The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-29
Bedtime Stories
By HOWARD H. 0ARIs


the bungalow" asked Uncle Wiggily
Longears, the rabbit gentleman. of his
lady housekeeper one morn
ing.
'Rice?" repeated Miss Fuzzy Wuz-
zy. is there going to be a wedding"
and she switched her tail around the
hollow stump real excited like.
NO" said Uncle Wiggily with a
laugh. What 1 want of rice is for
the soldiers to eat"
1.-The soldiers to eat?" asked Nurse
Jane. What soldiers?"
why, you know that 1 am study
ing to be a soldier since the mosquito
war began went on the bunny rab-
bit gentleman, and Sammie Little
tail, the rabbit boy; Johnnie and Billie
Bushytail. the squirrels; Jackie and
Peetie Bow Wow, the puppy dogs
they are all studying with me in my
tent, just outside the hollow stump
bungalow.
I'VE need things to eat that will keep
well, like corn, rice and oatmeal. and
l was thinking of cooking some rice
cakes for a change. You know I'm
the soldier cook, but have no rice, so
L thought maybe you had
Not enough for you hungry SOL
diers to eat!" laughed Nurse Jane. so
better get some at the store"
Il WILL said Uncle Wiggily. How
do you cook rice?"
We'll, first you take the dry, hard,
white rice kernels" answered the
muskrat lady, and put them to soak
in cup, or bowl of water. And when
the kernels have softened up, you boil
them in a little hot water with a pinch
of SALT
why do you pinch the salt ?" asked
Uncle Wiggily, making his pink nose
twinkle like banana peeling. lis it
naughty"
No, indeed" laughed the muskrat
lady. It's just to give it a little
flavor"
So leaving Sammie Littletail. the
rabbit boy, on guard in front of the
tent near the bungalow, Uncle Wigglly
went to the store for the rice. He was
in such a hurry to get back to cook il
that he never stopped to have an adj
venture But just you wait and see
what happened to him.
Now Sammie," said the bunny as
ne reached the tent, I'VE have tho
rice, and we will put it to soak in cold
water before we boil it with the
Pitched salt, which isn't naughty, as
you might think.
Nurse Jane has gone over to Mrs
Wibblewobble's house to help the duck
lady sew red flannel caps for bald
y
galow and get a pan in which / can
put the rice to soak"
Sammie brought out large dish
pan and asked if that would be large
enough.
81 guess So" answered Uncle Wig
gily. uncertain like. I'VE want plenty
of rice cakes-we soldiers debut I
think that will be enough to start
with
He had bought at the store a big
haO nf rio nd he Ie1
into the dishpan and poured water
over the top.
Now come on outside. Sammie,"
said Uncle Wiggily to his rabbit
nephew. and we will p-.-ctice with
our bean-shooterS while waiting for
the rice to soak. Then when it has
done enough swimming in the water
I'll make the cakes for the other ami
NAL boy soldiers SO we'll all be strong
to fight mosquitoes"
Good" cried Sammie and after
the rice was left to sleep and soak in
the water the bunny boy and old gen.
tleman shot at mark with the bean
shooters
some more beans" said Sammie after
while. when they had shot away all
they had brought out with them.
Into the white tent went Sammie.
and no sooner had the flap, or front
door. closed after him than he cried:
"Oh. Uncle Wiggily, come quickly!
The rice is escaping"
"Escaping?" shouted Captain Long
ears, as he liked to be called. What
do you mean?"
II mean it is running away, out of
the pan, over the tent floor and ev-
erywhere," Sammie answered. "Oh,
look"
Uncle Wiggily hurried in and look
ed Sure enough the pan, that had
at first only been partly full of rice
and water. was now trimming run
ming over full. and the rice seemed to
keep on coming, like a pepper full of
corn over a hot fire.
What makes it?" asked Sammie
as the rice in the middle of the pan
seemed to bob up as tho a circus
elephant were underneath, trying to
turn a peppersault
I don't know" answered Uncle
Wiggily. II guess some enemy mos
quitoes are under the pan trying to
get our rice
And my! You should have seen
that rice boil up and bubble over and
run out Of the pan and down on the
ground.
1--WE must not let it waste." cried
Uncle W1ggfly. Quick. Sammie into
the bungalow with you, and get all
the pots, pans, pals, Ii.ik bottles and
flower pots you can, in which to catch
this rice. Quicki"
Sammie did, and he and the bunny
Uncle filled about forty-Ieven things
with the rice, including a washtub THE
whole soldier tent was filled with rice
What made so much of IT ?" asked
Uncle Wiggfly of Nurse Jane when the
muskrat lady came back from Mrs.
Wibblewobble's II didn't buy this
much dried rice at the store"
"Of course noti" laughed Nurse
Jane should have told you that
rice swells up very much in water
ana that you only need about a cupf,,l
10 make big pudding. Oh, wiggy,
what lot of ricel Oh, my,'
But it was not wasted, for the hun
ny uncle man made enough rice cakes
Tor the whole animal army, and All
tne woodland folk besides. So eyerv
cnlng came out all rice-I mean all
come too late to eat breakfast with ma