Children's Column.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 18, 16 July 1920, Page 12

Children's Column.

(By Florence E. Lee.)

By "Ethel," Tisbury.

By Olga, Teviot street, Invercargill.

"BAD BOY.'*

Bad Boy was a little pup, who looked forward very much to the day when he would be a real grown-up dog, because he thought to be a puppy was one of the worst things in the world. But, then, Bad Boy didn't know very much, although' he would have told you he knew everything. There were two things in the world he hated very, very much indeed. One was his name, and the other was Ruff, the collie dog, hut of the two things Bad Boy hated his name the most, because as ,he said, it was always thre, but he could get away from Ruff now and again. One day Bad Boy sat down in the midc!ie of a bed of pansies, and he thought, and thought, and thought. "I know what I'll do," he said, after a long time. ''I won't answer to my name. When they call me Bad Boy, I'll have to change my name," and feeling that all his troubles w,ere over, he wagged his tail very hard, beating down three little pansies, and then scampered away. That evening Bad Boy saw the cook standing in the doorway with his supper. "Bad Boy! Bad Boy!" she called. . Bad Boy took no notice. Cook- called again, more loudly. Bad Boy walked away, but he looked round once or twice, wondering what there was for his supper that night. "Oh, all right," cook 'said, "If you don-'t want it Ruff might as well have it," and she put down his supper in front of Ruff, who' quickly ate it up. "You should come when you're called," cook shouted to Bad Boy. Bad Boy sat down and began to think again. "Cook's quite right," he said, a"fter a while. "I think as .soon as she calls me for breakfast, I will go to her. But, oh !' dear, it seems a long time to breakfast. THE TWO SISTERS.

One day Mary and Daisy were playing in the backyard. Mary had a pretty frock on, and her step-sister wanted it. Now Daisy's mother liked her best, because she was her own daughter and Mary was not. Daisy ran to' her ■ mother and told her she must and will have it, but her mother. only told her to be quiet. When Mary came in her mother told her to go and take off her frock and put another one on. Mary did this and took the jug her-mother handed her and went to draw the water. When she- was at the well she saw a little old lady trying to draw some water. Mary asked the old lady if she might draw the water- for her. So Mary drew the water and carried it to the lady's home. When the dame reached home, she told Mary that every word she spoke pea-rls, rubies, diamonds, sapphires, opals, ' and many other precious stones would drop out« of her mouth. When Mary went home her mother scolded her, When Mary opened her niouth to speak all the precious stones dropped out. Her mother was quite surprised and asked bow the stones lay on the floor. Mary told her all that had happened and she sent her own daughter for some water. She thought her daughter would be able to speak jewels too, but she made a mistake, for when her daughter was walking along the road to tSe well she was wild, and when she reached the well the same old lady was leaning over trying to draw some water, and looked up. She asked Daisy to draw some water for her. When Daisy heard this she said, "I did not come here to draw your water." She drew some water for herself and as she was turning away the lady said, "Every word you speak, toads, eels, frogs and snakes, will come out of your mouth." When Daisy got home her mother asked her what the old lady had said. When she heard the story she was quite shocked at the eels, toads, and things that crawled about the floor. Mary got her sister cured and they had a beautiful home and kept their mother. Her mother loved them better now and they lived liappily till the end of their days. BLUEBELL'S ADVENTURE.

All Fairyland was steeped in sorrow. Even the bees had forgotten to make their daily call on the flowers. The fairy queen, herself, had forgotten to chide Puck for his mischevious pranks of yesterday, and the fairy guards had forgotten to polish their green grass spears. The wicked ogre could have destroyed all Fairyland ; but he was occupied elsewhere. ^Why were the fairies so sad"? Ah ! little Bluebell, the merriest and prettiest little

sprite in all Fairyland was lost, and this is how it came about. Early that morning, Bluebell had started out from the Queep's palace, to do her daily work. As she walked along, she was so deep in thought that she walked straight into a large spider- web which stretched across the path, and in aer surprise dropped her fairy ring. "Oh! Mr Spider," she cried, "please pick up my ring, so that I may wish myself free of your web." Before the spider could do so, however, a loud, rumbling sound was heard, and Bluebell instantly knew that the wicked ogre was approaching. "Step in front of me and hide me, " she cried to the spider, who instantly did as he was bidden. The ogre however, was not looking for fairies, for he was gazing intently at a glittering ohject which lay on the ground. When he reached it, he stooped and picked it up, crying out, "A faiiy ring! Now will I be truly great, for I will have power over all fairies!" and.he went on his way rejoicing loudly. Poor Bluebell's heart was nearly broken but she was not beaten yet. "Set me free quickly," she said to the spider. "I have a plan." When she. was free, she hurried after the ogre, and when she was as near to hua as she had anticipated, he saw her, and stopped in amazement, saying, "So you are the fairy who lost her fairy ring, are you? But- you shall not get it back, and I think you would make a dainty dinner," saying which he picked her up, ,and i carried her away. It was a hard thing for Bluebell to put herself in ihe way of the ogre, like this, for she knew that in the orge's castle were deep, da-rk dungeons, in which he kept his captives. But she would suffe-r anything, if she could only get her ring back, and so save the fairies. It all turhed out as she had expected. Sns was tHrown into the deepest dungeon, where she was to be kept until next day. All that day . she racked her brains to try to find some plan by which to get back her ring ; but no idea came. At night jshe sat and listened to the gambolling of the rats and micfi, and cried, "I a-m a fairy, could any of you carry me through your passages into the ogre's bedroom?" Silence f ell for a moment, then a little mouse said : "My passage leads to the room, and I shafl carry you there on my back. ' ' Then was Bluebell happy, and she set out on her journey through the mouse 's passage with a light heart. When she reached the bed-room, she stepped lightly off the mouse's back, and hurried across the room to where the ogre lay asleep ; there also lay the ring, shining brightly on the pillow, and Bluebell stretched forth her hand with a glad cry. Unluckily the cry awoke the ogre who seized Bluebell's hand before she could reach the ring, and cried, "You have escaped out of the dungeon, but you shall not escape me," saying this he raised his hand to kill her. He had not, however, seen the little mouse, who, seeing Bluebell's dan^er, ran up to the bed, and bit the ogre in the leg, causing him to drop his captive. Seeing her opportunity, Bfuebell picked up the ring, and quickly turned the ogre into a pillar of stone. Then, after rewarding the brave little mouse, she hurried back to Fairyland. Ah! I cannot describe her welcome there, so I shall leave it to the reader's imagination ; but it is sufficient to say that she was amply rewarded for her brave deed.