THE ADVENTURES OF RAGGEDY ANDY

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 150, 26 June 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE ADVENTURES OF RAGGEDY ANDY

THE SINGING SHELL.

For years and years the beautiful shell had been upon the floor in gran'ma's front room. It was a large shell with many points-upon it. These were coarse and rough, but the shell was most beautiful inside. Marcclla had seen the shell time and time again and often admired its lovely colouring, which could be seen when one looked inside the shell. So one day gran'ma gave the beautiful ehell to Ma reel la to have for her very own, up in the nursery. "It will be nice to place before the nursery door so the wind will not blow the door to and pinch anyone's Angers!" gran'ma laughed. So Marcella brought the shell home and placed it in front of the nursery door. Here the dolls saw it that night, ■when all the house was still, and stood about it wondering what kind of toy it might be.

"It seems to be nearly all mouth!'" eaid-Henny, the Dutch doll. "Perhaps it can talk." "Jt lias tooth!" the French doll pointed ©ut. "It may bite!" "F do not believe it will bite," Raggedy Andy mused, as he got down upon liis hands and knees and looked up into the tdiell. "Murcella would not have it up here if it would bite!" And, saying this. Kaggedy Andy put his rag arm into the lovely shell's mouth. 'it doesn't bite! I knew it wouldn't!" h" cried. "Just feel how smooth it is inside!" All the dolls felt and were surprised In lind it polished so highly inside, while tiie outside was so coarse and rough. V.'itli the help of Uncle Clem and Henny, Kagjii'dy Andy turned the shell upon its l.ick. so that all the dolls might look in. The colouring consisted of dainty pinks., creamy whites and pale blues, all running together just as the colouring in an opal runs from one shade into another. Kaggedy Andy, stooping over to look further up inside the pretty shell, heard something. "It's whispering!" he said, as he raised up in surprise. All the dolls took turns putting their ears to the mouth of the beautiful shell. Yes, truly it whispered, hut they could not catch just what it said. Finally Raggedy Andy suggested that all the dolls lie down upon the lloor directly before the shell and keep very '•uiet.

» JOHNAIY GRtIELLE

"If we don't make a sound we may be able to hear what It says!" he explained. This is the story the shell told the dolls in the nursery that night: "A long, long time ago, I lived upon the yellow sand, deep down beneath the blue, blue waters of the ocean. Pretty silken sea weeds grew around my home and reached their waving branches up, up towards the top of the water. "Through the pretty sea weeds, fishes of pretty colours and shapes darted here and there, playing at their games. "It was still and quiet 'way down where I lived, for even if the ocean roared and pounded itself into an angry mass of tumbling waves up above, this never disturbed the calm waters where I lived. "Many times, little fishes or other tiny sea people came and hid within my pretty house when they were being pursued by larger sea creature*. And it always made me very happy to give them this protection.

"They would stay inside until I whispered that the larger creature had gone, then they would leave me and return to their play. "Pretty little seahorses with slender, curving bodies often went sailing above me, or would come to rest upon my back. It was nice to lie and watch the tiny things curl their little tails about the seaweed and talk together, for the seahorses like one another and are gentle and kind to each other, sharing their food happily and smoothing their little ones with their cunning noses. "But one day a diver leapt over the side of a boat and came swimming head-first down to where I lay. Mv! How the tiny sea creatures scurried to hide from him. He took me within his hand and, giving his feet a thump upon the yellow sand, rose with me to the surface. "He poured the water from me, and out came all the little creatures who had been hiding there!" Raggedy Andy wiggled upon the floor, he was so interested. So the dolls lay down, placing themselves flat upon the floor directly in front of the shell and where they could see and admire its beautiful colouring.

"You lived there when gran'ma was a little girl, didn't you?" Raggedy Ann asked. "Yes," replied the shell, "I have lived there ever since gran'ma was a little girl. She often used to play with me and listen to me sing." "Raggedy Ann can play "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater' on the piano, with one hand," said Uncle Clem, "but none of us can sing. Will you sing for us?" he asked the shell.

"I sing all the time," the shell replied, "for I eannot help singing, but my singing is a secret and so is very soft and low. Tut your head close to the opening in my shell and listen!" The dolls took turns doing this, and heard the shell sing softiy and very sweetly. "How stange and far away it sounds!" exclaimed the French doll. "Like fairies singing in the distance! The shell must be singing the songs of the. mermaids and the water fairies!" "It is queer that anything so rough on the outside could \>e so pretty within!" said Raggedy Andy, "It must be a great pleasure to be able to sing so sweetly!" "Indeed it is," replied the beautiful shell, "and I get a great happiness from singing all the time." "And you will bring lots of pleasure to us, by being so happy!" said Raggedy Andy. "For although you may not enter into our games, we will always knowthat you are happily singing, and that will make us all happy!" "I will tell you the secret of my singing." eaid the shell. "When anyone puts his ear to me and listens, he