The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-06
Bedtime Stories

BY HOWARD Il. GARIs

stump bungalow. He had his bean
shooter gun over his shoulder, and
was on the watch for any bad biting |
| mosquito enemies.
All of a sudden Uncle Wiggily heard |
rustling in the bushes. as if some |
one were coming toward his tent
where he was a sentry on guard, and |
he called:
Halt
That's what a soldier says instead
of
stop, if you please!'' 1t means the
same thing.
"Oh my goodness me sakes alive |
and some pineapple jelly lollypops!"
cried Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the
| m uskrat lady housekeeper. How you
frightened mel"
''Oh, it's you, is it," asked Uncle
wiggily. II did not know you were
| coming to pay me visit, Nurse Jane |
Excuse me. Come in the tent and sit
down to rest" and he made a low bow
with his tall, silk hat.
Thank you, 1 haven't time" Nurse
Jane made answer. But 1 was Won
dering if you had time to go to the
store for me-
| Surely 1 have" Uncle Wiggily an
swered. What is it you want?"
| Soap erd starch and bluing," re-
piled Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy- Mrs. Wag-
gletail, the duck wash lady is coming
tomorrow. and L want to have every
|
clothes uIce and clean"
| I'll get the soap and other things
for you Ut once said Cnc,e Wiggily.
! Just as soon as Billie Bushtail, the
squirrel boy comes back from his
lunch of nut sandwiches to stand on
| guard in my place. You see We SOL
diers, in this mosquito war, have to
take turns guarding the tent" said
the bunny rabbit gentleman
| Iretty soon the squirrel boy came,
and then. when Billie had taken the
bean shooter popgun over his shoul-
der. Uncle Wiggily went to the store
for Nurse Jane.
And while you are putting up sone
starch, SOAP and other things, to make
clean clothes for Nurse Jane" said
the rabbit gentleman to the monkey
doodle store keeper, put UP some for
me We soldiers must wash our
! clothes, too"
Very good spoke the money
doodle gentleman, and he put in the
package some nice soap for Uncle
Wiggily.
The "a hbit gentleman gave Nurse
Jane he washday things and hen he
went into his own tent. 1t was fitted
with little cots for him and the ami
NAL boy soldiers to sleep on, and the
sheets, blankets, pillow cases-and
whatever else goes to make up bed
needed washing.
And I'll wash some Of our old uni
forms to make them look fresh and
clean, too, Johnnie said the bunny
to the squirrel boy. Soldiers must
learn to wash clothes for themselves
for in wai times they cannot always
be near Il lhundIy.'
That's right Johnnie said, and
he gave ore of his uniforms to U.icle
Wiggily SO it might be made elem.
The bunny uncle got out d big water
pail for tub, and for washboard he
| used a slat of rough bark from the
hickory tree.
How ere you going to wiring the
clothes?' asked Johnnie.
I'll get two round pieces 'f logs
like. the round rubber rollers of the
| wringer, answered the bunny rab
bit. and he did Soon he started to
wash the clothes. Johnnie am some
of the Other animal boys helping him
| How are you going % make the
clothes stay on the line, without
clothes pins to hold them?" asked
Billie Wagtail, the goat. You
Wen hold the clothes on the line
for Uncle Wiggily," said some little
voices down in the grass
who are you?" asked Uncle wig
gily, polite ly.
We are pinching bugs" was the
answer. We are cousins to the jun
bugs who will be here next month.
With our strong, pinching jaws we'll
hold the clothes on the line for you
good as clothes pins"
Thank you," said Uncle Wigrily
Then the clothes were washed in nice
soapy water, rinsed in clean wafer and
made blue in water that was kindly
coIored for the rabbit gentleman b.
some pretty blue violet flowers thai
grew near an old, green, messy log
Then the bunny wrung the clio. hes
through two round pieces of logs.
Now, to hang out the Clothes" said
Uncle Wiggily, and, when he and the
animal boys put the sheets. pillow
cases and their uniforms on the line,
the pinchinG bugs held them there so
the wind would not blow them down
in the dirt.
Then, as tic washing was over, the
animal boys vent to play ball off in
the woods, and Uncle WiRgily went to
sleep near his tent, for he thought in
bread daylight there would be no need
to be on guard against the mosquitoes.
But, all of a sudden. as the rabbit
gentleman had his eyes closed. bad.
old grizzly fox came creeping, creep
ing, creeping out of the woods.
''Ah, hal" snickered the fox, "I'll
pull that rabbits ears, that's what I'll
do"
Well, he was just going to do it
when one of the pinching bugs, seeing
the fox perched as the bug was, upon
the clothes line. called out:
Wake up, Uncle Wiggily, Wake
up! Look out, Uncle Wigsily! Look
out,'
Uncle Wiggily awakened and start
Gu 10 run Inc 1ON ran aIIef him.
Back and forth they ran beneath the
lines of clothes.
The fox had almost caught the rab-
bit gentleman, and poor Uncle Wig
gily was so out of breath that he could
: run no longer, and he dropped his
bean shooter gun, when, all of a sud
den, big pinching bug cried:
| Quick, Uncle Wiggily Jump up
in this bag of a pillow case am hold
ing on the line. Jump up and snug
: gle down inside the pillow case and
, the fox can't get you"
Uncle Wiggily did it. and only just
| in time. Into the clean-washed pill
: low case he jumped, and the fox could
IN -.