OCR Text |
Show BEDTIME STORIES BY HOWARD R. GARiS C - ' ' - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE HUMMING TOP I Copyright liSft '.' McClure Newspaper s.v ndlcato (Bj Howard R. Garis) "Look out. Nurse Jane' Be careful! I Cover your cars!" cried l.'ncle Wigglly j lu the hollow stump bungalow one morn-i morn-i Ing. And. as lie said Ibis, ihe bunnv rabbit gentleman caught up ht.s tall silk lull from the chair, and held it over his Jpink, twinkling nose. "Whv. whatever la the matter. Wig Igily?" asked Kurse JanS a rhe looked around and saw nothing to cause any 1 fright. "Whj should I cover my eats"" "Don't von hear that buzzing, hum Imiag sound?" asked Undo Wigglly. "it Is gelling louder nnd louder It til US I he a whole swarm of i.rr outside, trying lo get in to sting US Cover your cir?. Nurse .lane, and hold .voui apron over vour nore!" Nonsense!' laughed Miss Nurse .lane FUCS) AVuzzv. and I n. h- Wlugilv looked 'al her in such sui-prus- HihI he torgot t-. winkle Ids pink nose. 'Those aien'i . ire-- that humming .-omul Isn't made bv any stlngin9 bees." said Nurac Jane. Who It. I niak- the noise then'."" asked. L'ncle Wigglly. Neddie Sluldall. the bear boy. an swered Nurse .lane. "He's out in front. ipinntng his ileislmns top. and it is thai lop bussing 'OU heard Hen-, come and look nl Neddie." L'ncle tggdv peered through the win dow and. BUPeiy enough, out In front or the bungalow was the I tllC BtubloJl chp. p.eallN witli winter at hand. Nisldie should have been taking his long sleep,1 I witli the other bears, groundhogs and; l.smh animals. But somehow oi other, Neddie had come out to play w ith bis j ; I "hr.,-1 lll: top I "And It's a hummer, l'ncle Wigglly. "It surelv is a hum !" RTOWled Ned die when he saw l'ncle Wigglly com ing' out Neddie didn't growl because he Was cross, but because that was his waj I of speaking, mi bears growl. "My top! , la a hummer!" said Che bo bear. And to think I imagined it was be laughed the bunnv Uncle. "3Tes. ou havi 8 verj nice top, Neddie." and tlie bonny I gentleman looked at the humming top I painted red. green, blue and yellow as it! I was. 1 Neddie kept on spinning his top. and I Uncle Wigglly taking his red. while and blue striped rheumatism Crutch, putting j On his rail, silk hat. and making sure thai I his pink nose was property twinkling ; started down the steps of his hollow ' stump bungalow "Oh please may I come?" asked Ned j die quh kly poking up hts humming top. and the string bj which he spun ii "Yes. .ome along." kindly Invited Uride Wigglly. "I am not going anv where spe. J jcial only to look for an adventure, but 1 peYha.ps you ma) help me Und one" I "Oi. what fun Well hive!" cried Ned die. Hi stuffed his top Inside his poj k I together vvltii a piece of licorice, a bit of honey tflkc. some tangles of string, a few marbles, e tin whistle and bis knife, and walked along -vith l'ncle W igglly. The two friends hsd not gone very fai. 'la-fore all of a sudden.. Just as they were) passing a lollypop buah, they heard a; queer sound. "What's that?" nsked Neddie. ;md he. snuggled up closer to 1 nc'.e Wigglly. At l hi same time the lit tie bo bear looked at the toll-. pop bush to see if any ehoco late drops were falling off it. BUl none; weret i ani sorry to ss "1 don't knov what thnt was." an-' swercd Undo Wigglly "You aren't spinning spin-ning vour top again, are you, Neddie, lo make any sound? "No. my bumming top. that plays mu ' sic lunOS also is In my pocket," the bov bear answered. "But Isn't that a Innn; sound. Uncle Wigglly?" "It certainly is." answered tlie bunnv gentleman, and the noie came nearer and nearer, and now I'm lo Wiggll and Neddie could hear a roaring voice aaylpg -I'm hungry! rm hungry! oh. bov. bun grv I am!" l'ncle Wigglly looked at Neddie and Neddie looked at l'ncle Wlggllv Pm afraid " said the bunnv gentleman in his most polite voice. I'm afraid that mav be the Wdosle Wolf or the Puss) Fox. They're ncarTj always hungry Have you an thing to give them to eat, j Neddie?" The Ivov bear felt in his oockets. i only have an old ple e of licorice candy I've been chewing on." he naid. "Do vou s'poee a w olf or fox would care for that?" "Hum! i hardly think- so." said l'ncle Wigglly. and all the while tlie voice kepi , oniing n-'arei .sa ing: "I'm hungrv ! I'm bung ) !" And then. alPol a sUoden. out tlirough the Lushes popped tlie bad old Sheer -I. -How Ids ecs lighted up as )e Si. i'n.. ! w iggiiy. ' I think I'm hungrv lor rabbit's ears! "; said Ihe Sk eiieks. "You wouldn't dar- hurt I nclS '.gg-ih if my father, the big bear gentleman.! Were here." -ld Neddie ' PleOfe on't take Uncle Wlgglly's cars? I'll give, you a piece of inv licorice candy if you don't !' "As If I cared for licorice candy!" howled thr k. Eli ky. He was Just -olng 1 to nibble Uncle Wlgglly's cars when tin bo I.e.,.. all of , SIMM, II IlillUghl ol his humming lop. In an Instant he h ol wound it up. and set It dswn spinning' behind the Skeezlcks. "Buzz' EXumm! Buzz'" whined the top. Quickly the Skeezlcks turned. beflf he had a chance lo nibble I'm Ic Wiggilv t- - - - ears. The Skeeslcks listened s moment and then he cried: "Oh the bees are after me! The buzzing buzz-ing bees six' here ami they'll sting me on ihe end of mv soft nnd tender nose. This Is no place for me! I'll nibble L'ncle Wig gily's ears some oiler time'" And then, thinking Noddle's top W0S a lot of buzzing-, humming bees, away the Skei-r.icks, not hurting the bunnv gentleman nt all. "It's a ghod tiling vou had your top. Neddie" Said Ml. LongCOTS. And vvlicii they reached the three and six cent store the bunny bought Neddlt a chocolate choco-late lollypop. So If (he parlor carpet doesn't try to climb up the slabs to see the cake of soap slide down Ho- bathtub! I'M tell v r.it next I line about L'OcIc Wig. glly and the sto, ashes. oo |