Children's Column.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 21, 6 August 1920, Page 12

Children's Column.

(By "Teddy," North Invercargill).

(By "Vera.")

MATER'S LETTEiR BOX. Mater invites children to seud in stories for this column, or correspondence which will be replied to through these columns. All matter to be clearly written in ink, and on one side of the paper only. IName, age, and .address, must be always given, and correspondence directed to "Mater," care of Editor, "The Digger," Box 310, Invercargill. THE ADVENTURES OF TED AND SALLIE.

Once there was a little girl named Madie who had many beautiful toys. Among them there was a teddy-bear, and a black doll named Sallie. Sorry to say Madie was an untidy girl and left ber toys anywhere. Now it happened one day when she was out playing^she had left them on the fioor on her play-room. Teddy was fond of hunting mice^the reason of which I'do not know), and Sallie was rather inquisitive. He was close to Sallie so ne said : "Say, Sal, what about .going micehunting." Sallie consented to this because one had bitten a hole in her dress •and she wanted to hunt it very much. They went out of that room, up the passage, till they came to another door standing ajar. They opened it a little further and with a glad laugh ran into the room. On the floor stood a box. Sallie and Teddy wanted very much to know what was in it, so Sallie said : "Sit on the lid, Ted, while I move this thing about. It might open that way. ' : Ted .sat on the lid and Sallie began to move the catch. "Jump off quick!" shouted Sallie, "I have opened the box." It was too late. Teddy went flying into the air through the window which was open, splash into a tank of water. Luckily a painter was painting the house and rescued poor Teddy from what might have been a watery grave. He took him to Madie who was playing in the garden, and when she saw him wouldn't believe it. She ran straight into the room wher.e she had left them, but nothing but her best doll was there. Then she ran up the passage into Bobbie's room wliere she found Sallie sitting on the floor nearly frightened to death with the « ack-in-the-box st-aring at her. Teddy was none the worse for his dipping eithei. He was put by the fire and promised never to ge uiioe* hunting again. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT. I'm sure you've heard of Polly, dear, so I will finish her tale here. Yes, Flinders was her name. You've heard of how she warmed her feet beside the cinders, poor we,e sweet, and how a whipping came ! But listen, I can tell you more. You will be glad to hear, I'm sure how Polly, one eold day, instead of whippings got a treat, with fairy-food to drink and eat — a fairy holida-y. She lived, you know, with an old dame — old witch-wife Grumble was her name. She'd carried little Polly to her own liome when Poll was wee and just as pretty ^,s could be — and t-iny as a doll! So Polly didn't understand that her real home was Fairyland and "Ma!" she called the Dame, and worked for her, and worked and worked ; and never idled, never shirked, but always was the same. Indeed she had a cruel life, for how cross was the old witch-wife — how hard and long she beat. Cold water was Poli's only drink — and not too much of that, I tliink — and only bread to eat. Old Grumble had a Magie Cat, who hissed and bit and scratched and spat, and seemed uncommon wild; bnt it loved Polly dearly, though the old Witch Grumble didn't know, and thought Puss loathed the child! You see, kind PoPy'd fed that Cat with scraps of cheese and lumps of fat from the old Witch's meals. "Poor Puss," she'd say. "You're fierce, I know, but hungry folk are often so, I know how hunger feels.'' i

And so the Cat loved Polly, yes, though « bad old Grumble didn't guess they were | great friend* those two. And while ) the Witch went working tricks abroad, they'd light a fire of sticks, and warm their poor bones through. "Oh, Puss," sobbed Poll, "I feel so low. I've eaten nothing, as you know, since yesterday at tea.. And then it was not much because old Grumble grabbed all there was! Oh, I am shivery!" "Poll," said the Cat, "I've got a plan. I love you, Polly, and I can do something dear, for you. For years I've been a Witch's Cat who only hissed and scratched and spat, but — that's no longer true ! "I served a Master long ago, who loved nte, Polly,. you must know (Dick Whittington, was he). In those days no one saw me frown. I lived with him in London Town — oh, very happily. "But, ob, one day a dveadful trick was played me a Witch's stick. I was enchanted, dear, and whislced away by Grumble — yes, I'm sure that nobody could gness, but that's how I came here! "And here I've stayed, and hissed and spat, and acled like a hateful Cat until you came. But then, you were so kind to me, and so you've un-encha\ited me, you know. I'm a good Cat again ! "So wait, I'll send sparks if you wait from my thick coat, and in the grate we'll have a fire gay ; and you shall crouch down and be warm — that surely can't be any harm — while Grumble is away!" So down they sat, the happy pair, and oh, they felt so cheery there, in the bright fire-lit room ; till, of .a sudden, what a f right they got, as in from the black might rode Grumble on her broom. "Oh, dearie me," she shrieked ari raved : "How dare you bimti the sticks I've saved to cook my supper-bread !" She seized poor Polly from the floor anl pushed her through the oven-door : "£'!] eat you," Grumble said. And then she turned her to the C-it "Now guard the door, be sure of that!" she cried with evil gTin. "I'm going m.t to find more'wood, and there will be a fire as good as soon I come in!" She grinned st-ill more as off she flew, for oh, of course, she little knew that buso and Poll were friends. She wouid have stared if she had stayed, to hear Puss comfort the wee maid, and try to make amends. "Oh, Poll, I cannot let you out — mv claws are weak, the door's too stout!'' so kindly Pussy cried. "But listen, darling, mito me — the fire's not yet hot, you spo, and Grumble 's still outside. But, ch, she's getting fuel, dear; she '11 heap the fire up, I fear, and you'll be roasted — yes. So listen, Polly, unto me — I'll tell you of a mystery that you could never guess! "Creep down into the oven's euj, ai d you will fmd (I don't pretend) a wee, wee fairy-door. Creep through that, ard you'll find outside a Magic Cc.untry stretching wide, and Fairy-folk galore! So that's the story's ending, then when Grumblekins came back again with stacks and stacks of wood to took po >r Polly into pies — what was ber wonder ard surprise to find it was :\o good ! The oven was an emp .y place — thrre was of Polly not a traee; ior she was rciu. — oh, yes! And bad cid Giumble to tl.is •day keeps wonder — w on.leung alway -the simply cannot guess ! But Pussy, sitting very still, knows all the story, and *he wi 1 just some times give a purr and mew, "I hope Poli's glad and gay and having & moe fcolidiy! Ch, I was fond of her!" THE DISCONTENTED CABBAGE TREE. Yera, Louisa street, Invercargill,— Mater is very pleased to welcome you to the

«£• Children's Colnmn, and hopes to hear from you again.

There was a cabbage tree growing on a bill in Canterbury. It was a very proud tree and thought it was the only beautiful tree growing there. Some children who lived near it, often played under it, and they called it their "beautiful cabbage tree." One day the children brought a professor to see their cabbage tree. When he saw it he said, "You do not know the name of that tree, do you?" and they said, " Yes, v?e do, it is the cabbage tree." But the man said, "Oh, no, the name of that tree is the P&lm Lily," but the children still called it the cabbage tree. When they went away, the tree thought to itself, "This is no place for me amongst these old swamps and shrubs." She was saying to herself, "This is no place for me, I should be over in Central America with all the 'other big palms." Just then the Queen of the Night came past and asked what was the matter, and the cabbage tree said : 'It is not fair that I should be here," Then all at once everything chauged and she was in a hot-liouse with all the lovely palms and flowers out in bloom, and some she did not know the names of. But she did not like there at all, because it was too hot for her, and all her leaves spread out and became quite sticky with the heat, and they were stick. ing to her head and to all her lovely yellow flowers that she had for her crown. Just then a pcrt little girl came in with her mother. She was admiring all the lovely palms and flowers, then she said: "Look at that ugly old tree. I wonder who brought it here." The poor tree was wishing it wa« back again with the other bushes that she once thought ugly-