The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-03-30
Copyright. 1920, by Mcclure Newspa'
per Syndicate.)

BY HOWARD r. GARlS.
One day when Uncle .Wiggily was
ten-cent store, asking the price Of gold
and diamond dishpans for Mrs. Bushy-
tail, the squirrel lady, the rabbit gen
,gtleman suddenly heard sound OF
soft. sweet music.
lis that a new kind of photograph"
he asked the little pussy cat girl clerk
who was waiting on him.
No, that is a new kind of musical
top" she answered. 1T plays tunes
when you wind it up with string and
spin it,"
my ! Ny! A musical top!' exclaimed
the rabbit gentleman. Il must surely
get one of those!"
The little pussycat girl clerk looked
at Mr.. Longears in funny way. He
had on his tall silk hat and his glasses
and his pink nose was tWinkllng as
fast as never was.
"Ha! Hal laughed the little pussy
cat girl Uncle Wiggily looked at her
in queer way.
EXCUSE me for laughing" she said,
but it does seem SO funny 70 tnlnk
of you playing with musical top.
ooh, am not going to play with It,
spoke Uncle Wiggily. Don't think that
for moment Far from it! l was go
ing to get it for Johnnie Bushytall, my
little squirrel nephew, He is very fond
Of music, also Of tops, and if the two
go together"
ooh, that's different" said the pussy
cat girl. excuse me! I'll show you
the musical top as soon as l get your
change from the five-cent piece you
gave me to pay for the gold and ola-
mond dishpan"
And when Uncle Wiggily's change
came up from down cellar he and the
little pussy cat girl clerk went to look
at the musical tops.
They certainly were fine, all painted
nd
rare skiligimink color; and when they
were wound up and the string pulled,
the tops spun around and played such
tunes as "Tra -la-la" and Hum de
dum' and '"Tum-te-tee!" and "La-la-
la!'
II surely must get one of those for
Johnnie" said Uncle Wiggily. Il got
Billie new popgun yesterday, SO he
will not need anything in the way of
a toy now. But top that plays music
will be just the thing for Johnnie. GIVE
me the largest finest, prettiest colored
and loudest musical top you have for
a little squirrel boy" cried the RABBIT
gentleman.
The little pussy cat girl wrapped It
up for him and soon, with the gold
and diamond dishpan under one paw
and the musical top under the other,
Uncle Wiggily was on his way back to
the squirrel house.
He had not travelled very far, hopping
along with his tall silk hat and his
pink twinkling nose before, all at once,
out from behind a mulberry flower bush
that was poisoning very early that
year, there sprang the old PipsiseWah
He had on the nice red fireman neclStie
he had taken away from Billie Bushy-
tail the day before.
"Ah, ha! We have met again, see!
Very .,good!'' cried the Pip to Uncle
Wiggily.
Very bad, I call it." said the rabbit abb t
/ have no red tie for you to take,
No, but, you have souse,' sn,ck Eei,ed
| will have" And he looked hungrily,
very hungrily, indeed, at Uncle Wig
gily's ears. Souse, you know. grows on
little pigs ears and as rabbits nave
such long ears of course there Is more
souse on them. .,
'WeIl, if you must take my souse, !
suppose you will" sadly said the bunny
uncle. But before you do, grant me
one last favor"
what is it?" asked the Pip. "Now
don't go to asking me to let you run
like that, for I shan't do It, Anything
in reason, but not that" .
Uncle Wiggily. x don't want to wind
the clock. But have just bought
Johnnis a rew HIiisiCas Sop. Y Hidn'f
music in the nine and eleven-c store.
| should like to wind that top up now
and bark to it once more before sou
take my souse."
IAN right, that is a reasonable .e.
4 quest and | will allow H." said the Pip
ssewah formal like and self-eHplana-
tory spin the top
Uncle Wiggily set down The silver
and brass washtub Then he wound
up the musical toy and pulled the
string, letting the top spin on flat
First the ton playsd q 'lIg. hum
hum tune. Then il spun o httIe sasttt
and it played Iii -dddled ddlE" song
THAT is very pretty said the Pip
sisewah. ut reminds me Of the time
when / was young and tender crea-
ture.'
Uncle Wiggily said nothing but the
top kept on playing 1t played a sad
little 'Tra la La song, about bird
singing and flowers bossoming and
church bells ringing, and it even made
tears come into Uncle Wiggily's eyes.
As for the Pipsisewah, he grew sad
der and sadder, and finally he burst
right out crying and had to wipe his
tears away on Billie's red necktie.
oh. stop the top stop the top
howled the Pip THAT song makes me
remember when ! was a good little Pip
ssewah. and never thought of taking
souse from old rabbit gen;lemen's ears
Oh. ! wish / had Away been good
Oh, how remorseful | feel! Hurry and
run along, Uncle Wiggily before | fee
bad and souselike again Johnnie
musical top makes me too sad bit 2
YOU" And then with the tears run
Ming down his cheeks 'and drippirg o.
Bllie's red tie. away ran the bad chap,
leaving Uncle Wiggily and the top and
the gold collar button safe and sound
ITS good thing knew how to
he - IL.
man, as he picked it up and hurried
on to Johnnie with 1t. And the squir-
rel boy liked it very much.
So this teaches us that music is good