BIG BROTHER BILL and the BAIRNS

Evening Star, Issue 22194, 23 November 1935, Page 6

BIG BROTHER BILL and the BAIRNS

SERVICE BEFORE SELF The winners of the competitions published on November 9 are Arthur Burrows (no address), under-tehs, and Patricia Fenton, 3 Wilson Avenue, St. Clair, S.W.I, over-tens. Congratulations. The answers were: Under 10— Scott, Byrd, Shackleton, Nansen, Pearv, Oates, Ellsworth. Over 10— Rotorua, Waitomo, Milford, Queenstown, Manapouri, Purakanui, Pembroke. THE COMPETITIOHS The tmcler-tcns have to find places in the house, and the over-tens the distance of a cycling jaunt. Send your answers to Big Brother Bill, care ‘ Evening Star ’ Newspaper, Stuart street, Dunedin. Mark your envelopes “ Competition.” ' . PLACES IN YOUR HOUSE. (Under 10 years. Prize, Is.) This puzzle square contains. the names of TO parts of a house. The words are spelled partly across and partly down.the square. . P E W R G A B 0 C A 0 0 F L. RE L L ARE C H W S F L S AT I N D 0 0 T M N. E Y W R T 1 C W ESS TIMING.A CYCLE RACE. (Over 10 wears. .Prize, Is Gd.) White called for his friend Black quo Saturdav afternoon, as they had planned' to cycle to a seaside town. On his arrival White found his friend mending a punctured tyre.' - “You go on; 1 shall bo, ready m .a minute or two and will catch you up, said.Black;-. ' White started off and rode at a steady 12 miles-an hour. But Black, to his dismav, found the puncture more difficult to mend than he had thought, and it was/half an hour before he was able to start. He rode at 14 miles an hour,'and caught up his friend junt as they reached .their destination. How far was it to the seaside ? ; THE MODEL AEROPLANE CLUB. The Passmore Challenge Cup'will'be competed, for onC. Saturday, December 21, at Logan Park; It is to he hoped that good weather' conditions . will he with us .on that date, as the .wind and rain"" cliiHn^-Ndremher 1 have,- iriadfe it impossible to hold the competition. The later date will have the advantage of being, just .after the .close of the school year, and will give competitors a few days to prepare their planes before the competition takes place. Keep the date in mind, because, subject;of course to good flying conditions, it will not he altered. THE POSTIE'S BAG 247 Oxford street. Smith Dunedin, S.l, November-18, 1935. Dear Big Brother Bill-—I am. entering for this week’s competition, and hope’Tt is correct. 1 am nine years old, and-read your page every Saturday night. 1 have not written to you before. May I join your happy family? I am in Standard 111. at the Forbury School, and I am busy working fbr the examinations. With 'love to all the aunts and uncles, including yourself. I remain, yours truly, lan Chadwick. 26 Wesley street. -South Dunedin, S.W.I. Dear Big Brother Bill.—l would like to join your happy family. I arn entering for the competition this week, ami have entered many other times, but have hot won anything. 1 am now a. member of the Wesley Wolf Cub Troop, and we learn lots of things. At the last parade we had we learned the art of Japanese wrestling. With love to you and the bairns. —1 remain, Bob Sanders. 31 Elgin road,- W.l. • Dear Big Brother Bill.—l very much like reading your columns every Saturday night. 1. go to the Morningtnn School, and I am in Standard 11. I am nearly nine years of age. My sister is one of your bairns, and 1 would also' like to be one. —Yours sincerely, Raymond Reeves. 182 Forbury road,"St; Clair. Dunedin, S.W.I. • November 9, 1935. Dear Big Brother Bill.-—1 would like to join your family of bairns. I would like you to call my birthday on November 28,' when I shall be eleven. I am entering for this week's competition. —Yours faithfully, Hector S. M'Lay. Ettrick street. Kaikorni, Dunedin, W.2. 18/11/35. Dear Big Brother Bill!—This is the first time 1 have written to you. 1 .am entering for this week’s competition, and hope .to be successful. I have two sisters and no brothers. One is Maureen and the other Merle. We have two cats as pets. I am nine to-day and in standard IT. at the Kaikorai School. May I join your large family? T like your stories and columns in Saturday evening’s ‘ Star.’ I must close now.—l remain, yours truly; ."Dorothy Tyrrell. A PLACE FOR BIRD LOVERS SEA BIRDS AND OIL FUEL. “ Suddenly, however, we noticed a bird standing in the running shallows of the stream, it did not move as we approached. Marriey stole upon it ami lifted it up with his two hands. It was a guillemot, and a glance was enough to explain its apparent lack ol fear. Its breast feathers were clotted

thick with oil. Harney dealt with it in the one way humanely possible. He mercifully broke its neck. XlVe crossed the stream and pushed on, But I could see that the incident, familiar though it was, had, upset him. “ ‘ You know,’ he said, suddenly, ‘ if I was on one of these oil-burning steamers, and saw the engineers cleaning out their oil tanks, close into land, I’d let ’em have it. I reckon hanging would be too good for a chap who could do that sort of thing. You can’t call mo tender-hearted. I’m not like .our 1 old -man. I’d kill anything that was harmful, or that 1 wanted to eat, or that I could make brass out of, but I’m hanged if I’d torture anything. You can’t think of anything more awful than being a sea bird like that one 1 just killed, having to catch all your food by diving, and having your feathers plastered up with that muck, so that you can neither dive nor fly. Slow starvation ! Think of it! Swimming over a shoal of herrings, perhaps not more than a foot below you, ami not being able to get a bite at one. It wouldn’t be so bad if they could kill themselves-! But they just go on drift, ing about the sea, or wash up in a

stornr. like- this, .and stand about till they die, of starvation!’, - ' _ “ We counted a score of these tragic by-products of-: human -progress wi thin, tiie next half-mile, nil fortunately dead.' most of them 'so "encased in i oil as to be mummified.”. —Three Fevers,’ by Leo- Walmslcy. THE GREY WARBLER. Have yon seen a grey .warbler ? It is a pretty . little grey bird about lour inches long; and .if you’re walking in some bush one day, one or two ol these 'tiny birds will most likely come quite close to yon. .The nest hangs from a twig, and in this five tiny white eggs with pink spots are laid. The babies soon grow to full size, but their mother feeds them till they aro properly Hedged, and are able to look alter themselves.—Allan r A. Dale (Ivopuaranga). 129- Musselburgh Rise, Anderson’s Bay, Dunedin, El, October 17, 19115. Dear Big Brother Bill.— 1 am interested in birds and I would love to join the Bird Lovers’ Club, so will you please send me a badge and a book;- 1 Recently 1 set up a place to feed the birds, but I was disappointed, for only the sparrows came, except once, when 1 had a redpoll. We have two lots,of chicks, and I have a little buff lieu which 1 call Fluffy. In a different fowl-run 1 have a silky hen which is called Mary. [ will close now, with love to all.—Yours' truly, Iris Inglis. Factory road, Waitati. Dear Rig Brother Bill, —May I join your Bird'Lovers’ Clubf 1 have found two nests—one in our garden, and one in the yard. As I was feeding the hedge sparrow in our garden it hopped quite close to my feet. It has four eggs and is very tame. I went out to feed it one morning, but I could nol see it. Then I looked in the nest and sure enough it was waiting for its breakfast. The hedge sparrow in the yard bin’ll its nest on the bank in the grass. li has three young and one egg. 1 Iced them three times daily. Mv brother and I. would like to wear badges. May we join your club!-' I will close, with love from Roddy and Charlie Griffin, 1 remain, Charlie Grilliu,

16 Anderson’s Bav road. Dunedin, C.l, July 6, 1935. Dear Big Brother Bill.—May J join your Bird Lovers’ Club? i feed the birds on crumbs and honey. I enjoy your talks on birds. In the Christmas holidays I went to a farm in Ferndale, near Gore. I came home through Gatlins, where the gorge was full of ferns and the whistling of bellbirds and other native birds. Hoping you will send me a badge.—Yours truly, Allan Darling,

Carey’s Bay, Port Chalmers,, 7/7/35. Dear Big Brother Bill, —I am one of your keen listeners on a Monday night to hear all about the aeroplanes. I have a plan for. the kitten. The “ Travelman ” kindly obtained one for me. He is my school teacher, and a very lino teacher he is. We have a wattle tree growing alongside our washhouse, * and I have tobacco tins nailed on the branches. Every morning i fill■ the. fins with pollard, and you would wonder where all the birds come from, it is great fun watching them feeding. Mother has two canaries. She has them feeding out of her hand. They are great pets. Well, Brother Bill, I must close, as I am busy with my lessons. We aro having a term exam., and Standard VJ. work is very hard. —Yours sincerely, Eddie Nelson.

Dear Big Brother Bill, —T received my book and badge, but I did not receive my scarlet everlasting flowers. I mix syrup and hot water and make it like a warm brown drink. I read the columns every Saturday and en-

joy them, very much; Now I am iced*- ' ing the bifelk with ; sugar. Last year] in our hedge there was a blackbird's i nest. When the baby blackbirds were hatched out one of them flew around | ! and came into our room. Tt hit the roof and fell dead. I made a little grave and put some shells around it, which 1 gathered from the beach.— Betty Mitson. y THE GaOK SHOP FONDANT. lib sugar, J-cup water, J-teaspoon cream of tartar. Put ingredients into saucepan and stir until when tried in cold water a soft ball forms. Put on a greased plate. When cool enough to handle, stir mixture quickly until it is solt, white, and creamy. f)nst bread board with powdered sugar, turn mixture on it, and knead as for biscuit until soft and smooth. COFFEE KISSES. Next time you are having some friends to tea, ’try your hand at making those delicious little cakes for the pal-tv. They look like two little coffeecoloured shells placed together, and taste very good. Take 4oz butter and ;Jo v. castor sugar and cream them together. Sieve ilb flour and a pinch of salt together. Beat one egg and a tablespoon of coffee essence together. Add egg and coffee to the butter mixture and then the flour. The cake mixture should be quite stiff. Place it in.-half-teaspoon quantities on an oven slide and bake in quick oven for seven minutes. Join two together with a cream made of ffoz, icing sugar. IJoz butter, and a dessertspoon of coffee essence worked well together. PRINCESS REWARDED OUGHESS KEEPS HER PROMISE Before she left London for Scotland, Princess Elizabeth told her class mates that her mother bad promised her ‘‘ a real holiday.” 1 j 1 ins promise was a reward for the 1 splendid way in which the little Piin-

cess got through a very trying term. She had to make more appearances in public than usual, owing to the King s Silver Jubilee, and to “ carry on with her schoolwork as if she had no interruptions. She attends daily classes at her own home during term with a few friends. The Duchess of York is being as good as her word. The Royal children are living as simple and informal a life as any other children on holiday. Princess Elizabeth has reached the stage at which she loves to plan picnics. 'I he small girls go for a great many outings in the beautiful grounds of Glamis Gastle. Simple flower-print frocks are worn by the two children on their expeditions. When going outside the grounds Princess Elizabeth usually wears a kilt. Princess Margaret is still considered voung to do so, as kilts are very heavy. THE FAIRY ORCHESTRA Ohf have you heard the orchestra That plays in Fairy Glen? They start their music every night Upon the stroke of ten. And fairies come from miles around To hear the music rare; I only wish that you and I Could go and listen there. But mortals visit Fairyland But once in a blue moon, So p’r’aps they’ll broadcast it one day, I hope it will be soon! A LONG TAIL A GMD-MiGHT TALE 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 Blinker’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 and stretched, until only a piece of wire straggled over the table. Grandma had

taken Mother upstairs to see the new ■ curtains. What would they say when i they came back? I The door opened.and in. came Uncle I Jim. .Joan looked round hopefully. Uncle -Jim was very clever. Perhaps lie could put Blinker’s tail to rights. He had often mended her toys. ; “ What’s the matter?” asked her uncle, seeing her doleful face. .loan pointed to the long tail. “'Please put it right!” she begged. Dude Jim rubbed his hair all ways at once. “ A bit of a puzzle,” be said. “ I might be able to find a new spring in my odds-and-ends box.’ “ Can’t you do it quickly?” said Joan. Grandma and Mummie were on the landing now. They would surely be back soon ! 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 lx?. “ I believe this will do the trick,” ho said, and very carefully he began to coil the wire round the needle. Blinker got turned over so many times that Joan felt quite sorry for , him, and hoped that he wasn’t feeling giddy. Uncle Jim set Blinker down on the table at the very moment that Mummie and Grandma opened the door. His tail 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. ; And neither of them has ever told i the secret of Blinker’s long tail. , i TONGUE-TWISTERS ■ ■ Six short soldiers sang a short song while scrubbing six short shirts sister Susie sewed. George Gabs grabs crabs; crabs George Gabs grabs. If George Gabs grabs crabs, where are the crabs George grabs? ! A canner, exceedingly canny, one day remarked to his granny; “ A canner can can anything (hat he : can, but a canner can't can a can, ■ can he,?’