The Junior Dominion

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 109, 1 February 1930, Page 26

The Junior Dominion

My Dear Children, — "Rain and mist,” savs the Weather Man to-day—and for several "to-days”—but the Weather Man is not the only one who knows. Somebody else tells me. A few weeks ago Weaver, the garden spider, made a wonderful web in the rhododendron bushes. He slung it wide to catch unwary flics, ' and lived like a lord at a banquet all day, knowing that the day would be fair and quiet, with no wind to break his spreading net. The next morning when I passed I saw that, long before we humans had arisen, Weaver had been at work shortening the strands of the web. There was not a sign in the sky of bad weather then, but not long after came the wtnd and the rain. You who live in the country will have learned not to rely on newspapers and wireless for weather reports.. The clouds, the birds, the sun, and a host of other things will tell you all about it if you know their secrets. You, probably, have never thought of Puss as a barometer, have you? Watch, and next time he is specially lively and playful, look out for rain. As ~ you walk'to school in the morning (sorry—l didn’t mean to remind you about it) the horses will try to tell you to go back and fetch your raincoat by neighing long. and loudly, or the cows lying huddled together with their tails to the windward will be another warning. But if the dandelion by the roadside has his petals closed you may be sure the day will be fine, for he is a fussy fellow and so afraid too much sunshine may ruin his golden complexion. There are heaps of ways to tell, but the Weather Man does not use any of them. He sends balloons up and up till they burst, then puzzles and'juggles with the figures they give him till he works out . the weather that way. Yet sometimes, after all his juggling, the spiders, the flowers, and the animals knozv best. It has rained "cats and dogs” fairly often lately, hasn’t 'it; but as yet it hasn’t rained fishes, as it does sometimes in India and Scotland, I would like to see "fishy rain” just for once. Puss would be more lively than usual then, wouldn’t he? —KIWI.

THE PRISONER

Garrie—his real name is Garibaldi, —loved to stay with his Uncle and his Cousin Eva. They lived in the country, high up on a windy hill. Below was the sea and a fine, interesting, old harbour. There were lots of jolly things to do all day, without going into town, but today uncle had promised to take Garrie and Eva to see a battleship. They were to go in by car in the afternoon, but as uncle would be busy all the morning, the children had to amuse themselves in the garden. It was a splendid place for hide-and-seek. Garrie left Eva with her eyes shut while he went off to hide. Not very far from the house, and a long way from where Eva was standing, at the further end of the garden, was a bicycle shed, and the door stood open. Garrie looked in. Against one of the walls was a big chest where carpenter’s tools were kept. Below was a great, empty cupboard with a sliding panel door. "A tip-top place to hide!” thought Garrie; and he crawled inside and shut the dobr.

“I’ve counted two hundred,” called Eva, “and now I’m coming to look for you!” Presently footsteps sounded near at hand. They stopped outside the bi-

cycle shed. Garrie held his breath. And then someone turned the key; in the lock and went away. It had not been Eva at all. Minutes passed; a quarter of an hour had gone.' Garrie began to feel' rather cramped in his narrow quarters. He tried to push the panel back, thinking he would get out of the cupboard, and spy from the shed window. But the panel door refused to budge. Garrie was a prisoner indeed. He began to call “Eva, Eva!” There was no reply. He shouted louder, and louder. But there was no answer. Already Eva had given up the search —she .thought Garrie was teasing—and gone indoors Lunch was served, and still no Garrie had appeared. “He must have gone into the village for films,” said uncle, “ready for snapshotting this afternoon. We won’t wait for him.” ‘ . Eva was troubled. When lunch was finished, there was still no Garrie! “We are due to start in half-tin-hour.” said Uncle. "Where can the bov be? Where did you see hint last?” Into the garden together they went. Eva’s clear, high voice reached Garrie in his prison. "Hullo, Eva! Hullo!” he called. There was no. glad response. Then Garrie began beating against the panel door of the cupboard. But nobody heard him. Presently the latch of the shed door clicked, and someone came in. Garrie hullocd again. “Mercy me!” cried Anne, the maid; and she dropped the garden shears and fled Garrie continued to shout. Surely, he thought, now the shed door was open, someone would hear him. At last Eva’s voice sounded near at hand. This time Garrie yelled “Garrie! Garrie!” called Eva. “Where are you?" "In the chest, below, in the cupboard,” answered Garrie. "I can’t open the door." Eva’s nimble fingers quickly slid the panel back, and out from Jiis prison crept a stiff, dusty figure, looking very crestfallen. Eva couldn’t help laughing at him for a minute. And then she went to the shed door. "Its all right, Daddy,” she cried, “I’ve found him!” “You young rascal!” said Uncle. “Hurry up aud have something to eat. We ought to have started for town twenty minutes ngo.”

COUNTING A BILLION

Have you any idea how long it would take to count a billion, counting 200 a minute? (a billion is a million millions). 200 a minute is 12,000 an hour, 288.000 a day, 105.120.000 a year. Therefore to count a billion at the rate of 200 a minute, requires a period of 0512 years, 34 days, 5 hours, and 20 minutes.

DO YOU KNOW? -

(1.) Why men have a little bow in the leather band of their hats? (2) How the horseshoe came to be a symbol pf luck? 1 '■ I Why Boy Scouts and Girl Guides .-.bands with the left hand. (4) How the Lord Chancellor’s woolsack originated? (5) How many miles is the moon from the earth? ANSWERS (1) It is a survival of the time when a hat was made by taking a piece <>f leather, boring two holes through it, and drawing it together with a piece of string. (2) It probably originated in the crescent shape which was worn by the Romans, with the horns upwards, as a safeguard from witchcraft, etc. (4) Because the left hand is nearest the heart. (4) A sack of wool was placed in the House of Lords to remind the peers of the realm of the importance of the English wool trade. (5) 238,840 miles.

FUN WITH STENCILS

A very amusing pastime, and one which comparatively few people indulge in. is to decorate various articles with stencil designs. This may be done at the cost of a few shillings, and the result will repay the time spent.

The stencils are prepared as' follows: Draw a design on to the stout paper sold at all art shops for that purpose.

Place the paper on to a sheet of glass, or any other hard surface, and cut out the design with a very sharp knife. Having prepared your stencil, you now have to paint the design. I' or this, paint and brushes and the article to be decorated are required. Special stCncil brushes are necessary. To paint the pattern, lay your stencil fiat on the. article, and secure it with drawing pins, Take the brush which has been dipped in the paint, and dab it on to the pattern. The brush should be held upright, and the motion should be straight up and down. , ... Any art shop will supply you with ready-made stencil designs, which you can use in preference to those made by yourself. You can. also obtain wooden boxes, etc., with the designs stamped on them ready for painting.

THE GOLDEN CAT

Marcus and his father were looking at the lawn where Tim was rolling on his side, and stretching out his paws in the sunshine. Tim was the family cat, orange in colour, loved by Marcus, loved also by Daddy, not quite, perhaps, so deeply. Marcus asked if Daddie could ever, ever stop loving the lovely Tim? “I hardly think so,” said Daddy thoughtfully. “Of course, if he did anything very bad I might. But he’s a fine old puss.” “He is always quite good,” Marcus said quickly, and he dashed out of the long window and began to play with Tim. Daddy went off to mix some concrete to spread on the old cobbled yard. But, alas, Tim did wrong. About an hour later he came stepping slowly out of the back door and trod on a piece of freshly-laid paving, and it was not dry. His paw marks showed clearly when Daddy wheeled up a barrow. "Ugh! Shoo! Out of the way, Tim! Spoiling my work. Whatever made you come round here just at this moment? Get out of the way.” The voice rang out loudly and angrily, and Marcus caught Tim’s flying form as he bounded round the corner, for he had heard everything Daddy had taken a dislike to the cat!

And, of course, Daddy never really approved of Tim sitting on Marcus bed for a little every night before Marcus went to sleep. And oh, supposing Tim, being afraid, should run away! Ah, here was Mr. Weller, the vicar came to call on Daddy. As he leaned against the wall, holding the struggling Tim, Marcus couldn’t help hearing the friends talk to one another. The vicar seemed to be in trouble. "What! Lend you a cat to catch a mouse? Certainly. I’ll call Marcus,” Daddy said. “Tim is an excellent mouser.” ' I “I suppose you don t want to part with Tim,” came the vicar’s voice; “I’d gladly keep him.” Then, indeed, Marcus shivered with fright. His gold cat! But in a moment he was smiling again, for Daddy said: “Part with Tim? My dear man, I assure you I’d as soon part with my gold watch.” Marcus gave a sigh of reljpf. Then it was all right.- Daddy did really lore Tim, and he would never, never send him away.

GAMES TO PLAY

The potato and spoon race affords much amusement, especially for indoor companies. The players are divided into two or more groups, which compete' against each other. Each group lines up in single file, so that the leaders all toe a starting-line.. Placed on the floor in front of each group and Stretching ahead in the same direction should be a row of potatoes at intervals of two or three feet apart, one for each player in the file. The larger and more irregular in shape the potatoes are, the better. There should be from six to ten potatoes in a row. Each leader has a teaspoon, and beside him is a box or basket in which the potatoes are thrown. At a given signal each leader starts forward, takes up a potato on the spoon, carries it to the basket or box, and places the potato in it. He then hands the spoon to the next player and passes off the playing field, not lining again with his team. 1 The second nlayer picks up the next potato, puts it in the basket, and so on until all have played. The last one stands beside the box with the spoon held aloft as a signal that he has finished. No player may touch the potato with anything but the spoon. Should a potato be touched otherwise, the player must replace it and pick it up again on the spoon. Should a potato drop off the spoon it should be placed on again and the game continued from this point. , , .. The game may also be played in the following manner: —Ten potatoes are placed five feet apart in rows from the starting-line. At the signal ‘Go! the racers (one runner for each row of potatoes) run from the starting-line and pick up the potatoes one at a time, returning to place them in a box or basket behind the starting-line. The player getting all his potatoes into the box first wins.