Imperial Valley press., 1925-06-06
Bedtime Stories
BY HOWARD E. GARIs
Copyright, 1928, by Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate
UNCLE ..WIGGILY AND THE
HONEYSUCKI,E

bright green and the flowers
when they first bloomed were pure
white. But as the flowers grew
! older they changed to rusty
brown in color, though this did no
matter, since they gave out ;
more delightful perfume.
One day, as Uncle Wlggily wa.
about to hop forth to look for ad
venture, as he did every morning
the rabbit gentleman heard a sac
and signing voice that seemed tc
come from the honeysuckle vine.
" Arc any of my little rabbit
children hiding there to play Z
trick on metz asked the bunny
gentleman. ''Who is sighing SC
sadlyen
81 am, answered the vine
swaying in the wind and giving off
a sweet smell
"Why are you sad'" asked the
bunny,
Because I do not seem to be OF
any use in this world answered
the vine. ''lIere l must stav, wear
after year, in the same place. only
| climbing little higher, but going
nowhere, seeing nothing but the
same bungalow and doing nothing
having no adventures, such as
j you have. Oh, | am so tired OF
! it all!''
"And vet | should miss YOU if
You no longer climbed up the side
of my bungalow said the rabbit
! gentleman softly. 81 should miss
you very much, Honevsuckle.
"Iou might, but no one else
would sighed the vine. Il do
Let seem to be of any use in this
world. | think l shall let myself
/ withcr away and die."
You must not talk that way
IL ism t right!'' said the bunny un.
clc, trying to think of some way to
cheer up the honeysuckle. And
just then, Wcezic one of the little
rabbit girls, ran up TO her new
daddy crying:
"Oh! I've lost my skippipq
rope and l can't jump and have
fun. Will you please take me to the
five and six-cent store, Daddi-
Gums. and buy me new skipping
rope?''
Uncle Wiggily looked at the
honeysuclIle, and saw, dangling
from it, many long strands Nhich
were just like skipping ropes.
May l have a piece of Won
Tor Neezle!'' asked the bunny of
the vine.
"Of course you may said the
honeysuckle with a sigh. "Take
as many strands as YOU like. 1t
matters not TO me-,
SO Uncle Wiggilv gnawed off n
number of vine ropes which he tos.
sed TO Weezie, telling her to give
| them to her sisters.
"Oh, now we II never have to
buy any more skipping ropes,''
laughed the little rabbit girl as
she ran away. And hardly had
she gone than humming bird
flew down to the vine. fluttering
his wings at Uncle Wiggilv.
"' am so glad this vine is
here, sang the bird sit has the
sweetest honey of all the flow
ers.
That's what say, also. -
ehimed in butterfly who lighted
on blossom near the humming
bird and uncoiled his,long, thin,
black tongue which he thrust deep
into the long blossoms. The bios
SONS on honeysuckle vine arc so
deep that only humming birds and
butterflies. or creatures like that.
can sip the sweet juice from them.
Bees can not.
The humming bird and the but.
terfly, after taking as much honey
as they wanted, flew away. And
just then, the Fuzzy Fox, who had
been creeping up on Uncle Wiggily,
tried to jump ont from behind a
tree to nibble the bunny gentle.
man S ears. But the wind blew a
loop of the strong vine around the
legs Of the Fox, tripping him so
that he fell, and before he could
get up, Uncle Wiggily had jumped
III his bungalow and locked the
door. Then the Fox untanglcd
himself from the vine and ran
away just as the Police Dog mar
ched past.
"N ell, Honcysuckle, " laughed
Uncle Wiggily, coming out again,
what do you say now! You pro
vided jumping ropes for my little
! rabbit girls, you gave honey to the
humnling bird and butterfly and
saved me from the Fox. / call
that being Of some use to the
world. "
"Yes, guess it is" laughed
the vine, ana it was sad no longer.
For there is nothing better to cure
sadness than to help someone. And
if the bathroom sponge docsn t
get its feet wet when it has a
swimming race with the cake of
soap, I'll tell you next about Tn.
Gle Wiggily and the toothache.