The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-26
Bedtime Stories
Uncle wiggily and Needless Bouquet
By HOWARD r. GARIs


Uncle Wiggily Longears-I guess
you know, by this time, that he is a
rabbit gentleman-was out in the
woods one day, looking for an adven-
ture, so he could hop back to his hol-
low stump bungalow and tell Nurse
Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy about it, when, all
of a sudden he heard some one say:
What are you doing?"
AT first Uncle Wiggily thought he
was being spoken to, but when he
looked around, and could see no one,
he knew whoever had spoken must be
behind a great big tree that was just
in front of him.
''I'n see who it is" Uncle Wiggily
said. Then he heard the voice ask
again:
What are you doing?"
picking a bouquet-can't you see"
was the answer, and the second voice
was sort of peevish like and unpleas-
ant, not to say cross.
''Ho! Ho! Picking flowers, are you,
Neddie Stubtail," cried the first voice
and Uncle Wiggily knew this time
that Johnnie Bushytail, the squirrel
boy was speaking. who are you
picking the bouquet for, Neddie?" ask
ed Johnnie.
For the lady mouse teacher" an
swered Neddie.
"oh, no! So you're going to be the
teachers pet, are >you?" asked Johnnie
with a laugh. You're picking bou-
quet for the teacher. and yet she
made you stay in after school today
because you talked. Ho! Ho!"
mo, I'm not picking this bouquet
SO I'll be the pet of the lady mouse
teacher" said Neddie. "Ycu just wait!
When once she smells these flowers
tomorrow she won't want to smell
any more for a week."
Why" asked Johnnie, and then
Uncle Wiggily crept close up behind
the big tree, on the other side of which
were the bear and animal boys, and
he listened, Uncle Wiggily did.
81 must learn why the lady mouse
teacher won't want to sniff any more
posy blossoms after she smells Ned
dies bouquet" thought the bunny rab-
bit.
Look" whispered Neddie to John
ME, as he showed the squirrel boy the
blossoms: do you see that big, long,
sharp thorn?"
Yes, 1 see it," said Johnnie. But
why are you putting it in the teachers
bouquet?''
so the lady mouse will prick her
nose with it when she smells the flow
ers,' said Neddie, the bear, Grossly
like. Then she'll wish she hadn't
kept me in after school"
''Oh, that's a regular April Fool
trick!" chartered Johnnie.
II don't caren' answered Neddie.
''rn show her!''
My! My!" thought Uncle Wiggily,
as he listened. This is an adventure,
indeed l wonder what I'd better do? ''
But just then on the other side of the
woods he heard Grandfather Goosey
Gander calling to him to come and
play checkers, SO the bunny gentle
man had to run, leaving Neddie to
finish making his bouquet with a
thorn hidden in the middle, just where
any one would naturally put his nose
to smell it.
Well, that was late one afternoon.
and early the next morning Uncle
Wiggily, who was up before breakfast
looking for another adventure, hap
pened to meet Neddie Stubtail, when
the bear boy was on his way to the
hollow stump school.
"Ah, ha! So you have been pick
ing flowers, I see," spoke the bunny
rabbit, looking. at the bear boys bou-
quet.
Yes, I picked them for the lady
mouse teacher said Neddie, not very
jolly-like.
That's very nice of you," said I'm
Gle Wiggily, with a smile. Let me
smell them
oh, mol er-I don't want to-"
Neddie said. quickly hiding the bou-
quet behind him You might-er-
smells off all the perfume, and
And you want to save it all for
teacher see!" and Uncle Wiggily
smiled again. That's very nice of
you"
But of course the reason Neddie
didn't want Uncle Wiggily to smell the
bouquet was because of the thorn.
Well, Neddie went to school, getting
there early, and he put the bouquet
on the lady mouse teachers desk
Then he went to his seat, to make be-
lieve study his honey-tree lesson, but
out of the corners of his eyes he
watched to see the lady mouse get
pricked with the thorn.
Pretty soon in came some other boy
and girl animal pupils and the lady
mouse teacher. She saw the flowers
on her desk and squeaked out:
"Oh, how nice of some one to bring
me May bouquet, How pretty it
looks in the school room. and I'm sure
1t smells as nice as it looks.
Then she picked up the bouquet in
her paws and leaned her cute sharp
little nose toward it.
Here's where she gets it," thought
Neddie, pretending to study very hard.
The lady mouse took a long, deep
smell of the flowers, and then she
cried in delight:
"Oh, how lovely they smell, And.
best of all, there is an extra good
smell in themi It's a smell of toasted
known how I love toasted cheese.
for there is a large piece of it right
in the middle of this bouquet. Oh,
how delightful
ana, surely enough, instead OF a
thorn she took out a lovely piece of
toasted cheese for her lunch
who brought me the sweet bou-
quet?" asked the lady mouse, looking
around.
'fNeddie Stubtai1, the bear boy" an
swered Uncle Wiggily, popping his
head in the door just then. But
put the cheese in for him, as he forgot
it," and he looked at Neddie in a
funny way
-Oh, Uncle Wiggily. That's just
like you,'' said the lady mouse
Thank you and thank you, NeddieI''
You see, Neddie," said the rabbit
in the night, when you were asleep,
put the cheese in and took out the
thorn
I'm glad you did," said Neddie.
II guess it was a mistake" And
then he felt better. And IL the egg
man doesn't take our rice pudding