UNCLE WIGGILY BROUGHT HOME COMPANY WITHOUT TELLING NURSE JANE. MISS FUZZY WUZZY WAS SO SURPRISED, BUT MR. HEDGEHOG HELPED A LOT.
One day, when Uncle Wiggily was out walking in the woods, he met Mr. Hedgehog Porcupine. “Ah, good morning, Mr. Hedgehog,” said the bunny uncle, with a low and polite bow of his tall silk hat. “You are looking quite happy, and not at all fretful to-day.” Mr. Hedgehog also made a polite bow. “No, I am not fretful, and my stickery quills are not sticking up just now,” the Porcupine said. “Will you do me the favor to come home with me?” asked Uncle Wiggily. “We’ll run away from that bear!”
“Well, as I am hungry, I will come home to dinner with you,” said Mr. Hedgehog. He and Uncle Wiggily walked through the woods until they reached the bunny’s hollow stump bungalow. As Nurse Jane opened the door Uncle Wiggily said: “My dear Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy, I have brought home company for dinner.” And then, all of a sudden, the quills of the Porcupine stuck up straight. “Oh, my goodness!” cried Nurse Jane. “Don’t be afraid!” spoke Mr. Hedgehog. “I am just a bit fretful because of the bear I saw in the woods.”
“Aren’t you going to ask Mr. Hedgehog to dinner, Nurse Jane?” said Uncle Wiggily. “Of course,” spoke the muskrat lady. “But I’m worried about that bear, and I haven’t my breakfast dishes washed yet, on account of helping Mrs. Wibblewobble, the duck lady, can some corn.” Mr. Hedgehog laughed. “Don’t worry about that bear. I’ll fix him. As for your breakfast things, I’ll help you. I’m one of the best dish drainers that ever was.” So Nurse Jane washed the dishes, drained them between Mr. Hedgehog’s quills, and then dried them.
After the dishes had been drained and dried Nurse Jane got dinner for Mr. Hedgehog, who was Uncle Wiggily’s company. But still the muskrat lady was quite fussed. “Though, to be sure, Mr. Hedgehog did help a lot with the dishes,” she said to herself. After dinner Uncle Wiggily said: “Please shoot me one of your quills for a toothpick, Mr. Hedgehog.” The porcupine said: “That is all a mistake. I can not shoot my quills, but I can make them loose in my skin, so they come out easily. Please help yourself to a toothpick.”
After dinner Uncle Wiggily sat down to read the paper, and Nurse Jane took her sewing basket to mend a hole in one of the bunny’s socks. “Oh, but dear me!” suddenly cried the muskrat lady. “There isn’t a sewing needle in the bungalow! I forgot to get some.” Mr. Hedgehog gave a low and polite bow and made his quills stick out all sorts of ways. “Please help yourself to one of my quills. You I can use it as a needle,” he said, and Nurse Jane did. Meanwhile the bad old bear softly raised the window to get Uncle Wiggily.
All of a sudden, after Nurse Jane had finished mending the hole in Uncle Wiggily’s sock, with one of Mr. Hedgehog’s quill needles, the bear began to climb in. “Oh my!” screamed Nurse Jane. “I knew something would happen!” Uncle Wiggily’s pink nose twinkled. “Quick!” cried Mr. Hedgehog. “You and Nurse Jane hide in the closet, Uncle Wiggily. The bear isn’t looking just now. I’ll lock the door.” The bunny and Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy quickly hid. Nurse Jane was worried about Mr. Hedgehog. “I’ll fix the bear,” said he.
The bad old bear walked over toward the closet door, behind which Uncle Wiggily and Nurse Jane had hidden. “This is the time I catch Uncle Wiggily,” growled the shaggy, furry chap. Then he looked down to the floor where Mr. Hedgehog had rolled himself up in a lump, with all his quills stickin’ out. “Hello!” growled the bear, “Nurse Jane must have put this croquet ball here so I’d stumble over it and not catch Uncle Wiggily. But she can’t fool me! I’ll knock that ball out of the way with my paw!”
The bad old bear raised his left paw and right paw and he struck at what he thought was a croquet ball on the floor. “Out of my way, so I can get Uncle Wiggily!” growled the bear. But the next minute he gave a howl. For the loose, stickery, prickery quills of Mr. Hedgehog Porcupine came loose in the bad bear’s paws and hurt like needles, or slivers. “Oh wow! Oh lollypops!” growled the bear. “Look out and see if Mr. Hedgehog is being hurt,” said Nurse Jane. Uncle Wiggily looked. “Mr. Hedgehog is laughing,” he said.
The bad bear’s paws were so full of Mr. Hedgehog’s stickers, and they hurt him so, that the unpleasant chap howled louder than ever and jumped head first out of the window. “I’ve got to go see a doctor!” he whined. Nurse Jane ran out in the kitchen and got her potato masher. “I’ll teach you to come in my bungalow without being invited!” cried the muskrat lady as she banged the bear with the masher. And Uncle Wiggily and Mr. Hedgehog felt so happy they danced around the room. But the bear didn’t dance for a week.
And if the sunshine doesn’t tickle the baby on his nose, and make him sneeze talcum powder all over the pussy cat’s tail, the next pictures and story will tell how
