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Show Tied -Time :: Stories UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE MEASLES BIRD. Tncle Wlitglly." called Nurao Jane Fussy Wusty one morninc, aa the muakrat lady houaekeeper came In from having been out In the garden. 'Tncl Wlgglly, If any of your bird friends are around, now la the time to have one of them do you a favor" "What aort of a favor V asked the bunny rabbit gentleman, as he looked sideways at his pink nose to see If It needed twfiikllng. Which It did and he did It. "What aort of a favor, Miaa I-'ussy Wutly?" "Well," answered tha muskrat lady housekeeper of the hollow atump bunk-alow, "I waa Just walking through your gunlen. and I noticed that aome worms had begun lo chew of( your young cabbage plants." "Oh. dear me!" cried Uncle Wlgglly, Jumping up ao quickly that he tripped over his tall, silk hat. Hut, luckily, the hat had nothing In Just then, not even Cncle. Wlggily'. head, for It waa on a chair, not Uncle Wignlly'a head. "Dear me. hum aui dud!" egclulmed the bunny. bun-ny. "The cut worms In my cabbage! HI fl them!" "What are you going to dor' called Nurse Jane, aa L'ncle Wlgglly ran out of the bungalow. "I am going to hop to the woods and see If I can find a bird to come lo my garden and pick up the cut worms." answered an-swered the bunny. "Many birds are very fond of cut worms, though I can't say 1 am; nor are my cabbages, I fancy." Off to the woods hopped the bunny ruhj.lt gentleman. The wind waa blowing through the trees, the brook leaped over the green, mossy atonea, humming a eong on lis way to the big river, and birds were elnelng In the bushes. "Ho, birds! III. birds!" called the bunny, stopping in the midst of a little clearing, where treee grew In a rlng-around-thr-msle circle about the green gross. "Ho, birds! Who will come and take away the cut worms that aro chopping down my cabbages?" Instantly there waa a rustling In the hushes, and out flew a bird with light-brown light-brown feathera on hla wings and back. hough hla breast was covered with white feathers, all speckled and apot-ted apot-ted with slushea of brown. "Oh, ho! What bird are you?" asked Uncle Wlgglly In his Jolly voice. "I am the wood thrush," was the an- ' swer. "I am not ao aweet a ainger ua my rnuain. the hermit thrush, but I am Just as good at catching cut worms." "And will you come catch the cut worms In my gurden. Mr. Wood Thrush T" asked Incle Wlgglly with a low. iMilite bow. "Right glndly will I come." answered the bird. "What are you looking at?" he a."ked the bunny, for Mr. I.ngenra was staring and atarlng and staring at the bird not Impolitely, but very eurnestly. "I am looking at those spots on your breast." imwercd the bunnv. "Hxcuae me for asking, but you haven't the nierieie, or chicken pox. have you?" "No. indeed!" answered the Wood Thrush, singing like a flute. "I nm Just spotted this way But you may cull me the Meaalos Dlrd If you wish, Uncle Wlggily." "Thank you. I think I shall!" laughed the bunny. "And now. If you please, come to my garden and catch the cut worms." Away bopped the bunny. Away flaw the bird ami soon he wns catching the bad rul worms thnt were eager to sp-dl the bunny'a cabbages. l'ncle Wlgglly sat In the shade of the umbrella um-brella tree and watched the Wood Thrush picking up the cut worms. "You are doing me a great favor." said the bunnv lo the bird. "No more than you are doing one for me." whistled the Thrush. "Kor these rut worms aru u good meal for me." "Well. I know something that will be a Kood mial for me'" suddenly growled a most unpleasant voire, and out from under a log crawled th" Skll-lery Skll-lery Scullery Alligator with the humps on his tall. "l'ncle Wlgglly', ears will make a good meal for me!" cried the 'Gator. "Hi' Not If I can help If" whistled Ihe Wood Thrush, and he darted up from the ground and flew at the Alligator. Alli-gator. Intending to pick Ihe bad chap around the eyes and so drive him away. But. no soner did the Alligator see Ihe Wood Thrush than the Sklllery Scall.-ry creature nave a how and cried : "Oh, yon have the measles' Or else the chicken pox. or maybe both. And I haven't had either one! Oh, I don't want to catch the measles! I don't want to catch the chicken pox. I'm going to run away! I didn't know any one here had the measles or I wouldn't have come!" And away scurried the 'Oator. not nibbling the1 bunny's ears at all. "Ha! Ha!" Iuughn.1 l'ncle Wlgglly. "Right well did I name you Meaate, Hlrd, Mr. Wood Thrush, for the 'Oator truly thought your brown feather spots were the measles coming out." I "Yea. that's why he ran away!"! whistled the Thrush, as he picked up more cut worms. So Uncle Wlgglly'a enra were saved, and ao were trie bunny's cabbagea. And if the'clothea horse doesn't get all colored blue when he tries to wear the rag doll's red dress. I'll tell you next about Uncle WUglly and the Wise Bird. |
