper, and I
| have saved a lot
| Good" cried Uncle W.ggily. So he
made another boat of wake paper
and that did not sink In K he started
\ for the store. and half way there Jim
nie Wibblewobble, the boy duck. who
! didn't mind rain or floods met the
| rabbit gentleman. and pulled the
| waxed pa per boat TO the store and
4 back again for him.
So Uncle Wiggily got tn bread, su-
4 gar and other things to eat, and the
next day the big rain STEPPED But
! this shows You how learning to make
paper boats is sometimes = good thing.
i And IL the honeysuckle v'nc doesn't
j forget to sweeten my coffee in the
| morning when it climbs up to play
4 tag with the rambler rose, I'll tell
4 you next about Uncle Wiyxily and the
dandeIions.-tC Copyright. 1917, by Nc
Clure Newspaper Syndicate.)