The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-06-05
Copyright, 1920, by the Mcclure News
paper SyndiCate.)
M LNNnAnn ID HApIc


Neddie Stubtail, the little boy bear,
was cross and fretful He had eaten
too much sweet honey, though his
mother told him not to, and now he mao
the toothache. 1t ached SO badly that
Neddie had to stay home from school
and he kept asking:
"Oh, mother. when will 1t stop achlng
And what can l do to have some run so
won't think about the pain?
Mrs. Stubtail was trying to DO the
homework, bake a sassafras cake Tor
the Sunday dinner next day, and iron
clean shirt for Mr.. Stubtal so she
was pretty busy.
know what to do for you, You should
not have eaten so much honey. Of
course, it is too late to say that now.
But you must remember next time,
Maybe if ! put some paregoric on your
tooth and gums it would help,
Yes, please, do" grunted Neddte.
and then If could have something to
play with, maybe I'd forget about my
tooth"
she tried to think Of something to
amuse Nedde She saw her sewing bag
and her workbox on the table.
How would you like to make believe
peddle notions?" she asked Neddie
What are notions?" the little boy
bear wanted to know, and he smiled a
little, for the pain in his tooth was not
quite so bad now. Are notions some
thing Uncle Wiggily has in his adven-
Gracious sakes alive, child! No!
What made you think that?' asked
Mrs. Stubtail.
well, rye often heard Uncle Wiggily
say he had a good notion to do this,
that or the other thing when he was
out looking for adventures, spoke Ned
THE notions I mean" said Mrs. Stub
tail. with a laugh, ARE pins, needles,
thread thimbles and the like of that
things the notion men peddle from door
to door
II have a lot Of such notions in my
sewing bag and work box and if you
like YOU may pile them in a basket and
go around making believe to peddle
them But you must stay in the house
on account Of your tooth. You can pre-
tend each room is house where our
different friends live, and you may call
on them and try to sell them notions"
"Oh, that will be fun" exclaimed
Neddie. and soon he forgot all about
his aching tooth He filled basket
with needles and pins on papers, with
spools of thread, with safety pins,
hooks and-eye spools Of tape, bodkins,
darning cotton and the like.
Now, you are all stocked up like a
notion peddler" said his mother. Go
around and make believe you sell the
things"
Il will" said Neddie. and he did,
while his mother went on with her
homework Neddie went in the front
room and ne made believe Mrs. Little
tail, the rabbit lady, lived there.
ANY notions today" asked Neddie,
just as a peddler would ask.
"Tn take paper Of pins" answered
Neddie pretending 1t was Mrs, Little
tail.
In the middle room he made believe
| Mrs Bushytail, the squirrel lady, lived
and she bought some thread. Then
| Nedde pedded his things around, hav-
| ing lots of fun and forgetting all about
| his tooth.
Then, all Of a sudden, he looked out
| OF the window and he saw Uncle Wig
| Rily running down the street, az fast
as he could run toward the bear house.
"Oh, maybe | can sell Uncle Wiggily
: some notions" thought Neddie as he
! hurried to the front door, He reached
| it just as the bunny rabbit gentleman
| honped up the front steps,
| Did YOU come to buy my notions
| Uncle Wiggily?" asked Neddie rs
| that why YOU are running so fast?"
| Indeed 1t Is not" painted the bunny
| rabbit Il did not know you were SELL
| ing notions, I ran because the Skud-
dlemagoon Is after me! Here he comos
| now and, surely enough, around the
| corner came the bad chap. He hoped