Imperial Valley press., 1925-06-09
Bedtime Stories
BY HOWARD E. GARIs
Copyright, 1928, by Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate
UNCLE WIGGILY AND TIL
SONG SPARROW


row flew out of the woods where he
lived and fluttered to a big city.
The song sparrow is bird in looks
almost like the little chipping spar
rows that YOU see every day, sum
mer and winter. Except that the
song sparrow sings most beautifully,
while chipping sparrows do not. But
only when the song sparrow sings
can YOU forget that his plain brown
and gray feathers are like those of
the other bird.
Reaching the big city, the song
sparrow sang his sweetest song ana
tnen, to his surprise, from the win
dow of a house nearby, he heard a
song almost like his own.
"Oh. ho! whistled the song
sparrow Il did not know any of
my bird friends were here. How
glad I am!
II am not of your kind,' sang
the other kind. IL am a GLOW
canary and l live in golden cage.'
/ There was flutter of yellow wings
and then the song sparrow saw,
hanging in an open window, gilded
cage. Within the cage, hopping
from perch to perch, was the canary.
And when the canary sang and the
song sparrow sang YOU could hardly
have said which song was the sweet
er for both were beautiful.
"Come fly away to the woods
with me!' invited the song spar
row to the canary. I'VE are the
most wonderful singers in the world
and we can give u concert. Come
to the woods. -
mo, | must stay in my gold
cage whistled the canary. Il
cannot get out if l wanted to.
"Oh! You can't get out ;"
whispered the sparrow III surprise.
mo, but l don t mind staying
here sang the canary, II never
need hunt Tor seed to eat, and my
mistress gives me fresh water ev-
cry day In my cage not cats can
catch me. l am safe and never
hungry
"Wcll, 1 can't say as much as
that myself said the sparrow.
= have to fly around fast to get
enough food to eat and only this
morning Il cat nearly caught ne. =
And then when the song sparrow
saw what u beautiful cage the ca
nary lived in, and when 1T saw the
white cup of seeds and the white
cup of water, the song sparrow wish
Ell it might become a canary.
There is 10 reason why
shouldn I be a canary thought the
sparrow as it flew back 10 the
woods. Il can sing as sweetlv as
one, and all l need 10 do is to nave
yellow feathers. L know what
shall do. l shall take lot OF yel
low dandelion and buttercup flow.
ers and put them i'll the spring.
The blossoms will turn the water
yellow. l viii jump in the yellow
water and color my feathers. Then
L shall be Il canary and live i'll Il
golden cage.
So the song sparrow picked III its
bin many yellow blossoms and cast
them into a woodland spring. Then
into the water it fluttered. But the
water was deep and the blossoms
floating it i'll tangled around the
bird S legs and wings so that he
could not get out.
"Oh, l am drowning. Help!
Help!" cried the song sparrow.
Uncle Wiggily happened 10 be
hopping through the woods, looking
for an adventure. lie heard the
frightened birds cries.
What s the NATTER" asked the
bunny gentleman, hopping to the
edge of the spring. ''Mhat are
you doing there in the water, song
sparrow he inquired.
II am trying to turn into q ca
nary" sadly answered the bird.
But L guess l have made mis-
"i'm sure you havci" laughed
Uncle Wiggily. Then, with his
red, white and blue striped rhcu-
matism crutch the rabbit gentleman
lifted the song sparrow out from the
spring and drIcd his wings on some
rocks, warmed in the sun. Then
when its feathers were no longer
wet the song sparrow pcrched ON
Il tree and sang sweet song.
''That is as it should be, 4" said
the bunny, twinkling his pink nose.
"You would be out of place i'll
golden cage" and the song spar
row never again wanted to fly dway
from the woods where it belonged
And if the egg beater doesn't Try
to make a snow ball out Of the boil
ed rice to throw at the ice man,
/ II tell you next about Uncle Wig