A SILLY STORY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 125, 14 November 1941, Page 47

A SILLY STORY

little house in a nice little street and everything their hearts could desire. The back garden was full of neat rows of vegetables which Herbert grew at week-ends, and the front garden was gay with flowers, and a tree fern grew just as it should by the front window. There were frilly curtains looped back neatly on all the windows and the lace blind edges showed evenly half way up every window, and pink and blue china rabbits looked out of the windows. Anyone looking at the house with one eye could see that they had their heart’s desire, But nearly always when people have their heart’s desire, they want something else as well. Mrs. Herbert was like that, and she said one day, "You may think me foolish, Herbert, but I want a dog." Herbert looked quite vexed, and Mrs. H. knew what he was thinking about, and said, "All dogs don’t pull up vegetables, you know." So as Herbert was very fond of her, he didn’t argue, and they went to the dog place and chose a neat looking dog, which the man assured them was a good house-dog and full of pretty little tricks and ways. So they took him home and put him in the broom cupboard for the night, but by midnight, Herbert was sick of the howling he kept up, and let him out. Then he jumped up on the eiderdown and went to sleep, which horrified Mrs. Herbert, but she was thankful for some peace, so left him. In the morning, while Herbert was shaving, she let HH te and his wife had a nice

him out for a run, and when she went out to get him, she found that even if all dogs didn’t pull out vegetables, this one did. Well, she thought she’d give Herbert @ good, hot breakfast, then tell him, and she shut the dog in the front room and went to fry the bacon. Anyone passing the house now could see with half an eye that something had upset the Herberts. The curtains had been dragged from their loops and the blind lace was torn, and there wasn’t a single rabbit looking out of a single window. In spite of the hot breakfast, Herbert said "Either that dog leaves my residence, or I do." ‘Mrs. Herbert was aghast, and when Herbert was at the office, she hurried down to the dog man, and tried to give him back the dog. But the man was firm, and he said "You musn’t worry about small things like that-those are just little playful tricks." So Mrs. Herbert had to take him home. Then she thought of a bright idea. She got a pot of paint, and painted the dog with black stripes. Then she tied a feather duster to his tail, and she took the pair of horns hanging in the hall and fixed them on his head and took him to the Zoo. The keeper was delighted, because he was always keen to get rare animals. So the Herberts were happy once more, and so was the dog, as it was much more fun playing with lions and elephants and tigers instead of cabbages and china rabbits.

Peer ee ee ee Rd oe ee Because of pressure on space it has been necessary to leave out the " Listener " Crossword Puzzle this week.