Imperial Valley press., 1923-12-17
Bedtime Stories
Copyright, 1923, by Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate
bY HOWA2D r. GARTS
UNCLE WIGGTLY BLACKS THE
STOVE

"Unc'e Wisgily, l hope you
aren t going to be around today
said Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy to
the rabbit gentleman one day.
.What do YOU mean around, my
dear muskrat lady hOuselleeper? -
asked the bunny gentleman as he
twinklcd his pink nose.
II mean around the hollow stump
bungalow, replied Nurse Jane. -
want to do 4 bit of cleaning and
black the stove. 1t will soon be
Christmas, you known, and | want
things to look neat in case Santa
Claus should drop in TO call.
"Oh, ho! l see!" laughed I'm
cle Wiggily. "Well, Santa Claus is
sure to drop in. l think. He al
WAYS does. This tim, he may drop
down through the chimney hole. " e.
I" Well, as long rs he doesn t drop
down through the stove pipe an
get ali BLACK when l am polishing
the stove, II viii be quite all right, .
said Nurse Jane. But l don t
wan YOU around Uncle Wiggilv,
while l am bl9ckening the stove. -
.'Indeed, | don t expect to be
around!' laughed the bunny uncle.
Il am going off to look for an
adventure.
So away he hoped, over the fields
and through the woods, hoping that
something very jolly in the way of
an adventure r'iglas happen to him.
The rabbit gentleman twinkled his
pink nose, he looked this way and
he looked that way, but not an
adventure could he find.
..This IS too bad, not to say dis
appointing, thought Uncle Wiggily
to himself as he hoped into another
field. Perhaps | shall find an
adventure here.
But no-not one. Mr.. Long /
ears sat on the rail fence looking i
all around, but he didn t see even
a little hoptoad lady, who he
might help to jump over Il dried !
leaf--nothing in the way of an
adventure came to the bunny.
"Well, I MAJ as we'll go back to |
my hollow stump bungal o W,
thought Uncle Wiggilv. Nurse
Jane will have finished blacking
The stove by this time, and [ shall
not be in the way
So back hoped the bunny to
his hollow stump bungalow. As he
went up the steps he called out:
Here l am, Nurse Jane, back
again. [ hope you II let me stay!"
But there was no answer from
the muskrat lady housekeeper.
II Suppose she has all her work
done and has done to the movies,
Uncle Wiggily. But, as
he looked in the kitchen he saw on
the stove bundle of rags, brush
and box of shiny black stuff that
Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy used to polish
the stove.
u see what Lappened," murmur-
e. Uncle Wiggily. ''Some of the
asked Nurse Jane to come
over 20 one of their houses. She
went before she had time to black
the stove. Bur III do it for her.
II may be an adventure for me
| II black the stove!
No sooner said than done! Uncle
took off his coat, picked
up some of the rags and the brush
and putting little water in the
can Of shiny black stuff, the bun
ny began to polish the kitchen stove.
''Tra-la la! TIa-la -la.' sang I'm
Gle. Wiggily, as he dabbed little
OF The black polish on one stove
lid. "Tra-la-lal Christmas will
soon be here,'
Mr. Longears felt very happy as
lie thought of Christmas, for he
knew Nurse Jane was going to get
some lovely presents. Uncle Wig
gily didn I think much about what
lie was going to get. III, S ever so
ruch more fun to think Of wha.
some one else will receive.
.'Tra-la-lai Tra-la-la!' sang the
rabbit again. "Christmas will soon
be here,'
----s