“So they will be easier for me to fall on, in case I have any accidents when out riding in my airship,” replied Uncle Wiggily. “You see, I am sort of shaking up the feathers inside the cushions, by punching them with my paws. Not to hurt them! No, indeed, not for the world would I hurt the feathers,” cried the rabbit gentleman.
“So that’s why you are punching the cushions?” asked Nurse Jane, as she folded her long tail around her neck to keep the mosquitoes from biting her. “Well, all I have to say is, Wiggy, that you never will make your cushions soft that way.”
“No?” asked Uncle Wiggily, sort of surprised like.
“No, indeed,” answered Nurse Jane. “The trouble is that you need more feathers in the cushions. That will make them nice and soft for you to fall on in case your airship turns a somersault.”
“Good!” cried the old rabbit gentleman. “I am glad you mentioned it. I will take a ride over to the Wibblewobble duck penhouse at once, and have Mrs. Wibblewobble put more feathers in the cushions. That will make them lovely and soft. Queer, isn’t it, that I should have thought punching the pillows was the proper thing to do—very queer, wasn’t it, Nurse Jane?”
“Oh, well, you are often queer, Wiggy,” she said, calling him that for short. “Once more doesn’t make much difference.”
So Nurse Jane went in the house to give the breakfast dishes their bath, and put talcum powder on them, and Uncle Wiggily started off in his airship for the Wibblewobble duck house to have the old sofa cushions made over, with new feathers inside.
Away he sailed, above the tree tops, in the clothes basket of his airship, with red, white and blue toy circus balloons lifting him, the Japanese umbrella keeping off the sun and the electric fan in the back going around whizzie-izzie, like anything; if you will kindly allow me to say so.
Uncle Wiggily sat on the old sofa cushions, and he did not sail very high up in the air on this trip.
“For,” said the rabbit gentleman to himself, “if I should have an accident, and fall from a great height, I might get hurt, as the cushions are so thin.”