GOOD-NIGHT STORIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 49, 28 February 1927, Page 19

GOOD-NIGHT STORIES.

DOTTY MAKES A NEW ACQUAINTANCE. (Told by BLANCHE SILVER for Peter Pan.) "Oh, Me!" Dotty sighed when she spied the log-like thing floating out in the lake, "I wish I was out on that log, I'd " "What log?" piped up a squeaky voice,,and Dolly turned around to look into the smiling face of a wee little elfin. "I hope you don't call that bobbing thing in the water a log!" "Well, of all things, Squeedee!" Dotty exclaimed, shaking the wee elfin's hand. "Where in the world did you come from?" i "Listen, now," laughed the elfin, "you know where J. come from and why I'm here. I knew in a second you'd be wishing for me, 60 I just came ahead of time. But don't let Mr. Crocodile hear you calling him a log or he'll be peeved at you." "Mr. Crocodile! cried Dotty. "Why, Squeedee, do you mean to say that is a crocodile floating out there? I thought it was a log." Squeedee laughed merrily and whistled on his magic whistle that hung at his side. The dark object in the water turned and slowly 6wam toward the shore. . Dotty stepped back when the crocodile clambered upon the shore and held out his claws to shake hands with the elfin. "Oh, don't mind me," he grumbled, "I never harm a friend of Squeedee. Hello, there, Dotty, I'm glad to meet you. No, I'll not try to shake hands, for I kiiow how you feel about me. I'm " "One should never judge another by his looks, Mr.' Crocodile," laughed Dotty. "I'm just as glad to know you even if

I don't sliake hands. Goodness, how much you look like your cousin-, Mr. Alligator." "Nothing- of the Eort," chuckled Mr. Crocodilc, "take' a good look at my snout. It's rounded and tapera almost to a point. Then you never saw an alligator with his tusks sticking out like I wear mine, through these openings in the upper jaw. Then the very first thing of all, yon thought I was a log floating in the water. All crocodiles float high like that so you can see the corrugated ridge on the back of their necks. You'll never see anything,but the head of my friend Mr. Alligtator, floating around in the lake. We crocodiles all float so you can see most of the top of our bodies." "By the way, Mr. Crocodile," laughed Squeedee, "where and how is the wife!" "She's just fine, I guess," replied Mr. Crocodile. "That is, she was fine when I saw her last. You know she's busy now laying her eggs." • ."Oh, goody!" cried Dotty. "Cau'fc we go and see her nest?" "I'd be glad to take you to see her if I knew just where she was burying the eggs," replied Mr. Crocodile. "You see, our crocodile wives arc like the turtle wives, they think the only pkice for eggs to hatch is under the sands somewhere in the hot sun. It takes a great deal of heat you know to hatch our eggs. That's up to Mrs.'Crocodile, you know. I'll go and look her up now, if you'll excuse me.''' And before Dotty or Squeedee could say a word lie was back in the water once more swimming toward the opposite side of the lake as fast as lie could go "An interesting fellow, isn't he?" began Dotty, but when she turned around she found herself alone on the bank of the lake. Squeedee had disappeared, too.