GOOS-NIGHT STORIES

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 236, 5 October 1935, Page 3 (Supplement)

GOOS-NIGHT STORIES

(By MAX TRELL.)

‘"There was n young man Who twice every year Would spring off his feet And stand on his ear.” —Shadow Sayings.

Mij had asked the advice of Flor, Hanid, Yam and Knarf —the other shadow children with the turned-about names —they should have told him never to interfere with the Bulges. Unfortunately, he failed to ask them and he was punished for it. I don’t suppose you have ever met the Bulges yourself, and I certainly don’t suggest that you ever do, for they are a bad lot and not worth your friendship. They live in coal scuttles, in half-empty match boxes, and stay as near as they can get to ashtrays without getting burned. Their curious name Bulge comes from the oddity of their shape, which is bulgy like a balloon. They have exceedingly mean dispositions and generally spend their time glowering at each other or biting their fingernails. On this particular day (it was just after the real-children had gone to bed and their shadows were free to go where

they pleased) Mij and the other shadowchildren started on a stroll around the edge of the kitchen table for a little exercise before going to sleep themselves. They had' made themselves quite email—as shadows easily can by drawing themselves together —and had reached the- far end of" the table when their attention was attracted by a queer, ecraping sound. “It’s the Bulges,” said Hanid, who recognised the sound. And as she didn’t like them she slid down the leg of the table followed by all except Mij, who was curious to know what they were up to and went over to see. To his surprise he found them attacking a lump of sugar which they had stolen out of the sugar bowl. They glared at him in unfriendly fashion as he came up. “What do you want here, you?” they demanded. “I just came to watch,” he explained.

“Go watch yourself.” “Oh, no,” laughed the shadow boy, who thought they were joking, “I’d much rather watch you. I’ll help you

move the sugar if you want to.” And he came closer to push it, too. for he saw that they were having a hard time of it since it was quite a good deal bigger than they were. At this, however, the Bulges pounced upon him. They were certain he meant to take the sugar from them. They quickly tied his hands behind his back and then began to dance round and round him, like wild Indians, shouting gleefully. “Let’s throw him into the tea kettle,” said one.

“Let’s stick him with pine,” said another.

“No.” said the leader, “let’s make him stand on his ear.” This last suggestion was greeted with hoots of delight and poor Mij was instantly tinned over and set on his ear. which was (as you can well imagine) a most painfully uncomfortable position eveii for a shadow. “The next time you'll know better than to interfere with the Bulges,” they told him. But he only half heard them, for standing on one’s ear makes the hearing only half as good as it should be.

Just how long he had to stand thus nobody really knows. I'm sure that if he hasn't been taken down he’s staudag there yet. LIMPET’S POWER.

The remarkable clinging powers of the limpet are well known, but did you know that a small limpet only an inch across can exert a pressure of over CO lb? The power of the creature’s “grasp” has recently been proved by experiments.