WHAT GRUMPY DID. MYSTIC ARITHMETIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 146, 22 June 1929, Page 3 (Supplement)

WHAT GRUMPY DID.

MYSTIC ARITHMETIC.

Once there was a little bear named Grumpy, whom everyone in Forestland disliked. His mother was a descendant of the Three Bears, and so she knew how to make porridge. She stole sacks of meal from a miller, and always Grumpy porridge for breakfast, telling him that it was strengthening. Grumpy hated porridge, as most of us do hate things as soon as we hear they are "good for us," and when his mother's back was turned he would slip the porridge into a sack, which he kept hidden in a corner of the den. Then, when Mrs. Bear found that apparently he had "licked the platter clean," she would give him a juicy portion • f meat for the second course, followed by some honey. One day Grumpy found that his sack was quite full of porridge, and he wondered what he should do with it. It seemed A pity to waste it. Then sud-

denly he had a very bright idea. He remembered Percy Pig, who lived in the centre of the forest. Grumpy had often noticed him, and wished that he looked more juicy, for he always fancied a feast of pork; but evidently Percy never got enough to eat. "How kind he will think me if I take him this sack!" thought Grumpy. "Then, when he has eaten all the porridge, I shall call upon him again to see if he is fatter. I can give him all my porridge every day." Feeling proud of his own kindness, he dragged the sack to Percy's home, and was greeted with squeals of delight and many grateful thanks. The news of Grumpy's good action for the day spread through Forestland. Evervonc was amazed, because he had a reputation for meanness. Freddie Fox said there must be a "catch" in it, and he believed he knew what it was, too!

Finally Mrs. Bear heard all about it; and oh, how angry she was! She beat Grumpy soundly, and sent him to bed for a week. "Here have I slaved to make strengthening porridge for you," she growled, "and you go and give it all away! No more meat for your breakfast, my son. I will stand by and see you eat your porridge." Freddie Fox was outside the den, and h- listened to Grumpy Bear's whimpering explanation. Then he laughed and laughed, and went to tell Percy Pig. "I was right, you see. When you were fat enough he intended to eat you." Then all the folks in Forestland started disliking Grumpy again. WATER FLOWS UPHILL. When we say that water will not run uphill, or that rain always falls downward, are we quite right? It is true that we cannot make water run uphill, except by pumping it, or in a very limited way by using the pressure of water behind it to force it up by pipes. Luckily for us, Nature has her own ways of making the rain fall upwards and water run uphill—for after all that is what really happens on a much big' ger scale than anything we can do. All the trees and plants in the world have to draw water up from the ground for their leaves. They contrive to do it by what is called capillary attraction. Capillus is the Latin for a hair, but the way in which this water is taken upward can be explained by things that are easier to see than what happens inside a hair. It 6oaks upward, so to speak, in the same way as water soaks up into a piece of blotting paper or into a lump of sugar. If you put the blotting paper on the top of the ink, which is only water with colouring matter in it, the ink is soaked up into the blotting paper. In the same way a lump of sugar will take up water into which the bottom of it is dipped. In the case of really big trees the water may have to be lifted to a height of over 300 feet from the ground, which is higher than a good many hills. As to all the rain that falls, that has to be drawn up from the surface of the sea, or of other bodies of water, by the sun. It rises as water vapour, often to heights of many thousands of feet, and may be driven for .thousands of miles by the wind before it condenses and falls as rain.

Ask,, a friend to write down three figures, the first one larger than the other two. Then tell him to reverse the number, and substract from the first number written. After this is done, ask him to tell you the figure on the right or left side, and you will be able to tell him what the other two figures are. This is very easy, for the middle figure is always 9, and the outside figures added together equal 9. I will give you an example: — C 32 236 396