El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-05-25
"


Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy. the
muskrat lady housekeeper for the old
gentleman rabbit as she watched him
come out OF the hollow stump bunga-
low one morning with a hoe. rake and
shovel over his shoulder. Are YOU
going 10 make a garden2"
NO indeed"' laughed the bunny
rabbit Tt IS quite too late to do
that All gardens are planted by
now"
But you seem to be going to dig
something went on the muskrat
lady.
.,.I am" Uncle Wiggily answered.
m going 10 dig trench"
w ha Is trench asked Miss
IT'S like ditch. only It hasn't anv
water IN IT, explained Mr.. Longears.
NOW that am a soldier. fighting
Ior my country az tinst the biting
Fsl ls must dig a trench in
What for?" asked Nurse Jane.
On so that 1 and the other animal
Doys-Sammie Littletail. the rabbit.
ana johnnie and Billie Bushyta1. the
sellrfels-can hide down in the dry
uilchr or trench, and be safe from
harm when the mosquito enemy fires
stones at US" said Uncle Wiggilv-
SAFETY flrst, you know. Nurse Jane,"
res tnats what IL says on the
little red button the animal children
the muskrat lady. We'll. I'll watch
you dig the trench. Uncle Wiggily."
and. having washed her dishes. the
muskrat lady sat down in front of
the white tent which the bunny rab-
DIT ha0 set up in front OF his hollow
STUMP nunEl low Hhava -
shade. Nurse Jane watched Mr.. Long
ears dig Or I should call him Can
tain Longears. since he was in the
animal army making war on the bad
biting mosquitoes.
With his shovel, rake and hoe
Uncle Wiggily dug, in front Of his
tent long ditch or trench. 1t was
Just like a little brook. or river. ex-
cept that 1t was straight. and not
crooked. and IL had no water IN IL
THERE exclaimed Uncle Wiggily.
as he threw out the last shOvelful OF
earth, my trench-ditch is done, and
now when the enemy mosquitoes come
to fight US we soldiers can crawl in
II and keep out OF the way OF the
stones they throw at US"
That's good" said Nurse Jane
And now will you come in and have
some carrot soup and roasted turnip
with parsley gravy sauce sprinkled
over it2' n
A-AeAAAh g1AH EaA4 LAALAt ~ lAgs
al believe I Will" and he did. eating
in his hollow stump bungalow that
day instead OF in his soldier tent.
and not cooking his meal over his
camp fire as he usually did.
After school all the animal boys
the rabbits, the squirrels. Jackie and
Petite Bow Wow. the puppies: Jim
ME WibbiewObbie, the duck. and 9TH
ers-came to practice with Uncle
Wiggily, doing forward marching,
beating the drum, firing off bean
shooting popguns. waving wooden
swords and the like OF that.
For we must be ready when the
mosquito enemy comes" said Billie
Wagtail, the goat.
Oh, what a nice tunnel Uncle Wig
gily has dug" cried sollie Longtail.
the mouse boy, as he saw the fresh
earth.
''That isn't a tunnel" said Uncle
Wiggily. That's q trench, or ditch,
and we viii do our fighting from
there. Ready nOwi FOrward-marchl
Into the trencht" and the boy animals
hoped or crawled or flew into it.
just according to the way they
walked, and waited for the mosqui-
toes 10 come And then they made /
believe the enemy was near and fired |
the wooden brOomstick ana bean |
shooting guns at them.
Very well done" called Uncle 1
Wiggily gaily- I think we shall soon 4
beat the mosquito army and then we 4
will have peace"
For two or three days the animal |
boys practiced in the ditch or trench /
Uncle Wiggily had dug, and then one /
afternoon, when they were all in /
school. Uncle Wiggily was in the 7
ditch alone. He saw a big cloud OF 1
mosquitoes coming toward him, but /
quickly he crouched down where they 1
could not throw stones al him. and 1
he fired talcum and tooth powder at
them
''Oh. we shall never catch that rab-
bit, for now he hides in a ditch dug
in the ground" said captain mos
Yes. maybe we can" spoke an
other.
Howl" asked a third
If, with our strong bills We could
bite holes in the sides of the ditch
and let the water from the duck pond !
ocean flow in it, said The second
Eve would soon drown out
Uncle Wiggily. He can't stand wa
ter and when Il runs in his trench
he'll hop out quickly enough and
we1l get himi"
"Goodr' cried all the other mos
quitoes. only / think e was bad;
don't you2 anyhow. the unpleasant.
nippiug bugs began biting holes IN
the sides OF Uncle Wiggilys ditch.
He did not know II, for he was