PEEPING POLLY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 7 March 1925, Page 16

PEEPING POLLY.

Polly was a merry little* girl, but she had one bad fault. She was terribly inquisitive. She would creep up and listen eagerly when the grown-ups were talking. She would ask all sorts of foolish questions. She would even peep over people’s shoulders to read, what they were writing, or read their letters when they were away. Her friends used to call her Peeping Polly. In school one day the teacher said, “Polly, will you carry inis parcel to my house?” Polly was very pleased and jumped up eagerly. But she had not got far down the lane when she looked at the parcel and thought what a queer shaped bundle it was. Instead of being smooth and flat,, and tied neatly with string, it bulged out all round and was bound with a- gay red ribbon. ‘‘Whatever can be inside?” said Polly, as she pressed all over and 101 l how soft it was. She stood still in the roadside and shook the bundle, but nothing rattled inside.

Polly began to get “curiouser and curiou'ser.” She twisted the parcel round and looked carefully to see if there was a tiny crack through which she could peep. And all the time that bright red bow seemed’ to sav, “untie me quickly and peep inside.” Polly looked up and down the quiet lane. Nobody was coming, so she sat on the grassy bank and said, “I’JJ have just one little peep.” Soon the red ribbon was lying crumpled on the bank. The brown paper wrapper followed quickly.

“Oh!” said Polly with a disappointed sigh, as she saw there was still another wrapper. That, too, was snatched off, only to show more layers of white tissue paper and soft balls of wadding. * > Soon paper and wadding were scattered all around. At last Polly tore off the last wrapper, and came to a white card, which said:

Peeping Polly, please tie me up just as you found me.” Polly felt very silly as she set to work to tie the parcel up again. But it taught her a lesson, for she never tried to pry again into things that didn’t concern her.