Children's Corner

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 38, 27 February 1930, Page 4

Children's Corner

OLD BABK AND BITE.

Hilary really was worried as to what he should do. HU new ball, such a fine one, had bounced right over the wall of thc-gci den belonging to 'Victory Hotise. It was where the Admiral lived, and Hilary knew what a terrible person he was.

"Don't you ever do anything to. annoy him, Master Hilary," Nurse had often said. "He doesn't; like little boys. All the same, though, they do say that his bark is worse than his bite."

It was quite-clear, then, that the little red-faced Admiral did iark and bite. Hilary did n6t know what to do. 5e looked at the wall and he thought of hiis nice new ball with its red and ; blue stripes, and he thought of the Admiral who might be walking in~his garden at that moment* However, the old jgentleman might only bark at him, after all, so Hilary decided that he would climb over.

The garden wall was not so very,high, and there was a jolly twisty: tree .very handy to help -£im, so Hilary to scramble \ip and over, and drop down rupon the other side.

The garden seeme,d tovbe empty. Hilary looked in the nearest bushes, buf his ball was- nowhere to be seen. Then he ventured a little, farther. He walked slowly up a path, searching'each side as he went, and then, suddenly, he came face to face with the Admiral !

Hilary's heart stood still. The Admiral was stooping over a flowerbed, and his face was very red, perhaps because it was a hot day and he was bending down. "Hallo!" said the Admiral '' What do you want, sailor boy V 1

Hilary was wearing the sailor suit that had been given him on his seventh birthday.

"Please!" he said, when he had found his voice, "I am- lam .. looking for my ball".' 7 "Lost your ballj have you?'', said, the little Admiral standing straight up. "JWell, we must find it, then!" And he didn't seem at all angry, Hilary thought. ; But the next moment he.began to.bark. ;

"Hi,'Bo'sun!" he called loudly and Hilary almost jumped. "Hi! where's that lazy Bosun? Come on, you!" he said to Hilary; we'll soon wake him. up!" And taking Hilary by the hand, he led him up the garden. The Admiral was chuckling to himself now, as if it were a great joke, and Hilary wasn't the least bit frightened of him. "There .he is, the rascal!" exclaimed'the old gentleman, as they came ; in sight of some glass frames. And in an old wheelbarrow, with a lot of flower-pots and a spade and fork by him, Hilary saw the funniest looking man. He was very fat and very round and very bald on the head. And his face was even redder than the Admiral's.,

"Hi, Bosun! Wake up! Wake up!'' cried the Admiral. ' 'Here's.a young fellow come to join the ship!"

It was really wonderful how quickly the Bosun jumped out of the wheel-barrow a and got to his feet with his hand at the salute. "Lost ball!" said the Admiral. "Lively, my lad. We've got to findit."

They all three set; to work at once, and Hilary laughed to see the Admiral and the Bosun on their hands arid knees among the bushes. But they found the ball —at least the Bosun did. It was Jying in a bed pi geraniums, and if it had riot been for t&e blue.: I stripes on it they >might' never kfcave seen it.

"Thank you so much!" said Hilary, and he turned to go back. "rJVait-a minute," said the Admiral, "we <ipn Jt often have a young sailor calling on us, do we, Bo'sim? Blow your whistle for

tea. my lad. We must give ,him some tea.

So the Bosun blew his whistle and a maid brought out a table and a- tray with some cakes on it as well as the tea, and they1 had quite a picnic out in the garden. "Well," said the Admiral, "what do you think of me, sailor, boy?

"I think . . ."■ said Hilary, "I think you're very funny!" The word was out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying. i

"IFunny 1" laughed the Admiral "Not half so funny as the Bosun liere. Come on, Bosun, dance a hornpipe for our sailor boy,!" And to Hilary's delight the fat, round Bo 'sun. danced on the patjh,and pulled at imaginary ropes, and skipped about till both Hilary and the Admi.ra 1~ could hardly stop laughing.

The Admiral saw Hilary out by the garden gate, and made him promise to come again another day.

"We'll Have lots of games, boy," he said; "you and I and the Bosun."

That night,, when Hilary was being put to bed, he said: '' Nurse, the Admiral can bark, but he does not bite —-not the least bit. And I like him awfully—l think," said Hilary—he was getting very sleepy—''l think I shall be an Admiral when I grow up. But, I don't know ... it must be jolly . . ,-to be . . , a . . . real Bosun ... I would like . . . to dance And then Hilary fell asleep. SUCH A RASQAL, Tip was only a puppy, a small white dog with two or three black marks on him. "Just as if someone had spilled some tar on him/* said Peter's father. Itf was Peter, of course, to whom Tip belonged. He had been a birthday present. "When Tip got such a funny name was because he had a white tail—quite a short one—with a black spot right at the end. „ If Tip had not been named so soon I dare say he would have been called something very different* For he was a most troublesome, naughty puppy. What are you to. do with a dog who will dig holes, in the best flower-beds in which to bury his bones? And who will run away with slipper and gloves from indoors and then imagine' that they are rats, and shake them, and tear them with his sharp teeth, until they are spoilt? Tip did all these things, and he was always getting into trouble. Peter did so wish that his little dog would learn to behave properly. One day Tip made a great mistake, and what he did taught him a lesson that he never forgot. It happened like this. It was a very hot summer's day. There was no one in the garden, and his master was .indoors reading a book, so Tip had toamUse himself. He played about on the grass for a long' time, then he went to the gate which was open and looked out. A little way dowii the road there was another dog. He was bigger than Tip, but he seemed quite friendly.

"Come On," said the'stranger dog; "it's jolly out here/ Come and have some funi"

Tip ran out. He and the other dog chased each other down the road in turn,. and over the common, and through some fields and along a winding lane by a wood. It was' glorious fun. They ran after cows and sheep, and barked at them, .and they hunted for rats along the side of a stream they came to.

It was all very jolly while it lasted. But at length the stranger dog said, "I'm going home,now, I'm tired. Thank you for the games. It was fun!" Then he trotted off and left Tip alone. .

But Tip didn't know which way to go back. He went this way ,grid thkt, but/he could riot remember how tHey had come from his liouse. He very soon had to tell MmseH .that he was lost. T^ep ne got frightened and sat dowft by the side o| the road and howl-

cd. When it began to rain and he heard thunder, he was more frightened still.

It was a very wet and sorrowful puppy that someone in a intor-car picked up a little while afterwards and carried away.

'■That's young Peter Paxton's dog," said the someone. "I'd know him anywhere."

So Tip was brought home in disgrace. He was not punished any more for running away, because he was so wet and miserable. But I am glad to say that he never did such a thing again, and, what is more, he turned .over a new leaf from that day. He became really good. And when one morning/Peter <irave away "the stranger, dog; who had poked his nose through the gate, Tip barked, just as if to say, "We don't want your sort here!"

It was his garden, of course, and he knew he must keep in it and. guard it.

FOR SALE. Does anyone want a Tamper? I've got one to sell; With a'Grumble, too, a big 800--hoo! And a lot of Frowns as well. I've a Crosspatch look^for morn- ! ■- ing, A Snarleyow for night, And Whiny ways for special days v When things will not go right! I I'm going to be so happy Over in Sunshine Town, Where Laughter goes in place of Woes, And nobody's mduth turns down. They've got no room for Tantrums You have to keep smiling there: So if any little girl can do with a Temper that is big and strong and will give quite a, '■" lot of trouble — Well, I've got one to spare!