The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-14
Bedtime Stories
Uncle wiggily and the Tear Pool.
BY HOWARD =. GARis


Uncle wiggily Longears. the nice
rabbit gentleman, was out walking IN
the woods one day, wondering What
sort of an adventure he would nave
when he saw little path, ieaolns
away from his hollow stump puhsa-
low, md it seemed to go thru part
of the forest in which he hao never
before been.
.'In take that path and see where
it leads said the bunny gentleman 10
himself.
So taking a piece of ribbon grass
which grew near clump or FERNS, ne
tied his tall silk hat firmly on ms
head, leaving his ears sticking out OF
the holes at the top, and tucking un-
der his paw his red white and blue
striped barber pole rheumatism
crutch that Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy,
his muskrat lady housekeeper, had
gnawed for him out of a cofnstalk.
away started Uncle Wiggily-
1t was nice warm summer uay,
and before the old gentleman bunny
had gone very far he began TO reel
thirsty. just as you do when you go
on picnic and eat pickles, only
! hope you don't eat too many of them
81 wonder if there is not a spring
| of water around here?" thought I'm
| Gle Wiggily and he began TO look
bout under the low branches of the
| trees and bushes. at the same time
| listening for the laughing murmur of
a brook flowing over green, messy
stones.
Then Uncle wiggily shifted with
! his pink, twinliling nose until 1T looked
like a chicken picking up corn.
| ''Ah. hal" cried the bunny uncle. ~
smell water!" for you know animals
and birds can smell water when they
cannot see it, in which they are more
gifted than we ere
So Uncle Wiggily shifted and
shifted, and then, holding his pink,
twinkling nose straight in front OF him
tagging behind, he followed it until it
| led him straight to a little pool OF wa
ter that was sparkling in the sun.
while green moss, ferns and bushes
grew all around.
"Oh, what a fine sprng!" cried the
bunny. And how thirsty l ami
! Mr.. Longears, which I call him
when first l introduce him to any
! strangers-Mr. Longears was just go
ing to take a long drink from the pool
or spring. when he happened to no.
tice a little piece of white birch bark
tied with a bit of grass to a fern that
grew near the water.
| "Hai l wonder if that is a notice
| rot to trespass, or not to fish or hunt,
and to keep off the grass or no adj
| nittance except on business or some
thing like that?" thought Uncle Wig
gily, as he put on his glasses to sec
if there was any writing the birch
bark, which animal folk use as we use
paper. And there was some writing
on it. 1t read:
please do not jump in drink until
come. Alice from Wonderland"
"Ha! That is strange" thought
Uncle Wiggily. 'Alice must have been
here and put up that sign. But I
| wonder why she did it? If she knew
how warm and thirsty 1 she
would not make me wait until she
came to get drink. Perhaps it is all
! a joke. and not her writing at all. One
of the bad slSillery-scalery alligators
or the fuzzy fox may have put UP the
| sign to fool me-"
But when the rabbit gentleman took
a second lopk at the birch bark sign
he saw that it really was Alice's writ
| ing.
well, she must have some reason
for it, said the bunny, with a sigh.
She dreamed rightly about two fat
boys-Twecdledum and Tweedledee--
saving me from the alligators, so she
must have some reason for asking me
to wait until she comes. But l am
very thirsty"
/ Uncle Wiggily sat down on the
green, messy bank beside the spring
of water and looked at it, And it
seemed so cool and wet. and he was
so thirsty, that 1t was all he could do
! 10 keep from jumping in and having Z
bath, as well as drinking all he
wanted.
The sun grew hotter and more hot.
and the rabbit gentleman more and
more thirsty, and he didn't know what
to do when. all of sudden. out from
the bushes jumped a bad old black
bear.
'Ah. hal" growled the bear. ct lam
just in time, 1 Sect and he ran his
red tongue over his white teeth as tho
giving it a trolley ride in baby car
rias6
In time for what?" asked incl.
Wiggily, casual Ike and make-believs
In time for lunch" answered
the bear. Il was afraid I'd be
nut ndt,e late. ! hope I haven't kept
WiggiIy. ''i'cio
mo. For mine," And once mor.
Inc bear smacked his lips hungry like,
Il am just in time, 1 see''
| "Oh, thought you meant vo,, ,,,a,a
Just IN time to take a drink Of tbis
water. said The bunny, pointing nj
the pool. II you did you aren't"
4 - l uid aren't? What kind of
like. curl"us
mean we can't have a drink nm
III Aiice comes-the sign saws SO :"
spoke Uncle Wiggily. politely.
/ snanped uoh believe in signs.r
I'm going to have a drink" and Win
.Iat ne took long one from the
, W1oaiana pool And then a funny
/ ~ SIOW smaller and
! smaller First he was the sire Of =
aog, tnen OF cat. then of a kitten
, rnem ne shrank to the littleness of a
mouse ana next he was ike a June
bug. Then he became a JuIv h,,n
next he was no larger than Iittis
oiack ant, and finally he became =
microbe. and Uncle WiggiIy couldn't
see him at all.
| We'll. thank goodness. he's pono,.
sald the bunny. But what made mir,
SO shrinking like / wonder?v
1t was the pool of tears said
voice behind the bunny. and there
| stood Alice from Wonderland ..T-hts