The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-23
Bedtime Stories
Uncle wigsiIy Plays Croquet.
BIZ HOWARD n. GARIs

his hollow stump bungalow to have
an adventure, all of sudden as ne
was passing under big tree some
thing fell on his head and covered
him I'D even down to the end or MS
little stubby tail.
"Oh, my!" cried Uncle Wiggily. I
wonder if the sky has fallen on me,
as it once did on poor Henry Penny
Then he looked about him, as veil
as he could, for he found himself IN
darkness, and he saw that what mad
fallen on him was a big basket-the
kind rich people keep their potatoes
why. how in the world did this
get over me?" asked the bunny RAD
bit out loud. And he was surprised
when a voice answered him:
II dropped it on top of you, that's
| how it got over you
| bit gentleman, trying to be as brave
It am your friend. the skillery-
scalery alligator with humps on his
TAIL" was the answer, "and have
| caught you"
You have caught me. surely
enough" sadly said Uncle WigSily,
but you are no friend of mine or
| you would let me co.
THAT shall not do" said the ga
| tor, smacking his lips, hungry like
Il am going to carry you off to my
| dem"
| And then, hosting up on his Shout
der the potato basket with Uncle Wig
| gily in it. the alligator started off
| over the fields and thru the woods,
carrying Mr.. Longears.
well, this is an adventure surely
enough, and one quite early in the
morning" thought Uncle Wiggily.
| BUT ut is one 1 would rather not have
What would my nice muskrat lady
housekeeper, Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuz-
zy, say If she could see me now?"
On and on went the gator, carrying
Uncle wiggily, and pretty soon he
came to his den under the rocks
There he took the rabbit gentleman
out of the basket and tied him fast to
a leg of the kitchen stove
stay here until come back" said
the alligator.
where are you going?" asked I'm
Gle Wiggily.
IT am going to get my friend, the
alligator with the double-jointed tail"
MAS MAS, the an ii, land dc ghen we come
Now Uncle Wiggily did not like this
at all, for well he knew that he would
have to take part in that lunch and
he did mot care for it. But there was
nothing he could do, as he was locked
in the alligator's den.
Pretty soon he heard voices talk
ing, and in came the two unpleasant
creatures.
"Ah. ha, see you have at last
caught that fat rabbit said the
double jointed tail gator.
4 Yes, and lunch will soon be ready"
said the other, as he poked the fire.
while we are waiting would you like
to do anything?" he asked his friend.
Well: now that you mention it, !
would like to play a game of croQuet,'
was the answer, "croquet always did
give me an appetite"
II am sorry" said the hump tailed
gator. But have no croquet balls,
no mallets, no wickets and no colofed
end stakes. We can't play croquet."
the other. II did SO want to. Per-
haps your friend Uncle wiggily has a
croquet set in his tall silk hat"
'Ha! Hal" laughed the hump-tailed
gator. "A croquet set in a tall silk
hat! Whoever heard of such a thing .
But am sorry 1 cannot give you your
wish. If I thought Uncle Wiggily
could fix it so we could have a cro-
quet game 1 would do almost any
Would you?" asked the bunny
uncle, quickly. DO you mean that?
II 1 fix 1t so you two alligators can
play croquet will you let me go?''
The hump-taiied alligator thought
for minute and then, winking his
eye at his friend, said:
well, if you can make us a croquet
set. and then beat us two playing the
game, I'll let you CO."
"All right" cried brave Uncle Wig
gily. I'll do it,
hump-tailed gator. Even If he does
we'll beat him playing the game
Sure" said the other.
So they united Uncle Wiggily from
the stove, and then what did the brave
bunny rabbit do? Why. he looked
around until he found a willow tree
and taking some bent branches from
that, shaped like. the letter U turned
upside down, he stuck them in the
ground.
There are the croquet wickets. -
he said.
Then he gnawed off two straight
willow sticks, and stained them yellow
with dandelions, purple with violet
flowers and red with wild strawberry
juice, and he had the two colored end
stakes. Then he looked under the
pine tree until he found some round
cones. and these were the crouuet
balls. Then he took some of the
longer cones, and making a hole in
the middle, he fastened in long stick
for handle.
There are croquet mallets," said
Uncle Wiggily, land, as we have the
wickets. stakes. balls and all, we will
now begin the game
Well Welt" exclaimed the hump
tailed gator. at didn't think he'd do
it. But Wen beat him playing the
camel"
But did they? They did not
When everything was all ready I'm
Gle Wiggily suddenly gave his pine
cone mallet swing, hit a rough pine
cone ball and knocked 1t on the
humptailed gators nose.
"Ouch!' cried the bad creature, and
he had to sneeze. Then Uncle wiggiIy
knocked another rough pine cone on
| the other 'gator's nose ma king him
cry OUGHT" also. and he, too, sneezed
And the alligators sneezed so much
| that they could not catch Uncle Wig
giIy, who hoped safely home to his
hollow stump bungalow. So that's
how he got away by playing crouuet.
And If the humble bee doesn't tumble
off the blackberry vine and spill his
bag of honey, I'll tell you next about