DOLLY DOBSTICK AND THE BITS OF SUNSHINE. [A FAIRY STORY FROM "LITTLE FOLKS."]

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2155, 1 May 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

DOLLY DOBSTICK AND THE BITS OF SUNSHINE. [A FAIRY STORY FROM " LITTLE FOLKS."]

Dolly Dobstick wa« a grumpy, stumpy, little old woman. She wore a coal-cuttle bontieb and a blue cloak ; her face was all wrinkles, and her cheeks were like applea. She had a- habit of asking questions, and poking one with her stick if she was not answered directly. The village folk always dodged out of her way, and crossed the road from her. Only little Maysie never dodged away from her, because Maysie had a very pretty habit of being nice to old people, whether they were grumpy or not. So that rery day, as sunburnt little Maysie was going down the corn-field path, with her pinafore full of red poppies, as soon as she saw the old woman stuck on the top of a stile, unable to get down, she said kindly— •' Will you lean on my shoulder ?' and helped her to the ground. • Thank you, my dear. Take that,' said Dolly Dobstick, and tumbled her over with a poke of the stick, and all the poppies fell out of her pinafore. There was a tree shading the stile. The s'inshine through its branch** made round bright spots of trembling light on the ground where Maysie lay. Before she could rise the old woman grabbed up all the flowers, and stuffed them into the pocket of her apron. ' Oh, where are my poppies-?' said Maysie, leaning on one hand as she sat on the ground. Old Dolly Dobstick nodded her nose and chin, and patted her pockets. " It's all right my dear ; don't trouble, I've got 'em.' 'Then please keep them, and good morning !' said Mayaie timidly trying to get up. ' All right my dear ; and what will you have instead ? What ? What ? What ? 'I don't want anything, thank yon,' said Maysie in a great hurry, for the stick looked as if it were going to poke her. ' Oh, nonsrnce, my dear ; you must have something for giving me all your poppies. Take that !' and Dolly Dobstick gave Maysie another little poke, that just rolled her tidily over when she was getting up. She was not the least hurt. She got up laughing, and shook the earth off her pinafore. And only then she found sticking to the palm of eack hand a round bit of sunshine about the size of a penny. The bits of sunshine were loosened off her hand with a touch ; they were like pieces of transparent gold, or like aomo kind of very thin yellow jewels. They mast have stuck to her hands when the old woman tipped her over twice and said ' Take that !' Dolly Dobstick was nowhere to be seen. Maysie wouldihave liked to Bay ' thank yon ;' but there was no one j to say it to, so she ran straight home to Thatch-roof Farm, and showed her bits of sunshine. The farmer was grumbling at the weather, though it was sunshine and blue sky. His wife was crying be* cause the fox had stolen the speckled hen. She said it would be better to make all the other hens into roast fowl and to make the pigs into sausages, and to sell the house for a song and go and live iv the barn, and keep nothing 1 but the donkey, because it was a miserable world. The maids were quarclling in the kitchen because they had been sitting in the shade of the hay stack all the morning trying to make each other stand up and feel the animals. The farmer hung up one bit of sunshine in the hall between the case of stuffed birds and the clock. And the farmer's wife hung the other bit of sunshine on a red ribbon round Mayaie's neck. Everything brightened up. The farmer said it was glorious weather ; his wife said there were two dozen speckled hens yet in the yard ; the maids said, * There's no help for spilt milk but to call the cat ; puss ! puss ! puss ?' The men found out that they were cross because they were idle ; the animals were fed, the cows trooped out to the meadow, field work began, and everyone and everything were as happy as could be. From a boy's composition on hens : " I cut my uncle William's hen's neok off with a axe and it scared her to death," Bismarck does not coot much. ■ Germany pays him 13,500 dollars a-jear, and 75,000 dollars more for official receptions etc. British Cabinft Ministers get 25,000 dollars apiuce all round, and the Chancellor for hi« 18,000 dollars probably does more work than half-a-dozen of them put together. Rioting is infectious. It spreads from the metropolis to the provinces, and from Englaud to France and Italy, till the very men of peace, the Trappists, in their convent near Rome join the ranks of the unrnly. A week ago the French monks arose against their Italian breth- j ren.who suffered a total defeat. Hereupon the unfortunate Italians were bound and put into a dark cellar, Father Franchino the superior, sharing the lot of half of his flock. The next proceeding of the victorious monks was to send a telegram to the Pope saying that unless another superior was sent to them they would all leave the convent. The Pope's reply was a strict order to set the superior at liberty without delay. This was done, and Father Franchino has proceeded to Rome, where he awaits further orders. The rest of the monks remained for some time in their uncomfortable quarters, the Frenohmen refusing to let them go until the Pope should order them to be removed to another sphere of action. During the last elections in England a *' Catechism " was extensively circulated by a society having for its objeot the abolition of the Hereditary Chamber. The following are some extracts from it : —What are men made peers for? For various reasons, among others for winning battles, for serving their party in the House of Commons, for being old and no longer of any use to it, for being troublesome to their colleagues, for being behind the time*, for being political nuisances that cannot be got rid of in and other way. ■ Tennyson was made a peer for writing, verses on royal births, deaths, and weddings. The privileges of a peer are to legislate without consulting his fellow citizens and to provide his poor relations with well paid offices in the public service. The peers represent themselves— sl2 in number; the Commons represent the people, numbering 34,000,000. The peers can prevent the people's House from passing laws, and they own 16,411,986 acres of land which they charge the people for the privilege of cultivating. The daily income of the richest peer is £1095, and and the highest daily wages of a farm labourer half-a-crown. The 512 peers peers have over 300 relations by birth or marriage in the House of Commons, and besides other privileges the clergy pray for them to be endowed with grace, wisdom, and understanding, bat the prayer has never been answered. The whole duty of a peer is to spend his money, to sit in the House of Lords when he feels disposed, and> to provide officers for the royal household at exorbitant salaries,