Imperial Valley press., 1923-11-03
Bedtime Stories
Copyright, 1923, by Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate
BY HOWARD r. GARIS
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE
CARPET SWEEPER

Once upon 4 time as Uncle Wig
gily sat in his hollow stump bun
galow the telephone bell rang.
Nurse Jane answered and the rao
bit gentleman heard her say:
"Oh, Mrs. Twistytail, / cam
come over to see you, 1 have so
much work to do.
"What's .hat'" asked Uncle
Wiggily, who was twinkltag his
pink nose and getting ready to go
look for an adventure.
"MrS. Twistytail, the lady pig,
wanted me to come over ana spend
the day with her," explained Nurse
Jane. But have so much to
do that | told her | couldn t. =
" Nonsense! y exclaimed Uncle
WiggiIy, with a laugh. What
have you to 10 that cant wait -
~ must use the carpet sweeper
ON the parlor rug" said Nurse
Jane.
:" will do that for you,' kindly
offered the bunny rabbit gentle
man. IF can run an automobile
and an airship surely can push a
carpet sweeper. You hop along,
Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy, and II attend
to the parfor rug.
"That is very kind of you,
squeaked the nmskrat lady house
keeper. "You will find the carpet
sweeper in the cellar
SO Nurse Jane went over to see
Mrs. Twistytail, the lady pig, and,
after twinkling his pink nose once
more, Uncle. Wiggily took the ear
ret sweeper out from the cellar and
began to clean the parior rug.
suppose you all know what a
carpet sweeper is, but I might
say it is little box on wheels,
and with Il handle by which you
push it like baby carriage. In
side the box is Il dusting brush
that whizzcs like a merry -go-round,
kicking the dirt up from the rug
into the little box. Then, if the
box doesn t open by itself and spill
the dirt out on the rug again, YOU
may empty the dust into the ash
can.
SO that s what I; carpet sweeper
is. Uncle Wiggily began to, push
Nurse James sweeper around the
parlor rug. He was doing it very
well, but. all of q sudden, the door
bell rang, and Uncle Wiggily was
so surprised that he dropped his
pocket handkerchief.
~ wonder WHO that iso' he said.
Then, before he knew it he had
run the sweeper over his banker
chief. The brush in the box picked
up the handkerchief as if it were
a lot of dust, and kicked it inside.
"Hum! That S funny said I'M
cle Wiggily as he went to the
door. On the steps stood ped
dler eat selling lollypop sticks with
out any candy on them.
"Thank you, we don t need any
today spoke Uncle Wiggilv. Then
he went back to his carpet sweeper.
He was pushing it around the
edges of the parlor rug, when, all
of a sudden, again the door bell
rang.
BLESS my pink nose." cried the
bunny, and he gave such jump
that his glasses fell off. And,
before he could pick them up he
had run the carpet sweeper over
them. The brush inside the box
kicked up the glasses and put
them neatly inside with the dust
and dirt.
"It's a good thing it WASH t my
pocketbOok, thought the rabbit
gentleman as he went to the door
tt see who had rung the bell.
On the steps stood little boy
squirrel, sort of second cousin to
Johnnie and Billie Bushytail. His
name was Crackie, for he could
crack nuts so well.
docs Mrs. Bow Wow, the dog
lady, live here?" asked Crackic.
"No,' laughed Uncle Wiggily,
as he thought Of his handkerchief and
his glasses inside the carpet sweep
er. MRS. Bow Wow lives three
houses down the street. -
"Thank yon," chattercd Crackic,
and away he scampcred. Uncle
Wiggily went back to his sweeping
and was cleaning the center of the
rug pushing the carpet sweeper to
and fro, when, all of Il sudden, Il
voice at the window cried:
"Oh, there you are. -
The rabbit gentleman, thinking
il was the Fox or Wolf, gave such
ii jump that lis fountain pen flew
cut of his pocket and bounced to
the floor. And before it could be
picked up the carpet sweeper ran
over it and kicked it inside the
dust box.
"My goodness" cried Uncle
Wiggily. But he was glad to see il
was Jollie Longtail, the mouse boy,
who was creeping in the open win
COW and not rho Fox. "Oh, come
on in, Jollic!'' invited the bunny
gentleman.
"I've come TO borrow a slice of
cneese," squeakcd the mousie boy
"But Ill sit in chair aud wait
for you 70 tinish sweeping so
Jollie sat in Il chair. But his long
tail curled up on the floor and, be
fore Uncle WI:gily knew it he had
run the sweeper over JOllie s tail,