Children's Corner

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 21, 16 October 1930, Page 4

Children's Corner

JABS. COLLIE'S PUPPY BAND.

. Snap was a saucy little do«. He didn't look very saucy: in fact he looked very aood and auiet. But he was like a lot of little boro and girls—-he-was* not' Quite so <zood as he looked. Every moraine Snan went to .school. It was only a tiny school held in an old barn. Mrs. Collie, the schoolmistress, was not rich, so she had asked Farmer Giles to let her have an old empty barn in which to teach her class of puppies. On day, Snap wasf late for school, and when Jie arrived he heard Mrs. Collie say to the other three pupils, "When that naughty puppy Snap comes, I must give him three strokes with the cane." So Snap peejped into the barn. He saw Mrs. Collie teaching the three puppies. Their names were Bark, Bite and little Winkie. "If I gave you each one biscuit every minute, how many would you have at the end of half an hour?" asked Mrs Collie. "None," said Bark. "Why do you say that you • would have none if I gave you one every minutes?" said Mrs. Collie. "Please, Mrs. Collie, because it does not take a minute to eat a biscuit," replied Back. Mrs. Collie turned to Uttle Winkie. ''Now, Winkie," she said, " if 11 have two bones for breakfast, one for dinner, and one for tea each day, what shall l.have at the end of the week?" "A bad pain," shouted Snap from where he was watching. *kYou saucy dog," cried Mrs. Oollie, and, rushing after him, she dragged him into school. "Why are you so late?" she asked him. "Please, I saw a r.abbit in the wood," said Snap, "and I chased it and caught it." "You are a very naughty puppy,'' said Mrs. Collie. "But I left the rabbit at your house, Mrs. Collie," said Snap. "I know you like rabbit pie." Now, Mrs. Collie was very fond of rabbit pie, so she forgave Snap for being late and game them'all such easy sums that they got every one right. "Please, Mrs Collie" said Bark, at the end of the lesson, "Father says that he wants me to learn music, and he has given me a trumpet." "Very well," replied Mrs. Collie. "I will teach you. It would be nice if we could make a band. Bite, you must ask your Daddy for a drum, and Snap, you must get a trumpet, and Winkie, I thing that you had better have some cymbals. Then I will teach you to play together." When they had all got their, instruments they practised very hard twice ev€>ry week. At last they were so clever that they could play seven pieces of music. "When . you have learnt one moro piece, we will give a concert to the boys and girls," said Mrs. Oollie. But the puppies were rather tired of practising their music in the barn ali the afternoon, and wanted to get out into, the sunny fields and have a romp or game. Mrs. Collie had arranged to hold the concert on a Saturday, and the puppies had a whole week to learn the eighth piece of music. A week seems plenty of time to learn one J>ieee of music, but it was quite a hard piece, so they were told by Mrs. Collie to come to school every afternoon with their musical instruments. "One afternoon only Bite and Snap came to school. "Have you seen Bark and Winkie?" asked Mrs. Collie, "No, Mrs Oollie," thdy replied. "Well, Bite and Snap, you must stay here and keep on playing your music while I go to look for JBark and Winkie."

Mrs. Collie went out of the barn into the sunshine, and looked everywhere for the two naughty puppies. They were not at their homes; they were not in the sweetshop at the corner of the road; and they were not playing in the park. "I wonder where they are?" said Mrs."Oollie, as she trotted back to the school. Then she heard a long way off a puppy laughing. "That is Winkie's laugh," she said, and went towards it. At last sh« reached a high fence, and could hear Winkie and Bark talking together at the other side of it. Mrs. Collie walked by,the side of the fence until she came \to a gate. "Now.l am going to catch them,'' she said as she very quiet : ly crept through. Yes, there were Bark and Winkie having, a fine game with a bat and ball. And just as Mrs? Collie had passed the gate, a big hard ball hit her, with such a bang, right on the nose. "Wow, wow!" she cried. /*Oh, I say," said Winkie, "we have hit Mrs. Collie right on the nose. We shall get a canning now." "I am so very sorry," said Bark, as Mrs Collie rushed up in a terrible rage. , "You are two very bad boys," said Mrs. Collie. "Come with me at once." And she held them by their ears all the way back P school. But when they arrived there, poor Mrs Collie had another surprise. Bite and Snap had gone. "Oh dear, oh dear!" cried Mrs. Collie, "now the other two have gone. You are a pack of naughty dogs. I dare not leave you here, so you had better come with me to look for them." As soon as they were outside the school they heard barks and bangs coming from a small shed. "listen," said WinMe, "Biteand Snap must be in> that shed and cannot, get out." "It certainly sounds like them' said Mrs. Collie. "Jket us open the door." And, sure enough, when the door was opened, but ran Bite and Snap. "What are you doing in that shed?" asked Mrs. Collie. I'ite and Snap looked very ; miserable and all bruises and dirt. ' ( Wow, wow j two boys with hi g stir-ks chased us there and then stole our musical instruments!" they cried.

* ■ Which way did they go ?" f.*k.rt Mrs. Collie. '-.'We will all yo after them." Now, Snap had peeped through a crack in the shed and had seen which way the two boys had gone. So off they all ran. Bite and Snap went first, then Mrs. Collie and Bark, and behind them, came little pinkie, as fast as he could run. . Soon they saw the boys in front of them. They were walking in the middle of the road making an awful noise on the trumpets which they had stolen from Bite and Snap. ''Whoof, whoof," barked Mrs. Collie. . "Bow, wow, wow, wow,"-yap-ped all the puppies. And when the boys saw five doggies running after them, they dropped the trumpets and quickly climbed into the nearest tree. They knew doggies cannot climb trees. : Bite and Snap picked up'the trumpets; and Bark wanted to hide behind a bush 'untiL-the. two bad boys came down the tree, and then bite them, "V ' But Mrs. Collie saickthat the bad boys were more likely to be sorry if they were forgiven, so they turned round and went back to school. But it was too late to do any work, so Mrs. Collie asked them all to tea. '' Now, puppies,'' she said, '' you must all do your best on Saturday, when you are going to play to the. boys and girls.'' So they all practised very hard and on Saturday-morning they came to school yery early and | swept the floor and polished the chairs ready for the concert. By three o'clock the barn was fiXLL of boys and girls waiting to hear the wonderful Puppy Band. "Now, Bark, you lead the way on to the platform; Bite next, and then Snap and WinMe," said Mrs Collie. "Hold your instruments in front of you, and play your very best." But the puppies felt so sihy when they stood before so many boys and girls, that tfrey all iorgot wliich piece of music they were supposed to play. And, when.Mrs. Gojllie caltecL out loud, "Now, startrr-one, /fcw;o, three!'* why, they each started to play^ a different tune. . What an awful noise they did make! / "Stop, stop! Start again!" shrieked Mrs. Collie. "Go on, go on. Oh, what

'fun!'* cried the children, laughing and clapping their hands. But the four little puppies stopped flaying and looked so miserable that Mrs. Collie forgave them at once. Then she turned to the audience and said, "Bow, wow, boys and girls, come next Saturday and we will try again."* When next Saturday came, there was yet a bigger crowd hear the four little puppies make funny noises on their trumpets, drum and cymbals. But this time the puppies were not so shy and all played together so well that When they had finished, every boy and girl gave them a bone or a biscuit. They had such a pile of food that they didn't know what to cio with it. -..-..'.. '' Let • us ask all poor hungry doggies to a party," said little Wmkie. "What a fine idea," said Mrs. Collie. So they sent invitations to all the poor doggies in the town, and such a crowd came that, the biscuits and bones were eaten in no time. "■'■'.- ---" What fun!" said the four puppies. ' 'We must have another concert soon." "So you shall/ said Mrs. Collie. '' Now, good-night, and mind you come early to school next Monday."