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Title: The second adventures of Uncle Wiggily

The bunny rabbit gentleman and his muskrat lady housekeeper

Author: Howard Roger Garis

Illustrator: Lang Campbell

Release date: August 28, 2023 [eBook #71515]

Language: English

Original publication: Newark: Charles E. Graham & Co, 1925

Credits: Richard Tonsing, David Edwards, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECOND ADVENTURES OF UNCLE WIGGILY ***

Transcriber’s Note:

New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.

THE SECOND
ADVENTURES OF

UNCLE WIGGILY
THE BUNNY RABBIT GENTLEMAN
AND HIS MUSKRAT LADY HOUSEKEEPER

BY HOWARD R. GARIS
PICTURES BY
Lang Campbell
CHARLES E. GRAHAM & CO.
© NEWARK, N.J. :: NEW YORK.
Copyright 1925
BY
CHARLES E. GRAHAM & CO.
Logo
Made in U. S. A.

THE SECOND ADVENTURES OF UNCLE WIGGILY AND HIS MUSKRAT LADY HOUSEKEEPER

“Hurray! Hurrah!” cried Uncle Wiggily in his hollow stump bungalow one day, as he twinkled his pink nose and danced around with his red, white and blue striped rheumatism crutch that Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy had gnawed out of a cornstalk. “Why are you so joyful?” asked the muskrat lady housekeeper. “Because it will soon be Thanksgiving,” answered the bunny rabbit gentleman, “and you will make me a pumpkin pie.” Nurse Jane laughed and said: “I’ll make you a pie if you will get me the pumpkin.” Uncle Wiggily danced again and said: “I’m going to hop along now and find one. I’ll ask Uncle Butter, the goat, or some of my friends, to go with me. I’ll take a wheelbarrow in which to give the pumpkin a ride.” Nurse Jane told Uncle Wiggily to bring a large pumpkin, and he said he would. “I feel so jolly, because Thanksgiving is coming, that my rheumatism is cured!” he cried. “I will not need my crutch.” So he left his crutch on the piano and started off with the wheelbarrow. “I hope you have a funny adventure,” said Nurse Jane.

Uncle Wiggily had not hopped very far, trundling his wheelbarrow, before he reached a field where grew many golden, yellow pumpkins. “Ah ha!” joyfully cried the bunny, “one of these will be just what I want for Nurse Jane to make a pie.” Uncle Wiggily rolled a large pumpkin up on the wheelbarrow and started back to his hollow stump bungalow. Just as he reached the house where Uncle Butter, the goat gentleman lived, the rabbit bumped the wheelbarrow into a stone. “Oh, dear!” sighed the bunny, “it’s broken!” Uncle Butter, looking over the fence, said: “That’s too bad! But never mind. We can put a stick through the pumpkin, fasten a rope to the stick and roll the pumpkin home.” They started up hill, pulling the pumpkin. “This is hard work!” cried Uncle Wiggily. They were nearly at the top of the hill when something happened. All of a sudden the pumpkin broke loose.

ALL OF A SUDDEN THE PUMPKIN BROKE LOOSE.

Down the hill rolled the golden, yellow Thanksgiving vegetable. “Ouch! Did you bump your nose?” asked Uncle Wiggily of his friend the goat. “I certainly did!” bleated Uncle Butter. “But never mind! Jump up! We must chase after that pumpkin if Nurse Jane is to make it into a pie.” Down the hill raced Uncle Wiggily and Uncle Butter. Before they could get hold of it, the pumpkin rolled into a clump of grass and stopped. “There! We don’t need to chase it any more,” said Uncle Wiggily. “I’m glad of it,” bleated the goat. “Let’s sit down on the log and rest.” Before they knew it Uncle Butter and Uncle Wiggily were fast asleep. Then along came Curly and Floppy Twistytail, the piggie boys. “Let’s make a Jack o’ Lantern out of this pumpkin!” grunted Floppy. With their knives the little pigs carved a face on the pumpkin. They set the Jack o’ Lantern on a funny old stump. Then a Squiggle Bug tickled Uncle Wiggily awake.

THE SQUIGGLE BUG TICKLED UNCLE WIGGILY AWAKE.

“Ker-choo! Ker-choo!” sneezed Uncle Wiggily as he felt the tickling of the Squiggle Bug. At first the rabbit gentleman did not know where he was. Then, when he saw Uncle Butter sleeping beside him, he remembered. By this time Curly and Floppy had stopped dancing around the funny Jack o’ Lantern Goblin, and saw Uncle Wiggily and Mr. Butter over by the log. “Ohee-e-e!” squealed Floppy. “Maybe that was Uncle Wiggily’s pumpkin! And we cut it! He may be angry! We’d better run!” Away ran the piggie boys. Then Uncle Wiggily, opening his eyes wider, saw the funny Goblin Jack o’ Lantern pumpkin. He hardly knew what it was. “Quick, Uncle Butter!” cried the rabbit. “We must get away from the Goblin!” Off they ran, but they met the Alligator who chased them. “Let’s run back toward the Goblin!” whispered Mr. Longears. “Maybe it will scare the Alligator!” And it did, for the frightened Alligator jumped up and ran away.

THE FRIGHTENED ALLIGATOR JUMPED UP AND RAN AWAY.

“Aren’t you glad we made a Jack o’ Lantern out of the pumpkin?” squealed the piggie boys. “Indeed I am!” said Uncle Wiggily. The next day Nurse Jane made some pumpkin pies, and Curly and Floppy each had a piece. It was a few weeks after this, near Christmas time, that Uncle Wiggily made himself an ice boat out of a wash tub, a board and two sleds. “Come ice-boating with me, Nurse Jane!” he called to his muskrat lady housekeeper. “The lake is frozen and we shall have a fine ride.” Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy dressed warmly, for it was a cold day, and Uncle Wiggily helped her to a seat in the wash tub. Away they glided. They had not gone far when the wind blew harder. The ice boat tilted up in the air. “Oh, I am falling out!” cried Nurse Jane. “Don’t be afraid!” called Uncle Wiggily. Mrs. Twistytail started across the ice. “Don’t bump into her!” begged Nurse Jane. But, oh, dear! The ice boat knocked the lady pig off her feet.

THE ICE BOAT KNOCKED THE LADY PIG OFF HER FEET.

“Oh, Mrs. Twistytail, I am so sorry to have bumped into you!” cried Uncle Wiggily, as he hopped out of the wash tub ice boat. He helped the lady pig to her feet. “Are you hurt?” asked the bunny gentleman. “Oh, no, not much!” laughed Mrs. Twistytail. “It’s a good thing I am so fat! Being bumped doesn’t hurt me.” Nurse Jane invited the lady pig to have a ride in the ice boat. “Yes, please get in and I will give you a fine ride,” said Uncle Wiggily. So Mrs. Twistytail got in the wash tub, though it was rather crowded. But, with all that, they were having a jolly time, until, all of a sudden, Nurse Jane pointed and called: “There’s a traffic police dog, and he has turned the ‘Stop’ sign against us!” The police dog barked: “Look out! The ice is broken!” Uncle Wiggily saw it, and steered the boat up in the air. Mrs. Twistytail was spilled out, but, just then along below her, ran her piggie boys with their sled. “Sit on our sled, Mother!” they grunted.

“SIT ON OUR SLED, MOTHER!” GRUNTED THE PIGGIE BOYS.

With a thump and a bump, the lady pig sat down on the sled pulled by Curly and Floppy. “Sit still, Mother!” grunted Curly, “brother and I are going to give you a fine ride!” Mrs. Twistytail laughed, “Do you think you can pull me?” she asked. “Oh, of course we can!” squealed Floppy. “See, there go Uncle Wiggily and Nurse Jane! The ice boat has turned into an airship, I guess. Maybe Uncle Wiggily will sail down and we can all get in the wash tub!” The lady pig squealed: “Oh, no! no! I’ve had enough of ice boats! Take me to shore and build a fire, piggie boys!” While they were doing this, Uncle Wiggily and Nurse Jane sailed along in the ice boat airship until, all of a sudden, they saw, on the ice below, the Fox and Wolf waiting for them. “Oh, Uncle Wiggily!” cried Nurse Jane, “the bad chaps will get us!” Uncle Wiggily dangled the sharp anchor of his boat over the side. “Now watch what happens,” he whispered to Nurse Jane.

SAFE ON SHORE. THE PIGGIE BOYS BUILT A WARM FIRE.

While Mrs. Twistytail and the piggie boys were getting warm at the camp fire, Uncle Wiggily and Nurse Jane were sailing along in the ice boat airship, with the dangling anchor. Nearer and nearer they sailed to the Fox and Wolf. “Come down, Uncle Wiggily!” growled the Wolf. “Yes, come down so we can nibble your ears!” barked the Fox. “As if I would be so foolish as to do that!” laughed the bunny. Then, suddenly, he steered the washtub down a bit. The dingling-dangling anchor caught in the clothes of the Fox and Wolf, lifting them off their feet. “Stop! Stop!” howled the bad chaps. Uncle Wiggily turned around and sailed back toward the dark, cold water where the ice was cracked. “It is time you had a bath!” cried Uncle Wiggily. He cut the rope. Into the water fell the Fox and Wolf. “Ha! Ha!” laughed the police dog. “It serves them right. Ho! Ho!” Then Uncle Wiggily and his friends had a coffee picnic.

THEN UNCLE WIGGILY AND HIS FRIENDS HAD A COFFEE PICNIC.

When Uncle Wiggily, Nurse Jane and the others reached home, after the ice boat ride, the rabbit gentleman said: “We had lots of fun. But we shall have more jolly times when spring comes and the grass is green.” After many months, the warm sun melted the ice and snow, and the trees put forth their leaves. “Ting-a-ling-a-ling!” rang the telephone in Uncle Wiggily’s hollow stump bungalow one day. “Hello! Hello!” called Uncle Butter, the goat, at the other end of the wire. “Don’t you want to come with me to have a picnic in the woods, Uncle Wiggily?” bleated the goat. “Surely I do,” said Mr. Longears. Nurse Jane packed a basket of lunch. Uncle Wiggily and Uncle Butter carried it on a long pole. The rabbit gentleman brought a trap to catch bad chaps. Baby Bunty saw the two friends skipping along. “Let us follow them,” she whispered to the animal boys. In the woods, Uncle Wiggily built a fire and Uncle Butter opened the basket.

BABY BUNTY TOLD THE BOYS ABOUT UNCLE WIGGILY’S PICNIC.

“Uncle Wiggily didn’t invite us to his picnic,” barked Jackie Bow Wow. “No, but I think he would like to have us, just the same,” laughed Baby Bunty. “Come on—let’s go!” While the animal children were skipping through the woods to the picnic place, Uncle Wiggily was putting up a tent. “For we may want to stay all night,” he said to Uncle Butter. “Yes,” agreed the goat, “and I’ll go get some water.” Uncle Wiggily was putting some evergreen boughs in the tent to make a soft bed when he saw Uncle Butter fall down with the pail of water. “Baa-a-a-a! Baa-a-a-a!” bleated the goat. “I am soaking wet!” Uncle Wiggily said: “Go in the tent, Uncle Butter; I’ll help you take off your wet clothes and we’ll hang them up to dry.” While the bunny and goat were in the tent, along came Baby Bunty and the others. “Oh, what a wonderful lunch Uncle Wiggily has left,” she cried. “I guess he doesn’t want it, so we will take it.”

“OH, WHAT A WONDERFUL LUNCH!” CRIED BABY BUNTY.

Uncle Wiggily was so busy in the tent, helping Uncle Butter take off his wet clothes, that neither of them heard Baby Bunty take away the lunch basket. “I have had a bath,” laughed the goat, “and now I am hungry.” He went out to hang up his dripping coat and trousers. “We shall eat our lunch as soon as I set the trap to catch any bad animals who may come to spoil our picnic,” spoke Uncle Wiggily. But when he looked for the lunch basket—it was gone! “Oh, dear me!” cried the bunny rabbit. “I did not set the trap soon enough!” Uncle Butter bleated sadly, for he was hungry. “Never mind,” he said. “We can go in the tent and sleep and make believe we have eaten. Afterward we can get more picnic lunch from Nurse Jane.” While Uncle Wiggily and Uncle Butter were asleep, a big, black Bear shuffled along. “Wuff! Wuff!” growled the Bear, when he saw the spring trap. “Perhaps this is something good to eat,” he growled louder.

“PERHAPS THIS IS SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT,” GROWLED THE BEAR.

After smelling at the trap the bear growled: “This isn’t anything good to eat! I will kick it out of my way and go inside the tent. There I may find some cake.” The bear kicked the trap, but, suddenly it snapped together, catching him fast. “Oh, Wowzie scowzie!” howled the bear. He jumped up and his hat flew off. In the tent Uncle Wiggily and Uncle Butter were awakened by the howls of the shaggy fellow. “Oh, ho!” cried the rabbit. “There is the bad chap who took our lunch basket, Uncle Butter! He is caught in my trap.” The bear, dancing on one paw, growled: “I am not bad! I didn’t take your lunch basket! I never even saw it!” Then over the hill came Baby Bunty and the boy animals with the lunch. They had only tasted it. So Uncle Wiggily set a table for the children, and one for Uncle Butter, the Good Bear and himself. Then the bunny uncle and the goat went to the ninety-nine cent store, bought scooters, and rode home.

THE BUNNY UNCLE AND GOAT BOUGHT SCOOTERS AND RODE HOME.

About a week after this, when Uncle Wiggily was ready for some more adventures, the ragged old Bob Cat, with his silly little tail, danced up to the woodland cave of the Bushy Bear. “I know how we can catch Uncle Wiggily!” snarled the Bob Cat. “How?” growled the Bear. “We can hide in a cave and make funny noises,” mewed the Bob Cat. “Uncle Wiggily will hop in to see what the noises are, and we can catch him and nibble his ears!” The Bear laughed and said it was a good trick. Now while the Bob Cat and the Bear were hiding themselves in the cave, Floppy Twistytail, and Billie Wagtail, dressed themselves up like pirates, with pistols and swords. Then they made a sailing raft and invited Uncle Wiggily for a ride. “I’ll be a pirate, too!” laughed the bunny. With his sword and pistol he boarded the raft. “Yo ho! Sail to the pirate cave!” cried Uncle Wiggily. After sailing a while, the pirates went ashore to eat.

AFTER A WHILE THE PIRATES WENT ASHORE TO EAT.

“When are we going to look for that pirate cave you told us about, Uncle Wiggily?” grunted Curly. “Oh, pretty soon now,” answered the bunny gentleman. “I’ll warm this lollypop soup for you, and then we can go adventuring.” After eating their lunch, the piggie boy and the goat chap set off with Uncle Wiggily to go through the woods. They wore their swords and pistols just like pirates. All of a sudden, Uncle Wiggily saw a hole under the side of a hill. “Ho for the pirate cave!” shouted the rabbit. “Halt!” grunted Floppy, drawing his sword. “Who is first going into that cave?” Billie bleated: “You go in, Floppy, as you are very brave!” This pleased the piggie boy, and into the cave he went. But soon he came rushing out again, dropping his pistol. “What’s the matter?” cried Uncle Wiggily. “Oh, there’s a big, black pirate in the cave! He threw a rock at me!” squealed Floppy. “You go in now, Billie!” said Uncle Wiggily.

“YOU GO IN NOW, BILLIE!” SAID UNCLE WIGGILY.

When Floppy caught his breath, which nearly got away from him as he rushed out of the cave, Uncle Wiggily said, after he had twinkled his pink nose: “Now, we must stop and think what is best to do. Form in line, my brave pirates!” Then, after thinking, and twiddling his ears, the bunny told Billie it was his turn to go in the cave and capture the Black Pirate that Floppy had seen. Into the cave went the goat boy. “Billie can stick the Black Pirate with his horns!” grunted Floppy. Billie disappeared into the cave. Then Uncle Wiggily and the pig heard a cry of: “Baa-a-a-a-a!” Head over heels Billie came flying out of the cave. “Oh, did the Black Pirate chase you?” asked the little pig, as he poured water on Billie’s head to cool him off. “Now it is my turn to capture the Black Pirate!” cried the brave rabbit. With his sword and pistol he started for the cave. The Grasshopper loaded his cannon. Inside the cave sat the Bob Cat and Bear.

INSIDE THE CAVE SAT THE BOB CAT AND BEAR.

Of course Uncle Wiggily didn’t know who was in the cave. He had heard Floppy speak of the Black Pirate. “Maybe it is Neddie Stubtail, the boy bear, playing a trick,” thought the bunny uncle. But no sooner had he gone inside the cave, than Floppy and Billie, waiting outside, heard some funny noises. There were growls, squeals and grunts. “Oh, look!” cried Floppy, and he and Billie, looking, saw a blast of sticks and stones coming from the cave. “I guess Uncle Wiggily is having trouble!” grunted Floppy. “I guess the same!” bleated Billie. Then more noises, sticks and stones came from the cave. And all of a quickness, when the boys were thinking of sending for the Police Dog, out of the cave came Uncle Wiggily. Before him he drove the Bob Cat and Bear. He had fought them in the cave and tied them. “Ha! Ha!” laughed Uncle Wiggily. “You thought you’d catch me! But I caught you!” And so his adventure ended.


TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
  1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in spelling.
  2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed.