Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-05-18
UNCLE WIGGILY AND JiMMtE's
PIECE.

1 just hate it! wish l didn't have to
go to SCHOOL,"
AS Uncle Wiggily Longears. the nice
rabbit gentleman. was hopping through
the woods one day he heard some one
saying these words when he sat down
to rest on a green, messy stump.
'Ha. That sounds like trouble:
right away quick!" thought the old
rabbit gentleman to himself. 81 did
not have to come far from my hollow
stump bungalow to find it, either. L
wonder if I am going to have the pleas
ure of helping the skillery-scalery alll-
gator or the fuzzy fox this morning? l
must take a look and see"
So, peeking around the corner of a
tree, Uncle Wiggily saw Jimmie Wlb-
~blewobble. the duel boy, sitting on a
stump, sort of looking sideways at u
book he held in one webbed foot. and
Jimmie's yellow bill was crooked and
! cross. because he was so worried and
anxious. and he said again:
oh l just hate it. .Burr-r-r."
Hate what" asked Uncle Wiggily.
stepping out from behind a piece of
behind the mulberry bush. What do
you hate. Jimmie?"
Il hate to learn a piece to speak in
school, answered the duck boy. you
see, ON Friday I've got to get up in
front of the whole class and recite
\ SOLIiVliIlItS dIOuL lIIe DON StGLIIQIIIS VII
the burning deck, or about a trap being
DATED with q piece of SneeZe-I mean
cheese he said quickly, seeing he had
made a mistake.
Yes, cheese is better" spoke Uncle
Wiggily with u smile. but what is so
bad about learning a piece, Jimmie, my
ducky boy? Are you the only one who
has to recite?"
"Oh. no; we all have a turn at it.
But I can't seem to learn my piece. AS
fast as 1 remember the first line. 1
forget Inc second, and when l remem-
so on
That too bad" said Uncle Wig
gily, but I'll help you"
How can you help me. unless
learn the piece yourself, and recite it
In the hollow stump SCHOOL," asked the
duck boy. and. though the lady mouse
teacher likes you. 1 know she wouldn't
let o do that"
NO. l don intend to do it that way"
Uncle Wisgily smilingly said. Il mean
the last line to the first. frontwards
n backwards. Now let's take the
book and begin. We have time before
school,"
So Uncle Wisgily, glad to have a
helping adventure. began to teach Jim
mic a piece to speak. And every morn
ing, up to Friday. the bunny gentle
! man met the uck boy in the woods,
before school. and went over the piece
| with him.
Il guess I'll know it when / get up to
| recite today" said Jimmie, when Fri-
day morning came, and Uncle Wiggily
had helped him as usual for the last
time.
II hope it goes all right" the rabbit
gentleman said. I'll stop at the hol-
low stump school this afternoon and
listen to You. Jimmie"
Wal FRIDAY oftorpnnp .~ a., ~
always does after Friday morning, and
when the boy and girl animals were all
comfortable in their seas, the lady
mouse teacher said:
Now, we will have the speaking of
pieces, and Well start with Susie Lit
~tletail."
h little rabbit girl spoke a very
nice piece about Once a little robin
live in a dolls house. and every time
she had popcorn she gave some to IA
mouse"
Very good. SUSIE said the teacher.
"Now we'll year from Jimmie Wibble-
wobble.'
The duck boys heart was beating
fast as he went up on the platform to
speak his piece.
Jimmie started off this way:
"Once a trap was baited
With Mother Hubbard's shoe,
1t tickled so a little mouse
He scarce Knew what to do.
When Mary's lamb wen sailing
With three men i'm a tub,
Peter-Pumpkin- Eater beat
A tin pan rub-a-dub."
h boy and girl animals looked AT
one another in a funny way, and the
lady mouse teacher said:
"Oh, Jimmie!"
But Jimmie went right on:
"Hi-Diddle-Didd was a COW,
Who jumped DER the moon,
And Peter-Piper played a pip
OF prickly purple tune.
But when Red Riding Hood came home
And found the cupboard bare,
Bo-Peep went fishing in the brook,
And caught a cold in her hair
Just then in came Uncle Wiggily.
He listened to what the duck boy was
reciting, and the bunny cried:
oh. Jimmie! That isn't what I
taught you! Oh. Jimmie"
But Jimmie went right on:
Then Goosey-Goosey Gander,
With Simple Simon's pail,
Saw four-and-twenty blackbirds
Upon a long fence rail.
And when h pie was opened
Out flew a cawing crow,
And this. dear Uncle Wiggily,
is all the piece 1 KNOW
We'll: you should have heard the
animal boys and girls Taught right ont
IN school at that. And the rabbit gen
tieman laughted, too, and so did the
lady mouse teacher.
.Wny. Jimmie!" she said. You have
recited q whole lot of pieces all mixed
up together, like chow-chow pickles"
Il know it, said Jimmie, but when
found 1 could remember only one line
OF each piece. I thought that was better
tnan forgetting all the lines Of one
piece" o'e
Very good. indeed" said the adv
m0MS0 0n6 Mr. VIylS-,-.T Av