Imperial Valley Press

BED-TIME STORIES
By HOWARD E. GARRIS

UNCLE WIGGILY'S STRAW HAT

Uncle Wiggily took his new straw hat down off the rack in the hall of his hollow stump bungalow and put it on his head. I mean he put his hat on his head, not the bungalow, of course. He couldn't do that.

"My, you're all dressed up today," said his wife.

"Oh, no," said Uncle Wiggily.

"Oh, yes," said Mrs. Longears. "You look very stylish with your new straw hat. It has a red ribbon on it."

"Yes, it's a nice hat all right," said the bunny gentleman, "but I'm not exactly dressed up."

"You must be going some place special," said Nurse Jane with a laugh as she came into the hall to see if the front door needed dusting.

"Oh, I'm only going to call on Mr. Twistytail, the pig gentleman," answered Uncle Wiggily.

"I knew you to put on your new hat to go calling on a fat pig," said Mrs. Longears. "Tell the truth now, Wiggy! You can't fool me!" and she laughed.

"Well," Mrs. Twistytail isn't feeling so well," said Mr. Longears "I told Twisty I'd drop over and see how she was. And I thought it would make Mrs. Twistytail feel a little better, perhaps. Give her something to talk about, you know."

"Yes. I think that would be nice," said Mrs. Longears. "I would go see Mrs. Twistytail myself, but I am so busy. But give her my love and say I'll come as soon as I can."

"I think I'll send her a little piece of the strawberry shortcake that I made just now," said Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy, "I think she'd like it."

"I'm sure she will," said Uncle Wiggily, twinkling his pink nose. "But send her a large piece, not a small one. Mrs. Twistytail, being a pig lady likes lots to eat. I'll be glad to take her some of your strawberry shortcake."

Uncle Wiggily looked in the glass to make sure his new straw hat was straight on his head, he brushed a speck of dust off the red band and by that time Nurse Jane had returned from the kitchen with a piece of cake in a little basket.

Away hopped the rabbit gentleman to call on the sick pig lady and as he hopped he whistled a little tune, for he was very happy.

It was a hot day, as many days are in July, and after a while, when he reached a shady place under the trees, the rabbit gentleman took off his straw hat, put it on the grass near him beside the piece of strawberry shortcake in the basket and went to sleep.

Now while Uncle Wiggily slept along came waddling three little ducks. They were the small brothers of Lulu, Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble and this was the first time they had seen Uncle Wiggily, being newly hatched from their shells.

"Oh, look!" said one little duck, whose name was Quackie, "What's that funny thing?" and he flipped one wing at Uncle Wiggily's hat.

"It looks like a bird bath to me," said Quickie, another little duck.

"But it hasn't any water in it," said Quockie, the third little duck.

"We can easily put some water in that bath and have a lot of fun paddling around in it," spoke Quackie.

"Hurray!" said Quickie. "Let's roll this empty bird bath down close to the edge of the Duck Pond," said Quockie. "Then it will be easier to fill with water so we can paddle in it."

"Yes," said Quackie. "We are too little, yet, to swim in the big pond, but we can make a nice little pond of our own out of this empty bird bath. Come on, we'll roll it down to the edge of the pond."

So the three little ducks, waddling and quacking and fluttering their tiny wings, pushed, rolled and slid Uncle Wiggily's new straw hat over the grass, over the dirt and gravel and through the mud to the shore of big Duck Pond. It was hard work for them and it didn't do the new hat any good. First it was stained green with grass color, then a lot of sand and gravel got in the straw and lastly a lot of soft mud stuck to the new hat.

But the little ducks didn't care. Standing on the edge of the pond they splashed with their wings until Uncle Wiggily's hat was filled, just like a bird bath.

"Now we can paddle!" said Quackie and up over the edge of the brim the three little ducks fluttered and they began to swim around and around and around in the bunny's new hat. And just then Mr. Longears opened his eyes and sat up. And what happened next I'll tell you in the story tomorrow night. It will be called Uncle Wiggily and Mrs. Twistytail.

And I hope the baker's horse will give the elephant a peanut cake to pack in his trunk to take to the seashore with him.