The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-13
Bedtime Stories

By HOWARD r. GAkIs

Uncle WiggiIy and the Sunflower.
Where are you going now?" asked
Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy. the musk
rat lady housekeeper, of Uncle Wiggily
Longears. the rabbit gentleman, one
day.
''Out in the garden to hoe down the
weeds that are choking my cabbages
! and turnips," answered the bunny
uncle Il want my garden to grew
we'll"
And while Uncle Wiggily was hoe
ing away he suddenly heard, down at
the end of his garden in thick tangle
of br1ars and thistles, voice, saying:
''Oh. dear; don't see how 1 am
ever to grow up nice and tail and big
in place like this. l am being choked
to death by the weedsi
My goodness exclaimed Uncle
Wiggily, leaning on his hoe handle to
rest himself, and taking off his tan
silk hat with which to fan his pink
! twinkIing nose THAT sounds like
haps it is one of my cabbages, or car
! rots. planted by mistake in among the
weeds. I must take look.
| Sc the bunny uncle looked and he
! his garden. a sunflower. But it was
very small, because there were so
many weeds around it that the flower
! could not get plenty of light, air and
! sunshine. which all flowers need to
make them grow.
"Oh, ho." cried jolly Uncle Wiggily.
Il see what the trouble is
| And car you help me?' asked the
| flower.
surely answered the bunny
uncle.
| Then he hoed away the weeds, and
loosened up the dirt around the flow
/ er so the air could get down to the
| roots.
| THANK you." said the sun blossom,
| nodding in the wind and making po-
| lite bow This is fine: Now l shall
! grow tall and big. You'll hardly
know me next time you see me-
! bow, 1 thank you.
And the flower bowed again as
! Uncle Wiggily went hoeing his
garden
/! Now it happened, as it often does in
| this world, that about a week after
j that the happy bunny rabbit uncle had
10 go to the store for Nurse Jane after
| supper, and when it was dark one
night. Nurse Jane forgot to bake
bread and Mr.. Longears had to go to
the store for loaf.
But l don't mind in the least, he
! said. I'm not at all afraid, and per
| haps / may have an adventure. who
knows? 1 shall take along my Httio
pocket electric flash light to see my
| way out if l get into place that is
! too dark"
: So off started brave Uncle Wige:lv,
and surely enough he did have an adj
, venture.
When he was coming from the store
! and had reached the lower end of his
, garden, near his hollow stump bunga-
low all at once great big bat flew
/ down out of a tree and grabbed him.
Here your cried the bat, most i'm
politely. give me that loaf of bread y"
'Oh, no, I can't!'' answered Uncle
! Wiggily. It's for Nurse Jane" and
the bunny held to it with both paws
What do 1 care ?" inquired the sat,
still more impolitely. IF you don't
give me the bread, I'll take the leaf,
( and you, too, off to my.den.' And
being a big bat and strong, he began
to do this, dragging Uncle Wiggilv
after him by long. hooked claws on
the underside of his Wings.
For this was not a baseball bat or
stick, you know, but flying bat ami
NAL, something like a big rat with
wings like a birds, for that's what
a bat is
please let me go," begged Uncle
| Wiggily of the bat
Mo-" snapped the unpleasant crea-
ture, which only flies at night because
in daylight the sun blinds it's eyes so
it can't see. NO. I'll not let you co."
ooh, yes YOU will, too, You'll let
my friend Uncle Wiggily go." sudden
ly cried new voice.
who says SOP" asked the bat, surly
like.
/ 4, the big, bright yellow sunflower,
say SOL. was the answer. Quick.
Uncle Wiggily, shine your electric
light on me and see what happens!"
Then the brave rabbit gentleman
flashed his pocket electric lamp on the
face of the big sunfloweF, he had saved
from being choked to death by the
weeds. And the electric light made
the flower look just as if the morning
sun was rising. The bat saw this, for
the flower looked him full in the face,
and he cried:
'Oh, I'm blind. I'm blind,' It's
daylight, for the sun has risen. and I'll
have to let Uncle Wiggily go," And
he had to. But the sun hadn't risen
at all-it was only the sunflower shin
ing in the dark.
So the bat flopped away, banging
into trees, because he couldn't see in
the flashlight glare of the big yellow
flower, and Uncle Wiggily was once
more saved and very thankful he was.
And if the mucilage bottle doesn t
try to get drink of water from the
ink well and fall in. I'll tell you next
about Uncle Wiggily and the wasp
| Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)