Hi,
This is Stefania and it's time for another Uncle Wiggily story.
This time we've got the story of Uncle Wiggily and the eel.
My how it did rain!
The water just dripped down from the clouds as if it came from a fountain turned upside down.
And as Uncle Wiggily walked along the seashore beach with a toadstool held over him for an umbrella he thought he had never seen such a storm.
But I can't stay indoors because it rains,
He said to himself as he started out that morning to look for his fortune.
That would never do.
A little water can't hurt me.
And besides,
With this toadstool umbrella it isn't as bad as it might be.
So he hopped along leaning on his crutch and with his case strapped to his back and holding the toadstool umbrella over his head.
And he felt so happy in spite of the rain that he sang a little song.
It went something like this.
I feel so very happy no matter if it rains for I don't ride on buses and cars nor yet on railroad trains.
Whenever I feel thirsty I take a drink of tea or if I can't find any why milk will do for me.
I haven't found my fortune,
Perhaps I never can,
But I can hop upon the beach and beat an old tin pan.
And just then the gentleman rabbit saw an old tin pan lying on the sand and he went up to it and pounded on it with his crutch.
Not hard you understand,
Not so hard as to hurt it but enough to make a noise like a drum.
There,
Perhaps that will wake people up,
Thought the rabbit for the beach was very lonesome in the rainstorm with no children building sand houses,
No one swimming.
So Uncle Wiggly beat the tin pan again and made a great noise and all of a sudden something glided out from under the pan.
It was something long and thin and it had a long thin tail.
Oh my,
It's the bad snake,
Cried the rabbit.
And he jumped back so quickly that he dropped his toadstool umbrella and the rain came down on the end of his twinkling nose.
He was just about to hop away as fast as he could when the long thin creature who had been under the tin pan exclaimed,
I'm not the snake.
No,
Thin.
Pray tell,
What are you?
Asked Uncle Wiggly cookly.
I am a slippery eel was the answer,
Just see if you can hold me and that will show you how slippery I am.
So Uncle Wiggly very politely took hold of the eel by the tail.
But goodness me,
In an instant that slippery eel had slipped away.
What did I tell you?
The eel called to the rabbit as he crawled back toward the tin.
Well,
You certainly are very slippery,
Said Uncle Wiggly.
I hope I didn't squeeze you too hard.
Oh,
Pray do not mention it,
Said the eel politely.
I am used to being squeezed and that's why I'm so slippery in order that I may get away easily.
I hope I didn't wake you up from your sleep under the tin pan,
Went on the rabbit who was very kind hearted.
Pray,
Do not mention that either,
Said the slippery eel who was very polite.
It was time I awakened anyhow.
But since you have been so nice about it,
If I can ever do you a favor,
Please let me know.
Then he stood up on the end of his thin tail and made a low bow and slipped into the ocean.
That is a curious sort of chap,
Said Uncle Wiggly as he hopped on.
I should like to meet him again when I have more time to talk to him.
But no,
I must look for my fortune.
So he went on,
Looking along the beach in the rain,
But never a bit of his fortune could he find.
Now in a little while something's going to happen.
In fact,
It's time for it now,
So I'll tell you all about it.
As Uncle Wiggly was hopping along the beach where some bushes grew close down to the water,
He thought he saw something shining in the sand.
Perhaps that may be a diamond,
He said.
I'll dig it up.
So he got a nice pink shell with which to dig and he set to work,
Laying aside his toadstool umbrella and not minding the rain at least.
Then all of a sudden,
Up behind the bushes came sneaking the old fuzzy fox.
He had been looking all over for something to eat,
But all he could find were hard shell clams and they were too rough on his teeth,
So he couldn't eat them.
Ooh,
But there is a soft,
Delicious morsel,
Exclaimed the fox as he saw Uncle Wiggly digging in the sand.
And the fox smacked his lips and sharpened his teeth on a stone.
No,
I will have a good dinner,
He added.
So he crept closer and closer to Uncle Wiggly and the old gentleman rabbit never heard him,
For he was busy digging for his fortune.
No,
The thing for me to do,
Thought the fox,
Is to spring out on him before he has a chance to move.
And I think I can do it because his back is towards me and he can't see.
So the fox got ready to spring right on Uncle Wiggly and maybe carry him off to his den in the woods.
And the old gentleman rabbit didn't know a thing about it,
But kept on digging for his fortune.
Here I go,
Said the fox to himself,
And he crouched down for a spring.
Up in the air leapt the fox right towards the rabbit and then suddenly a voice cried out,
Look out,
Uncle Wiggly,
Look out!
The rabbit glanced up,
But he was down in the sand hole and he couldn't get out quickly on account of his rheumatism.
Right toward him the fox was springing and then all at once the slippery eel,
For it was he who had called out to the rabbit.
The kind eel wiggled up out of the ocean.
Now along the beach he crawled quickly until he was right in front of the rabbit in the hole.
Then the eel stretched out like a piece of rope and waited.
And then the fox came down on his four feet,
But instead of landing on Uncle Wiggly,
He landed right on the slippery eel.
And that eel was truly as slippery as a piece of ice.
Right out from under him slipped the feet of the old fuzzy fox and down he fell.
Slippery slippery slippery,
He went,
Sliding along on the eel until he slipped all the way off and jumped into the ocean.
No,
You can get away,
Uncle Wiggly,
Said the eel.
And the rabbit kindly thanked the slippery creature and grabbed the shining thing he had dug up out of the sand,
For he thought it was a diamond.
Then the fox slunk away,
Taking his wet and bushy tail with him,
And Uncle Wiggly was safe.
And the eel wiggled along after the old gentleman rabbit,
Who thought he had better look for a good place to sleep.
But he soon had another adventure,
And I'll tell you about it in a minute.
It'll be about Uncle Wiggly and the horseshoe crab.
Uncle Wiggly and the Crab My,
That was a narrow escape,
Said the rabbit to the slippery eel after the fuzzy fox had gone away.
I can never thank you enough.
Oh,
That is a mere nothing,
Said the slippery eel as he dug his tail down in the sand,
Modest like.
I am always happy to do a kindness for my friends.
You are certainly slippery,
Said the rabbit,
As slippery as a rubber doormat on a wet day.
But look at this thing,
Which I dug up just before the fox jumped for me.
I think it is a diamond,
And if it is,
I will get rich,
And I can go home and see my little rabbit grandchildren,
Sammy and Susie Little Tail.
Then he held out to the slippery eel the shining object he had found in the sand.
Alas!
Alas!
Sorrowfully exclaimed the eel as he looked at the shining thing.
What's the matter?
Isn't it a diamond?
Asked the rabbit.
Then the slippery eel said this in a sing-song voice.
Alas!
Alas!
It is only glass.
It is no good to eat for food.
It will not do for me or you.
Throw it away.
Some other day your fortune may come past your way.
Huh!
I did not know you could make a versus,
Said the rabbit in surprise.
I didn't know it either,
Answered the eel.
That is the first time I have ever done such a thing.
And once more he dug his tail down into the sand,
Real modest-like and shy.
Well,
If it is only glass instead of a diamond,
I may as well throw it away,
Said the rabbit.
Yes,
Agreed the eel,
And with a flip of his tail he sent the glass spinning out into the heaving ocean.
More bad luck for me,
Thought the rabbit.
But he did not give up.
And bidding good-bye to the slippery eel,
The rabbit set off down the beach to look for his fortune once more.
By this time it had stopped raining and he didn't need the toadstool umbrella.
So he stuck it up in the sand in order that the next person who came along might sit under it and get out of the sun.
Well,
Uncle Wiggily went on and on.
He saw the children in bathing and building sand houses,
And he saw the fishermen going out to sea to catch fishes and lobsters.
But still he couldn't see anything of his fortune.
Then pretty soon,
In a little while,
Not so very long,
The old gentleman rabbit came to a place on the sand where there was a little white card.
And on the card was some writing,
Which read,
Dig here and see what you can find.
Hahum,
I wonder what that means,
Thought Uncle Wiggily as he sat down in the sand to rest himself.
I wonder if that can be a trick.
He had been fooled so many times that he made up his mind to be careful now.
So he looked all around,
But he couldn't see anything that looked like danger.
To be sure,
There were some bushes up on the beach a little way off,
But there seemed to be no one in them.
And there was no one on the beach near where the rabbit was.
Ah,
I guess I'll take a chance and dig,
Thought Uncle Wiggily.
So he laid aside his bag and crutch and began to dig in the sand with a clam shell.
Further and deeper he went down until he began to feel something hard.
Oh,
He exclaimed,
I guess I'm getting closer to it.
This must be a chest of gold or diamonds that the pirates or robbers buried in the sand years ago.
Now I'll dig it up and I'll be rich.
This is a lucky day for me.
So he dug deeper and still deeper until he had partly uncovered something black and round.
He thought sure it was a chest of gold and he dug faster and faster until all of a sudden something slipped in the sand and rolled out into the hole Uncle Wiggily had dug.
And before he knew it,
He found himself slipping down.
And there he was held fast by one paw under a big black stone.
It was a stone he had found under the sand and not a chest of gold at all.
At first he was too surprised to say or do anything.
And then as his foot began to pain him,
He cried out,
Oh,
Dear,
Oh,
Dear,
I'm caught in a trap and I can't get out.
No,
Indeed,
You can't get out exclaimed a voice at the edge of the hole and looking up the rabbit saw a big wolf.
Oh,
Did you put that card there on the sand telling me to dig asked Uncle Wiggily reproachful like I did answer the wolf showing his teeth in a most impolite grin.
I wanted to catch you under the stone and I did.
The stone rolled out of the sand when you had dug down deep enough to loosen it.
And now you were stuck.
I'm going to jump down on you presently and tickle you until your ribs ache.
Well,
Uncle Wiggily felt pretty bad on hearing this and he didn't know what to do.
The wolf was getting ready to spring down on him when all of a sudden the rabbit heard a voice whispering down to him.
See,
Uncle Wiggily,
You just ask that wolf if he is a good jumper.
He'll say he is.
And then you ask him if he can jump on top of the round stone he sees near the sand near the hole.
He'll say he can,
For he is very proud,
But instead of jumping on a stone,
He'll jump on me and then I'll stick him with my sharp tail and he'll run away.
Then I'll help you to get loose.
But who are you?
Asked the rabbit somewhat puzzled.
I am the horseshoe crab was the answer.
I'm up here on the sand and I look just like a stone and I'll pretend I really am one.
The wolf can't understand my talk,
So it's safe.
You just ask him to jump on me.
So Uncle Wiggily looked up at the wolf and said,
Mr.
Wolf,
Since you were going to tickle me anyway,
Would you mind showing me what a good jumper you are before you do it?
Of course not,
Said the wolf,
Who was very proud of his jumping.
I'll jump anywhere you say and then I'll jump down and get you.
Very well,
Said Uncle Wiggily,
Slow and sad like.
Just jump on that round stone up there on the beach for you.
I will,
Said the wolf.
And he didn't know that what he thought was a stone was only the horseshoe crab waiting to stick him with his sharp tail.
So the bad wolf gave one big jump up in the air and down on top of the horseshoe crab he came and the crab just stuck up his sharp pointed tail and it tickled the wolf in the ribs so very much that the wolf had to laugh whether he wanted to or not.
And he laughed so hard the tears came from his eyes and so he couldn't get the rabbit.
Then the horseshoe crab dug away the sand around the stone and helped Uncle Wiggily get his leg out and the rabbit was safe.
And he thanked the crab and hopped away and the wolf didn't get him after all.
So that's the end of our stories for this time and next time we'll have a story about Uncle Wiggily and the pink shell.
Bye for now!
