The Junior Dominion

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 175, 20 April 1929, Page 24

The Junior Dominion

Dear Boys and Girls, — There is a very old man whom most of us have met many times. Can you guess who he is, that old man with . the whiteness of snows in his beard, his 1 shoulders bent beneath a long black.robe, and,.his~. face so drear? . ...His name is Winter, I do , not know why he should be made so aged when Spring, Summer, and Autumn are always so young and beautiful. My Winter is young, too, straight and tall, .with the sparkle, of frosts in his eyes and a glow in his cheek that does not belong to Spring. . Summer or Autumn, and he is gayer than any of them. Winter is coming back to us now; but, whether he is old or young, we arc going to have the jolliest times while he stays. 1 here arc scarcely any bird songs to welcome him. They are hushed in silence till June. The last long-tailed cuckoo has gone, and the little green lizards are beginning to hudd/c together for their long sleep. But cats, cattle, and many other animals are ready to receive him, for Nature, their tailor, has supplied them with new coats; strange and puzzling . coats, some of them. They arc not only longer and thicker than the Summer coats, but some are actually of a different colour. Some animals which are brown and blue in Summer become snow white in Winter; those which arc a glorious ruddy red in the burning heat, turn grey where the snow lies on the ground. Our horses have new coats, too; grand hairy ulsters which defy the wind and the rain. Miss Tennis Racquet and Mr. Cricket Bat are now imprisoned in that dark cupboard, under the stairs, and the basketballs and footballs begin to bounce again. There will be cosy fireside evenings, too, .and parties and fun for everyone of us. Aren't you all looking forward to seeing our merry} friend again?—KlWl,