Children's Corner

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 10, 1 August 1929, Page 8

Children's Corner

FIDGETTYLAND

''I do wish you wouldn't fidget so, Babs," Nanny said, "why can't you sit quietly for a few minutes?" ' "-'Gos I can't, and don't want to !" said Babs rudely. "Little girls shouldn't be rude, you are to sit_ quietly by the window until I come back!" said her nurse, as, she went out of the room. I Babs got up directly her nurse had gone, and started fidget-ting | about the room and knocking things' over, and then she went back to the 'window, and hung out, for she just couldn't keep still. Presently, she noticed on the window-sill, a funny little old woman with a hooked nose and long thin hands, and she was wearing a sort of top hat. Babs looked at her and laughed, and laughed. "You ugly little thing," she said, "where did you come from?" "From Fidgettyland," replied the old woman, "I am going to take you back there with me as you are a fidget."

"I don't want to go—l won't go!" said Babs, but the old woman just got hold of her pinafore and Babs felt herself slowly being drawn through the window, and then flying away ever so fast through the air, with the old woman holding on to her. They flew.so fast, that Babs found she couldn't keep her. eyes open, until she felt herself suddenly let go by the old woman, and when she opened her eyes she found herself in a strange country.

Babs felt rather tired after flying so fast, and she sat down on the ground to rest, but she i oon got up again for the ground was all broken glass and china.

"Where can I sit?" she asked the old woman.

"Nowhere here," she answered "for fidgets never want to sit for long."

Babs then looked round, and on a tree nearby she saw a lovely apple.

"I'm going to pick that," she said, "for I am Very "hungry," but just as she went to pick the apple, it suddenly jumped on to another branch of the tree, and then when Babs had nearly got it again,' away it went to a branch ever so high up.

"You will never pick that apple," chuckled the old woman "for it is a fidget, and never stays on one branch long enough to be plucked.''

Poor Babs was beginning to feel so hungry, tired, and miserable, and so thought she would walk along and to see where she could rest, but she found that the ground hurt her feet so much, that she could hardly walk, and everytime she tried to hold on to the old woman to help her, the funny old thing dodged out of her way, and kept running backwards and forwards, laughing all the time. Babs stumbled along as best" she could, and presently came to a funny little house. The door was so small that Babs had to crawl through it, and when she got inside she found herself in a" tiny; little room, so small, that she couldn't stand up in it, and had to bend right down. There was a table in the middle of the room, with lots of nice things to eat on it, cakes, fruit, sweets, and all sorts of nice things, and by the table were two chairs.

Bab's eyes shone when she saw all the good things, for she was very hungry.

"Oh, thank goodness!" sighed Babs. "Now I shall be able to rest, and have something' to eat." However, when she went to sit on the chair, it jumped away, and Babs tumbled on to; the floor, which was made of brokeji china, so she quickly got up again, and stood by the table. She was just reaching out for a lovely big cake standing on the middle of the table, when it hopped right to the other end of the table; and so Babs thought she would take some sweets, but as soon as she put her hand out to get them, away they went hopping all over the place;

and it was the same -with, everything she ;tried to take. Babs soon got v.cry tired of frying to catch -the food, and, gave it up, and crawled through the little door again. \

When she got outside she found the little old woman laughing at her. .

"Oh please can I have a glass of water, I amTso thirsty" cried Babs. Away went the old woman, and soon returned with a glass jfulllr of water, which she handed to Babs.

"Oh thank you!" said Babs, but as she put the glass to her mouth, the water jumped out of the glass into the air, and fell all over her, wetting her hair, and dress, and then the glass flew out of her hand.

How the old woman laughed when she saw this, and said to Babs, "how do you like Figettyland, Miss Fidget?" "T don't like it at all!"' said Babs crying, "please let me go back, I promise never to fidget

again.''

Then she heard the old woman laugh and suddenly disappear, and everything got very misty and dark, and Babs was beginning to feel very frightened when she felt somebody shaking her very gently, and looking up she found her Nanny by her side.

"Fancy going, to sleep on the window ledge, silly girl," said Nanny, "you might have fallen, out as you are such a fidget.''

Babs threw her arms round her Nanny's neck, and said, "oh I am so glad to be back, I am never going to fidget any more."

."That's a good girl," said her Nurse, "now come and have a nice tea."

Babs never fidgetted again, and her mother and Nanny were always telling her what a good girl she had become, but Babs always kept it a big secret about her visit to' Fidgettyland.