The Wendy Hut.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 13 July 1929, Page 10

The Wendy Hut.

BILLIKINS LEARNS GOOD DEPORTMENT

Greetings, everybody—Billikins talking again! You’ll be interested to hear that I am still being “tilted” and that tutor is “amazed and delighted” at the progress lam making! At least, lie told Wendy so. Besides history, arithmetic, grammar and geography, 1 am now having lessons in “deportment.” Deportment,

you know, means conduct or manners, and tutor says every decent boy ought to know how to behave himself well in company! “When a lady rises from her chair,” says tutor, “you understand, of course, that you must immediately rise too. And when she moves towards the door, you must go forward quickly, open it for her, wait until she has passed, and then gently close the door after her!”

Sounds awfully simple, doesn’t it? Somehow or other you naturally jump up when a lady rises; it would look frightfully rude if you didn’t. But to get to the door first —that’s the puzzle, especially when the floor is all bright and shiny and slippery! The first time I tried out this business of good deportment was last Monday when Wendy had a grown-up to tea. When the lady said she must be going, and rose from her chair, I immediately fell oil’ the window-scat! She was ever so nice, and pretended not to see me while I picked myself ii]). Then she made for the door, and I made a wild rush across the room to get there first and open it for her. Of course I skidded but I got there first all right—oil all fours! Wendy’s guest must have been awfully well “tuted,” because she just bit her lip to keep from laughing, turned her head away, and waited for me to get up. She let me open the door for her and, as she went out, she gave me a lovely little bow as though I had been a king! Ladies like that do help a fellow to be well-behaved, I can tell you! And I’m going to try ever so hard, so that someday I shall be able to do it all without either falling or skidding! Let’s all try, shall we, boys? Chucry-lio, Billikins. WENDY’S LITTLE DRESSMAKERS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR GRANDMOTHER A little Wendy lady has asked us what she can make as a present for her grannie on her birthday! This week, therefore, we will tell you how to embroider a pretty little shawl which grandmother can wear over her shoulders to keep away the draught. You will need a yard of 36-incli wide flannel —the kind known as “houseflannel” will do quite nicely, because it is a pleasant creamy-grey shade which' will make a good background for the coloured wool flowers you are going to embroider on it.

First of all, you must turn in and tack a half-inch lie in all round the

edges of the square; then blanketstitch over this hem with mauve wool. Ding ram A shows you how to do the blanket-stitching; begin at one corner of the square and work from left to right. When you have finished, lay the square ilat on the table, and draw a

simple pattern of circles in one corner—you can pencil round pennies and ha'pennies, which will be. a nice size. Now work the circles in buttonhole stitch (just like the blanket-stitch, only closer together), until they look like diagram K. Make some of these “flowers” mauve; some deeper purple; others blue and rose-colour; lill in the centres with soft yellow, and add wee stitches of green wool between the different circles to suggest little leaves and stems. The stalks can he worked in stem-stitch, and lazy-daisy stitches will do for the bigger leaves. Diagrams C and D explain how to do lazy-daisy stitches, in case you have forgotten. Now you can work similar flower groups, though smaller, in the next two corners; but don’t do one in the fourth corner because this will be folded underneath, to make a triangle, when the shawl is worn. Scattered Hoovers here and there, connecting the groups, will complete the shawl. You must remember to keep the wrong side of the work as neat as ever you can, so that if it should happen to show occasionally it won’t matter!—Wendy’s Dressmaker. THE BILLY BOYS’ TRICK CORNER BUTTONHOLE TRICKS This very amusing trick can be performed several times before the “audience” will understand how it is done. Take an ordinary lead pencil and tie a loop of string on the end, as shown in the sketch, taking care that the loop is shorter than the pencil. The trick is to put the pencil through the loop of string and thus attach it to something—a seeming impossibility. This is how it is done: Open your jacket and lay the loop of string over and around the buttonhole. Draw the cloth upwards through the loop of string until the pencil can be put

through the buttonhole, as shown in the sketch; then draw the cloth back and the pencil is securely looped in place. ■ To remove it again without cutting or unfastening the string seems still more difficult, hut is done very easily by pulling up the loop and working 'the doth up through it until the pencil can he put back through the buttonhole so that the string is released. THE HEART OF ANNE OF BRITTANY In the year 1488, the beautiful little Duchess Anne, who was not yet 12 years old, inherited from her father the rich and lovely land —as it was then—of Brittany. From that moment, her life was one desperate struggle to keep her country from ruin. Soon after she became Duchess of Brittany, the cruel Sire of /\lbret wished to marry her; when Anne refused, he rode up to her castle in Nantes and threatened to destroy her entirely if she did not become his wife. But Anne stood at the drawbridge and refused emphatically, saying that she would keep her heart to herself.

Many other princes wished to marry her, hut Anne loved her country more than any of them. When pressed by the Pope to wed Charles VIII of France, she sent word that her heart was her own to do with as she liked. ;

“That is not so, for your heart belongs to your country,” replied the Pope, and, after much reflection, Anne consented to marry Charles, hoping thus t osave her country from ruin. She was married and crowned Queen c France at the age of 14. But Charles died when she was 21 aud again Anne was forced to marry to save Brittany.

Her second husband was Louis XII of France, and Anne was crowned Queen for the second time, still struggling hard to do her best for Brittany. When the beautiful Queen died in 1514, she requested that her body might he buried in France, but her heart in her beloved Brittany. So it was placed in a magnificent gold casket, and sent to Nantes. It cau be seen there to-day—the heart of the brave and beautiful Queen who gave all that she had to her country. “ALL WRONG!” I suppose you have noticed that some of the terms we apply to certain things are “all wrong.” Dutch clocks, for instance, have really nothing to do with the Dutch people, nor are they made in Holland. They are actually manufactured in Germany, aud I can only suppose that “Dutch” is a corruption of “Deutseh” —German! Then people speak of German silver, which is really not silver at all, nor was the stuff invented in Germany. T think it must be a Chinese invention, because it lias been used in China for countless generations. As for the Fox-glove, this seems to be quite a wrong name for the pretty flower which belongs, to the Fays or Little .Folk. Its prbpar name really is Talks’ Glove.

The word Titmodse seems to suggest a wee mousie craature; but it is nothing of the kind—it is a bird! You have all beard of rice-paper, haven’t you? It has. however, no connection with rice, but is made from the pith of a Chinese plant, Tungtsau —liollow-plant—so called because the stem is hollow when the pith lias

been taken out. You’ll be able to think of lots of other things that arc called by misleading names—quite simple things too, that we meet every day. Just try! WENDY’S LITTLE COOKS CHERRY CREAM CAKES These are easy 'to make, and look so professional when done that most

little cooks will fake a delight in the Buy a round sponge cake, or else D or three ordinary small ones. C them into little fancy shapes: rounc hearts, squares, etc., put each on t end of a fork and dip it into melt chocolate. Place on a dish to dry, p a glace churrv on top, and do not tou the cakes till the chocolate is qui ‘Sctl 4 • ■ t <t I. »,.»# To melt ehocolatu: break up SOI plain chocolate, place it in a cup, a a tcaspoonl'ul jof water to each bi put the cup in a pan of boiling w-ati and leave near the fire. Cover tbe ci with a. saucer to prevent the stea •from falling into tlie chocolate. If the sponge cakes seem inclined crumble, stand them on a dish a pour a spoonful of chocolate over-eat instead of dipping them with a for 'link's crossword puzzle will be foul on the next page.