Uncle Wiggily in the Woods

by Howard Roger Garis

  "I know where you can have your silk hat cleaned and ironed smooth,"said the voice. "I am the tailor bird, and I do those things. Let mehave your hat, Uncle Wiggily, and I'll fix it for you."

  Down flew the kind bird, and Uncle Wiggily gave him the hat.

  "But what shall I wear while I'm waiting?" asked the bunny uncle. "Itis too soon for me to be going about without my hat. I'll needsomething on my head while you are fixing my silk stovepipe, dearTailor Bird."

  "Oh, that is easy," said the bird. "Just pick some of those thick,green leafy ferns and make yourself a hat of them."

  "The very thing!" cried Uncle Wiggily. Then he fastened some woodlandferns together and easily made himself a hat that would keep off thesun, if it would not keep off the rain. But then it wasn't raining.

  "There you are, Uncle Wiggily!" called the tailor bird at last. "Yoursilk hat is ready to wear again."

  "Thank you," spoke the bunny uncle, as he laid aside the ferns, alsothanking them. "Now I am like myself again," and he hopped on throughthe woods, wondering whether or not he was to have any more adventuresthat day.

  Mr. Longears had not gone on very much farther before he heard arustling in the bushes, and then a sad little voice said:

  "Oh, dear! How sad! I don't believe I'll go to the party now! Allthe others would make fun of me! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"

  "Ha! That sounds like trouble!" said the bunny uncle. "I must seewhat it means."

  He looked through the bushes and there, sitting on a log, he saw LuluWibblewobble, the little duck girl, who was crying very hard, the tearsrolling down her yellow bill.

  "Why, Lulu! What's the matter?" asked Uncle Wiggily.

  "Oh, dear!" answered the little quack-quack child. "I can't go to theparty; that's what's the matter."

  "Why can't you go?" Uncle Wiggily wanted to know. "I saw your mother alittle while ago, and she said you were going."

  "I know I was going," spoke Lulu, "but I'm not now, for the wind blewmy nice new hat into the puddle of muddy water, and now look at it!"and she held up a very much beraggled and debraggled hat of lace andstraw and ribbons and flowers.

  "Oh, dear! That hat is in a bad state, to be sure," said UncleWiggily. "But don't cry, Lulu. Almost the same thing happened to meand the tailor bird made my hat as good as ever. Mine was all mud,too, like yours. Come, I'll take you to the tailor bird."

  "You are very kind, Uncle Wiggily," spoke Lulu, "but if I go there Imay not get back in time for the party, and I want to wear my new hatto it, very much."

  "Ha! I see!" cried the bunny uncle. "You want to look nice at theparty. Well, that's right, of course. And I don't believe the tailorbird could clean your hat in time, for it is so fancy he would have tobe very careful of it.

  "But you can do as I did, make a hat out of ferns, and wear that toNannie Wagtail's party. I'll help you."

  "Oh, how kind you are!" cried the little duck girl.

  So she went along with Uncle Wiggily to where the ferns grew in thewood, leaving her regular hat at the tailor bird's nest to be cleanedand pressed.

  Uncle Wiggily made Lulu the cutest hat out of fern leaves. Oh, I wishyou could have seen it. There wasn't one like it even in the five andten-cent store.

  "Wear that to Nannie's party, Lulu," said the rabbit gentleman, andLulu did, the hat being fastened to her feathers with a long pin madefrom the stem of a fern. And when Lulu reached the party all theanimal girls cried out:

  "Oh, what a sweet, lovely, cute, dear, cunning, swell and stylish hat!Where did you get it?"

  "Uncle Wiggily made it," answered Lulu, and all the girls said theywere going to get one just like it. And they did, so that fern hatsbecame very fashionable and stylish in Woodland, and Lulu had a finetime at the party.

  So this teaches us that even a mud puddle is of some use, and if therubber plant doesn't stretch too far, and tickle the gold fish underthe chin making it sneeze, the next story will be about Uncle Wiggilyand the snow drops.

  STORY XII

  UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE SNOW DROPS

  "Uncle Wiggily! Uncle Wiggily! Will you come with me?" called a voiceunder the window of the hollow stump bungalow, where the old gentlemanrabbit was sitting, half asleep, one nice, warm afternoon.

  "Ha! Come with you? Who is it wants me to come with them?" asked thebunny gentleman. "I hope it isn't the bad fox, or the skillery-scaleryalligator with humps on his tail that is calling. They're alwayswanting me to go with them."

  The rabbit looked out of the window and he heard some one laughing.

  "That doesn't sound like a bad fox, nor yet an unpleasant alligator,"said Mr. Longears. "Who is it wants me to come with them?"

  "It is I--Susie Littletail, the rabbit girl," was the answer.

  "And where do you want me to come?" asked Uncle Wiggily.

  "To the woods, to pick some flowers," answered Susie. "The lady mouseteacher wants me to see how many kinds I can find. You know so muchabout the woods, Uncle Wiggily, that I wish you'd come with me."

  "I will," said the nice rabbit gentleman. "Wait until I get my tallsilk hat and my red, white and blue striped barber pole rheumatismcrutch."

  And, when he had them, off he started, holding Susie's paw in his, andlimping along under the green trees and over the carpet of green moss.

  Uncle Wiggily and the little rabbit girl found many kinds of flowers inthe woods. There were violets, some white, some yellow and somepurple, with others blue, like the ones Uncle Wiggily used to makeblueing water for Nurse Jane's clothes. And there were red flowers andyellow ones, and some Jacks-in-their-pulpits, which are very queerflowers indeed.

  "Here, Susie, is a new kind of blossom. Maybe you would like some ofthese," said Uncle Wiggily, pointing to a bush that was covered withlittle round, white balls.

  "Oh, I didn't know the snow had lasted this long!" Susie cried. "Ithought it had melted long ago."

  "I don't see any snow," said Uncle Wiggily, looking around.

  "On that bush," said Susie, pointing to the white one.

  "Oh!" laughed the bunny uncle. "That does look like snow, to be sure.But it isn't, though the name of the flowers is snowdrop."

  "Flowers! I don't call them flowers!" said Susie. "They are onlywhite balls."

  "Don't you want to pick any?" asked the rabbit.

  "Thank you, no," Susie said. "I like prettier colored flowers thanthose, which are just plain white."

  "Well, I like them, and I'll take some to Nurse Jane," spoke the bunnyuncle. So he picked a bunch of the snowdrops and carried them in hispaws, while Susie gathered the brighter flowers.

  "I think those will be all teacher will want," said the little rabbitgirl at last.

  "Yes, we had better be getting home," spoke Uncle Wiggily. "Nurse Janewill soon have supper ready. Won't you come and eat with me, Susie?"

  "Thank you, I will, Uncle Wiggily," and the little bunny girl clappedher paws; that is, as well as she could, on account of holding herflowers, for she loved to eat at Uncle Wiggily's hollow stump bungalow,as did all the animal children.

  Well, Uncle Wiggily and Susie were going along and along through thewoods, when, all of a sudden, as they passed a high rock, out frombehind it jumped the bad old tail-pulling monkey.

  As they passed a high rock, out from behind it jumpedthe bad old tail-pulling monkey.]

  "Ah, ha!" chattered the monkey chap. "I am just in time, I see."

  "Time for what?" asked Uncle Wiggily, suspicious like.

  "To pull your tails," answered the monkey. "I haven't had any tails topull in a long while, and I must pull some. So, though you rabbitshaven't very good tails, for pulling, I must do the best I can. Nowcome to me and have your tails pulled. Come on!"

  "Oh, dear!" cried Susie. "I don't want my tail pulled, even if it isvery short."

  "Nor I mine," Uncle Wiggily said.

  "That makes no manner of difference to me," chattered the monkey. "I'ma tail-pulling chap, and tails I mu
st pull. So you might as well haveit over with, now as later." And he spoke just like a dentist whowants to take your lolly-pop away from you.

  "Pull our tails! Well, I guess you won't!" cried Uncle Wiggilysuddenly. "Come on, Susie! Let's run away!"

  Before the monkey could grab them Uncle Wiggily and Susie started torun. But soon the monkey was running after them, crying:

  "Stop! Stop! I must pull your tails!"

  "But we don't want you to," answered Susie.

  "Oh, but you must let me!" cried the monkey. Then he gave a great big,long, strong and double-jointed jump, like a circus clown going overthe backs of fourteen elephants, and part of another one, and themonkey grabbed Uncle Wiggily by his ears.

  "Oh, let go of me, if you please!" begged the bunny. "I thought yousaid you pulled tails and not ears."

  "I do pull tails when I can get hold of them," said the maliciousmonkey. "But as I can't easily get hold of your tail, and as your earsare so large that I can easily grab them, I'll pull them instead. Allready now, a long pull, a strong pull and a pull altogether!"

  "Stop!" cried the bunny uncle, just as the monkey was going to give thethree kinds of pull at once. "Stop!"

  "No!" answered the monkey. "No! No!"

  "Yes! Yes!" cried the bunny uncle. "If you don't stop pulling my earsyou'll freeze!" and with that the bunny uncle pulled out from behindhim, where he had kept them hidden, the bunch of white snowdrops.

  "Ah, ha!" cried Mr. Longears to the monkey. "You come from a warmcountry, where there is no snow or snowdrops. Now when you see thesesnow drops, shiver and shake--see how cold it is! Shiver and shake!Shake and shiver! Burr-r-r-r-r!"

  Uncle Wiggily made believe the flowers were real snow, sort ofshivering himself (pretend like) and the tail-pulling chap, who wasvery much afraid of cold and snow and ice, chattered and said:

  "Oh, dear! Oh, how cold I am! Oh, I'm freezing. I am going back tomy warm nest in the tree and not pull any tails until next summer!"

  And then the monkey ran away, thinking the snowdrops Uncle Wiggily hadpicked were bits of real snow.

  "I'm sorry I said the snowdrops weren't nice," spoke Susie, as she andUncle Wiggily went safely home. "They are very nice. Only for themthe monkey would have pulled our tails."

  But he didn't, you see, and if the hookworm doesn't go to the movingpictures with the gold fish and forget to come back to play tag withthe toy piano, I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily and the horsechestnut tree.

  STORY XIII

  UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE HORSE CHESTNUT

  "Bang! Bango! Bunko! Bunk! Slam!"

  Something made a big noise on the frontporch of the hollow stump bungalow, where, inthe woods, lived Uncle Wiggily Longears, therabbit gentleman.

  "My goodness!" cried Nurse Jane FuzzyWuzzy, the muskrat lady housekeeper. "I hopenothing has happened!"

  "Well, from what I heard I should say it isquite certain that SOMETHING has happened,"spoke the bunny uncle, sort of twistinghis ears very anxious like.

  "I only hope the chimney hasn't turned asomersault, and that the roof is not trying toplay tag with the back steps," went on MissFuzzy Wuzzy, a bit scared like.

  "I'll go see what it is," offered Uncle Wiggily,and as he went to the front door there, onthe piazza, he saw Billie Wagtail, the little goat boy.

  "Oh, good morning, Uncle Wiggily," spokeBillie, politely. "Here's a note for you. I justbrought it."

  "And did you bring all that noise with you?"Mr. Longears wanted to know.

  "Well, yes, I guess I did," Billie said, sort ofbashful like and shy as he wiggled his horns."I was seeing how fast I could run, and I randown hill and got going so lickity-split like thatI couldn't stop. I fell right up your frontsteps, rattle-te-bang!"

  "I should say it was rattle-te-bang!" laughedUncle Wiggily. "But please don't do it again, Billie."

  "I won't," promised the goat boy. "GrandpaGoosey Gander gave me that note to leave foryou on my way to the store for my mother.And now I must hurry on," and Billie jumpedoff the porch and skipped along through theWoodland trees as happy as a huckleberry pieand a piece of cheese.

  "What was it all about?" asked Nurse Jane,when Uncle Wiggily came in.

  "Oh, just Billie Wagtail," answered thebunny uncle. "He brought a note fromGrandpa Goosey, who wants me to come overand see him. I'll go. He has the epizootic,and can't get out, so he wants some one to talkto and to play checkers with him."

  Off through the woods went Uncle Wiggilyand he was almost at Grandpa Goosey's housewhen he heard some voices talking. One voice said:

  "Oh, dear! How thirsty I am!"

  "And so am I!" said another.

  "Well, children, I am sorry," spoke a thirdvoice, "but I cannot give you any water. I amthirsty myself, but we cannot drink until itrains, and it has not rained in a long, long time."

  "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" cried theother voices again. "How thirsty we are!"

  "That's too bad," thought Uncle Wiggily."I would not wish even the bad fox to be thirsty.I must see if I can not be of some help."

  So he peeked through the bushes and saw some trees.

  "Was it you who were talking about beingthirsty?" asked the rabbit gentleman, curious like.

  "Yes," answered the big voice. "I am a horsechestnut tree, and these are my children," andthe large tree waved some branches, like fingers,at some small trees growing under her.

  "And they, I suppose, are pony chestnuttrees," said Uncle Wiggily.

  "That's what we are!" cried the little trees,"and we are very thirsty."

  "Indeed they are," said the mother tree. "Yousee we are not like you animals. We cannotwalk to a spring or well to get a drink whenwe are thirsty. We have to stay, rooted in oneplace, and wait for the rain, or until some one waters us."

  "Well, some one is going to water you rightaway!" cried Uncle Wiggily in his jolly voice."I'll bring you some water from the duck pond,which is near by."

  Then, borrowing a pail from Mrs. Wibblewobble,the duck lady, Uncle Wiggily pouredwater all around the dry earth, in which grewthe horse chestnut tree and the little pony trees.

  "Oh! How fine that is!" cried the thirstytrees. "It is almost as nice as rain. You arevery good, Uncle Wiggily," said the mothertree, "and if ever we can do you a favor we will."

  "Thank you," spoke Uncle Wiggily, makinga low bow with his tall silk hat. Then he wenton to Grandpa Goosey's where he visited withhis epizootic friend and played checkers.

  On his way home through the woods, UncleWiggily was unpleasantly surprised when, allof a sudden out from behind a stone jumpeda bad bear. He wasn't at all a good, nice bearlike Beckie or Neddie Stubtail.

  "Bur-r-r-r-r!" growled the bear at UncleWiggily. "I guess I'll scratch you."

  "Oh, please don't," begged the bunny uncle.

  "Yes, I shall!" grumbled the bear. "And I'llhug you, too!"

  "Oh, no! I'd rather you wouldn't!" said thebunny uncle. For well he knew that a beardoesn't hug for love. It's more of a hard,rib-cracking squeeze than a hug. If ever a bearwants to hug you, just don't you let him. Ofcourse if daddy or mother wants to hug, why,that's all right.

  "Yes, I'm going to scratch you and hug you,"went on the bad bear, "and after that--well,after that I guess I'll take you off to my den."

  "Oh, please don't!" begged Uncle Wiggily,twinkling his nose and thinking that he mightmake the bear laugh. For if ever you can geta bear to laugh he won't hurt you a bit. Justremember that. Tickle him, or do anything toget him to laugh. But this bear wouldn't evensmile. He just growled again and said:

  "Well, here I come, Uncle Wiggily, to hug you!"

  "Oh, no you don't!" all of a sudden cried avoice in the air.

  "Ha! Who says I don't?" grumbled the bear, impolite like.

  "I do," went on the voice. And the bear sawsome trees waving their branches at him.

  "Pooh! I'm not afraid of you!" growledthe bear, and he made a rush for the bunny."I'm not afraid of
trees."

  "Not afraid of us, eh? Well, you'd betterbe!" said the mother tree. "I'm a strong horsechestnut and these are my strong little ponies.Come on, children, we won't let the bear getUncle Wiggily." Then the strong horse chestnuttree and the pony trees reached down withtheir powerful branches and, catching hold ofthe bear, they tossed him up in the air, far awayover in the woods, at the same time pelting himwith green, prickly horse chestnuts, and thebear came down ker-bunko in a bramble brier bush.

  "Oh, wow!" cried the bear, as he felt his softand tender nose being scratched. "I'll be good!I'll be good!"

  And he was, for a little while, anyhow. Sothis shows you how a horse chestnut tree savedthe bunny gentleman, and if the postmandoesn't stick a stamp on our cat's nose so it can'teat molasses cake when it goes to the puppydog's party, I'll tell you next about UncleWiggily and the pine tree.

  STORY XIV

  UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE PINE TREE

  Uncle Wiggily Longears, the nice old gentleman rabbit, put on his tallsilk hat, polished his glasses with the tip of his tail, to make themshiny so he could see better through them, and then, taking his red,white and blue striped rheumatism crutch down off the mantel, hestarted out of his hollow stump bungalow one day.

  "Better take an umbrella, hadn't you?" asked Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy,the muskrat lady housekeeper. "It looks as though we might have anApril shower."

  "An umbrella? Yes, I think I will take one," spoke the bunny uncle, ashe saw some dark clouds in the sky. "They look as though they mighthave rain in them."