Uncle Wiggily's Adventures by Howard R. Garis Uncle Wiggily's Adventures by Howard R. Garis    

Chapter 17: Uncle Wiggily in a Well

Performer: LibriVox - Daryl Wor


Well, I didn't get the pumpkin Jack o' Lantern with the pink ribbon on, but someone mailed me an ice cream cone, so it's just as well. That is, I suppose it was an ice cream cone when it started on its journey, but when I got it there was only the cone part left. Maybe the postman took out the ice cream, with which to stick a stamp on the letter.

But there, I must tell you what happened to Uncle Wiggily after he and Percival did those tricks, and made the wolves laugh so hard. The rabbit and the circus dog stayed in the woods all that night, and nothing bothered them.

"Now, Percival, you make the coffee, and I'll spread the bread and butter for breakfast," said Uncle Wiggily the next morning.

"Where are you going to get the bread and butter?" asked the dog.

"Oh, I have it in my satchel," spoke the old rabbit, and, surely enough, he did have several large, fine slices. So he and Percival ate their breakfast, and then they started off again.

They hadn't gone very far before they met a grasshopper, who was limping along on top of a fence rail, and looking quite sad-I mean the grasshopper was looking sad, not the fence rail.

"What is the matter?" asked Uncle Wiggily, kindly. "Are you sad and lonesome because you can't have some cherry pie, or some bread and butter; or because you can't see any funny tricks? If you are, don't worry, Mr. Grasshopper, for Percival and I can give you something to eat, and also do some tricks to make you laugh."

"No, I am not sad about any of those things," replied the grasshopper, "but you see I gave a big jump over a large stone a little while ago, and I sprained my left hind leg. Now I can't jump anymore, and here it is Summer, and, of course, we grasshoppers have to hop, or we don't make any money."

"Oh, don't let a little thing like that worry you," spoke Uncle Wiggily. "I have some very nice salve, that a gentleman and his boy gave me when their automobile ran over me, and it cured my sore toe, so I think it will cure your left hind leg."

Then he put some salve on the grasshopper's leg, and in a little while it was much better.

"Now we must travel on again, to seek our fortune," said Uncle Wiggily. "Come, Percival."

"I will just do one little trick, to make the grasshopper feel better before we leave," said the circus dog, so he stood up on the end of his tail, and went around and around, and winked first one eye and then the other, it was too funny for anything, really it was.

Well, the alligator laughed at that-oh there I go again-I mean the grasshopper laughed, and then Uncle Wiggily and Percival went off together, very glad indeed that they had had a chance to do a kindness, even to a grasshopper.

Pretty soon they came to a place where there were two roads branching off, one to the right hand and the other to the left, like the letter "Y."

"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Percival, "you go to the right, Uncle Wiggily, and I'll go to the left, and, later on, we'll meet by the mill pond, and perhaps each of us may have found his fortune by that time."

"Good!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "We'll do it!"

So he went off one way, and the circus dog took the other path through the woods, and now I must tell you what happened to the old gentleman rabbit.

Uncle Wiggily went along for some time, and just as he got to a place where there was a large stone, all of a sudden out popped a big fat toad. And it wasn't a nice toad, either, but a bad toad.

"Hello, Uncle Wiggily," said the squatty-watty toad. "I haven't seen you in some time. I guess you must be getting pretty old. You can't jump as good as you once could, can you?"

"Of course, I can," exclaimed the rabbit, a bit pettish-like, for he didn't care to have even a toad think he couldn't jump as well as ever he could.

"I'd like to see you," went on the toad. "See if you jump from here over on that pile of leaves," and he pointed to them with his warty toes.

"I'll do it," exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. So he laid aside his crutch and his valise, gave a little run and a big jump, and then he came down kerthump on the pile of leaves.

But wait. Oh! I have something sad to tell you. That toad was only playing a trick on the rabbit, and those leaves were right over a big, deep, dark well. And as soon as Uncle Wiggily landed on the leaves he fell through, for there were no boards under them to cover up the well, and down, down, down he went, and if there had been water in the well he would have been drowned. But the well was dry, I'm glad to say. Still Uncle Wiggily had a great fall-almost like the tumble of Humpty-Dumpty.

"Ah, ha!" exclaimed the mean, squatty-squirmy toad. "Now you are in the well, and I'm going off, and tell the wolves, so they can come and get you out, and eat you. Ah, ha!" Oh! but wasn't that toad a most unpleasant one? You see, he used to work for the wolves, doing all sorts of mean things for them, and trapping all the animals he could for them.

So off the toad hopped, to call the wolves to come and get Uncle Wiggily, and the poor rabbit was left alone at the bottom of the well. He tried his best to get up, but he couldn't.

"I guess I'll have to stay here until the wolves come," he thought, sadly. "But I'll call for help, and see what happens." So he called: "Help! Help! Help!" as loudly as he could.

And all of a sudden a voice answered and asked, "Where are you?"

"In the well," shouted Uncle Wiggily, and he was afraid it was the wolves coming to eat him. But it wasn't, it was the limpy grasshopper, and he tried to pull Uncle Wiggily out of the well, but, of course, he wasn't strong enough.

"But I'll get Percival, the circus dog, and he'll pull you out before the wolves come," said the grasshopper. "Now I have a chance to do you a kindness for the one you did me." So he hopped off, as his leg was nearly all better, and he found Percival on the left road and told him what had happened.

And, my! how that circus dog did rush back to help Uncle Wiggily. And he got him out of the well in no time, by lowering a long rope to him, and pulling the rabbit gentleman up, and then the rabbit and dog ran away, before the toad could come back with the savage wolves, who didn't get any supper out of the well, after all, and it served them right.

So that's all of this story, but I have some more, about the adventures of Uncle Wiggily, and next, in case the load of hay doesn't fall on my puppy-dog, and break off his curly tail, I'll tell you about Uncle Wiggily and Jennie Chipmunk.

    Uncle Wiggily's Adventures by Howard R. Garis Uncle Wiggily's Adventures by Howard R. Garis    

Chapter 17: Uncle Wiggily in a Well

Performer: LibriVox - Daryl Wor

Directions

Study the story for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read or listen to the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Discuss the review questions.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.

Synopsis

In the last chapter, Uncle Wiggily and Percival enter a dismal, dark forest. In the forest, they meet a sad, limping grasshopper who sprained his hind leg. Uncle Wiggily applies some soothing salve to the grasshopper's leg. Uncle Wiggily and Percival say goodbye to the grasshopper and continue along until they reach a fork in the road. They each take one fork and agree to meet up later. Uncle Wiggily encounters a big, bad toad, who challenges Uncle Wiggily to jump into a pile of leaves. Uncle Wiggily jumps into the leaves and falls into a well, for it was a trap. The toad hops off to tell the wolves they can come and eat Uncle Wiggily. Uncle Wiggily calls for help, and the grasshopper overhears him. The grasshopper fetches Percival for help. Percival lowers a rope to Uncle Wiggily and rescues him. All three animals take off before the wolves and the bad toad return.

Vocabulary

Grasshopper: A plant-eating insect with long hind legs that are used for jumping and for producing a chirping sound. It frequents grassy places and low vegetation.
Hind: At the back; posterior.
Salve: An ointment used to promote healing of the skin or as protection.
Well: A shaft sunk into the ground to obtain water, oil, or gas.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Book Information

  • Before and after reading or listening to the story, recite aloud the name of the author, the title of the book, and the title of the chapter.

Activity 2: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the events of the story aloud in your own words.

Activity 3: Model the Story

  • Make your own well out of construction paper.
  • Get pieces of gray, brown, and red construction paper, scissors, and tape and/or glue.
  • Make the well base - Cut the gray paper into fourths, roll one of the pieces, and tape or glue it into a wide cylinder.
  • Make the wooden support beams - Cut the brown paper into two small pieces, roll one the pieces, and tape or glue it them into small wooden beams.
  • Use glue and tape to secure the beams in an upright position on either side of the well base.
  • Make the Roof - Cut and fold a piece of red paper.
  • Make a fold around one inch from the bottom of the flames.
  • Glue and/or tape the roof to the small wooden beams.

Review

Question 1

What does Uncle Wiggily apply to the grasshopper's leg?
1 / 5

Answer 1

Uncle Wiggily applies salve to the grasshopper's leg.
1 / 5

Question 2

What do Uncle Wiggily and Percival do when they reach the 'Y' in the road?
2 / 5

Answer 2

When Uncle Wiggily and Percival reach the 'Y' in the road, they each take one path and agree to meet up later.
2 / 5

Question 3

How does the toad trick Uncle Wiggily into jumping into a well?
3 / 5

Answer 3

The toad had previously covered the well opening with leaves. The toad challenges Uncle Wiggily to jump as far as the leaves.
3 / 5

Question 4

Why does the toad trap Uncle Wiggily in the well?
4 / 5

Answer 4

The toad traps Uncle Wiggily for the wolves to eat.
4 / 5

Question 5

How does Percival rescue Uncle Wiggily from the well?
5 / 5

Answer 5

Percival lowers a rope into the well.
5 / 5

  1. What does Uncle Wiggily apply to the grasshopper's leg? Uncle Wiggily applies salve to the grasshopper's leg.
  2. What do Uncle Wiggily and Percival do when they reach the 'Y' in the road? When Uncle Wiggily and Percival reach the 'Y' in the road, they each take one path and agree to meet up later.
  3. How does the toad trick Uncle Wiggily into jumping into a well? The toad had previously covered the well opening with leaves. The toad challenges Uncle Wiggily to jump as far as the leaves.
  4. Why does the toad trap Uncle Wiggily in the well? The toad traps Uncle Wiggily for the wolves to eat.
  5. How does Percival rescue Uncle Wiggily from the well? Percival lowers a rope into the well.