Imperial Valley press., 1922-05-22
Bedtime Stories
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE RUN
NER BIRD
Copyright, 1922, by Mcclure News
paper Syndicate)
By HOWARD Il. GARIS

.You want to be very careful when
YOU 90 adventuring today said Nurse
Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy to Uncle Wigglly
one >morning as the bunny gentleman
was eating his breakfast i'll the hollow
stump bungalow.
'Whv should I be extra careful,
,;anie?' aswed Uncle Wiggily, as he
twinkled his pink nose just before eat
ing a yellow carrot pancake.
.'Because | dreamed last night that
YOU were bitten by snake, replied
Nurse Jane ''You know snakes are
very sly and crawly. AS you hop
through the woods one might glide up
to you, before you heard him, and bite
you or squeeze you
"Burr-r-r-r-r. Please don't talk
about it," cried Uncle Wiggily with a
shiver. 81 don't like snakes, though
some have been kind and good to us. j"
eyes, agreed the muskrat lady
housekeeper, 81 remember one that
turned into a swing for me at pic
llic But this snake l dreamed about
was not good snake"
"Then I'll be CAREFUL" promised
Uncle Wiggily, "though | don't be
lltNc Ill uredHto. i1oH WHY, -'"ioo
Jane
Having finished his breakfast Uncle
Wiggily hoped down the steps of his
hollow stump bungalow and off
through the woods.
"This would be just the place for Il
snake to try to bite me, if there are
any here" thought Uncle Wiggily as
he came to deep, dark place in the
woods. The bunny looked all around
him, and he was just thinking every
thing was al safe, when all of a sud
den there was a little rustling in the
bushes.
Uncle Wiggily hardly had time TO
Jump to one side when he saw Il snake
crawling toward. him. But before the
serpent could bite or squeeze the bunny
there was another louder rustling in
the bushes, and from beneath u sass;l
fras tree fluttcred very strang bird.
The bird did not stop to bid Uncle
Wiggily "good morning." but in an
instant pounced upon that snake with
its long, sharp bill and a moment later
that snake had vanished. The queer
bird had eaten it.
"Oh, my goodness. me sakcS alive
and a bottle of soap suds!" Z" cried the
bunny. "What does this mean? What
a queer bird you are! | don't remem
her to have seen you before Who are
YOU? But before you answer let mt
thank you for having saved me from
tke snake,
"That S all right" answered the
bird in rather a croaking, hoarso voice.
"I like snakes-that is, / like to eat
them. AS for me, am called u ground
cuckoo or road runner
Are you such fast runner then
asked Uncle Wiggily, taking II second
look lat the bird, which had Il very
long, slender tail, almost as long as
the runner bird himself. On the sides
of his head were straks of yellow
feathers and on top of his head n brist-
ling bunch of feathers, almost like
those worn by tire kingfisher bird.
"Wcll, yes, | am quite a fast ran.
ncr,' the ground cuckoo said, modest
~ enough. ~ have to be n fast road
runner to catch snakes, for they glide
away very quickly when they see me.
But this one didn y get away" and
the bird laughed as he looked at the
mark made in the dusty path where the
snake had crawled to get the bunny.
'You have done me "A great favor
BY getting rid of the snake who was
after me,'' said Uncle Wiggily, with a
polite twinkle Of his pink nose. "Now
/ should like to do favor for you. -
"WelI, if you have any bad biting
bugs about you, would take it US u