Children's Corner

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 49, 15 May 1930, Page 4

Children's Corner

THE STORY SHOP.

Down a blue cobbled street stands a little old Story Shop. It is so small that only Fairies and Elves and Children can get into it

There are six wooden trees outside it, in six green tubs, and a little iron dog boot-scraper stands beside the door., There's Pantaloon the old rarrot, who calls out, "Come in!" and "Goodbye!" Arid there's the wooden Frog who sits on the door, and his long red-painted tongue lifts up and down for the latch. And when you open the door, a Cuckoo calls, "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" to tell the oldi Story Man • that someone wants him. There are lots and lots of little counters and they all have lovely wooden painted animals sitting at the ends of them,: whp'not iheir heads up and down, and nvag

their wooden' tails. But .best of air is the old Man who keeps the Story Shop, ior if you give him a penny he will tell yon a story about anything; you like. He sits in the ingle-nook under the big rafters, with a Monkey on his shoulder, and a-Canary perched on his head. And the Hobgoblins and Fairies .'and Elves sit round the hearth. and listen-

Well, here are some stories straight from the Enchanted StoryShop.

TheChrinea -Pig with a Tail

Mr. Shingay wore a blue and white apron, and had a. little butcher's shop---a white wooden one, with green shutters. A big oak tree grew beside it, and hanging from its bendy branches was a painted sign of a pig's head, pink and fat and ugly. One day a Pedlar came along, and said, ''That's a very nice butcher's" shop you've got." "I'm glad you like it," said Mr. Shingay, proudly. Creak, creak! went the sign swinging in the wind, "Sounds as if the old pig's grunting,!! laughed the Pedlar. "He wants oiling," said Mr. Shingay, "but I keep forgetting." "He's an ugly old pig. Why don't you take him down Y said the Pedlar

"Take him down!" cried Mr Shingay, mopping Ms head with his red checked handkerchief. "What nonsense! I must have a sign over my shop. This old village is known all over the world for its old shop signs. .... "Go to the hatter's round the twisty bend of/thcr road, and you'll find an old creaky sign with a painted, top-hat over his door. Go to the barber's, up the hill, and you '11 see his red and white pole sticking out- Op to the little, ilnn and you'll see the Duck and Rabbit sitting together on the-.old sign. '' No, iio, I can't take down my

sign.- ■■:■"•-. - " •. ■■ ■ ■■• ••Well, I should take it-down and put up a better one," said the Pedlar; "'then everyone.would come to your ..shop to see v 4t."; • ; ; Mr. Shingay sharpened hi# knife, which flashed in the snnshine. ' "Qive me the old pig and 111 give you an idea,-' said the PedThen Mr. Shingay did- a silly thing: he parted with something he had for something he had not. He climbed the tree, took down the old pig, and handed it to the Pedlar, who tucked it under his arm. ■ . , "Hang up a little guinea-pig by his tail,'Vsaid the Pedlar, "and yours will be the strangest sign in the village:" ■ Off he went, and Mr. Shingay thought happily of the little gui-nea-pig swinging in the breeze, and a crowd of people watching it.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Shmgay. A pound of your pork sausages, please," said a little old woman wearing a blue shawl, with a basket on her arm.

Mr. Shingay smiled. "I W** thinking about the new sign I m gsoing to hang in my tree, He said-

The little old woman looked up, i and ■ frowned. .- i "I liked the ugly old pig," she said. "Ah! but wait till you see the little guinea pig hanging up by his tail." , . . ''If you hang up a guinea-pig-by its tail,( its eyes will fall out" warned the old woman, putting the sausages in her .basket--' and trotting oft*. Mr. Shin gay went into his oi> chard and found a little guineapig lying asleep. : ' * I'm going to hang you up by your tail, just for a minute, to see what my new sign will look like, *' he -said. But when he went .to catch hold of its tail, he found it hadn't one! . "Why, where's your tail?" he cried. "Squeak, squeak!'' snorted all the guinea-pigs, running round his feet; "we've never had a tail!" "Oh," dear," cried Mr. Shmgay, "the Pedlar has .cheated me,?, and now lie's got my ugly old pig." "Pound of sausages!" shouted someone, and Mr. Shingay had to run with the little guinea-pig m his arms. . ■ "Where's the old creaky pig i asked the old Sign Painter, who had come for his supper sausages. Mr. Shingay told him. "I'll paint you a guinea-pig and I'll put him a tail on specially for you to hang him up by," said the Sign Painter. - And he did. And if ever yon visit the little village you'll see the only gumea-pig that ever had a tail, hanging above Mr- Shmgay's little outer's shop