OUR STORY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 86, Issue 7, 30 June 1944, Page 6

OUR STORY

SCROGGINS DOES A JOB Another little story about Mr Roger P. Seroggins, the hedgehog, who is always so polite and thoughtful. As the Scrogginses drew up their chairs to the breakfast table, one of the windows rattled,, "My dear,", said Mr j Seroggins, bending to his porridge, "why does the window rattle?" "Because its. loose," said Mrs Seroggins. She went to 'the. window and pushed it, Sure enough it moved back and forth under her touch, in an unmistakably loose .way. "And I have something to fix it," said Mrs S. She went into the kitchen and came back with a strip of felt material. "This is a weather strip," she said* "Osmun, your nephew, found it. He says all you need to do is to tack* it along the edge of the window casing and all rattling will stop." Seroggins held the strip of felt in his hands and examined it closely. He resumed eating his breakfast.. Eve I*3' now and then, however, he stopped eating and picked up the weather strip. He hurrumphed a good man3 r times. "I thought that some time before iuncli, you might get some tacks and a hammer and tack it into place; said Mrs Seroggins, as she began to lake out the breakfast dishes. Her husband hurrumphed. "Not a bad idea," he said,. While l she was i)us\- in the kitchen, the venerable hedgehog went to the shelf where the hamrfier, tacks and such are kept. As he. was reaching for the tacks his hand fell on a small book. He took it down, opened it and found-it full of inte.ies.ting pictures. As he was looking through the book his wife finished the dishes and said she would be going out on some errands. "I know 3'ou'll have the strip all in place when L get back," she said. Her husband put down the book and picked up« the hammer, -waving it at his wife, "Indeed, my dear," he said. When the door closed, he put down the hammer and picked up the book. The pictures were very interesting. Some were, of birds. Others were of small animals, Some were nf [ lio-.-sna-J'-M hers Ave re of the woods. He looked at them all. then lie started at the beginning of the book and looked at them a second time. There was a creaking from the window. He put down the book, took up the hammer and reached for the tacks,, But the creaking was just a tree branch in the wind. He went to the window that rattled and raised It.

A raised, window means just one tiling, .namely. the thru-ding of I ho. head out ol.' it, which Seroggins did. He. leaned against liie sill' and sni ilea the i'ro-ty air. Two small I'antaiis wore chasing ea'-'-h other up and down a neauby linden tree. Seroggins watched them with great in-te:-c>f. Finally. lie called to them: and tiiey cam; 1 into the house. They asked many questions. They too were greatly interested in the picture hook, and the three ol them looked at it and looked at it. A .step sounded on the doorstep Seroggins put down the hook and picked up the hammer and lacks. The door opened, and Mrs Seroggins came in. She spoke cordially to the two fantails-. "The window; is all fixed, I suppose?" she said to her husband. "I just was. telling my two visitors that I'd have to stop entertaining them and do that job," he said. And he went to work busily and tacked on the i'elt while the. two small birdies sat politely on the edg.'s ol' their chairs and watched. Whor the strip was. all tacked, S.-rc.ggins put tiie window down, pushed it. and shook- it. There was no rat tie. Mrs S.'roggir.» li.naK-

cd her husband kindly and said he might a.s avcll go Tor his regular walk, which lie did.