A SEARCH FOR POOH BEAR

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 132, 6 June 1931, Page 18

A SEARCH FOR POOH BEAR

CIBISTOPHER ROBIN sat on the very top stair and looked all about him. Ho looked along the passage and into his toy-room, and he looked down the stairs and into the hall below. But it was no good—ho just couldn't find Winnie-the-Pooh f.ny•where. Ho didn't know where he'd gone to—he'd just wandered off quite alone in the night, and he didn't como back for his breakfast. Christopher Robin was quite worried about it, for hod had a particularly nice honeycomb for Pooh's breakfast that morning. But. there it was —Winnio-the-Pooh was lost. "Oh, well," said Christopher Robin as he walked slowly down the stairs (he missed the "bumpity-bump" noise that Pooh "made on the stairs as ho trailed after him, it was so friendly). "Oh well, I s'pose the best thing to do is to have a search for him. I'll go and tell Piglet about it." He hadn't gone very far before he saw Piglet walking along towards him. "Hello, Piglet. Have you seen Pooh anywhere?" "Seen who anywhere?" "Pooh anywhere?" "Well, no, not to-day. I saw him yesterday with you," said Piglet. "He's lost," declared Christopher Robin, "and we're going to have a search for him." "Have a what?" said Piglet. "A search." "What's that?" "It's a thing that happens when anyone is lost, 'specially if it's Winnie-the-Pooh, and everyone helps." "Something like an expotition?" broke in Piglet eagerly. "Yes, that's what it's like, only you see it's a search instead. Come along with me now and we'll get everyone to help us." ■ So off they went, and before long the procession was ready to start. Christophe- Robin and Piglet went first, then came Kanga with Roo, and Owl flew, and Eeyore followed. slowly after Rabbit with all his friends and relations. They went all through the Hundred Acre Wood, and every time they heard a noise they stopped until Christopher Robin said, "That's not Pooh," and then they started again. Past Owl's House they went, past Eoyore's Gloomy Place, which was rather boggy and sad, and up past the Floody Place to where the Woozle wasn't. And here —just outside Piglet's house, they stopped. It wasn't very far to Pooh's House, and yet he •wasn't at home. So they all had a little something at Piglet's place, and they started up again—up by Kanga 's house and Roo's sandy pit to the Bee Tree. And then they heard a noise—a noise like a Pooh bear singing in a tree. "Hush!" said Christopher Robin. "I do believe—it's Pooh!" And he almost shouted the last word. Then they hehrd a queer noise coming from the Bee Tree —it wasn 't a bee noise—it was

something like a Pooh Bear song when he's feeling empty inside. Somothing inside me seems to tell me That it's time for a little something-y And I DO wish Bee wouldn't stay so near, 'Cos my heart goes pit-a-pat with fear, Then there'll be no room left For Something. "Hullo, Pooh—who's that up there with you?" squeaked Piglet. "It's only me." "But Where's Bee1?" asked Roo. "Bee is up here too—he's just dunking about getting mo ( a little something, for it's just about morningtea time. So you'd better all go home at once and I'll come soon." "Pooh," called a little Christopher. Robin voice. "Pooh, do come home with me. I 'm—lonely!" 'You're lonely?" questioned Pooh anxiously. "Yes, I'm horribly lonely without you.'' < ' Well —well, I '11 come with you soon, but you couldn 't be lonely with all those people around you—Rabbit and all his friends and relations, and Piglet and Roo." "And Eeyore," said the old donkey gloomily. "Yes, an' Eeyore and Kanga and everyone." "Everyone," echoed Christopher Robin sadly. "Everyone but you, Pooh. I do want you! " "All right—l'll come. Only you'll have to rescue me. I can't get down." "How did you get up?" called Piglet. "Well, 1 just came up!" "Just come down, then." "It's hard. I can't do it. You — you'll have to catch me," he added with a quiver in his voice. "All right," answered Christopher Robin ".heerfully. "Just let's know when you're coming. I'll count, and when I say three, you jump. Now, one—two —three! Jump!" and with a heavy thud the bear landed on the ground. All around him the bees buzzed, and Piglet squeaked, and Roo made a funny little Roo noise. "Well, here I am," said Pooh shakily, when all the dust about him cleared. "Are you lonely now?" and he walked across to Christopher Robin. "No, not now, Pooh. I did feel loaely when you didn't come and have a nice honey-comb for your breakfast." "A honeycomb^—for my breakfast?" said Pooh. "Is it too late now? It's just, about eleven o'clock," he' added quickly. : "Of course not. Let's all go home to my place now, and we'll all have a piece of your honeycomb. Come on," and they went along the track that led to Christopher Robin's place— Christopher Robin and Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore, Owl, Kanga and Roo, and Rabbit, with all his friends and relations. "POLLYANNA" (16). Kelburn.