THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE FOR YOUNG READERS ONLY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 53, 2 March 1945, Page 6

THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE FOR YOUNG READERS ONLY

i PETER THE WHALER 8 II (/WHALE ISLAND 8

IA board for the Goodwill Cruise

A\'liat ho -f what ]io t ma hearties. Well here, we are again and this time we are into March: two months of the year gone already. Yes the days certainly do fly there's no doubt about that. Why it seems onlj* a short time ago since it was March 1944. Well, I suppose I had better continue with Old Saltwater's adventures in his quest for gold. If I remember rightly I had reached the part where Old Saltwater, Gus and William had booked in at a hotel, had tea, and had just decided to go out for a stroll. They stepped on to the l footpath and were loo'king about them when suddenly Gus spotted a milk-bar across the road. Accordingly all three ambled over for a raspberry and lemonade with icecream in it. William rushed; to the fore and taking hold of the doorhandle pushed the door right open. The next moment there was a volley of gun shots and poor old Wiliam staggered back with his hat riddled with bullet holes. A man; who happened to be passing just then told them there was nothing to be afraid of as it was just One-Eye Hank having a little, fun. He found life very dull since tlic picture theatre had been closed down. Okl Saltwater Gus and William decided to forego their raspberry and lemonade with ice-cream in it and wandered on down the street to see what they could find. They toured up and down, the main street for a while and then decided to split up and meet back at the hotel for bed at 8 o'clock. Gus was the only one Avho had any money (he had Id to be exact) so the others did not expect to have much fun. However they all set off and at 8 o'clock the three gathered in the basement of. the hotel to tell each other what they had done. Old Saltwater it seemed had no sooner got. out of sight than he was asked if he would care to .pin in a game of marbles. He replied that he unfortunately had none to pj;;y with but the gentleman who had challenge:!- kind enough to lend him one to start off with and the game commenced.. Now the gent concerned happened to be the marbles champion of the wild and wool-1 I 3' West Coast, but what he didn't know was that Okl Saltwater was the marbles champion of the seven seas, and could lick any sailor sailing thereon. The result was that in less time than it takes to tell it Okl 9 Saltwater had won scores and .scores of marbles, including dakes and all sorts, and was forced to bring them back in a wheelbarrow.

William brought hack a map showing the location o£ a buried treasure. He had no; money but he explained that the gentleman who sold it to him was, very nice about it and said that all William had to do was to give him half of his share of. the gold they found,, when they ' went gold-mining. William was overjoyed at the bargain he had managed to get ? especially so, as the gentleman had thrown in a pair of roller skates for good measure. According to the map, they were at that moment sitting right oil top of several hundred tlious<ttvd pounds worth of jewels, and although they dug far into the nighty they found nothing but an old sardine tin and a broken bottle. Very unfortunate and disappointing but still; William had the roller skates and that made him very happy. All that night he skated round and round the room. Gus had done something entirely different.. He. had merely spent their last -Id on a gold brick (slightly shop soiled) which the salesman had let him have for half price. They were not sure whether the evening could be called an unqualified success or not, but anvwav it ' } was getting late and the next morn-, ing they were due to start digging so leaving William to his skating, Old Saltwater and Gus retired to bed. I seem to have overstepped my space a little this week so I hail better get on with the rest of the page. Cheerio for this week. P.T.W.

MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATES'

Some of you were enquiring whether or not there is a badge for the Good Endeavour League.. The procedure is that when you join you send M in stamps- and I send you an official certificate to say you are a member of the crew of the Good

Endeavour. There is 110 badge but your certificate shows that yon arc a full-fledged member.

LETTER BOX

Dear P.T.W. J Will you have me as- a member for your League. I enclose 3d in stamps. Yours faithfully^"" ROBERT KIRK. (Step right up Robert. We're very glad to have you aboard with us. Unfortunately you forgot to put your address on your letter but if you remember next time I will tafce note of it and send out your certificate. Congratulations on winning a ticket. You sent in a very good entry. P.T.W.)

FRIENDS OF THE BIRDS

From a London paper comes a pleasant description of a service station proprietor who is called the "good Samaritan." The lanky ex-service man has earned the title because he feeds hundreds' of birds daily. Mr Bagbv estimates that he scatters out about 100 pounds of grain each month to his feathered friends. It is an interesting study to watch Mr Bagby talking to hi& bird friends each day on his corner In the centre of a downtown street. Usually during the morning when business at the pumps is. slaek ; Mr Bagby walks out of his service station lot with a big can under lii.s arm. He whistles a long ) shrill note. A lone pigeon darts down from the eaves of a building across the busy street. Others' swoon after until the Jot is -c-CYered with birds. Moreover the service station ■y owner trims the bills and claws of his charges when they grow too 10ng,,. Asked how he was able to pick lip the birds so .Mr Bagby smiled and said: "Oil, they'll come to you when they realise you are friendly. They know. Birds, are smart all right— smarter than we give them credit lor being."

LAST WEEK'S COMPETITION

Wlioa whoa there. I was almost •J bowled out by the flood of entries which came for last Avcek's competition. I think it must have, been far too easy for you or else you all suddenly woke up and decided it was time to send in an entry for the competition. Anyway. although most of you sent in the right answer it managed to or two of you, who thought the big Indian was the little Indian's stepson or grandfather or some other relation. of. the big Indian was the little Indian's mother. Well J the four tickets this week goi to the four neatest entries sent in. These came from Audrey Bathe j Margaret Shaw | Catherine Wardlaw j Robert Kirk

NEXT WEEK'S COMPETITION

Last week's competition may have been casv but I think this one will make you scratch your heads. The following are clues to place names in New Zealand. For instance the I * first place i'or which the clue is "a lord" would be Nelson (Lord Nelson) . See the way it works? Now then go right ahead and see what you can do. The usual prizes go to the ones who send in the neatest correct, or most nearly correct answers. 1. A LoSd 2. A primitive dwelling A bomber and a battle 4. A University 5. A 'bush flower (>. A home for babies 7. Expectation of something 8. A motor car now obsolete 9. An Irish river 10. Excellent grazing here 11. A shield 12. A minor who is under guardianship

Useful Pastime

A recent innovation among the girls Avho are working at the Little Ditherton munitions factory is the holding of chewing gum evenings. They 'simply gather round the fire with their spinning wheels, and pass many happy hours spinning the strands of chewing gum into .yarn. This is a very long-drawn-out process but I'm told it's really 'wonderful what three or four good clicwers can do when they get busy. One of the girls home on leave for the J week-end came in last night to show Mrs Simple an evening frock she had made out of chewing gum. The advantage of this type of dress is that if you arc out for the evening and find yourself in unbearably boring company you can wile away the dawdling hours by chewing the hem of your skirt or you can even take off your belt; cut it into equal parts and oiler the pieces to the rest of the company. Also the process of making it adds great muscular strength to the jaw, a distinct acquisition for the woman who intends to enter Parliament, or to eat her own pastry or vice versa.