BENJY AND 808

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 980, 24 May 1930, Page 31

BENJY AND 808

in Squirrel Town everyone xs happy, tor such things as money matters ar.-i [ business do not worry squirrel hUF ! bands, as there is no money or bus! ' ness in their town. All that the squli - I rels ever bother about is nuts, and as ! these can easily be obtained by search \ ing, there is no real bother. Pus> i Town is run on the same principle, ex - I cept that instead of nuts being their j food, they go to a small amount of trouble in obtaining mice and mil - i There is no class distinction in Squit | rel Town, other than squirrels possess- ! ing beautiful tails having the honour jof real homes to live in. while the ! others dwell in nature-provided ca\ | erns in t root ops. In Pussy Town, how | ever, there are at least two distinct I classes. There are the proud, ‘’catty' I cats, and the fat, furry, lovable, purry j cats. Benjv. a sqa el, was the son of a Mrs. Squirrel \*hoso tail was so beautiful that not only was she allowed a real carpenter-bui*t home in the best tree in the woods, but she also wa* allowed to have a broom, which no other squirrel could ever dare hope for. Benjy spent many a frisky day of delight among the treetops, and at tre** roots in quest of nuts, which he px:i into a little basket on finding them. Ono day, while at his usual task Benjy was frisking among tho treroots when he suddenly found a litth furry creature, like himself in many ways, but unlike him in still more way.*wailing dismally. From descriptions of his mother’s. Benjy guessed that this little thing was a cat. or perhaps, as it looked so young, a kitten* In the usual squirrelish. care-free way. Benjy sympathised with the little kitten. but as ho had never met distress before, his sympathy was more curiosity than anything else. “What's that noise you nre making for?” he asked. “I am exceedingly upset over u grave and severe loss,” replied the kitten in a dignified manner, that was wholly unsuited to his innocent baby fac' and soft furry bodv. “What did you lose?” was Benjy s next question

“Firstly. I lost cautiousness: secondly, my temper: and thirdly, my tail/' the kitten answered in the snnio dignified way. “How?” “I was not looking where l was going, and i walked into a rat trap, which caught my tail. It would not let go, but I tugged and struggled until I lo§t my temper, then I gave one bl r , tug, which loosed me. but I left my tail behind/’ The dignity had left thkitten by now, and he was weeping bitterly,* for ho dared not face hiv mother, who was of the proud “cattish” class, taii-less. Gradually the truth dawned on Benjy. ancl his little brain began to think for the first time. “What’s your name?’' he asked, still curious, but with an idea already forming in his mind. “.Robert is my name/* replied the kitten, recovering his dignity. “Then you’ll have to change it into Bob/' said Benjy mischievously, “for a tail-less cat cannot have a dignified name like Robert.” “Oh, if only I had a bobbed tail. I d bo content to be called Bob,” wailed Robert, who was thus humbling himself a g»*eat deal, for It must be remembered he was of the proud ‘‘catty ’ class. “If you could really condescend to wear a bobby little tail, and be called Bob, I could tell you where to get one,” said Benjy, in a doubtful tone, as if he considered his idea not very good. But all the pride Robert had possessed was gone. It had been swallowed up in the humiliation of tail-less. Eagerly he asked Benjy where to get the tail. “There are a lot of pussy' willows in Pussy' Town. I’ve heard,” said Benjy casually'. “Perhaps—” He got no further. Robert was gone, and only a cloud of du»t remained to show lie had fled to Pussy Town. Bob and Benjy are now the greatest of friends. Mrs. Bob has changed from the proud, “catty” class to the purrv, lovable class owing to her son’s little catkin tail, which is so undigni fied, yet so comical and lovable. Both she and Bob think the change is for the better, and, as for Benjy, he is even happier than ever with a mischievous bob-tailed creature to join in his frisky' activities. —Dulcie Rigden faged !s>. PUZZLERS Word Diamond: 1. —A consonant. 2. —Used before nouns. 3. —A young person. 4. —A measure. 5. —A consonant. Hidden Sunbeam in the Tree*—• iLALGOI XASRII.XOW. • * • Answers to last week’s puzzlers: Word Diamond: D. Toe. Dodge. Ego. E. Word Square: Gasp. Anna. Snag I Page. Hidden Sunbeam: Valerie Henley.