Children's Corner

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 16, 11 September 1930, Page 4

Children's Corner

TOMMY'S ADVENTURE

Tommy was having a very bigtea. He had been playing in the garden; and now he was half-way through his second helping of strawberries,- after having had bread and butter and apricot jam, an dtwo big pieces of cake. His mother had gone > out to see Mrs. BiVwn," and Tommy was alone at the table. Suddenly, just as he had sleepily swallowed his sixteenth straw-. berry, Tommy saw a most unusual thing. The teapot, all at once, seemed to grow legs and arms, and, jumping on to the top of the cake sang in a shrill little voice, "I'm the King of the Castle." Then all the cups and saucers and the, milk jug and sugar basin grew arms and legs and danced round the cake stand. "No, you are not,:'*1 shouted a gruff voice from the sideboard. Tommy turned to see who was speaking. It was the coffee pot, who also had legs and arms, and was dancing all over the sideboard, looking very angry. "I'm the King of the Castle," sang the teapot. Then Tommy saw the coffee pot run to the edge of the sideboard, and, taking a long.-breath, jump right on to the table. "You're not the King of the Castle," it shrieked "Oh, all right," replied the teapot. "Don't get so angry. Let us play at something else." "Let us go ior a picnic," suggested the jam dish, which had also grown arms and legs. "Rather!" shouted all the cups -and saucers and plates. The milk jug turned to Tommy and said, "You may come as well, if you like.!' "Thank you very much,", said Tommy. So they all jumped from the table, and Tommy climbed down from his chair.* * ■ "Are you all ready?" ei'ied the j sugar basin. "Yes," they replied. And off they marched. The tea pot and colfee pot leading the way, arm in arm. Then came the jug and sugar basin, and behind them, the cups and saucers and plates. . "Wait a minute," shouted the jam dish; and, jumping back on the table it picked up the silver tea tray and a spoon. Bang, bang, bang, went the spoon on the tray. It was quite good as a drum and made them walk in step. Tommy followed behind the jam dish. Out of the door they went, and into the kitchen. There they all filled up food; the teapot with te*a, the jam dish with jam, t 1 milk jug with milk, and the sugar basin with sugar, while the plates carried a cake each. "Open the door Tommy," said the teapot. So Tommy opened the door which led into the garden. They marched across the lawn and up the path between the gooseberry bushes until they came to the wall at the end of the garden. Here was a nice little grass plot under an apple tree. So they all stopped, and the oil stove, who had followed them from the kitchen, sat down. * ' Has anybody any matches ? ' ' said the coffee pot. -~ ■ "Yes, I have," said one little saucer. "It was very thoughtful of you ! to bring them," said the teapot, i "You are a good little saucer, and I will take special care that you are not cracked,' Now, Tommy, you light the stove." "When he had done so, the coffee pot said to the kettle, "Hop on," and it hopped on to the stove. "I shouldn't like to sit on a hot stove, would you?" said a plate to Tommy. "Ah," said the jam dish, "but the kettle enjoys it; Why, when it

gets hot it just sings with joy." And when the kettle began to sing the coffee pot turned to the teapot and said, "Come on, take off your lid." "No, it's your turn first," replied the teapot. "Don't be silly, tea always comes before coffee," said the coffe pot. They would have argued until the water was cold, but the jam dish said, "Please don't quarrel. We want both tea and coffee." " So the teapot and the coffee pot took off their lids, and walked up to the kettle who filled them with hot water. They then went and stood silently in a corner. "I .say, who are ,you making tea for?" asked Tommy of the tea pot. . "Ssssh, be quiet," said the others. "Can't you-see that they are brewing/? They mustn't talk when brewing." I But Tommy still wondered who was going to drink all the tea ! and coffee and eat all the caker, f and jam-,.' . \ -\: : . ™: : : After a little while, the milk jug called out ''Time !'' and, going over to the cups who were each sitting in a saucer, it poured in I some milk. i "Sugar," called the jam dish. The sugar basin picked pieces of sugar out of itself and very cleverly threw one into each cup. Then up -marched the teapot and the coffee pot with very solemn faces. But before they reached the cups, the coffee pot tripped ovdr a stone and fell, spilling nearly all its coffed. . i-. • Everybody gasped, and the coffee pot began to cry. "We can't make any more. There is no more water," said the sugar basin. Tommy was so very | sorry for the poor coffee pot. "Have you any coffee left inside you?" he asked. "About one cupful, '' replied the coffee pot, sobbing bitterly. "Cheerio," said the teapot "you may serve the queen; I know she likes coffee best." "What queen?" asked Tommy. "Why-the Queen of the Mowers," replied the teapot. "Did you not know that we are giving a picnic to her and her court?" We have just 'sent a cup to fetch them, and here they come." Tommy turned round, and saw a beautiful white rose, wearing a crown and having legs and arms. She was followed by two other roses and two big sunflowers wearing soldiers' helmets.

The jam dish banged loudly on the silver tea tray; the plates and saucers shouted "Hurrah!" (the cups could not because they were too full), and the kettle shouted, ''.Long live the Flower Queen I" so loudly that it blew out the flame on the oil stove. Then the jam dish presented Tommy to the Flower Queen, and told her that he was a very nice little .boy who often helped wash up, and ha 1 never even cracked a cup. "Now let us have tea," said the Queen. The royal flowers sat down in a row, and the saucers, with the cups sitting in them, walked forwards and stood in front of them. But just as the milk jug was saying, ' 'We have a special cup of coffee for your Majesty,'' what do you think happened ? Out of the gooseberry bush jumped a greatbig stinging nettle. He wore a big black hat and big black top j boots, and waved a flag on which i was painted a skull and' crossbones. He dashed up, knocked over the | cups and saucers, rolled the cakes on to the ground, stung the queens nose, and then leapt over the wall. i "It is tho wicked pirate called Naughty Nettle," cried one of the I royal roses. "We must run, for I'he will come back with his pirate crew." At: that moment there was a loud howl. Tommy looked up and saw Naughty Nettle with three other rough weeds, standing on the wall, and all waving flags. .*.' Come on," said the teapot.. The Queen Rose ran away as hard as she could followed by the other flowers. All the cups arid saucers and plates and the teapot, coffee pot, milk jug, jani dish, oil stove, kettle and sugar basin raced down the garden with Tommy followed by the wicked weeds. Just as they reached the door of the house, Tommy slipped and fell over; his nose going right into the jam dish. Then he suddenly found himself sitting at the table with his.face covered with jam, and his mother standing by his side laughing like anything. ' ' Oh, Tommy, '' she said *i fancy falling asleep in the jam dish." And that js exactly what he had done. It had all been a dream; and there on the table, stood the teapot;, arid crockery, and not one of them had arms or legs. "You had better go to bed if you are so tired," said mummy.

But Tommy went into the garden to look for Naughty Nettle the pirate cat. "What a fine playmate he would be!" thought Tommy, :