The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-08
Bedtime Stories
Uncle wiggiIy and the Ant.
BY HOWARD r. GARIs

Uncle W1ggily and the Ant.
"Oh, where can he be? Where can
little Nippy be? sent him to the store
/! for a loaf of bread. but he hasn't
come back to me!''
| AS Uncle Wiggily Longears. the
1 his hollow stump bungalow one morn
! ing, he heard some one saying those
sad words.
] who are you. and what is the
matter?' asked the bunny rabbit gen.
tleman. IF you are in trouble. per-
haps 1 may help YOU
"Oh, 1 wish you could" said a little
voice, and up from tiny hole in the
ground crawled small. black ant
lady.
| II sent my little boy Nippy to the
store while ago." she said. land
! he hasn't come back yet I'm so afraid
something has happened to him.
'Oh, let us hope not" spoke Uncle
| Wiggily, kindly. He may be all
right
You never can tell" went on the
ant lady. so many things happen to
us little creatures. Folks never mind
stepping on US at all. and even a leaf
from a tree, falling on u.s. is the same
as if a barn fell on one of you large
rabbit gentlemen. I'm sure Nippy is
hurt,''
'I'H go look for him." said the bum
ny rabbit. not even stopping to twin
kle his pink nose as he often did. I'll
find him.
So Uncle Wiggily walked along, an
pretty soon, on the sidewalk he saw q
peanut shell. 1t seemed to be moving
just a little, and, there was no wind,
Uncle Wiggily knew it could not be
that which was making the shell
slide about.
Il wonder what it is?" he asked
himself.
| Just then a tiny voice under the
shell said: "Oh, dear! I'll never get
out, I guessi"
''Ha! Maybe that is Nippy. the ant
| boy. under that SHE'LL" said the bunny.
TN lift it up and see,''
1t was very easy for Uncle Wiggily,
with his strong paw, to lift aside the
peanut shell, and there under it, sure
ly enough, was Nippy.
How did you get here?" asked the
bunny.
Johnnie Bushytail, the boy squir-
rel, was scampering along, eating nuts.
and tossing the shells away" an
swered Nippy. "One of them fell over
me, and 1 couldn't get out; was try
ing to push the shell home, where my
relations might get me loose, but you
came along just in time
And I'm glad 1 did," said Uncle
Wiggily. For to poor Nippy pea
nut shell was as big as a small house
would be to you if, suddenly it fell
over on top of you and held you a
| prisoner under it.
! '-Oh, how kind you are," cried Nip
py's mother to Uncle Wiggily, as he
carried the little ant boy home on top
of his tall silk hat. Some day 1 may
be able to repay you the favor"
pray do not mention it, said Uncle
Wiggily.
uncle was out on the front porch of
his hollow stump bungalow, when a
sudden gust of WIND blew lot of dust
in his eyes.
"Oh. Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy.'
llady,. housekeeper. My eyes are so
fill of dust I can't see! Please lead me
into the house and then help get the
dust out,''-
So the muskrat lady did-at least,
| she led Uncle Wiggily into the house
But when she tried to take the dust
from his eyes, that was another mat
Tier So many grains OF SAND ana olrt
had blown in that the muskrat lady,
tho she used the corner of her hand
kerchief and a bit of cotton wound
around the end of a toothpick, could
not make the bunnys eyes better.
We'll have to send for Doctor Pos
sum-" she cried.
| But when Doctor Postum came he
shook his tail and said:
That dust is too fine for me to
see to get out. I guess I'll have to
get an electric fan and blow it out,
Uncle Wiggily.'
But the electric fan could not blow
1.-The dust out of the bunny uncle s
, eyes. and he didn't know what to do,
flor it hurt him very much, when, all
of a sudden, voice on the hollow
stump bungalow porch said:
I'VE will get the dust out of your
, eyes. Uncle Wiggily.''
who are you?" asked Doctor
Postum.
Il am Nippy, the ant boy, and here
are ten thousand FIVE hundred and
seventeen of my sisters, brothers,
, uncles, aunts and cousins" was the
| answer. I'VE ants are used to pick
| ing up grains of dust"
II And so they were. And so, by gen.
tly crawling over Uncle Wiggily's face,
| tthe ants reached their nippers down
] carefully into his eyes. and took out
every last particle of dust, so the bun
ny was all right again. And he was
: very thankful
So this teaches US that ants are very
: useful when rabbits get dust in their
eyes, and if the chocolate pudding
doesn't turn white when it meets the
! powdered sugar in the dark, I'll tell
. you next about Uncle Wiggily and the
rambler rOSe-(COpyrigf1t. 1917. by