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Literary
April 25, 1934
Imperial Valley Press
El Centro, Imperial County, California
What is this article about?
Uncle Wiggily, impatient after planting flower seeds, hopes to pick blossoms soon for his wife's April bouquet. A talking red magic bug appears and offers to make the flowers grow instantly as a joke on his wife and friends.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE MAGIC BUG
Uncle Wiggily was standing beside the flower bed that Mr. Twistytail, the fat pig gentleman had made for him. In the brown earth of the bed Mr. Longears had planted seeds of red, blue, purple and yellow flowers. Rather foolishly Uncle Wiggily thought that a few hours after he had planted the seeds he should be able to go out and pick the blossoms to make an April bouquet for his wife.
Of course you and I know that such a thing could not really happen. But Uncle Wiggily, after having seen an April shower wet the bed of seeds, had an idea that he could soon pick flowers. He did not tell his wife this, as he wanted to surprise her.
So, after having looked at the flower bed from his bungalow window several times, at last the rabbit gentleman hopped out to get closer to it.
“Not yet. I wonder when?” he said rather sadly to himself as he stood beside the bed. And then, as I told you in the story last night, something happened.
All of a sudden a voice near the rabbit gentleman asked:
“What are you wondering about?”
Uncle Wiggily jumped up as a cat does when she is asleep and hears a dog bark. He feared one of the Bad Chaps might have sneaked up on him. But nothing like that had happened. All he saw was a red bug, about the size of a Squiggle Bug, walking on the early April grass.
“What did you say, begging your pardon for not having heard it the first time?” asked the rabbit.
“I said what are you wondering about,” spoke the red bug. Or rather he buzzed it.
“I was wondering,” answered Uncle Wiggily, “when I could pick some flowers out of my bed to make an April bouquet for my wife.”
“When did you plant the seeds?” asked the red bug.
“Yesterday,” replied the rabbit.
“Well, then, you can't expect any flowers for about six weeks,” said the red bug.
“Six weeks,” cried Uncle Wiggily. “Oh, what a long time!”
“Unless,” buzzed the bug.
“Unless what?” asked the rabbit gentleman.
“Unless I do a little magic trick,” buzzed the red bug.
“Oh, can you do magic?” asked Uncle Wiggily.
“Yes,” came the answer. “I am a magic bug.”
“Then I wish you would now make some flowers grow in this bed so I can pick my wife an April bouquet,” said the rabbit. “You see my wife and Nurse Jane and Mrs. Twistytail told me I couldn't pick any flowers out of this bed for a long time. I would like to do it right now and fool them. It would be a good joke on them.”
“It certainly would!” answered the red bug and he laughed so hard that his wings jittered. “Well, as it happens,” he went on, “I am able to do a little magic and I can make some flowers grow in this bed for you right away.”
“Oh, you can!” exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. “How?”
“That is a secret,” buzzed the bug.
“Just what I told my wife when she asked me why I was so often jumping up and looking out of the window,” said the rabbit. “As a matter of fact, I was looking to see if any flowers had yet blossomed from the seeds I had planted.”
“Impossible!” said the bug.
“You mean—silly of me?” asked Uncle Wiggily.
“About that—yes,” answered the bug.
“Well, but you said you could make flowers grow in this bed Mr. Twistytail dug for me and that you could have them blossom right away so that I could pick an April bouquet for my wife,” spoke the rabbit.
“Yes, and I can do it,” buzzed the bug.
“How?” the rabbit gentleman wanted to know.
“By magic, just as I said at first.”
“Will it hurt?” asked Uncle Wiggily.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” laughed the red bug. “What do you think I am, a dentist? Not that dentists hurt—far from it. They are very gentle. But if you want me to make magic, and cause flowers to grow in this bed of brown dirt the day after you planted seeds there, you must do exactly as I say.”
“Oh, I'll do that,” promised Uncle Wiggily.
“Then,” said the red bug, folding his wings, “go down to your back fence and look over it. Come back and tell me what you see.” Mr. Longears thought this very strange, but he did as the red bug told him.
And what happened next you shall hear tomorrow night in the story Uncle Wiggily picks the flowers.
But don't on any account, let the trolley car chase the taxicab around the corner and take off some of its tires.
Uncle Wiggily was standing beside the flower bed that Mr. Twistytail, the fat pig gentleman had made for him. In the brown earth of the bed Mr. Longears had planted seeds of red, blue, purple and yellow flowers. Rather foolishly Uncle Wiggily thought that a few hours after he had planted the seeds he should be able to go out and pick the blossoms to make an April bouquet for his wife.
Of course you and I know that such a thing could not really happen. But Uncle Wiggily, after having seen an April shower wet the bed of seeds, had an idea that he could soon pick flowers. He did not tell his wife this, as he wanted to surprise her.
So, after having looked at the flower bed from his bungalow window several times, at last the rabbit gentleman hopped out to get closer to it.
“Not yet. I wonder when?” he said rather sadly to himself as he stood beside the bed. And then, as I told you in the story last night, something happened.
All of a sudden a voice near the rabbit gentleman asked:
“What are you wondering about?”
Uncle Wiggily jumped up as a cat does when she is asleep and hears a dog bark. He feared one of the Bad Chaps might have sneaked up on him. But nothing like that had happened. All he saw was a red bug, about the size of a Squiggle Bug, walking on the early April grass.
“What did you say, begging your pardon for not having heard it the first time?” asked the rabbit.
“I said what are you wondering about,” spoke the red bug. Or rather he buzzed it.
“I was wondering,” answered Uncle Wiggily, “when I could pick some flowers out of my bed to make an April bouquet for my wife.”
“When did you plant the seeds?” asked the red bug.
“Yesterday,” replied the rabbit.
“Well, then, you can't expect any flowers for about six weeks,” said the red bug.
“Six weeks,” cried Uncle Wiggily. “Oh, what a long time!”
“Unless,” buzzed the bug.
“Unless what?” asked the rabbit gentleman.
“Unless I do a little magic trick,” buzzed the red bug.
“Oh, can you do magic?” asked Uncle Wiggily.
“Yes,” came the answer. “I am a magic bug.”
“Then I wish you would now make some flowers grow in this bed so I can pick my wife an April bouquet,” said the rabbit. “You see my wife and Nurse Jane and Mrs. Twistytail told me I couldn't pick any flowers out of this bed for a long time. I would like to do it right now and fool them. It would be a good joke on them.”
“It certainly would!” answered the red bug and he laughed so hard that his wings jittered. “Well, as it happens,” he went on, “I am able to do a little magic and I can make some flowers grow in this bed for you right away.”
“Oh, you can!” exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. “How?”
“That is a secret,” buzzed the bug.
“Just what I told my wife when she asked me why I was so often jumping up and looking out of the window,” said the rabbit. “As a matter of fact, I was looking to see if any flowers had yet blossomed from the seeds I had planted.”
“Impossible!” said the bug.
“You mean—silly of me?” asked Uncle Wiggily.
“About that—yes,” answered the bug.
“Well, but you said you could make flowers grow in this bed Mr. Twistytail dug for me and that you could have them blossom right away so that I could pick an April bouquet for my wife,” spoke the rabbit.
“Yes, and I can do it,” buzzed the bug.
“How?” the rabbit gentleman wanted to know.
“By magic, just as I said at first.”
“Will it hurt?” asked Uncle Wiggily.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” laughed the red bug. “What do you think I am, a dentist? Not that dentists hurt—far from it. They are very gentle. But if you want me to make magic, and cause flowers to grow in this bed of brown dirt the day after you planted seeds there, you must do exactly as I say.”
“Oh, I'll do that,” promised Uncle Wiggily.
“Then,” said the red bug, folding his wings, “go down to your back fence and look over it. Come back and tell me what you see.” Mr. Longears thought this very strange, but he did as the red bug told him.
And what happened next you shall hear tomorrow night in the story Uncle Wiggily picks the flowers.
But don't on any account, let the trolley car chase the taxicab around the corner and take off some of its tires.
What sub-type of article is it?
Prose Fiction
What themes does it cover?
Nature
Seasonal Cycle
What keywords are associated?
Uncle Wiggily
Magic Bug
Flower Bed
April Bouquet
Rabbit Gentleman
Red Bug
Seeds
Magic Trick
Literary Details
Title
Uncle Wiggily And The Magic Bug
Key Lines
“I Was Wondering,” Answered Uncle Wiggily, “When I Could Pick Some Flowers Out Of My Bed To Make An April Bouquet For My Wife.”
“Unless I Do A Little Magic Trick,” Buzzed The Red Bug.
“Yes,” Came The Answer. “I Am A Magic Bug.”
“It Certainly Would!” Answered The Red Bug And He Laughed So Hard That His Wings Jittered. “Well, As It Happens,” He Went On, “I Am Able To Do A Little Magic And I Can Make Some Flowers Grow In This Bed For You Right Away.”