Big Sister's Page

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 228, 26 August 1932, Page 10

Big Sister's Page

BIG SISTER’S LETTER. Dear Brothers a»d Sisters, I was wondering tho other day when I read that all dogs when brought into the Square had to be leashed, how some of my Brothers and Sisters would get on if they brought their pets to town I I’m afraid those Sisters and Brothers who live in the country would bo tempted to leave them at home —which reminds mo of a true storv about a faithful little dog called Tuki. Now, he was a native doggie, having been born on a little islo in the Pacific. Tuki was a friendly little fellow, with beautiful brown eyes and an apology of a tail. He “fell in love with the' missionary’s wife, and became her devoted friend and follower. Tuki soon grew from .pup to big, strong dog, and his love for his kind mistress increased in proportion. But one sad day, a littlo ship called at the island, and Tuki watched with nervous suspicion the packing of many boxes and bags in the missionaries home and when ho plaited his big paws on his mistress’s lap and looked anxiouslv up at her as if to say, “Is it alright? Wer’e not going away, are we?” the sad look on her face caused quick pain in his doggie heart, and he knew by her tears that his premonition was right —she was going away! And oh, how he cried and cried when they locked him in the

room 1 Poor Tuki was so grief-stricken that ho even failed to observe the big black rats gnawing the flour bags stored on the shelves and whined in misery at his captivity. t

The little outrigger canoe slowly moved out of the cove towards the schooner lying about half a mile away, and the missionary’s wife, with a last fond look at the peaceful little island, wiped away a tear for dear Tuki. But what was that little brown object bobbing up and, down, in tho sea ? . . , “Book, what is that ?” she inquired of the oarsman, pointing. The native’s keen eyes soon made out the object—“Kuri (dog) Tuki,” he replied and without further comment he put tho canoe back and paddled hard till lie reached tho little dog exhausted, but with his faithful brown eyes shining at his beloved mistressbrave little Tuki, who, having escaped from the store-room —no one ever knew how —(but the native childien love animals!) risked the danger of the shark-infested waters and swam that long, long way to his mistress. Oh, what a happy, tired Tuki it was who lay at the lady’s feet at the bottom of the boat, with her dear hand on his head! And he knew (cunning doggie) he would never be parted from her again! ... Well, now. I am only waiting for tho big centre square to be finished before I can make up the quilt, so “more of this anon.” I have just re-

ceived a number of lovely squares, all neatly joined up, from an anonymous person, and oil, how delighted I am with them 1 Now, I hope tho fourth Ladder Points Competition will ho as keenly contested as the last three, and I am very anxious to see what kind of poetry my elder Brothers and Sisters can write, and to hear all about their pets from my junior ones. So now that the’ holidays are here, and you have plenty of time, I want these poems and. stories to bo VERY SPECIAL, and we’re going to make our Page ever so bright and jolly, aren’t we, all of you ? And I do hope I will get plenty of letters—all about your holiday fun —oh, such lots to write about, isn’t there? So get busy on the competitions —you’ve plenty of time —and let Big Sister see what you can do! 'Till then, Love from BIG SISTER,

G.P.O

LETTERS TO BIG SISTER

SILVER STAR: So pleased to receive that nice long letter, my Sister.! No, I have never heard of Lone Guides. I wonder if you could tell j your Brothers and Sisters about them, one day? What fun you must have had in the snow. I wonder what your wee nephew thinks about New Zealand after the warmth of Samoa ? Yes, I am very fond of reading, but I have not read the hooks you mention. Thank you again for an interesting letter, and I hope you will write again soon, Sister. THE CUB: I can just imagino you shouting “hurrah!” at winning the competition last week. No, I shan t satisfy your curiosity, but really, I m just as curious about all my Sisters and Brothers! Fun, isn’t it? I love your little verses, and will publish them. Thank you for the “idea. Love i to you, Sister. MINNIE MOUSE: Poor littlo Sister—l am so sorry to hear you are sick 1 I hope you will soon be up again and quite well. Thank you for the “facts”; I should be very pleased if you would send them in fortnightly, Minnie because it would not be lair to get all the marks, would it? the “sample’* is splendid, and I m sure, tile others will do very well. Best wishes to a little sick Sister. VERA: How jolly to have so many pets—that’s the big advantage m living in the country, isn’t it? Our cat and dog are very friendly, too, and Peter Puss loves to go to sleep with its chin on the dog’s neck; they are a very amusing pair. Yes, Spring is on the wav now, and soon the days will be gold and sunny. Do you ever keep any of tho baby calves for pets? Love to you, Sister Vera. ROSE BUD: Why, of course you may join tho Page, little Sister. Yes, you are a junior. I am so glad you

like reading tho stories. Poor old Pussy must be lonely by itself all day; but I’m sure you play with her ■when you come home from school. Thank you for tho promised squares though you will Jiave to hurry, Sister, before I sew up tho quilt! No, we do not liavo a badge, Rose Bud. JOHN BALLANCE: What a pity 3’ou missed tho mail for the last competition! What an interesting scrap book yours must be. Your Mother’s littlo poem is very sweet, Brother, and, of course, you liko her’s best of all in your book. Thank you very much for tho contributions.

CHUMMIE AND ROBIN ARE GREAT FRIENDS. Vera writes the following little letter about her pots —Robin must be a dear little puss I —One of our dogs, Nita, presented us with eight pups three weeks ago, and we’ve kept two. They’re such tunny little things. One is a very light brown, and the other is a dark brown and white. Tou would laugli if you saw Chummie, another dog, who is fifteen months old, and Robin, a pretty slaty-coloured kitten of about nine montlis. Now and then Robin goes to Chum’s kennel; then Robin stands up and rubs his head oil Chum’s nose. They play and have such a happy time. Robin seems very affectionate toward the dog, but if we play with him, or even pet him, our hands get a tew scratches and he growls fiercely. Robin’s grandmother was friendly with Chum, too. When she was young she used to rattle the door nob if she wanted to come in. Even now, she puts her paw under tho door and works it till it rattles. A brown rooster tackled Clmm the other day and the dog attacked him. I would, too. I don’t blamo tho poor fellow. A rooster’s l>eak isn’t very pleasant. He is shut in now as punishment. THE SCRAP BOOK. “I must tell you about my scrap book, Big Sister,” says John Ballance : It was a big ledger out of my grandfather’s office. My. mother and auntie had it first, and next my cousin who is ten years older than myself. Ho is too big for it now, so it lias become mine. My mother and aunty put most of the things into it, my cousin put a good few, and now I am putting some in as well. When I am too old, my little brother, who is six years younger than I am, will have his turn. There are dozens of pictures of all kinds, and poetry and funny stories, and some of my cousin’s drawings. My mother wrote some verses specially for me, and I have put them in, and others that I like, some by John Masefield and John Oxenham. I think I like my mother’s best as they were written just for me. NATURE STUDY CORNER. A number of Sisters and Brothers leave written suggesting a Nature Study Corner. I think it is an excellent plan, 'and the following little paragraph sent by Minnie Mouse is quite appropriate: THE LITTLE FANTAIL.

One of the prettiest of our native birds is the fantail, so named because of its habit of spreading its tail like a. fan. A popular little creature it is, for it will even outer the house at times, and catch the flies on the window-panes. In the open it may often be seen flying from branch to branch, darting hero and there, ever on the move. It is a most useful bird to the orchardist, for its prey is the codlinluoth, which causes havo:c among the crops of apples and pears. Fantails are protected by law, so that their nests and eggs must not be damaged. —MINNIE MOUSE (1 point). “KNITTING LUCK.”

Topping, having sent me a nice square, says she had bad luck with another she had started, and writes as follows:—“i bail half finished another —a honey-coloured one—when J discovered I had used all the wool. AVith inspiration born of despair, 1 joined in brown wool with the consolation that these two shades are fashionable just now. 1 struggled with the desire to join in the brown in points. It came right, and I knitted blissfully on within lmlf-an-inch of the end when to my indescribable chagrin the brown wool ran out! Oh, what woe was mine. With an expression pitiful to see I gave the almost comi>letcd square to an eager, small niece and started one in pink. An inch done, and Mother needed the needles for her jumper. With admirable composure I gave up the idea of doing any more.”

FAIRY THINGS. Here is one Senior Sister at least, who can make up good poetry! Isn’t this sweet ? Little white mushrooms, Thatched with brown, These are the houses Of fairy town.

Little pink rose petals. With edges that curl, These make a dress For a fairy girl.

Tall scarlet poppy, Flaunting red, You’ll make a cradle, For a tired head. « —THE CUB (1 point;. HOLIDAYS. John Ballance is very proud of this poem—for it was composed by his very own Mother! Oh how wo love the holidays, The care-free, happy, jolly days. We’ll spend them in the country Or in a distant town. No matter where we like to roam, Or even if we stay at home, We’re happy right from day-break Until the sun goes down.

For some like tramping, hiking days, And some like wheeling, biking days, And others like to wander Beside the river’s brim; And even if it rains awhile, We’ll wear our rainproofs and a

smile; The weather can’t deter us, No matter what it’s whim

And when we’ve had our lazy days, Or rushing, crushing, crazy days, (The first out in the country. The last ’mid city’s roar) When holidays have slipped away— We’ve had our fill of rest and play— Refreshed, renewed, content, we’ll Go back to school once more. r-JOHN J3ALLANCE (I point),

FOURTH LADDER POINTS COMPETITION. SENIOR DIVISION. Now, my big Brother and Sisters, how would you liko a poem competition? Composing poetry is not really us hard as it sounds, so try, all of you, and make up the very nicest poem you’ can think of, using any subject you prefer. It must, of eourso, be absolutely original, and your own unaided effort. Also do not let it bo too long. Address your entries to “Big Sister,” care “Manawatu Evening Standard,”’ Tho Square, Palmerston North, no lator than September 10. If you find you really cannot make up poetry, just write Big Sister a nice letter instead (tho latter of course will not count in the competition). (Seniors: Over 12 years). JUNIOR DIVISION. And what competition for tho “little ones”? I’m sure you’ve all some pet—perhaps a dog, cat, lamb, birdie, or—if you’re lucky enough—a pony. I’d just love to hear all about them—what they look like, what they do—and tho competition will bo for the best short story about “My Pets.” Or if you have no pet of your own, you may writo about someone else’s. Tho story must be your own effort and not copied from any book or magazino. Sq let’s all get to work and good luck to everybody. (Juniors: 12 years and under).

IN THE KITCHEN. Several Brothers and Sisters have written sending in recipes. Iheso will bo published and marks awarded under the allocation for “interesting facts.” CHOCOLATE COOOANUT ICE. Ingredients:—lib lump sugar, Mb desiccated eocoanut., 3 oz cocoa, If gills milk, vanilla flavouring. Method: Put tho cocoa into a saucepan and mix to a smooth paste with some of the milk, then stir in tho remainder. Add the sugar and put over low flame until dissolved. Bring to the boil, stir in eocoanut, and boil for about 15 to 20 minutes, keeping it well stirred. Add a few drops of vanilla, then pour into a wet tin and spread over evenly. Leave until set, then turn it out. on to tho other side and leave to dry. Cut into blocks and it is ready. —THE CUB (1 point). “NUTTY JOYS.”

Here is a tried recipe which lias the advantages of being economical, wholesome and delicious:—l dessertspoon butter, 1 cup sugar, as much treacle as can bo taken up on a teaspoon. Heat all three and blend; 1 cup of rolled oats, 1 cup flour, sifted with 1 level teaspoon ground ginger and pinch of salt, 1 level teaspoon baking soda, mix with 3 tablespoons boiling water, to be added last. Mix in ordcr given. Roll between floured fingers into small balls, place 1 inch apart on cold greased oven tray. Moderate to slow oven; time about 10 minutes. Remove tray from oven, slip knife under euoli biscuit- to prevent sticking, and let cool on tray to. keep flat ail'd’ crisp. Store in airtight tins. Ideal for school lunches. —JOHN BALLANCE ( 1 point).

INTERESTING FACTS. WHY IS LONDON CALLED LONjION. The beginnings of London take us back to the times when the inhabitants of Great Britain were savages. The River Thames was much wider then and made a sort of lagoon or lake. According to an accepted authority tho rude barbarians built a fort which they called “tho fort of the lagoon," using the Celtic word “Llyndin” to express that meaning. When the Romans came to Britain they adopted tho word, changing it a little to fit in with the Latin words they used. They called it Londinium, and the changes in language since the time of the Romans have modified the word into London. Thus, the history of a place may often be revealed by its name. HOW OLD IS LONDON? Tho first Roman city was destroyed by the British Queen Boadicea in the revolt of A.D. 62, and the inhabitants were massacred, but it was at once rebuilt and more strongly fortified. Before that a Celtic community lived upon the site. London can, therefore, hardly be less than 200 U years o»d, and possibly more than that. . —JOHN BALLANCE (1 point). SHORT STORY. “A SIMPLE SIMON STORY.” One day, Simple Simon was told by his mother to churn the butter while she went to town to buy a green velvet suit for him, to wear on Sundays and holidays. Simon didn’t like making butter, and would much rather have gone afishing. However, as soon as his mother had gone he set to work. First, be poured the cream into the big barrel churn, and then ho turned the handle, round and round, till he could tell by the sounds that the butter had come. Next it had to be washed, and made into pats, all ready for market. “Be sure and put tho butter into a pail, and let it down by a rope, into tho well, to keep the pats firm,” his mother had told him. So when Simple Simon had finished, ho put tho butter in a pail, and then lifted tho lid off the well. First lie looked down at the water. There he saw himself I “Oh dear,” said Simple Simon, “1 must have fallen into the well, and I shall be drowned!” Then ho said, “But I am still up hero, and so is tho butter in the pail.” Ho looked into the well again, and saw himself still there, and ho became puzzled. “There must be two Simple Simons,” ho said. “I thought there was only one. Now, I’m not going to let the butter down into tho well, for him to get!” But tho weather was very warm, and the pats must bo kept firm—Simple Simon searched for a place that was as cool as tho well. Now in the kitchen there was a big OV cn—as big as the one in which tho giant’s wife hid Master Jack in, when he climbed tho Beanstalk. There had boon no firo that day in the kitchen, and when Simle Simon felt the oven it was icy cold. Ho put tho pats of butter on the oven shelf, and shut th© door. Then he went away to look for peanuts on tho apple trees. Now, he had not beeh gone more than a few' minutes, when homo came his four litle brothers from school. They said : “Mother’s not back yet. Lets make a fire, and have tho kettle boiling when she comes home.” So they lit the fire, and filled tho kettle, and , soon, jdiere was a big fire roaring uy

the chimney and in the oven were the pats of blitter! Of course, they melted, and an oily stream ran on to the floor. Those four young brothers of Simple Simon didn’t notice it, but just walked about in it. And when their mother came home, she found an oily trail of footprints, into each room of the cottage, and oh dear, she was vexed! When Simple Simon came hack, he received a scolding for putting tho butter in the oven, instead of down tho well. He told his mother about tlie other Simple Simon, down in tho well, hut she laughed at him, and said: “That was only your own reflection in tho water, you silly boy.” Poor Simon was very sorry, for as a punishment ho was not to wear the green velvet suit till a whole month had passed. And ho had to get a pail, and scrubbing brush, hot water, and soap, and clean all the rooms. His mother never left the butter . churning to Simple Simon again, which fact pleased him very much. —MERVYN DALEFIELD (13 years).

HOBBIE’S CORNER

A COSY “HUMPTY.”

I’m suro all my Sisters liavo a

“housewifely” bent, and to those who are clever with their needle this “liumpty” or fire-side scat will appeal. The liumpty is simple enough to make. The most expensive part is the stuffing, of which about three pounds are needed. The cheapest kind will do, with a little horsehair to stiffen it.’ The inner case, rather like a short bolster in shape, must first be made. This requires a band of calico 16 inches wide and 40 inches long with a circle 6 inches in diameter top and bottom. The band is gathered to meet circles at both ends. One of them must be left half unsewn until the stuffing is put in through the opening. The bolster now three parts lull, must be pushed’ into proper “humpty” shape. To do this, tie a string round its waist and push the stuffing as equally as possible into the two halves so that it assumes a cottago loaf shape. Cretonne or chintz makes a pretty covering. Two largo circles a little bigger than will cover each part of the liumpty to the middle are required. Gather in the raw edges with a stout throad, slip the two circular bags into position, and draw them in round the waist. To finish off, use a cushion rope or silk cord, with tasselled ends (about 4 yards of each). If you use cord bo careful to knot it several time’s and sew the end, winch irays

easily, into the centre of the knot so that it makes a bundle.

JUST FOR FUN. A GOOD EXCUSE. Teacher: “What kept you late. Billy: “Please, miss, the irost made it so slippery that 1 slipped back two yards every time I tried to walk 01 Teacher: “Then how did you get here at all?” Billy: “Please, miss, I started to go homo again.” * * * ON THE TRACK. Teacher: “What is the definition of a mountain pass!'” . . . Pupil: “A mountain pass is. a ticket to go up the mountain with.” CARRIED AWAY.

Schoolboy: “W'ere you able to carry out any of tho ideas sent you for your paper?” Editor: “Did you meet the messenger boy with tho wastepaper ket as you came up j:lio stairs ?’ Schoolboy: “Yes.” Editor: “Well, bo was carrying out your ideas.”

A perfect CURE. An old man sprained his wrist and tho local doctor was called in and while he was dressing the wnst tho m “And’you" think I’ll he able to play the violin when I’m better?” “Oh, yes,” said the doctor, “certainly,’ certainly.” “Man ” was the reply, that s great. You see, 1 was never able to play it before.” t , , HOLDING A HOT POSITION. Teacher: “Why are you late, “Please, miss, it’s Mothers washing day, and she’s lost the lid of the copper, and I’ve been sitting on tho top to keep the steam in. OBEDIENT BOY.

Willie was almost through his reading lesson when he came to a word he could not pronounce. “Barque,” prompted tho teacher. Willie looked at his classmates and al “Barque, Willie!” exclaimed the teacher harshly. Willie, looking up at the teacher, finallv cried out, “Bow, wow! —RO&E BUD (1 point).