A FRIGHT FOR PETER

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 608, 9 March 1929, Page 29

A FRIGHT FOR PETER

‘•Peter, Peter," called Nurse. Peter, aged three, turned over and yawned. “Peter doesn’t want to get up,” he said. “Very well,” said Nurse, “but if you get up now and let me wash you I shall take you out after breakfast.” Peter sat up quickly. “All right, Nannie,” be said. Nurse lifted him up, took him to the bathroom and put him into the bath. “There,” she said a few minutes later, “now jump out quickly. Where are your clothes? Oh, they’re upstairs. Wrap this towel round you and stay here while I run and get them.” Peter felt very hot so he wrapped the towel round himslf and ran out into the garden to play. Now the fairies were watching over Peter and they didn’t know what to do. Suddenly Mr. Freddy Long-jump, the frog, croaked, “Lear people, please let me explain the idea I have in my mind.” “All right, subject Frog,” said the queen. “If her Majesty will change me into a large and ugly toad for the occasion,” said Mr. Long-jump, “I will frighten the little mortal home.” “Bravo, Freddy,” cried the fairies. “You shall have 20 flies for being so clever.” The fairy queen waved her wand and, the next moment, a big toad was in the place of the pretty green frog. “Hush!” exclaimed Freddy. “Here is Peter. Now watch.” Peter came along just then, plucked at the rose bush, ran a prickle into his finger and sat down to get it out. Then lie saw the toad. “Go away,” he said. Freddy hopped into Peter’s lap. “Oh!" cried Peter. “Go away! Nannie, Nannie. Oh, boo-hoo." Of course when Peter’s nurse came to the rescue Freddy had become his ordinary size and had vanished. And didn’t Nannie scold! And even to this day she doesn’t believe that the toad was nearly as big as Peter said. —JOYCE WOODCOCK (aged 13).