Imperial Valley Press

Bed-Time Stories
By HOWARD E. GARIS
Copyright, 1927, by McClure Newspaper Syndicate

UNCLE WIGGILY IN THE COAL HOLE

"This is all nonsense!" growled the Fuzzy Fox looking at the four signs on which Uncle Wiggily had quickly written some puzzles instead of making KEEP OFF THE GRASS words as he intended. "You can't stop me from nibbling your ears!" The Fox looked very hungry.

"Oh, can't I?…" asked the rabbit gentleman, sort of reaching one paw in a paper bag on the ground near one of the signs, a picture of which was in the story last night.

"No, you can't!" snarled the Fox. "I'm not going to do your silly old puzzle, either! I'm going to bite you!"

With that he made a jump for the rabbit gentleman, but quickly Uncle Wiggily pulled his paw out of the bag. And in the paw was left some of the fine grass seed, like pepper. Like a flash Uncle Wiggily threw the grass seed in the eyes of the Big Fox, as, once before, the wind had blown some into the eyes of Little Fox.

"Oh, wow! Oh, dear me! Oh, trolley cars!" howled Big Fox. "Now I can't see to do your puzzle!"

"No, and you can't see to nibble my ears, either!" chuckled the rabbit. So while the Fox staggered away to let the wind blow the grass seeds out of his eyes Uncle Wiggily turned the signs around and on the back of each the answers were written. On one was the letter B and a bee is an insect, isn't it? On another sign was the letter J and a Blue Jay is a bird, as everyone knows. The third sign had on it the letter T.

"And tea is good to drink," chuckled Uncle Wiggily. While on the last sign was the letter C and the bunny said, "The sea, or Ocean is the deepest water I know."

But the Fox couldn't guess the puzzle, though I'm sure many of the children who read about me guessed it.

Then Uncle Wiggily put up the PLEASE KEEP OFF THE GRASS signs on his new fuzzy, green lawn and he was ready for another new adventure. He did not have long to wait. As the old rabbit gentleman was twinkling his pink nose, all of a sudden Baby Bunny came hopping along the front path, all excited and out of breath from hurrying so.

"Oh! Oh! Un-kie Wig!" gasped the little orphan bunny. "Oh! Oh!"

"What's the matter, my dear?" asked Uncle Wiggily. "Why are you at home from school this time of day. Is it recess?"

"Oh, no!" panted Bunny. "The Lady Mouse Teacher sent me out!"

"Sent you out! Not because you were bad, I hope, Bunny?"

"Oh, no, I wasn't bad, Unkie Wig! But the Lady Mouse heard a noise in the coal hole at the Hollow Stump School, and it was a funny noise and, right away she squeaked and told me to run and find you to come and see what made the funny noise in the coal hole."

"I'll come at once," said Mr. Longears. "Who knows but this may be a new adventure for me!" he chuckled.

He was soon at the Hollow Stump School where he found a frightened Lady Mouse Teacher with some of the wondering animal children gathered around the hole where coal was put in for winter.

"Listen," whispered the Lady Mouse. Uncle Wiggily listened and heard a queer noise down in the coal hole. Without stopping to think what might be there, Mr. Longears jumped right down in the black coal hole.

The noise was now louder. Uncle Wiggily saw a ragged piece of paper that was all black from coal dust. With a bit of white chalk which he had in his pocket, Uncle Wiggily quickly drew on the black paper a white puzzle like the one you see here. It was a circle inside of a square.

"Now then!" cried the brave rabbit gentleman in the coal hole, "whoever you are in here you must do this puzzle of drawing a circle inside of a square without taking your pencil off the paper. If you don't I'll call the Police Dog!"

There was another noise in the coal hole, and who made it and how the puzzle is done you shall learn tomorrow night when the story will be about Uncle Wiggily