Horseshoes.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 163, 31 July 1886, Page 3

Horseshoes.

"*' Would you liko to sec my room. Aunt ■Ada! This is X,!" •"'What a delightful little snuggery, and what a number of pretty tbiiis> you have, Flo ! Enough 10 ■ stock a small shop, I declure ! " "These are all my treasures/ said Florence smiling. "Don't you Teuicmber, when -we weie quite little things, Aunt Ada, wo each had a drawer with a lock and key to it, to" keep what we railed our ' treasures ' in? Connie and I always wore our kojs tied round our necks w ith a bit of string, lest the boys should get at our possessions " " You have certainly a nice collection of many different sorts of things," *«aid Aunt Ada, approvingly ; " but, dear me, child, what do all these old horseshoes mean ' One, two, three -and another nailed o\er the door ; yus, oue more lying in the fender. Are you po superstition* as to require five horseshoes to biing you good fortune ? '' Florence laughed merrily as t«he opened a drawor. " Hor-eshues aie whut some people call 'lucky,' and peacock's ! 'feathers 'unlucky' — at leabt, * so the folk fcAy' ; and, as I ha\e plenty of both, they can just neutralise each other, and leave me where I was befoie — very happy and comfortable. But look at this, Aunt Ada, and then you will see what I am goum to do with my horseshoes. ' *' A pen-rack, and a very pretty one, too. What an Ingenious idea ! But do tell me exactly how j ou managed it, Florence, for it is the very thing to suit Edgar and Bryan, and keep thtir finders out of mi=chiet fur a time." *' You wall not need many directions," replied Florence ; "and your boy* Are t-ueh ' clever little carpenters, aunty, that I expect •they will be able to improve upon my woik. x Well, first of all, you must provide yourself 'with aa old horsefehoe -Faimer Burton : gave me all these, and I shall be very glad *if \ou will take one of them for the boya to ' begin Upon — then ?ou juu&t knock out any , 'nails which are still sticking in the shoe, so •ttiat you may ha-vu four clear holee ou each side. Something to tit into these hole>. is : the next consideration ; nnd you will ' observe'that -I have cut out six little wo. -den pegs about an inch long With *u tiny knob at 'one end to keep the pens and pencils from rolling off when the fancy seizes them. You ruust glue these pegs into the three lowest holee on each side of the horseshoe, and knot a piece of silk cord or ribbon through the two top holes, to hang it up by, as my penrack is of the kind that requires .suspending. Now you must notice my arrangement at the back, Aunt Ada. You see the fiont part of the shoe is always curved a little over the horse's foot, »nd thi-* projection makes the pen rack hang badly. To remedy this evil, I on a short peg each side, "rather low down, just to keep that pait a little away from the wall. Tho la*t thing j is to gild or paint the whole, back and front. 1 '" Tli «nk you, Flo,'' said her aunr ; " I vjuito understandyour direction^ ; but 1 haveaciig | gestion to make. Would not large na l-> - j "gilt, of course be an appropriate substitute for the wooden peirs ? ' '• Yks, I think 'they would," replied Florence ; " and tho 'next pen lack I make shall ha\e them, for 'the pegs are always r.ither troublesome to hape."