NAUGHTY ANNE’S DREAM

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 69

NAUGHTY ANNE’S DREAM

By

Audriel.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was quits a nice little girl to look at, and she had very nice manners, but she’ had a very bad habit of - hurting or killing things. If she went to the zoo she was poking some animal or other with a stick, or throwing pebbles at the swans and ducks in the pond; if she even saw an ant or little insect of any kind she w’ould not rest until she had teased or squashed it. Her nurse would, say, “ Now, Miss Anne, if you don’t leave the little creatures alone, you’ll come to a bad end.” But it was no use. One day her nurse took her. for a walk in the woods. Nurse settled herself down to read, and she said, “ Now, Miss Anne, don’t you go rambling off on your own.” Anne played about until she came . to an ant’s nest, so she gdt' a stick, and poked it down the hole, just to see them scurrying out with their eggs. Next she came across a little hedgehog burrowing amongst the pine needles; she poked that, and rolled it over. At last she looked round, and could not see nurse anywhere. She ran, and ran, and ran, until she could not run any more, so she sat down and cried. By and by she heard a voice say—- ; “Serve you jolly well right. Ha, ha, ha! ” She looked up, and gasped; it was the hedgehog she had teased! " Oh! ” she said. “ I didn’t know you could speak.” “Of course we can speak, you horrid little girl.” Another voice spoke up, a very tiny voice this time. It was the queen ant. And heaps and heaps of animals, birds, and insects - came up, until there was quite a crowd, all shouting and squeaking. - She began to cry again. “ Oh, take me.home, take me home! I want my nurse! Booh-oo.” They al laughed at her. “ Oh, look at her now! ” “ What shall we do to her? ” they all cried. “I’ll bite her! ” said a big ant. “I’ll prick her,” said the hedgehog. • “ I’ll peck her,” said the blackbird she had caged up; and theyTßl rushed at her with big, glaring eyes. She screamed and jumped up. It was dark, and there was nurse, with daddy, and they were shining a big torch on her. She had > been lost for quite a long time. Needless to say. she never teased any animals or insects again, and everybody wondered, but only daddy and nurse knew all about it.—Weekly Courier.