THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE FOR YOUNG READERS ONLY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 51, 23 February 1945, Page 6

THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE FOR YOUNG READERS ONLY

PETER the whaler — of WHALE ISLAND

What ho, what ho ma hearties. Well here we are once again at the end ol' another week, and 1 trust all tit and well etc. Peterkin McDougall and myself are all in tip-top form. although Butjnsky's knees are a little 'wobbly from carrying McDougall round everywhere he wants to go. 1 tell Butinsky he is a silly goat to stand for it but McDougall rules hijn with a rod of iron and poor old Butinsky doesn't seem to have the gumption to protest. Well, I think I was telling you about Old Saltwater's adventures with Gus and Williams out gold mining over the Christmas holidays. After they had swum as-hore at Greymouth and rest' ed for several days they decided they had better get on with the job in hand and accordingly set out to look for somewhere to purchase picks and shovels and enough food to last them for a month or so. They wandered about until they came to a shop that looked as if it would sell picks and shovels and enough food to last thein. a mo-nth walked in and asked the shopkeeper about it. He said certainly he had what they wanted and the price would be £112 14s 11 Unfortunately the three of them together could only just scrape up £112 14s lid so the shopkeeper } who was really a very nice raan t took the £1.12 lis and told them lie would grubstake them to the extent of the provided they gave him per cent of all gold they found. Old Saltwater, Gus and William were overjoj 7 ed at get-; ting such a good bargain and walked out of the shop loaded down with picks, shovels and enough food to last them a month. The next thing to do was obviously to (hwl a place to dig &o the three of them strode off inland until they came to a town where there looked as if there might be some .worthwhile nuggets to be dug up. They checked in at. a hotel and after tea decided to go out for a stroll. Well, I think 1 hnrl better leave them there till next week and get on with the rest of the page. Cheerio for now. P.T.W.

[Aboard for the Goodwill Cruise!

MICKEY'S MICE Mickey's friend had lots, of white mice. so Mickey begged hard to be ';ailowe.d to keep some. Now Mickey's Mumrnie already had three children a husband and a canary to look after so she said if Mickey wanted to keep mice he must look after them himself. He was so excited that lu; promised he would. Daddy made him a little house for the mice and told Mickey to keep them in the garage for Mummies and Grandmas are very nervous of mice. Even Aunties prefer their room to their company! When Mr and Mrs Mouse took up residence in the garage Mickey was excited. He kept giving them food, and tried to cuddle them a bit until they gave him a little bite! One day their house wasn't properly fastened,, and Mir Mouse, without so much as a goo.d-byc ventured out in his- best white coat to see what laj r beyond! While all the family (except Grandma, who was very much afraid of seeing Mr Mouse) were searching high and low for him his little whiskers were twitching at a simply -dizzy rate so excited lie was. Hither and thither he ran, thinking what a lot he would have to tell Mrs Mouse on his return. He took no head of the- tears of his owner or the miaows- of the cat next door. But lie began to get hungry, and,, at night he saw two green lights peering at him. Somehow, he knew inside his little white jacket that if he moved into a larger space those green lights would be far too close for comfort. So lie. kept very under the garage floor, where it was raised a tiny 'way from the earth. Two days went by. Then he felt if he dkln't get home lie would die. [ so, glancing nervously each way with his little pink eyes-, he crept out on to the path, and. bless me, there was Mickey's mother just going by. Well - she was so pleased to see hint she forgot to be nervous. She picked him up gently and popped him in with Mrs Mouse again. Then she ran indoors- to tell happy little Mickey his mouse had come back. It was a good job they both ran cut to see.him for it stopped Mrs Mouse giving too much of her opinion on

his dirty coat and long absence! I don't think he'll dare run oft' again. Home's best!

A HINT TO ALL

A prosperous looking citizen on a downtown corner in Boston, bought a newspaper from an alert little newsboy, who made change instantly without speaking a word. But the man lingered. ''How many papers do you sell here a night?" he asked. "About fiftysaid the newsie. "What is, your name?" "Tim Manning." Tim," said tlic man. "When 1 was your age I had this very corner for a stand. But f sold two hundred papers a night and I did it by carefully saying ''Thank you' to everyone who bought a paper. I said it loudly so that they Avould be sure to hear it." Three evenings later the man came by again and bought another paper from the little chap on the corner. "How's business?" asked the man. Then Tim knew him. "I'm selling seventy-live papers every night sir " he said. "I'm not going to forget that any more and he grinned all over his honest"*'freckled face. Tim had learned his first lesson of the value of courtesy to all.

RIDDLES Why is a -dog's tail like the heart of a tree? —Because it Is- farthest from the. bark. Why is a favourite dog like a doll? —Because it is a pup-pet. Win' is a sheet of blotting paper iike a lazy dog?—A sheet, of blotting paper is an ink-lined plane: an inclined plane is a slope up: and a slow pup is a lazy dog. Why is a dog's- tail a great novelty?—No one ever saw it before. AY hat is the -difference between a dog losing his hair and a man painting a tool- shed?— One .sheds his. coat and the other coats his shed. What animal keeps the best time?—A watch dog.

OVER THE WALL

■A man had a garden in which he did a great T deal of hard work. As the years passed the garden rewarded him richly for his industry. To the people who saw its beauty the garden brought great joy; but they were. few. For the garden was surrounded by a high wall. On the other side oi the Avail people went their various ways, knowing nothing of the loveliness so near at hand. Another man had a garden. He was no, less enthusiastic and hardworking in his care of it but instead of a high stone wall he' built a low and people who passed • by could see over it. As they looked the anxious forgot their worries- and the happy were made to feel even happier. Ihe whole town shared the beauty of this second not because the owner was a better gardener but because he built no wall. LAST WEEK'S COMPETITION Come on all you old sailors, when are you going to start your ll'ood of entries for the competitions? Last year answers just poured in on me but somehow we don't seem to be able to get started properly this year. The best entry was sent in by Doreen Hughes. Congratulations Doreen, call and collect j your ticket, from the Beacon Office, j — _ NEXT WEEK'S COMPETITION Now then, here's one to set you all thinking. Two Indians were walking along a path in the forest. One was a big Indian, and one a little Indian. The little Indian was the big Indian's son but the big Indian was not the little Indian's father. What relationship were they. Actually its so simple that the answer should just fall out so I expect there will be entries, flooding in from all directions- next week. P.T.W.

INDESTRUCTIBLE VERITIES

When the Roy;il Chapel at Buckingham Palace was bombed some beautiful and valuable things were destroyed. But among the treasures that escaped was the King's family Bible— on the ily-leaves of which are recorded the royal births, marriages, and deaths for several generations. "I*he secretary who found the Bible among ihe ruins wrote to a friend .saying: "We took it as an omen of what is going to survive when the terrible war is finally over." Dr. William Stidger commenting on the incident writes: — •9 "The things that survive this war will be the ancient and beautiful things of the spirit. Whatever else maj* happen whatever may be dethe spirit and message of truth faith ) love and hope will survive. The everlasting verities are indestructible—no bombs will ever be. able to wipe out our love or our religious faith—those things which make life reallj r worth living."