Hi,
This is Stefania and here we are with part four of Uncle Wiggly.
Today's story is Uncle Wiggly and the Peppermint.
Uncle Wiggly and the Peppermint.
Uncle Wiggly,
Would you mind going to the store for me?
Asked Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy,
The muskrat lady housekeeper,
One morning as she came in from the kitchen of the hollow stump bungalow where she had been getting ready the breakfast for the rabbit gentleman.
Go to the store?
Why,
Of course I'll go,
Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy,
Answered the bunny uncle.
Which store?
The drug store.
The drug store?
What do you want?
Talcum powder?
Blasters?
Band-aids?
Neither,
Answered Nurse Jane.
I want some peppermint.
Peppermint candy?
Uncle Wiggly wanted to know.
Not exactly,
Went on Nurse Jane,
But I want a little of the peppermint juice with which some kind of candy is flavored.
I want to take some peppermint juice myself,
For I have indigestion.
Dr.
Possum says peppermint is good for it.
I must have eaten a little too much cheese pudding last night.
I'll get you the peppermint with pleasure,
Said the bunny uncle,
Starting off with his tall silk hat and his red,
White and blue striped barber pole crutch.
Better get it in a bottle,
Spoke Nurse Jane with a laugh.
You can't carry peppermint in your pocket unless it's peppermint candy,
And I don't want that kind.
All right,
Uncle Wiggly said.
And then,
With the bottle which Nurse Jane gave him,
He hopped on over the fields and through the woods to the drugstore.
But when he got there,
The cupboard was bare.
Oh,
No,
No,
No,
Wrong story.
I mean,
When Uncle Wiggly reached the drugstore,
It was closed,
And there was a sign on the door which said the monkey noodle gentleman who kept the drugstore had gone to a baseball game and wouldn't be back for a long while.
Then I wonder where I am going to get Nurse Jane's peppermint,
Asked Uncle Wiggly of himself.
I'd better go see if Dr.
Possum has any.
But while Uncle Wiggly was going on through the woods once more,
He gave a sniff and a whiff and all of a sudden he smelled a peppermint smell.
The rabbit gentleman stood still,
Looking around and making his pink nose twinkle like a pair of roller skates.
While he was doing this,
Along came a cow,
Cow lady,
Chewing some grass for her complexion.
What are you doing here,
Uncle Wiggly?
Asked the cow lady.
Uncle Wiggly told her how he had gone to the drugstore for peppermint for Nurse Jane and how he had found the store closed so he could not get any.
But I smell peppermint here in the woods,
Went on the bunny uncle.
Can it be that the drugstore monkey doodle has left some here for me?
No,
What you smell is that,
Said the cow lady,
Pointing her horns towards some green plants growing near a little babbling brook of water.
The plants had dark red stems that were square instead of round.
It does smell like peppermint,
Said Uncle Wiggly,
Going closer and sniffing and snuffing.
It is peppermint,
Said the cow lady.
That is the peppermint plant you see.
Oh,
Now I remember,
Uncle Wiggly exclaimed,
They squeeze the juice out of the leaves and that's the peppermint flavor for candy or for indigestion.
Exactly,
Spoke the cow lady,
And I'll help you squeeze out some of this juice in the bottle for Nurse Jane.
Then Uncle Wiggly and the cow lady pulled up some of the peppermint plants and squeezed out the juice between two clean flat stones,
The cow lady stepping on them,
While Uncle Wiggly caught the juice in the empty bottle as it ran out.
Oh,
My,
That is strong,
Cried the bunny uncle as he smelled of the bottle of peppermint.
It was so sharp that it made tears come into his eyes.
I should think that would cure indigestion and everything else,
He said to the cow lady.
Tell Nurse Jane to take only a little of it in sweet water,
Said the cow lady.
It is very strong,
So be careful with it.
I will,
Promised Uncle Wiggly,
And thank you for getting the peppermint for me.
I don't know what I would have done without you as the drugstore was closed.
Then he hopped on through the woods to the hollow stump bungalow.
He had not quite reached it when all of a sudden there was a rustling in the bushes and out from behind a bramble bush jumped a big black bear.
Not a nice good bear,
Like Nettie or Becky's stop-tail,
But a bear who cried,
Ha ha,
Ho ho,
Here is someone whom I can bite and scratch.
A nice tender rabbit chap,
Ha ho,
Are you going to scratch and bite me?
Asked Uncle Wiggly.
I am,
Said the bear,
Snappish like.
Get ready,
Here I come.
And he started toward Uncle Wiggly,
Who was so frightened that he could not hop away.
I'm going to hug you too,
Said the bear.
Bears always hug,
You know.
Well,
This is indeed a sorry day for me,
Said Uncle Wiggly sadly.
Still,
If you are going to hug and bite and scratch me,
I suppose it can't be helped.
Not in the least,
Not the least in the world can it be helped,
Said the bear,
Cross-like and unpleasant,
So don't try.
Well,
If you are going to hug me,
I had better take this bottle out of my pocket.
So when you squeeze me,
The glass won't break,
Uncle Wiggly said.
Here,
When you are through being so mean to me,
Perhaps you will be good enough to take this to Nurse Jane for indigestion,
But don't hug her.
I won't,
Promised the bear,
Taking the bottle which Uncle Wiggly handed him.
What's in it?
Before Uncle Wiggly could answer,
The bear opened the bottle and seeing something in it,
Cried,
Oh,
I guess I'll taste this.
Maybe it's good to eat.
On his big red bear throat,
He poured the strong peppermint juice and then,
Well I guess you know what happened.
Oh,
Wow,
Oh me.
Ow,
Ow,
Ow,
Ow,
Ow,
Ow,
Ow,
Ow,
Oh wow,
Ouch,
Ouch,
Ouch,
Ouch,
Ouch,
Ouch,
Ouch,
Ouchie.
Ooh,
Roared the bear.
My throat is on fire.
I must have some water.
And dropping the bottle away,
He ran to the spring,
Leaving Uncle Wiggly safe and not a bit hurt.
Then the rabid gentleman hurried back and squeezed out more peppermint juice for Nurse Jane,
Whose indigestion was soon cured.
And as for the bear?
He had a sore throat for a week and a day.
So this tells us that the peppermint was bad for the bear,
But really good for the candies,
Sweeties,
And Nurse Jane's indigestion.
And that's the end of our story.
We'll be back again soon with the next part,
Uncle Wiggly and the Birch Tree.
Bye till next time!
