The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-21
Bedtime Stories
Uncle WiggiIy and the Spring.
BY HOWARD r. GARIs

Uncle Wiggily Longears, the nice
| rabbit gentleman, turned over on the
bed of dried leaves in his hollow
stump bungalow, opened his mouth
for big, comfortable. lazy yawn,
| twinkled. his pink nose, stretched him
self itchy-etchy like, and exclaimed:
Il wonder what makes me feel SO
| lackskidadical?"
Spring fever!" answered Nurse
Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the muskrat lady
kitchen boiling carrots for breakfast.
| Spring fever?"- cried the bunny
| uncle.
Yes, this is the first day of spring.
went on the bewhiskered housekeeper.
The twenty-first of March is spring
the little birds begin to sing'-don't
| you remember"
"Oh, yes, so 1 do" exclaimed the
rabbit gentleman. getting out of bed
so quickly that he turned the pillow
| breakfast in a hurry, quickly took his
| red, white and blue striped rheuma-
tism crutch off the clock shelf and
| hurried from the bungalow.
Where are you going?" asked
| Nurse Jane.
ITO look for the spring and have an
adventure" was the bunny's answer
as he hoped along. For 1 certainly
am tired of winter" said Uncle Wig
| gily. "A little bit is all right, with
Christmas. New Years. sleigh bells,
yskating. sliding down hill and the like
| of that. But too much is more than
enough. I'll be glad to see the spring.
Along hoped the bunny rabbit lis
tening for the songs of the BIRDS
which is one of the first and best sings
| i mean signs-of spring, tho even
the birds make a mistake once in a
! while.
But all I hear singing around here
are the sparrows, the chickadees and
the starlings'' spoke the bunny uncle.
And they stay with us all winter, at
least around the Orange mountains, so
they are not real spring and summer
birds. I must look a little farther"
So on he hoped, now and then
stopping to listen for the chirp of
robin. or the soft whistle of a bluebiYSl
But I don't i.ee-.' or see any," said
Uncle Wiggily, after a bit. Il fear L
shall have no adventure with the
spring today"
and. after listening a while for the
birds, he happened to think of spring
flowers. Perhaps there were some
growing in the woods.
So, with the red, white and blue
striped rheumatism crutch he gently
thrust aside the snow from the dried
leaves. For there is a spring flower,
called trailing arbutus, which some
times blossoms even under the snow.
But none of these sweet posies could
the rabbit uncle find.
We'll, I guess l shall have no good
luck today" at last Uncle Wiggily
said. Il may as well go back to my
hollow stump bungalow and wait for
tomorrow. Oh, dear-no adventure
at all-it's too bad,"
Then, all of a sudden. Uncle Wig
gily saw, little way off, thru fringe
of bushes that, as yet had only some
buds on them, and no leaves. the bum
ny uncle saw Sammie Littletail, the
ra bbit boy; Johnnie and Billie Bushy-
tail the squirrels, and Jackie and
Peetie Bow Wow, the puppy dogs
he saw them running. skipping and
hopping along, most merrily.
Come on cried Sammie Come
on, boys, it's right over this way, Come
on
go on, We're comingl" cried the
others.
II found it and I'll show all of you
where it is went on the rabbit boy.
"Hai 1 wonder what it is he's
found ~ thought Uncle Wiggily. May
be it's a bluebird or arbutus flow
err l must follow and see. Perhaps 1
shall have an adventure after ALL
Now you just wait and see what hap
pens.
So the bunny hurried along after
/ the animal boys, behind the bushes. as