Imperial Valley Press

Bed-Time Stories
By HOWARD E. GARIS
Copyright, 1928, by McClure Newspaper Syndicate

UNCLE WIGGILY'S WATER-MELON

Uncle Wiggily's little bunny boys and girls had such a lovely time at the woodland picnic to which Nurse Jane and their mother took them, that for several days afterward they teased Mr. Longears to take them on another.

"We'd love to go on a picnic with you, Daddieums," said the rabbit children. "You know how to make lovely picnics."

For you must know that on the other picnic Mr. Longears had to stay at home, for he was ill. He had to take pink and green pills and, seeing how weak and indisposed he was, the Alligator tried to catch the bunny uncle.

But a brave little, busy wren bird, small and tiny, flew at the 'Gator as if to scratch out the Bad Chap's eyes. Busy as he was, Mr. Wren found time to save Uncle Wiggily.

Now the bunny gentleman was well again, able to hop about and look for adventures so his boys and girls felt that it would be all right to tease him to take them on another picnic.

"Will you take us today, Daddina?" asked Jingle.

"No, not today," Uncle Wiggily said, shaking his pink nose.

"Will you please take us tomorrow?" asked Jangle and Jingle was sorry she had left out her "please," for, perhaps that is why her father shook his nose.

"No, thank you," answered the rabbit gentleman politely, "I can't take you on a picnic tomorrow. But, if you like, I will take you on a picnic yesterday."

For a moment Jingle and Jangle were puzzled. Then Jingle said:

"Oh, you are teasing us! Yesterday is gone so how can we have a picnic on it?"

"You can't!" chuckled Uncle Wiggily. "Any more than you can run on a train that is gone if you have missed it. But if all goes well I shall have a picnic for you day after tomorrow."

Uncle Wiggily ate some:

"What kind of a picnic?" asked Buster, who, with his brother Cus, was watching the clock make funny faces behind its hands.

"A watermelon picnic," answered the rabbit gentleman. "Day after tomorrow you are all invited to a watermelon picnic in the back yard. Come and bring your friends."

"Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!" shouted the bunny boys and girls.

How happy they were. Away they hopped to tell all their friends, the other animal boys and girls of Woodland, near the Orange Ice Mountains.

At last day after tomorrow came and, lo and behold, when it came it was TODAY and in a little while it would be YESTERDAY. Time is like that.

Uncle Wiggily had not forgotten. He and Uncle Butter, the goat, with Mr. Whitewash, the Polar Bear, had brought many big, green watermelons and stacked them in the back yard of the hollow stump bungalow. Nurse Jane and Mrs. Longears cut the melons in slices and from his North Pole cave Mr. Whitewash brought cakes of ice to cool them. For cold watermelon is better than hot at a party.

"Well, are you all here?" asked Uncle Wiggily as he saw the yard full of rabbits and waved his paw toward the stacks of sliced watermelons on ice.

"All here!" squeaked Nurse Jane, who had been counting noses to make sure Baby Bunty wouldn't be left out. "All here, Mr. Longears."

"Then let the watermelon party begin!" exclaimed jolly Uncle Wiggily, and such a time as there was. You should have seen those slices of watermelon disappear! No stage magician could have slipped them up his sleeve (or wherever it is magicians make things vanish) any more quickly than the animal boys and girls put the melons in their tummies. Uncle Wiggily ate some, too, and so did Nurse Jane and Uncle Butter, the goat, and Mr. Whitewash.

At last all the melons had been eaten, the red, juicy parts had been gnawed off the green rinds, which were all that were left, and the black seeds had been scattered all about. Some of the boys shot the seeds at the girls and made them squeal.

And then, all of a sudden, along came Mrs. Twistytail, the fat pig lady. She saw what was left of the watermelon party and sadly grunted:

"Oh Uncle Wiggily why didn't you invite me? You know how I love watermelons. Oh, you didn't invite me."

"I'm so sorry," said the rabbit gentleman. "I forgot all about you, Mrs. Twistytail. But I know how to make you happy."

"How?" grunted the pig lady.

"I shall make you a necklace of watermelon seeds," said Mr. Longears.

"It will look so stylish on you!"

Quickly gathering up hundreds of melon seeds, Uncle Wiggily strung them on long threads of grass and when the black necklace was hung on Mrs. Twistytail, truly she looked very stylish.

So she didn't feel sorry about not having watermelon to eat and went to the movies to show her new ornament. All the other pig ladies wished they had one like it.

And if the cabbage doesn't turn upside down and try to walk on its head I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily's cucumber.