Imperial Valley Press

Bed-Time Stories

By HOWARD E. GARIS

Copyright, 1923, by McClure Newspaper Syndicate

UNCLE WIGGILY CAMP FIRE

"Wow! Wow! Wow!"

"Whoopie! Whoopie!"

"I'm an Indian! I'm on the war path! Wow!"

These are only a few of the loud and excited cries which Uncle Wiggily heard outside his hollow stump bungalow one morning.

"My goodness, what's that? Are the Indians really coming?" asked the rabbit gentleman of Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, who was getting ready to make a lemon pie out of a dill pickle.

"Those are only some of our new rabbit boys having fun in the yard," answered the muskrat lady housekeeper.

"They are playing camping out," said Mrs. Longears. "I do wish, Wiggy, my dear," she went on to her husband, "that you would take those children adventuring with you. Skipper and Nipper and Scooter and Tooter and Tingle and Wizzle are so wild! A night spent in a real camp, such as you know how to make for them, would tame them down a bit."

"I'll do it," cried the rabbit gentleman with an extra hard twinkle of his pink nose. "I'll take the rabbit boys out to a real camp fire."

And when Skipper and Nipper and Scooter and Tooter and the others heard about this—well, I wish you could have heard their shouts of joy. No, perhaps it is as well you didn't hear them, for your ears would have hurt from the racket.

But it was a jolly crowd of boy rabbits that went with their new daddy to the woods to camp out over night.

"First of all we must make a place to sleep," said Uncle Wiggily.

This was easily found, for it was warm, and a hole dug out beneath a hollow tree made as good a tent as heart could wish for.

"And next we must have a camp fire," said the bunny gentleman.

The fire will be jolly to sit around after we cook our supper over it. So come now, all you rabbit boys, gather wood for the camp fire.

"Hurray!" cried Skipper and Nipper.

"Hurroo!" shouted Tooter and Scooter.

"What jolly fun!" yelled Tingle and Wizzle.

They rushed here and there in the forest, gathering sticks and bits of bark, piling them near the stump tent.

"There—we have enough for two fires!" sighed Skipper, who like the other was a bit tired.

"Enough wood? Nonsense! Not half enough!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "Get more! More wood! Not half enough! Why we must put wood on the camp fire all night!"

"Oh—all night—must we sit up and keep the fire going?" asked Scooter.

"Certainly," answered the bunny gentleman, and if Uncle Butter had been there Mr. Longears would have winked one eye at his goat friend. But, as it was Uncle Wiggily winked to himself. And he kept the little rabbit boys so busy, bringing in wood that they soon were so tired they could hardly talk. But their new daddy knew this would be good for them.

Nurse Jane and Mrs. Longears had put up a basket of good things to eat and after supper Uncle Wiggily said he would go to bed, as he was sleepy. But he told the little rabbits to take turns, two by two, sitting up to put wood on the fire.

But though they tried to keep awake they all fell asleep, one after the other, and the fire went out.

Uncle Wiggily slept with one eye open and when he saw the fire was out he got up to put some wood on the glowing embers. He made a noise and Scooter awakened and cried:

"Oh, maybe it's the Bear coming! Or the Wolf! Oh I want to go home!"

"So do I," wailed Tooter. "A camp fire isn't as much fun as I thought!"

"Why I thought you boys were brave campers and could shoot Indians and do things like that!" laughed Uncle Wiggily as the fire blazed up. "Ho! Ho! Afraid in the dark! I'm ashamed of you. Come now! Be brave!"

So the little rabbit boys grew brave and were no longer afraid and their new daddy made them a fine breakfast of hot dandelion pancakes in the morning and then they went home.

And after that Tooter and Scooter and the others learned to go camping by themselves and did not shout and make their mother and Nurse Jane nervous around the bungalow.

And if the pussy cat doesn't scratch a hole in the screen door to let a mosquito in to bite the clock on its face, I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily and the proud turtle.