BIG BROTHER BILL AND THE BAIRNS

Evening Star, Issue 19782, 4 February 1928, Page 20

BIG BROTHER BILL AND THE BAIRNS

A WEEKLY TALK ■ Hello Everybody,—Scores and scores of letters again—most interesting, too, some of them. The Hidden Flowers Competition seems to have been quite popular, but the family does not appear to have found it an easy one, judging by the results sent in. Perhaps tl.: difficulty was in the number of flowers capable of being used in answer to the questions, which made the right choice a question of skill. Question 3 (a title for the sun) produced the most varied answer. The obvious answer was “ Sunflower,” and most competitors gave it. In a competition, however, the obvious is not always right. The right answer here was “ Morning Glory.” , But many competitors gave other answers as well as Sunflower. Some of these were Fireball, Thyme, Daisy, Star of Bethlehem, Old Man, Evening Primrose, Breath of Heaven, Solomon’s Seal, and Solar. Question 12 (late in the afternoon) produced the distinctly clever answer—Nightshade. But the right answer here was “ Four O.’clocks.” And Question 9 (the place for a kiss) brought from a clever little chap at Milton the quaint answer —Love in a Mist. But the answer wanted was not the place where the kiss might be conveniently enjoyed so much as the place where a-kiss is felt most, and the obvious here is right— Tulips. The winner of this competition is Miss Francis Hicks, Church street, Mosgiel. One feels gratified at the wide interest being taken in these little puzzles. Hokitika, Milton, Gore, Palmerston, Otago Peninsula, Warrington, Kaitangata, Kaka Point,' Clutha, Otago Central wcie all represented in last week’s mail, as well as Mosgiel. It is an added delight in preparing these columns, ami an added responsibility that the right words be said in themj also many thanks are duo to all those who try and do not win/ Big Brother Bill gives these thanks, very sincerely, to all the big and little members of his rapidly growing family. The right answers to the competition are as follow: —Sweet William, Morning Glory. Larkspur, Columbine, Lily of the Valley, Jonquil, Dandelion, Tulips. Foxglove, Bride’s Blossom, Four O’Clock, Everlasting, Aster, Marigold, Carnation, Candytuft, Canterbury Bells, Sweet Pea. A happy feature in my letters recently is the chatty little notes the family have been sending to me. I mention this because I am going to keep a biithday book. When next you write about yourself, tell me the date of your birthday? It will go down in the book, and, when it comes round, ! shall be able to write your name in this column, and wish you many happy returns. Yoirs affectionately always, BIG BROTHER BILL,

SOME BIRTHDAYS Kathleen Smith, 9 Coburn avenue, North-east Valley, was six years old on the 27th of January. Many happy returns to httle Kathleen. She had a lovely birthday party, and found a Big Brother Bill parcel on the dining room table. Elsie Swinney, 73 Valley road, Gaversham, was seven years old on January SO. Elsie had a stunning birthday party. She went to the beach -with her mate, Molly Robertson, and, whilst they wcie bathing, their mothers got ice cream, jellies, and cakes ready on the beach. She had the loveliest presents, too. And she found a Big Brother Bill present under the front door mat. Many happy returns'to Elsie. Marjorie Jamieson, Stoneburn, Palmerston, will bo five years old next Saturday, February 11. Marjorie has no playmates, excepting two lovely little foals—Lil and Black Bess. Many happy days to Marjorie and her ponies, and many happy returns of her birthday. If Marjorie will look under her pillow next Friday night she will find a lovely Big Brother Bill parcel. Gwen Woodhill, Wakari, Dumsdin, had a birthday on'February 1. Big Brother Bill doubles your kisses, Gwen, and sends them back to you. Many happy returns of your birthday. Cameron M'Leod, 63 Council street, St. Kilda, is three years old. _but hasn’t had a birthday yet. Which isn’t at all mysterious, because Cameron is one of those people born on the 29th of February. He _ has a birthday every four years. Big Brother Bill thinks that Mother and Father M'Leod ought to give their little son the most wonderful time in the world, and I expect the'? will. I expect they’ll make him happy enough to last him until his birthday comes round again.

ANOTHER FAMOUS NONSENSE POEM BY THE MAH WHO WROTE ‘ ALICE IH WONDERLAND' ' “You are old, Father William,” the young man sn’id, “ And your hair has become very white; And yet you incessantly stand on your head— _ Do you think, at your age, it is right? ” “In my youth,” Father William replied to his son, “ I feared it might injure the brain ; But now that I’m perfectly sure 1 have none, Why I do it again and again.” “You are old,” said the youth, “as I mentioned before, And have grown most uncommonly fat; Yet you turned a back somersault in at the door; Pray, what is the reason for that? “ In my youth,” said the sage, as he shook his grey locks, “ I kept aH _my limbs very supple By use of this ointment—one shilling the box— Allow me to sell you a couple.” “You are old,” said the youth, “and your jaw's are too weak For anything tougher than suet; Yet you finished the goose, with the ’ bones and the beak— Pray, how did you manage to do ‘it?” “In my jouth,” said his father, “I took to the law, And argued each case with my wife; And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaiV, , Has lasted the rest of my life." “You are old,”, said the youth, “one would hardly suppose That your eye was as steady as ever; Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose— What made you so awfully clever?” “ I have answered three questions, and that is enough,” Said his father; “ don’t give yourself airs, Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? Be off, or I’ll kick you down stairs.”

A WORD TO BOYS AND GIRLS about Radio

Big Brother Bill is, as you will guess, among, those who sometimes say: “Now, when I was a bov—although he tries to say it as little 'as possible. But if a good fairy gave him the opportunity of being a boy again he would certainly choose to begin his life among the boys and girls who read this column. Beginning your life now means being in the most exciting and wonderful time the world has ever seen. , Fancy being able to snatch songs from singers’ throats hundreds of miles away! Fancy being able to sit down after tea and tune in to New York, to London, to Russia, to Holland, and to France! All this without leaving the four walls of your own New Zealand home. All boys and girls that 1 know like to travel. But travelling means train-sickness and seasickness; it means being shaken about like a pea in a bottle; and it can’t be done without spending a lot of money. But the time is coming when radio, like the magic carpet in the fairy tale will take you roilnd the world in an hour, and let you stay as long as you please in any place you may like. You will bo able to turn the switch, and people and places will come to you from all over the world. Don’t you think that it is every boy’s and girl’s business to get ready to enjoy this wonderful thing? Which leads me to say that as a hobby for members of this family radio has everything else beaten out of sight. A schoolmaster told me the other day that his boy and girl pupils who were radio enthusiasts were quicker than any others in his school. The reason is that fiddling about with radio sharpens , your wits. And you get to know things i that other boys and girls know nothing 1 about. Besides, let mo whisper something to you. Did you know that radio as a hobby is like being an explorer in an undiscovered country? Just as exciting and just as wonderful. The boy and girl who dabble in radio to-day may quite easily make some wonderful discovery that will make them the Marconi of tomorrow. The thing that I am telling you is quite true, and the opportunity is waiting those who prepare themselves to use it. What you should do first of all is read about radio. Then you should make your own little crystal set. It isn’t at all hard to do this, and I am certain dad and mum will take as keen an interest in what you are doing as you will yourself. Then from a crystal set you will advance to a valve set. And then the whole world will be your oyster, waiting to ho opened and enjoyed. There are millions of “ lis-teners-in ” in England and America, many of them boys and girls, and the time is very near when they will all be able to speak to New Zealand in a world radio family. Why not be ready when the fun begins?

THE STORY OF FAIR PRINCESS OLWEK A BED-TIME STORY Once upon a time there lived a king in Wales. He was a dark man and cruel—dark as night and cruel as a tiger’s claws. And this king had two daughters—Princess 01 wen and Princess Gertha. Princess Olwen was beautiful as a sunny day in spring. Her face was white and pure like the little clouds that play tig with one another on the blue floor of the sky; her eyes were blue as a cornflower, and her hair was the color of sunbeams. But Princess Gertha was as dark as a starless night, bitter as the nastiest medicine is to take, and cruel like her father. And these three lived together in a castle by a winding road through the mountains. Along this road one day came a Prince, who stopped at the castle gate to beg a,cup of milk. And the fair Princess Olwen stood by his horse whilst ho drank the milk she gave him. Now, the Prince was traveling through the country to find a wife beautiful enough to be his queen and rule with him over his own country., When ho saw Princess Olwen he knew that his search was ended, and, leaping down from his horse, told her so. But .Princess Gertha heard, and hated her sister from that day. While the Prince was away back to tell his father of his success P.rincess Gertha had persuaded her father to send Princess Olwen into the mountains to be cared for by a witch. And the witch turned her into a blackberry bush so that she should not escape. Presently the Prince came back again, to find dark and cruel Princess Gertha waiting for him. But a page in the castle whispered where P.rincess Olwen had been taken, and the Prince soon came to the hut in the mountains where the witch lived. “She is dead,” said the wicked old woman. “That blackberry bush over there, blooming out of season, marks the place where she is buried.” But the Prince did not believe her, although he went and stood by the blackberry bush; and he remembered the wizard at his father’s Court. So he rode back home to ask the wise man’s advice. “All bad spells must end when one is willing to shed blood,” said the wizard. “Go back to the blackberry bush, prick your finger with a thorn from it, and let a drop of your blood fall on one of its flowers.” The Prince did as he was told, and in an instant, lovely Princess Olwen was standing before liim. You can imagine how happy they were. But they had forgotten the witch. When she saw what had happened she flew across the mountains to the dark King’s castle and told him. And when ho and Princess Gertha heard how the Prince had outwitted them they were furious. “Can you put any other spells on Olwen,” he shouted at the witch. “I can change her into a bramble vine.” she answered, “ Then put the form of a bramble vine on her for ever,” he shouted again. “ And let her fruit be green and black by turns, and the stems thorny to prick and tear people.” And in that instant, whilst he held Princess Olwen in his arms, the Prince found her changed to a bramble vine that pricked and tore hi.s hands.

So ho went back to his court wizard again. “ I will change you into a little white-eyed bird,’’ said tho wizard. "And you must stay near the bramble until the fruit is black and ripe. But you must kiss the first flower that blooms, and it must be tho berry of that flower that you bring to me when it has changed from green to black and become sweet and ripe. When you bring the ripe berry, bring also the greenest berry on the bramble vine.” Sp the Prince, now a little white-eye bird, flew back to the bramble vine. Durinjr the day he fluttered about the vine, and at night he perched in its branches. Then one day 1 _ saw the vine in bloom, and, as the wizard had bidden him, kissed the blooms with his little beak. On another day the blooms bad changed to hard green fruit, and at last one changed to a big. black, sweet, and juicy blackberry. T|iis ho broke off with his beak, and, remembering the hard green Perry, too, earned them both to the wizard. And then the wizard made Spells. With the blackberry that was shining and full of honey he made a spell that changed Princess Olwen back to her own beautiful self, but with the hard, green berry he made a spell that changed the dark King’s castle into part of the mountain on which it stood, and the witch’s hut into a rock covered with slimy green moss. The Prince and Princess Olwen lived happy over after, hut as fm as T know the others are still stones, hard as their hearts, till this day.