GOOD-NIGHT STORIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 20, 25 January 1927, Page 19

GOOD-NIGHT STORIES.

DICKY HAS A CHAT WITH A LITTLE NIGHT PROWLER. iTold by BLANCHE SILVER for PETER PAN.) Somehow tlie night was such a lovely one Dicky just couldn't go into the house. Instead, he shouldered his little gun and walked down the road toward the woods. He hadn't gone far when he saw something moving along the road in front of him. "Oh, dear! I sure wish Happy Giggles was Dicky began, when he heard footsteps keeping pace with his own. turning around, he looked right down into a pair of dancing black eyes. "Why, Happy Giggles!" Dicky cried, grabbing the wee eltin from Make-Believe Land by the hand. "I was just wishing for you. My! I'm glad you came. Who is that in front of us!" Dicky pointed to the form moving down the road in front of them. "Hey, you, stop!" cried Happy Giggles. The animal in question turned around, and, seeing who was following him, came running back. "I didn't know that was you, Happy Giggles," he langhed, extending his funny forepawe to shake the elfin's hand. "Who's your friend? He's not a native of South America, is he?" "No, indeed. I'm from New Zealand," laughed Dicky. He didn't like the looks of the great long claws on the animal's fore feet, so he didn't offer to shake hands with him.

"Thi<s is. Dicky's first trip tt South America." laughed Happy Giggles. "And this, Dicky, is Mr. Ant-eater. Were you going somewhere, or just out taking in the lovely night?"

''I'm hungry as I can be." replied Mr. Ant-eater. "I'm in search of food. Better come along. I'll find a good nest, and there will be enough for all of u=. He ambled oa down the road in front of Happv Giggles and Dicky. , He was just about the size of Dicky s pet dog 1 at borne, with a fur cover o* black and white. His head, four legs, and part of his tail were a dirtv yellowish white, while the rest of his bodv was a brownish black, a thin line of white running from liis neck down his

back to his funny long tail. As near as Dicky could see, the tail of the animal resembled the tail of a spider monkey he had seen, covered with hair near the body, but bare out neax the tip end. They hadn't gone far wtien Mr. Anteater stopped. Squatting over an ant hill, he began to dig with his front claws. When he had made quite a goodsized hole he stuck his long thin nose over it, and in the moonlight Dickv saw a long slender needle-like tongue shoot down in the ant hill. Dicky shivered and laughed. "My goodness, what a. tongue!" V mused. The long tongue darted out of the ant hill, and to it was clinging hundreds of the little ants. "Couldn't get along without that tongue," Mr. Ant-eater laughed. "When I come up next time I'll divide."' Happy Giggles laughed and winked at Dicky. "Go right on and satisfy yourself. Mr. Ant-eater," he laughed. "Dicky and I have had our supper." They sat down and watched Mr. Anteater's long tongue dart in and out of the ant hill until at last his hunger was appeased. He invited Dicky and the elfin up into the tree where he lived to meet his wife, but just then Dicky's mama called him, and Dicky said they would come back again some other moonlight night. Bidding the elnn and Mr. Anteater good-night, Dicky ran homo to tumble into his own bed.