THE FAIRY RING FOUR OLD MEN PIXIE PEOPLE : TALKING OF PINS ANOTHER ANIMAL CROSSWORD "FAIRIEL SENDS . . ." BLINKER'S LONG TAIL A RAIN OF FROGS FOR GARDENERS FANCY DRESSES FOR PARTIES UP-TO-DATE NAMES. READY FOR CHRISTMAS. HAPPY LINES HAPPY LINES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 138, 7 December 1935, Page 20

THE FAIRY RING

FOUR OLD MEN

PIXIE PEOPLE :

TALKING OF PINS

ANOTHER ANIMAL CROSSWORD

"FAIRIEL SENDS . . ."

BLINKER'S LONG TAIL

A RAIN OF FROGS

FOR GARDENERS

FANCY DRESSES FOR PARTIES

UP-TO-DATE NAMES.

READY FOR CHRISTMAS.

HAPPY LINES

HAPPY LINES

All over the world from China to Chile men and women, as Sir Arthur Smith Woodward reminded the genlogists of the British Association, are searching for 'remains of their earliest ancestors, . states a writer in the "Children's Newspaper."

But nowhere are there any more ancient than the Big Four: Pithecanthropus the Ape Man, discovered in Java nearly 50 years ago; the Heidelberg Man, found near Heidelberg; Eoanthropus the Dawn Man, found at Piltdown in Sussex; and the Peking Woman, Sinanthropus, lately discovered in China.

These are all sufficiently alike to give reason for supposing that the Earliest Men arose somewhere in Asia, and spread from there east and west.

• The Peking Man (or Woman) made small stone implements by working flakes, cut deer antlers into short lengths to employ as handles for hammers, and was acquainted with the use of fire.

The Piltdown Man also made rough stone implements by flaking flints, worked bone, and lit fires. W y e might say of him that he lit a fire for humanity in England' Which has never since gone out.

"Daffodil," Murehiton.—Rather a sorry ending; wasn't it. Did your crown need vinegar-and-brown-paper? "F.L.A.," Brooklyn.—"Tossingl" does not really describe anything as tall and still as the ■ Carillon. You have done better work, Fred.

"Lois 5.," Hmtaunta. —Two letters in one. It w»s a surprise. And we'll be waiting to hear all about your holiday.

"Ml»s Prut," Lower Htitt.—lt's a very suitable story, plxiekin, but you did forget the one-side-of-the-paper rule.

"Sunshine Lady," Lewtr Hutt.—Lucky you some small people haven't one penThe three plays sound awf'ly inter-

friend, esting.

"Yvonne," Johnionvllle.—Just the smallest one . . . . the merest sniff. t 'spect you're looking forward to Parents' Day.

"Mavis R.," City.—Perhaps, one day soon you will write a. story that will be printed In the Ring. Keep on trying, chlldte. "Purple Pansy," Seatoun.—Waiting at tea must hare been fun ; . . and the fancy dress parade, too.

'.'Alice Blue Gown," Johnsonville.—■What kind of books, Rosemary? Did you want your poem entered for the competition?

"Windarim Water." Walmana.—l had almost lost sight of you . . . almost. Flower gossip makes a charming tale. "G»M»» LMf," Khandallah.—A big. jolly family, It seems. You may hare the pennamo you askod for, new pUIe. "Frank W.," Khandallah.—"Silver Leaf" belonged, laddie. Do you make your own verses sometimes? "Bookworm," Karori.—Two stories and a poem. You had a largo share of the mail-bait this week, elf. I shall keep the verso till next jonquil-time. SHPl6kiH; <v*[ ■K»Ult*l.—Snowball ' the bantam would bo cood at "hide tho thimble." Did you find the hidden eggs? '

; After a particularly hot.day a storm broke over Grenoble in the south of France; and in one quarter thousands of green frogs came down with the rain. '.In violent storms the air is forced into, powerful whirlwinds which suck up anything movable which lies in their -course.

A cartload of hay has been seen to be seized up from one field and deposited in another. At sea these whirlwinds become waterspouts and are common enough in the Tropics. So we may easily suppose that this whirlwind at Grenoble passed over a pond full of young frogs, sucked them up into the • air, and deposited them in the streets of Bajaliere.

(Copied.) Now; since the Duke of' Gloucester came • To honour the Centen'ry, Each baby boy received the name— Tne noble name—of "Henry." The puppy dogs are all called "Prince," 1 The horses "Duke" for preference! (Our Royal visitor must wince . / Sometimes at so much deference!) ; Now Auntie says that just for fun ; The. fashion she will foster. And call her tiny infant son The stately name, of "Gloucester." ■ But when pur little sister came, As soon as Dad had seen her, He said to' Mum, "My dear, we'll name Our baby girl .Marina.". "FAIR MAIDEN" (12).

| THE "CHRISTOPHER ROBIN" FAMILY.. • . ' (Original.) .' ■. . Christopher Robin, the owner of Pooh, Tho much-loved bear which he always took : too. Flayed: with Piglet and Eeyore, and many a ; friend. But -with Kanga and Roo ' they would not unbend.' '•■■■■ ' • Rabbit, who lived in a hole'in the ground. Would try to play without a sound, And Keyore, the donkey, who ate thistles prickly,. - -' Could get over the ground ever so Quickly. Piglet, a small pig, with not many brains. Lived in a house which, let through the rains. And most of hi 3 frlenda said, "Why not build ■ a new roof, -.•■-■■■■■. And one that is really and truly rain-proof?" It happened one day when Pooh was talking, To Christopher Robin who'd been out walking, That he spied somo bees which he knew meant honey, But when they stung his note he didn't feel funny. ' Tigser, the tiger, who saw Pooh one night. Just bounced and bounced with all his might, Ho didn't like hay-corns,' thistles, or honey, So for none of these things would he ever pay monoy. Kanga and Roo were playing one ds.v, When along came Pooh, as usual, quite gay. Ho thought, "If like that 1 could loam to jump. When I fell over, I'd have no bump!" So this is the story of Christopher Robin, Who sometimes used Eeyore as if ho were Dobbin, Who had a fat bear named Winnie-tho-Pooh, The bear which he always with him took too. "RANGAHINATJ" (8). Lower Hutt.

Blinker was a china dog who stood on Grandma's mantelpiece.

"When Joan went to see Grandma she just touched his head and his tail, and, as they were on springs, the head would keep nodding and the tail wagging for quite a long time! And all the while Bilnker's eyes would blink.too, which was why that name had been given to him. Grandma was very fond of Blinker. .

One day Joan had Blinker on the table beside her when Smut, the big black cat, jumped up to say, "How do you do?"

Joan was afraid that Smut would knock Blinker over," so she grabbed Blinker's tail and tried to pull him out of danger. . ,/■:, •■ -: ; ■■■.-.'-.-

To her dismay his tail stretched andstretched, until only a long-piece of wire straggled over the table. Grandma had taken Mother upstairs to see the new curtains. What would they say when they came back?. :■ .

The door opened and in came Uncle Jim. Joan looked round.; hppefully. Uncle Jim was very ■, clever. Perhaps he could put Blinker's tail to rights. He had often mended her toys. "What's the matter?" asked her uncle, seeing her doleful face.

Cut these out and keep them, Elves. They'll be a great help for your next party.-

DUTCH DOLL wears a very full skirt.of stiff flowered cretonne in the brightest of colours. The material is cut in half lengthwise, and is frilled with a plain band at the waist. A loose blouse of white muslin, with tiny puff sleeves, is worn under a Sight-fitting sleeveless ' overbpdice of black sateen. ' Skull caps of black sateen also, to. look like the black painted head of the doll; necklace o£ bright beads, white socks,- and black strap shoes, and reddened cheeks complete' the costume. ~ STUMPY UMBRELLA.—Suitable for a short, plump girl, and will look well in bright green, red, violet, or blue. The long sleeveless bodice is cut on perfectly straight lines!. The skirt is of the same-material, and is made to look exactly like an. umbrella which is, closed, but not rolled up. The bottom of the. /long. skirt is cut up a little .way in the middle,,and frilled-in neatly : round each ankle. Short lengths of millinery wire are sewn to the upstanding parts of .the skirt, and a coloured bead is on the en:l of each "spoke." Silk, cord and tassel on left shoulder, and round Turkish fez cap to represent handle. LAVENDER BAG.—Dressed in pal» mauve to represent a bag of lavender Short rounded skirt, bunched out with

"WHEN.". * When I was a littlo boy " ;' I lived by myself, And til the bread and - ■ cheese I got I laid upon the shelf. The rats and the mice. They'mate' such a strife. • . That I was forced to go to town And buy me * wife. Found by "SAUCY SUB" (8), . iVsalo.

Faster and faster Hy the days. The Ring Postman can scarcely keep up with them.. Christmas stories and drawings are beginning to arrive, to say nothing of books and interesting packages. Letters tell that you are still making gifts for the hospital Christmas tree and still pasting the last pictures into scrapbooks. The very last clay for sanding them is Saturday, December 21. Will you remember, busy ones.

And 10, the boys of the R ing. ... 1 hope there are going to be lots of boys' stories and drawings in the competilion. We're longing for some real adventure tales this Christmas. Pencils out, boys, and see if you can do even belter work than the girls of the Ring! •''•*,

Best of fun for break-ups and Christmas parties. Isn't this a happy time o' die year? ■■ i ■

—FAIRIEL.

Across.—::, seaside' resort near Wellington; as a missile: 3, affirmative; 4, lame, coarse I*\™S-°M s«rfa«!: 8. help; 9,.t0tal of points bag; 5, bachelor of arts; 6, nicely ventilated; gained; 11, nice table bird. Down.—l, park in 10, vowels. ' '■ London; 2, a small pointed weapon that is used

Joan pointed to the long tail. "Please put it.right!" she begged.

Uncle Jim rubbed his hair all ways at ones. '

"A> bit of a puzzle," he said. "I might be able to find a new spring in my bdds-and-euds box."

"Can't you do it quickly?" said Joan. Grandma and Miimmie were on the landing now. They would surely be back^sopn! Uncle Jim's face brightened. He picked up the knitting needle which Mummie had laid down with the sock she -was making for Joan,' who could not see what use, a knitting needle would be. ; '■'Tib/elieye. this: will' do; the trick," he.iat&'and very'carefujlyiie began to icoir;-:^'^!^-*^^;^^;!!!^^:-;";''.-.;'. ; IBlin^ri Vgot;--'feife^-'jjyiSp;>.:sb/-iv'nnißi^: ' ' limes ■?lhat* Joan felt/quite sorry forV him,'- and hoped; that 'he .wasn't feeling giddy/-';|;r ■;';.■"■'.■ ■•■■■X-" ■ ■;»'- '■'■■'-': '■':'"'. ■ '•■" Uncle ISyki, set-'Blinker down on the table at the. very moment. that Mumrnie ;and'Grandmat' opened the.door.' His; taiXv might have been a tiny bit longer than before, but'it looked all right. Blinker nodded and blinked, and Joan and Uncle Jim smiled at \ each other:.-.y; "•■■,:■ ■.■■.• . ;■.-■"..:..'. ... ■■; .':

rag clippings or paper so that it looks like a ball, and caught with elastic round each leg. Top of skirt arranged in wide hem and frilled on to a piece of lavender-coloured silk ribbon and tied round waist in a bow. Spray of lavender on shoulder, mauve muslin mob cap (lavender trimmed), and mauve shoes and stockings. CARNIVAL.—Good idea for a boy. Loose-fitting suit of carnival-patterned cretonne. Sash of bright yellow and skull cap of vivid purple. Wide outstanding ruffle of stiff yellow musliu is worn round neck. Odd shoes are most effective. Five or six balloons are carried, attached by bright-coloured ribbons. COOLIE.—Wears long, tight-fitting trousers of blue, yellow, or green sateen. Loose coat with wide sleeves of gay cretonne, with bands of plain material. Skull cap of palest cream, to fit over forehead and hide hair. Eyes to be made up with slanting appearance. A long pigtail of black wool is attached to the* skull cap, and the hat is a circular basket worn upside EARLY VICTORIAN BOY.—An out-of-the-ordinary costume. Jade green sateen makes the trousers, with bands of the same to hold them up. Ths blouse, with frilled collar and cuffs, and the ankle frills are of white muslin. The peaked, tasselled cap has a black brim. Wear white stockings and black shoes.

Have you ever thought of the many different kinds of pins which we are constantly using?

Finishing an imposition— imposed because you put a hairpin to a use not intended for it during a history lesson that needed enlivening—you hastily jab a common pin through its bulky composition. Then, annoyed at your detention, you vengefully write an objection on history lessons and attach it to the press by means of a convenient drawing pin—only to tear it down at the first footstep along the corridor.

Hurrying to catch the train, you lose the button off your belt and utilise a, safety-pin to fasten it until you get home—though perhaps you still use it next day.

With the advent of the new, very shallow-crowned hats, the hatpin is coming back into its own again, but will it ever assume the proportions of our grandmother's day, when it became a menace to society's eyes, and guards were enforced by law? We hope not.

Who can give the origin of these useful articles, and who can tell me the origin of the "pins and needles" which are tickling me at present?

AN ANSWER TO*

"Pearly Wings.'' Masterten.—Perhaps you lose heart too soon . . . the game's not lost till It's finished, you know. • Wa3 the filnjfer- . bread a success? . ■ .. -: - . . ■•.. "Little Greycoat," Petene.—Counting the days . . . and the house whispering: yrtth holiday plans. . ■ ■ "... . . . .'■; . :.;■■ "Peppery Pat," Petftne.—Were there no lessons that day? What an exciting way to find a penfriend. . ..: ; ■. . • ;'Denn«," City.—"Copper-nob"-owns » mushroom already, pixie. ■■ Choose again? "Dimples," Morninaton.—A very Christmassy drawing 1 Perhaps you'll see it In the Blng I Keep watch. ■■' •, ■'.-■■■' .' .. "Double 7," Clly.—The writers yoij mention have now grown up; and work leaves no room for stories. Please sign your real name as well as'your penname, which Is not In the Ring register. I would Uke to read some of yiur boys' stories. - ■ "Rangahinau." Lower Hutt—Verse flows easily from your pixie pen. :I like "Sunset" best. Was It written In clover-leaf Ink? "Teddy's Aunt," Maittrttii.—Perhaps you could pay a visit to the library and read It. Perhaps the wind had a, mischievous hand In thematter. : , ~-: . "Meadowsweet." Lower Hutt.—Yes . ■. . three times! Tell me more about her. .It's a rcry long way from the Blng to your mushroom. . . , "- ■' ..' '; "- .'" "Mischievous Gnome," Martlnkorouih.—Did you1 want story and poem together, deir. . . or as separate entries? . "Jingle. Belli,'.' Lyatl Bay.—Bare to go In for competitions? ... . .vO. no, .only if you wish. It's great fun to try, though. "Daisy," Ashhurst—A long list, of birthday • presents '..-. . . an ; exciting day. plxio .. ,v> ~for mother-too..;::i';<s .-.■,. . ' <'E.rV'. Hawora:—BeHghtedlSitfiKtherUle. It : Is jjplhg'io be the-jolllMitiChrtstmas page,'.-; "Prlneets Peggy," Clty:-rAn old-new pixie I .-.' Glad, news Uiat -you've come back U>. your ; -■• mushroom. ■ .'• J ;■J ■ . V-;<: ; ••'"'" '-.I-.

:'" Asmall of the' seeds of the Virginia Stock will: ; jßrpw' a pretty garden that will flower "without the use of any soil at >1L You want a small sponge;, this must be put on a plate. Theft soak the': sponge with water and scatter some of the seeds rather thinly on it, 'and put a glass jam jar upside down to cover the sponge. Keep the plant near a window of a room where there is plenty of light, and have the jar< off the sponge for about half an hour each day only. Soon the little plants will start to grow land these will shoot up very 'quickly. Never let the sponge get dry, but do not keep it too wetv; and: soon' the flower buds will appear at ;the tips of the shoots. One mornings you will .find that many of the dainty blooms will open, and these will be pretty shades of pink and lilac! The little garden without soil will be gay for some weeks, for the plants do not all bloom at once. ■

"We are all very busy at school these days. We are making Christmas presents for our mummies and daddies, and finishing our tests, and we're getting busy with things to learn for the party. Even Tiger knows how busy we are, so he lies on the floor as quiet as a mouse. Before school began today he took Billy's ball and had a lovely game with it. Tiger hopes he will get a good' report. Sometimes he is so good that we want to stick stars on his tail." "ALL-OF-US." Ngahau School.

TREES. (Originil.) Oh! How many memories, Hold the trees I And what do they say. As, in the breeze, they sway? Is it of fairies, . Or is it of elves. Or is-it only about themselves? Yes, how many secrets do they hold In their rustling, leafy folds? I think I like the willow best. Though it's in the- oak. That the birds lore to neM. But its in the spring, that Trees are most gay. And I think, out of the rest, I like blossom-time best. And if I had my way, We'd have blossom-time for »ver and a day. "DAISY" (10). Ashhurst. THE BLUE-BELLS DANCE. (Original.) Have you ever seen blue-bells Hanee? Once up then down the Holds they prance. The sunbeams- kiss their pretty faces As they danco about In their sweet blue laces. They danced about now there, now here. But did not see me sitting near. But when the blue-bells saw me peeping. They cast me a spell and left me sleeping. "JANE EYRE" (11). Greytowii.

"WHAT A PITY!" Sometimes when I am fast asleep.. I b'lleve the fairies come and peep And whisper tales, >or to It seems. Because they bring me lovely dreams. But just •• aooo as It ii da;. And I wake up, they fade away! i Found by •MEXICALI ROSE" (11).