Wandeen and the Bo Dog

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 140, 9 March 1929, Page 24

Wandeen and the Bo Dog

IV. THE RED UMBRELLA. By Lauretta Maud Willoughby

For “The Jut.

iior Dominion.”

There were trunks upon the portico, and round hat boxes, and a large brown leather suitcase was being bumped by daddy down the stairs. Mummy called from somewhere, "Wandeen, don’t go for away. The car's coming at seven. And Wandeen answered, "As far as the magnolia tree to say good-bye.’ There was the most delicious feeling in her toes, that made her hop up and down, and when she touched the handle of her brand-new case, her fingers seemed to tingle. A dressing case with deep blue lining, and little pockets for handkerchiefs and slippers, made Bo Bo wish he had a suitcase too

"He sat very close to it, sniffing at the leather with his little nose. “1 can’t help it," he explained to the rabbit, “it has that lovely ‘newish’ smell.”

Th i car came, they piled the luggage in, and sped through empty streets, away from the town —flying to the sea. Wandeen snuggled the Bo Bo Dog, and the Plush Owl, and the little Rabbit beside her on the seat, and watched the trees fly by—and sheep, and cows and houses. -

And then it was lunch time, and tea time, and evening—and night, a dark sky patterned with gold stars. And now the wind of the sea came to meet them, a young sea wind with laughter in his breathing. The moon rose up above the water and changed the sea to waves of floating pearls, and the wind flew laughing over it, to blow the little pearl waves to the shore.

The car drew up at a cottage so close to the water, that they felt the flying salt spray. They trundled up the pathway with their bags and bundles, Bo Bo talking in excited whispers, and Wandeen making little crunching noises with her feet upon the shells. Mummy tucked them in' a big strange bed, and let the blind go. flying up to the ceiling, so that in the morning they might see the sky. It was morning, just like! a flash; it was morning, with diamonds dancing on the sea, and sand like golden money, and little barefoot children, playing with red and green and orange-colour-ed buckets, and big and little iron and wooden spades. ■ * Wandeen, dressed in blue, ; with a shady sunbonnet, and a lovely reji umbrella, was pointing out to Bo Bo' the pretty scallop patterns the waves;were making on the sand, when the/Plush Owl came hastily flying and tailing joyfully, "Come! I’ve found a .boat—• a boat—a boat-with no one in At- —and we’ll all be pirates." 1 The little Rabbit said: "If you please I’d rather not be a pirate./ Pirates are dreadfully wicked, and /rob ships and things, and I don’t want to rob ships. I’d much rather stay and watch these little bits of floating seaweed, they just look like bronze Jace. I would really, and Wandeen could leave me her lovely red umbrella 'to sit under.” "We’ll want the umbrella,” said Bo 80. "and if you’.ll play, we’ll promise not to rob anything. It will be such fun." So the Rabbit said he would be a pirate if they didn’t rob things, and they followed the Owl over the wet and glistening rocks that stretched across the sand into the sea, where little wistful waves danced up and tried to reach the restful pools to sleep. And there was the boat waiting, rocking to and fro, to and fro, and there

was the young sea wind, blowing, laughing, laughing over the rocks. All the morning they played happily, until Bo Bo’s face quite ached with making pirate faces, and he said they’d have to stop.

"We’ll look for shrimps in the pools upon the rocks,” said Wandeen. But • when they looked up, the rocks were far away—and the sands, too, that shone like golden money. They did not feel afraid, it seemed so beautiful to float on such blue water, and watch the shadows of flying sea birds’ wings upon the waves. Further and further they, drifted with the tide,/and more dazzling and more beautiful shone the sun upon the sea. t f Wendeen’s mother called up and down the beach among the children: “Have you seen a little girl in . blue, with a big red umbrella ?” Round the rocks,' and back 'across the sand she called. “Wherever can she be? Oh dear, where can they be ?” I'm getting very hungry,” said the Bo Bo Dog. "I'm sure it must bo lun-h-time.” ' ’ And Wandeen said, “We'd better go home now.”

The little Rabbit looked at the Plush Owl, and the Plush Owl looked at the Rabbit. Wandeen looked’at the Bo Bo Dog, and then at the blue sea, and the Rabbit in a very small voice said “How?”—and they all looked at him. "How?” repeated the Rabbit, with a little nervous twitching of his nose, and' a little frightened blinking of his bright round eyes. "Oh, Wanleen, how?” Tha Plush Owl looked very grave. "If I was brave enough I could fly over the water for help, but I have never flown over water, and it makes me feel dizzy to think of it.” "Oh no I Oh no I" said Wandeen. “You would feel giddy and fall in.” And the Rabbit said: “Whatever w« do, we must all keep together." The Bo Bo Dog sat with his forehead creased into little fat wrinkles, and thought, and thought, until his face looked quite strained and old, and the little Rabbit fidgetted with anxiety for 1 fear he might-injure his brain. But the 80. Bo Dog spoke soon, and his brain seemed far from being injured; all the little wrinkles left his forehead, and his face laughed and his voice cried: “Wandeen —your lovely red umbrella—put it up and hold it to the wind. The wind is blowing towards the shore, we’ll all sail safely home again." Wandeen held tightly the red umbrella, the wind caught it like a proper sail, and nearer and nearer came the rocks, and nearer and nearer the little barefoot children. The Rabbit was jumping up and down ’ ? at the bottom of the boat kissing the Bo Bo Dog all over his face, and repeating over and over, "Oh, Bo Bo dear, you are so clever! Oh, Bo Bo dear, you are so clever!' ' Bo Bo’s ears stood straight up with importance. "It’s not that I'm so clever,” he said in a deep little voice. ,"It’s the protective instinct—every dog is born with the protective instinct. It begins in his bark.” "Well I think it’s awfully clever to be born with an Instinct,” said the little Rabbit. “And it has perhaps saved us from floating on the sea for ever.” Wandeen heard her mother calling (Continued at foot of first column.)