The Washington herald., 1919-04-05
BY HOWARD R. GARIs,

1T certainly is raining too hard for
you to go out today. Uncle Wiggily,r
said Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, as she
stood at the window in the hollow
stump bungalow and looked out at the
storm. Look how hard the drops are
peltinG down"
That matters little to me-" said
Uncle wiggily, as he twinkled his pink
nose, brave but not naughty like.
with my trusty umbrella, and my
rubbers-'
"Ah, but you forget" cried the
muskrat lady housekeeper THE Pip
sisewah took your rubbers the other
night and you had to come home in
some old rubber hot-water bags, that
Grandpa Goosey didn't need any
more"
True. Nurse Jane, very true,
spoke the bunny. But went to the
6 and cent store today. and
bought me a new pair of rubbers. So,
with them and my trusty umbrella
and my raincoat I am not afraid to
20 out in any storm. Besides I prom
ised to come"
Promised who?' Nurse Jane want
ed to know.
Il promised Grandfather Goosey
Gander I would come over and sit by
him while he is getting we'll" said
the bunny. He can't go out in this
rain. but I can, and I will. and I'll go
see Grandpa Goosey. with my umbrcl-
las. rubbers and raincoat."
Very well; if you will go I can't
stop you" said Nurse Jane. But 1t
is raining very hard. and II you get
wet and catch the epizootic don't
blame me-"
With that he gave his pink nose one
more last, brave but very sociable
twinkle. and away he went, hopping
over the fields and through the woods
in the April shower rain storm.
This is real jolly"' cried Uncle
Wiggily, as he hoped along. 'I hope
I have an adventure"'
And he did.
But first the bunny safely reached
Grandfather Goosey Gander's house.
where Uncle Wiggily sat and played
Scotch checkers to make the time
pass more pleasantly for Mr. Gander.
But I'll have to go now" said
Uncle Wiggily after a while. Nurse
Jane will think I have been washed
away in the rain If l stay too long"
well, take care of yourself"'
0uaCked Grandma GOosey, as the bun
ny put on his raincoat and started
to leave. Look out there" suddenly
cried Mr.. Gander. You have caught
your raincoat on chair and you're
pulling so hard you'll tear it-tear
your rainCoat mean, not my chair y
"Oh. no." said Uncle Wiggily. My
raincoat is very stretchy. 1t is made
from the leaves Of the rubber plant,
with blossoms from the umbrella plant
for trimmings. And, being of rub
Der, my raincoat stretches. See"
Uncle Wiggily pulled his coat, which
was caught on a chair, and the coat
stretched like the rubber on your wax
dolls Sunday-go-to-meetin hat. And
after it stretched it went back right
into the proper shape again.
That's a fine raincoat, Uncle Wig
gily." said Grandpa Goosey.
Yes, it's very good" spoke the
bunny.
Well, Uncle Wiggily was hopping
along through the rain, wondering
what Nurse Jane would have for sup
per in his hollow stump bungalow,
when, all Of a sudden he heard a cry
Of:
Fire, Fire. Fire."
My goodness me sakes alive and
some water crackers" cried Uncle
Wiggily. where can the fire be in
all this rain?"
And just then Billie Bushytail. the
squirrel boy, scampered past. leap
ing along in a tree. and Billie cried:
The Wibblewobble duck house is
on fire, and they can't get out!
Hurry. Uncle Wiggily."
So Uncle Wiggily hurried and
when he got to the Wibblewobble
duck house, there. in the upper
window he saw Lulu and Alice and
Jimmie-the three children-and
Mr.. and Mrs. WibbIewobble, the
father and mother ducks.
The first floor of our house is all
on fire." cried Mr.. Wibblewobble.
TT was struck by lightning! We
can't get out from downstairs"
Then jump out OF the window
from upstairs" cried Uncle Wiggily.
You can fly down"
''Oh. it's too farw quacked Alice.
And our wings are so wet from
the rain that we can't fly wellw
quacked Lulu.
"Ha! I have itw cried Uncle Wig
gtly. MY big. stretchy raincoat!
Come on. everybody" he cried.
Wen hold out my raincoat under
the window, like net. and the
ducks can jump into thatw
All who had come to the fire
helped Uncle wiggily hold his big.
rubbery. stretchy raincoat out like
n blanket or net, and down into
tfls the ducks jumped and filtered
TAey were SAVED from the fire and
warent hurt a bit. because they
bounced up so nicely in Uncle Wig