A MOVING STORY

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 2 March 1935, Page 10

A MOVING STORY

SAMMY SNAIL’S ADVENTURE

Sammy Snail was a- nice little chap, but he had one great fault. He always wanted to copy other people. One day lie met Spider swinging along in a great hurrj-. “Where are you going?” he asked, quite ready to stop and chat about it for an hour, for Sammy was rather a slowcoach. “Oh, don’t bother me, I’m busy,” returned Spider, who was look very hot and flustered. “We’re moving house to-day, and I’ve got my hands full.” “Moving house?” said Sammy. “What does that mean, please?” But Spider had gone by that time.

isammy hurried home as fast as he mid, which wasn’t awfully fast.

“Mother, wliat does moving house mean, because I want to do it?” he said, all in one breath. “Little silly,” said his mother, laughing. “I suppose you’ve been talking to someone who is moving house, isn’t that it? Well, it means moving out of one house to go and live in another one. We snails may be slow, but at least we’re sensible enough not to go in for moving.” But Sammy wasn’t listening to her. He’d discovered that moving meant leaving your house, and Spider was doing it, so lie wanted to, also. And without any more ado he crawled out of his nice snail-shell house and went off. He hadn’t gone far before it began to get very sunny, and he didn’t like it at all. Usually when it got hot he went into his shell, and waited for the isun to go in, but to-day he couldn’t. “Oh, dear,” he thought, “I do hope I find another house soon.” A big bird was sitting on the fence ust above him, and suddenly Sammy heard him say: “Oh, look, a nice fat snail without a shell. What a tasty morsel!” Sammy didn’t wait to hear more. Luckily for him there was a crack in the rockery just in front of him. In he popped, and waited there in fear and trembling until it got dark. Then he crept out, made for his own shell, and crawled in with a great sigh of relief. “I shan’t try that again,” he decided, as he settled down for the night-, comfortable and glad to be back in his own house.

A SIMPLE TIME RECORDER There are many times in the life .of a boy when he would find a chronometer most useful. He may want to know exactly how long it takes him or a pal to run a hundred yards, or any other distance, or he may have a speedy dog and "would like to record its time. However, a chronometer is very expensive, but the apparatus described here will serve the purpose and costs nothing. The only articles required are a piece of string and a weight. A lead sinker, a bullet, or an iron nut will do for the weight. Attach the weight to the string. At the other end of the string make a loop. When the loop is hung on a nail, the length from the top of the loop to the bottom of the weight must bo exactly 9 inches and four-fifths of an inch. To use the device as a recorder of time you merply hang the loop on a nail or pin and swing the weight. A swing forward and back will take one second. A swing from left to right, or vice versa, will take half a second. A swing from left to right to a perpendicular position will require one-quarter of a second. If the length is 9 inches and fourfifths of an inch, as before stated, the time recorded will be strictly accurate. It does not matter whether the weight travels one foot at each swing or one inch.

SUNKEN TREASURE i • / A hundred yards off shore, in New York Harbour, rests a fortune. The British frigate Hussar left New York hastily in 1780, when soldiers stormed the city. In the ship’s strongbox was gold amounting to £.590,000. To-day it would be worth many times that figure. The ship was caught in a freak storm and sank with all hands and its fortune in gold. Numerous attempts to retrieve the lost; gold have failed because of the heavy tide. Anyone is privileged to : attempt recovery, of the fortune in gold, providing permission is first obtained from the U.S.A. Government.

MR SPADE In the kitchen garden, by the cabbage bed, Mr. Spade stood idly, while the hours sped. Up to him a Robin came, a chatty little bird, Said he: Good-day, oh, Mr. Spade, with you I’d like a word. I’ve often .seen you hereabouts; now where do you reside? I have diggings in this garden, sir, Spade smilingly replied.