The Washington herald., 1920-03-27
CHILDREN IS
SUNRISE STORIES
ny HOWARD n. GARls
UNCLE WICCILY AND
JOHNNIE,S TOP.

One day. when Uncle wiggiiy, was
down in the piano room of the i've
and ten cent store, asking the price
lot gold and diamond dishpans for
Mrs. Bushytail. the squirrel lady.
the rabbit gentleman suddenly
heard the sound of soft. sweet mu-
sic.
rs that new kind of phono-
graph" he asked the little pussy
cat girl clerk who was waiting en-
him.
mo, that is a new kind of mnsi-
cal top" she answered.
My! My. A musical top" ex-
claimed the rabbit gentleman. II
must surely get one of thosew
'Ha! Hal" laughed the little pussy
cat girl. Uncle wiggily looked at
her in a queer way.
Excuse me for laughing" she
said, but 1t does seem so funny to
think of you playing with musical
top"
"Oh, I am not going to play with
it," spoke Uncle Wiggily. 81 was
going to get 10 for Johnnie Bushy-
tail, my little squirrel nephew. He
Is very fond of music, also of tops,
and il the two go together
"Oh. that's different said the
pussy cat girl. Excuse me! I'll
show you the musical top as soon
as / get your change from the scent
piece you gave me to pay for the
gold and diamond dishpan."
They certainly were fine, all
painted red, blue, greens and some
even that rare skilligimink color,
and when they were wound up and
the string pulled. the tops spun
around and played such tunes as
IRA la -lar' and "Hum-de-dumr'
and ''Tum-te-tee" and 'La-la-law
Il surely must get one of those
for Johnnie" said Uncle wiggily.
The little pussy cat girl wrapped
1t up for him and soon Uncle Wig
gily was on his way back to the
squirrel house.
He had not travelled very far be-
fore, all at once, out from behind a
mulberry flower bush that was bios
soming very early that year. there
sprang the old Pipsisewah. He had
on the nice red fireman necktie he
tail the day before.
H..
cried the Pip to Uncle wiggily.
Very bad, 1 call it," said the rab-
bit gentleman. What do you want
now?"
mo, but you have souse," snick-
cred the Pip. And souse I want,
and souse I will have" and he
looked hungrily at Uncle wiggily's
ears. Souse, you know, grows on
little pigs ears, and as rabbits
have such long ears of course there
Is more souse on them.
well. IL 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.
Il wasn't going to ask that"
said Uncle Wiggily. 81 don't want
to wind the clock. But have Just
bought Johnnie a new musical top
i didn't have very good chance to
listen to its music in the, Q and IL
cent store. 1 should like to wind
that top up now and bark to II
once more before you take my
souse."
"All right, that is a reasonable
request and / will allow it," said
the Pipsisewah.
Uncle Wiggily wound up the mu-
steal toy and pulled the string. let
ting the top spin on a fiat stump
nearby.
First the top played a Hum
hum-hum" tune.
That is very pretty" said the
Pipsisewah.
Uncle wiggily said nothing. but
the top kept on playing. 1t played
sad little "Tra-la-la!" song, about
birds singing and flowers blossom
ing and church bells ringing, and ii
even made tears come into Uncle
Wiggily's eyes.
AS for the Pipsisewah, he grew
sadder 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 topr
howled the Pip. That song makes
me remember when 1 was a good
little Pipsisewah, and never thought
of taking souse from old rabbit
gentlemen's ears.
It's a good thing I knew how &c
play that top" said the rabbit gen.
tleman,- as he picked 1t up and hur.
ried on to Johnnie with ii. And
the squirrel boy liked it very much
So this teaches US that music IL
good for something else than lust
to be played on pianos, and IL tho
goldfish doesn't talk in it's sleep an6
make the apple pie turn over in the
oven I'll tell you next about Uncle