The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-21
Bedtime Stories
BY HOWARD r. GARIs

Uncle Wiggily and the Oriole Bird.
High up on the dropping branch of
the elm tree swung the nest of the
oriole bird. The nest was like some
of the fancy bags the ladies carry in
which to hide little looking glasses so
they can flash them in the sun and
make their eyes brighter.
The mother and father oriole birds
sat in the tree near the hanging nest
and sang songs to one another. Soon
the little birds would be able to fly
out from the nest, which was just
like lady'S bag, except that it had
four strings instead of two to it to
fasten it to the branch of the elm
tree. The nest was deep and lined
with soft grass. SO that it would al
most hold water
Uncle Wiggily Longears. the rabbit
gentleman, was hopping along on his
red, white and blue striped barber
pole rheumatism crutch beneath the
nest, and, looking up, he asked the
orio1e birds:
May L have the pleasure of doing
you a favor this morning? 1 am go
ing to the store for Nurse Jane Fuzzy
Wuzzy to get her some sugar to bake
cake and if there is anything you
would like me to get you please tell
me-"
thing we want said the mother
oriole bird. my little ones will leave
the nest today to hunt bugs and
worms for themselves, so I will not
have to search over the farms and
gardens for them. So we need moth
ing"
"All right" said Uncle Wiggily, as
he hoped along by himself, wishing
| he might do a favor for somebody.
And he did a little later. He saw a
ladybug, walking along fence rail,
| irving to carry a crumb of bread, and
| it was too large for her, being almost
the size of herself.
LET me carry that loaf for you,''
said the bunny, and he took it For,
| tho to us it was only the size of a
crumb, it was very large to the lady
bug.
'"Thank you, I wish you good luck, -
said the lady bug when the. bunny
rabbit gentleman had taken the
crum b-1 loaf to her front door.
tWell, I may need your good-luck
wish, so I thank you," spoke the
bunny with a low and polite bow of
his tall silk hat. Then he hoped on
| to get the sugar.
| The monkey doodle who kept the
store put the sweet sugar in a paper
| bag for Uncle Wiggily, and the rabbit
gentleman was going carefully along
on his way back to his hollow stump
| bungalow, wondering what sort of a
cake Nurse Jane was going to bake,
when, all of a sudden. the bunny
1
whizz of wheels, and a voice called:
Look out, Uncle Wiggilyi"
But then it was too late to look out,
or look in, either, for Slap! Bang!"
Sammie Litt1etail, the rabbit boy, who
was riding down the street on his
roller sidewalk coaster wagon.
"Oh, dear!" cried Sammie, and well
might he say that. For he had upset
Uncle Wiggily, knocking down the old
! raj hif cQntlan0Qn Tossing his tall silk
hat one way and the bag of sugar the
other. And the bag burst and the
sugar spilled out all over the side
walk.
"oh, myI" cried Uncle wiggily. his
pink nose twinkling so fast that it
looked like an electric sign in front of
barber shop. "Oh, my! What will
Nurse Jane say?"
! can scoop up the sugar again, Uncle
Wiggily," said Sammie, getting off the
sidewalk scooter and beginning to
brush up the sweet, white grains of
sugar. Maybe we can save most of
it and you can buy little more and
it."
But what are we going to put the
sugar IMP" asked the bunny rabbit
| gentleman. THE paper bag is burst
I'VE can put some in your tall silk
hat and some in my pockets" spoke
| Sammie.
So the rabbit boy began to help I'm
Gle Wiggily brush up and pick up the
sugar They put some in the tall silk
hat. But, alas! 1t all ran out again
for there were holes in Uncle Wiggily's
hat to give air to his whiskers, and
from these holes the sugar poured.
Never mindI My pockets will hold
the sugar." said Sammie. But alack-
a-dayi they would not, for they, too
like the pockets of most boys, had
holes in them.
"Oh, what shall we do? What can
we put the spilled sugar in?" asked
Uncle Wiggily. II guess I'll have to
go back to the store for another bag
"Oh, no, you won't have to do that, >
said a soft voice in the air over his
oriole bird 'I'll let you take my old
hanging nest. that my family no long
er needs, for a sugar bag" said the
oriole. And, what is more, we birds
with our bills just made for picking
up crumbs, will help pick up the
grains of sugar."
So the mother and father oriole
birds and the little orio1e birds, and
even the lady bug picked up Uncle
Wiggily's spilled sugar, putting it in
the hanging bag nest, which the oriole
bird brought down out of the tree fol-
Uncle <Wiggily. The nest held the
sugar, not letting a grain spill, and
when Uncle Wiggily brought it tc
Nurse Jane, she said:
What funny sugar bags they are
using at the store now2"
But Uncle Wiggily twinkled his nose
and never said a word. So everything
came out all right. you see. and, if the
lawn mower doesn't cut the tops of
the milk bottles so the rain SHOWS IL
them, I'll tell you next about Uncle
1917, by Mcclure Newspapr Syndi'
cate.)