The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-19
Bedtime Stories
Uncle Wiggily and the Halter.
BY HOWARD r. GARIs

ooh, Uncle Wiggily." called Nurse
Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the muskrat lady
! rabbit gentleman, started to hop out
of his hollow stump bungalow one
! morning. "Oh, Uncle Wiggily,'
We'll, what is it? % asked the bunny
with polite bow. DO you want any
thing from the store"
/ Some carrot coffee, if you please,
answered the muskrat lady. When
you finish your walk and have had
nice adventure, bring home some COT
! fee."~
| IN do it," promised Uncle Wiggily,
| ard then, as he hoped along, over the
| fields and thru the woods, he thought
perhaps he had better buy the carrot
coffee first.
| For" said he to himself. I might
have such a funny adventure that I'd
| forget all about what Nurse Jane told
! me-.
! Now you just wait and see what
| happens, if you please.
1t did not take the bunny long to
get the coffee, the monkey doodle gen.
! tleman who kept the store wrapping it
! up for him in paper that had been
twisted around lollypop candy.
It's a bit sticky and sweet" said
the monkey doodle store keeper,
, speaking of the lollypop paper. but
that will stop the coffee from falling
OUT
Fine" laughed Uncle wiggi1y, and
then he hoped on to look for an ad-
venture. He had not gone very far
before when, all of sudden, he heard
a voice sa wing:
We'll. 1 don't know what to do
about it, that's all. 1 never saw such
trouble. The idea of wanting me to
get ready for it this time of day.''
''Ha, Troublev thought Uncle
Wisgily. This is where 1 come in.
What is it you can't get ready for this
time of day, and who are you?" asked
the bunny, for he saw no one.
oh, it's you, Is it?' called a voice
and out from under a mulberry bush
stepped a little man, with such a large
hat that it covered him from head 10
foot.
"Oh. excuse me-" said Uncle Wig
| gily. You are
The halter, Exactly! You have
guessed it, said the little man, open
ing a window which was cut in the
side of his hat. The window was just
opposite his face, which was inside, So
he could look out at the bunny gentle
man.
I'm the Halter, from Alice in Won
derland,' went on the little man. The
bunny hadn't really guessed it, tho
he might if he had had time.
And what is the trouble?" asked
Uncle Wiggily.
: "Oh, I've just been ordered by the
right away for Alice. who IS expected
any minute went on the Halter. And
here it is 10 o'clock in the morning,
: and the teas at S, and haven even
started
You have lots of time" said Uncle
Wiggily. Hours and hours
) Yes. but I haven't the teal" cried
: the Halter. Don't mind me, but I'm
l as mad-as mad as-as lolIypops, and
there's nothing madder than them!'
= 4 1t. l.
This grinding made Uncle Wi6gily
think of the coffee in his pocket. So,
holding 'ut the package, he said:
Il don't suppose this would do,
would it,"
: What" asked the Halter.
It's Coffee" went on the bunny
''but-
: 1.-THE very thing," cried The Halter
? who was now smiling. 1T will be just
} the thing for the o'clock tea. We'll
have it right here-I1I set the table,
? and opening two little doors. lower
down in his big hat, he stuck his arms
} thro them and began brushing off a
S broad, flat stump near Uncle Wig
5 gily.
! said the Halter. This is great. Uncle
= Wiggily Wen have tea for Alice af-
S ter all, and make things happen as
f they do in the book. Don't mind me
= saying I was as mad as lollypops
know-or things wouldn't come Out
y right
t It See said Uncle Wiggily, remem-
g bering that it was quite stvlish to be
= "as mad as a halter" tho he never
= before knew what it meant. but yot
t see, my dear sir" the rabbit went on
r q have coffee, and not tea
TT doesn't ter" said the Hat
y ter '-I'll boil it in cocoanut shell
q and it will do her very WELL" ant
A with that he took out. from some
where inside his hat, half cocoanu
: shell This he set on top of the stunt
/ on a little three-legged stool, and bull
s. fire under it.
n But you need water to make cot
: feel mean tea" said Uncle Wig
= gily.
d 4 have it," cried the Halter. AM
picking up an umbrella plant growing
>, nearby, he squeezed some water from
r it into the cocoanut shell kettle.
V Uncle Wiggily poured some of tn
q ground coffee into the umbrella water
" which was now boiling, and then tn
V bunny exclaimed:
& But we have no sugar.
$ Wen sweeten it with the pape
that came off the lollypop." said tn
If Halter. tearing off a bit of it and toss
o ing it into the tea-coffee-
v What about nlilk?' asked Uncl
1. Wiggily. Alice may want cream il
e her coffee-I mean tea
= Here we are," cried the Halter.
o With that he picked leaf from
n n1ilkweed plant growing near the fla
I stump and squeezed out some drops Q
n milk into a cup he made from a Jack
IL in-the-pulpit flower.
Now we're all ready for o'c1oc
y teal cried the Halter, and just the
y along came Alice from Wonderland
- with the March Hare. and they SO
down to the stump table with Uncl
20 Wiggily, who happened to have
- piece of cherry pie in his pocket, S
= they had a nice little lunch after al
=, And the carrot coffee with milkwee
rs cream in it, tasted just like catnip tie:
10 so everything came out all right.
n And if the white shoe don't g