The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-27
Bedtime Stories
BY HOWARD r. GARIs

Uncle WiggiIy and the Croquet BAN.
why in the world are you taking
those bottles with you?" asked Nurse
Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the muskrat lady
housekeeper, as she saw Uncle Wig
gily. the bunny rabbit gentleman.
hopping off the front porch of his
hollow stump bungalow one morning.
These are the prizes Alice from
Wonderland gave me-" answered Mr..
Longears, as he looked at the blue and
red corked bottle. THE red one makes
things grow larger and the blue one
makes them smaller. I am going to
take them with me as I go looking
for an adventure today, as there is no
telling when 1 might need them. I
did yesterday, when the alligator
caught me. 1 gave him a drink from
( the blue bottle and he shrunk until he
was no larger than baby angle
worm
The rabbit gentleman had not gone
very far, twinkling his pink nose as he
| hoped, before, all of a sudden, he
came to a place where a big stone
grew out of the ground, and near it
| "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"
'Ha, That sounds like troubled"
exclaimed the bunny. who are you
and what is the matter?" he asked,
kindly.
"Oh, I am a Lady Bug" was the
answer, land L am so small that 1
either get lost all the while, or all the
other animals and bugs in the forest
| step on me. Oh, wish l were larger
SO 1 could be more easily SEEM"
You are rather hard to see," said
Uncle Wiggily. and he had to look
| twice thru his glasses before he could
notice the Lady Bug. At the first
look he only half saw her, but the sec
ond time he saw her fully.
I'D like to- be about as large as a
June Beetle" said the Lady Bug. But
1 don't s'pose 1 ever shall be-"
"Oh, yes you will" cried jolly Uncle
wiggily
81 will. How" asked the Lady
Bug, eagerly.
Il have here some water in a magic
bottle" said the bunny. "I'1l give you
a few drops of it, and 1t will make you
grow larger" So he took some water
from the red-corked flask, and let the
Lady Bug sip it. Instantly she grew
| as large a turkey.
"Oh, now I'm too big she said.
81 see you are said Uncle Wiggily.
I'll have to give you some from the
other bottle and make you grow
smaller" So he did, but he must have
given little too much, for the Lady
Bug suddenly grew as small as the
point of a baby pin.
"Oh, this is worse and worse" she
said sadly.
Il know it," agreed Uncle Wiggily
wait, I'll give you a little of both
kinds" and he did, so the Lady Bug
grew to the size of a small potato
which was just right, so she would not
get lost or stepped on.
After the Lady Bug had thanked
him, Uncle Wiggily. with his two mag
ical bottles, hoped on thru the woods
He had not gone very far before he
saw Alice of Wonderland and the
Queen of Hearts playing croquet on &
grassy place
Come on, Uncle wiggily," called
Alice. You're just in time for the
game"
ing mallet and round wooden bal
which the Queen handed him.
Three strikes and you're out!'
warned the Queen.
What does she mean?" asked I'm
Gle Wiggily of Alice. This isn't base.
ball"
She means" explained the little
flaxen-haired girl, that if you miss
striking the croquet ball three times
with your mallet you have to go out
and bring IN some ice cream"
"Oh, 1 shan't mind that" the bun
ny rabbit said. I'm fact, shall rath-
er like it. Now, what do do"
Play ball." suddenly cried the
Queen of Hearts, and she struck with
her mallet the croquet ball near hel
) such a hard blow that it sailed thru
; the air and hit Uncle wiggly in the
: coat tails. And then something
cracked.
All at once the croouet ball begar
: growing largeri Bigger and bigger il
, grew, like SNOWFALL which you roll
in the yard, and then It began to roll
after Uncle Wiggily. Down the Gro.
quet ground the big wooden ball chas.
, ed after him, rolling closer and clos
err
"Oh. my!" cried the Queen o.
Hearts. What have done?"
The ball cracked the magical rec
stoppered bottle that was in my coat
; tail pocket" cried Uncle Wiggily owe,
!; magic blg-growing water spilled or
: the ball, and now it has turned into
, a giant! Oh, it will crush mel"
And, really, it did seem as though
1t was as large as a house and still
growing, so strong was the water ir
the magical bottle that had beer
broken.
Larger and larger grew the crooue
bail, and faster and faster it rolled
after Uncle Wiggiiy. 1t was almos
on his heels now, and the bunny gen.
tleman was running so fast that hi:
tall silk hat flew off
oh. what shall 1 do?" he cried.
Alice thought for minute, ther
Quick, Uncle wiggily. Take on
the blue-corked ID tile and sprinki,
; some of that water on the croou .
!. BALI Hurry now.'
, Uncle Wiggily did. AS he ran h,
turned and threw back over his Shout
del some of the blue bottle water OF
> the big rolling croquet ball. And, al
, at once, just as the alligator hat
done, the croquet ball shrank ant
shrank until it was no larger than ,
boys marble. and then it couldn'
: hurt Uncle Wiggily even if it did rol
, lon him.
But it is a good thing he had tina
bottle of shrinking water with him
And, il the exrressman doesn't TAX
the bacy carriage to ride the truni
down to the five-and-ten-cent store
buy a new piano. I'll tell you mex
about Uncle Wiggily and the Do-do.-
Copyright, 1917, by Mcclure News
paper Syndicate
HOUSEHOLD HINTS