Big Sister's Page

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 9, 8 December 1932, Page 10

Big Sister's Page

BIG SISTER’S LETTER

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I heard a little girl singing the other day—just an ordinary little gird

—but I am sure I shall never again hear anything so sweet. It was evening time; the wind had lulled sleepily, and the sky, pearly grey, was sid with rain tears. It had been

raining mistily during the day, and the wind had blown busily at various intervals. But now there was a peaceful calm and everywhere trees, grass and plants lifted their heads, smiling ] happily and drowsily at the close of j day. Peace—and a silence broken by the prayer-time of birds and a falling j leaf. Then I heard the lovely little ; child voice—“ God Bless Tlieo, Now Zea- j land,” she sang. 1 stood by the road-. side entranced, and listened, and j through a gap in the old hedge I could see her—a thin, brown-legged . child of about nine years, with dark! liair and eyes and wearing a bright red dress. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, and her bare little toes were thrust into the damp grass. Her head was thrown back, and she sang each verse through without a stop and with groat earnestness as though she thoroughly understood and appreciated the lovely little song. I listened, and smiled a little at the earnestness in her dark eyes, and enjoyed each clear note of hers. She sang so heartily, and yet with so much feeling, that I felt quite patriotic too, and softly hummed the tune. Then the little girl stopped suddenly as she caught sight of me, ‘ and, giving me a shy grin, she whistl-i ed to a nondescript puppy that lay | with his tousled head on his paws, and: raced up the hill to her house. She i seemed a dear littie girl—l think I will listen at the hedge again! And how are those Christmas competition stories progressing? (you will remember from last week that the final Competition for the Ladder will take the form of a story with a Christmas theme, for both seniors and juniors). The closing date is December 20. The marks on the Ladder are very close, and there will a keen struggle for the nice prizes, I know. The Christmas Competition, however, is

not the last opportunity you have for gaining marks, for next week I intend

to give a whole Ladder mark (not a point) to everyone who writes to Big Sister. I want next week to be “Letter Week,” and everyone should write—whether a tiny letter or a long one. Also some Brothers and Sisters only need one or two points for contributions, etc., to make up the five

points, and so gain a Ladder mark. So you see there are still opportunities to improve your position on the Ladder. So, try, all of you, and even if you do not get to the top rung, remember that Big Sister will not forget the runners-up. 1 wish you all the very best luck, Love from, BIG SISTER.

G.P.O. LETTERS TO BIG SISTER. MERVYN DALEFIELD : I was very pleased to hear from you, and read about that lovely ride you had in the country. Indeed, the lupins are lovely -—I think they look like captured sunshine I 1 am glad you like my letters —I like yours, too. Good hoy, Mervyn —all your guesses were correct, and you have two more points. Best wishes. TE RAUPARAHA: Another jolly budget from you—how busy you must have been to have done all that writing for me. You seem to have a great fund of information. Thank you very much. Brother for your contributions —the best of ‘‘Ladder luck.” RONNIE DALEFIELD: I think country children are spoilt by having so many pets. Do you know, I would love to have a little red pig for a pet. But, then, it would soon grow up and be “unpettable,” wouldn’t jt ? Congratulations on passing your examination, Ronnie, and also on guessing all last week’s history and geography (.uestions. JOHN' BALLANCE : Thank you for the “remedy,” my Brother; I shall try it on our mower. I shall be interested to hear all about the new Pahiatua bridge. Is Tiny Brother going too? Your geography answers were correct. What a busy day the 16tli will be for you —breaking-up day, judging for the Calf Club competition, and to crown it all, a fancy dress dance at night. I hope you thoroughly enjoy it all. CINDERELLA: It was nice to hear :rom you again, my Sisterj I can just ;uess how glad you are that examina-

tions are over at last. I think you are right, Cinderella —the ducks, turkeys and fowls would not look forward to Christmas if they could realise their fate 1 I hope the school concert is a great success. Thank you for the poem and. the other contributions. BUTTON: Yes, Christmas is a thrilling time —“stocking time,” too—are you hanging yours up? I hope the play goes off well—what part are you taking? I should like very much to see the drill competition, too. Your pen name has been accepted. Love and best wishes to you. BREIt RABBIT: It was so nice to hear from you again, Brer Rabbit, and I was most interested to hear about your little garden. I wonder what could be the matter with the other poppy plant? Your history and geography guesses were all correct, and you havo two points for them. I have received your Christmas story. Love to you. 1'UI: Your drawning was very well done indeed, Tui, but we have not a corner where we give points for drawings or paintings. It will be nice for cur scrap book \ T es, the Christmas story competition will be the last of the year. Your Christmas story has arrived, too. Good luck, Tui, write next .week for “Letter Week.” THE CUB: Another characteristic letter. No, the Page is not having a holiday. I hope Topping will have a merry time. Good wishes, Sister. SUNBEAM: What a lovely garden yours must be. I can imagine that border of pinks and' the roses. Are you allowed to pick the nectarines ? The tree must indeed be well laden, since you have to prop it up 1 lam glad you are entering for the Christmas competition STAR: Have you many horses on your farm, Star? You seem to be very fond of them. You receive one point for guessing the answer to the history question. Did your sisters enjoy the party? Love to you, Sister Star.,

THE PET CALVES.

What a number of pets Ronnie Dalefield has. Just read this: “Christmas will lie here _ in throe weeks, and I am getting quite excited about it wondering what Santa Claus will bring me. 1 have seven dear little calves for pets. Two are golden coloured, and some are red. Their names nro: Spot, Billy, Tiny, White Hoad, Barny, Pansy and Daisy. We have about twenty little piggies—red, and black, but we don’t make pets of them! We keep two dogs—Darkie, who will bring the cows in, and Tip, who won’t. Darkie can’t “shake hands,” but Tip can, though, I passed my examination, and am now in Standard £>,” j

THE WIND. AN ORIGINAL POEM. A very nice little poem, Cinderella, for which you receive one point: 0 wind, I can feel your hair Blowing right into my eyes Are you lonely as you play up there, All by yourself in the skies ? You toss flowers and dance away Across the hills and golden furze, Where do you go on a summer day When it’s still, and no one stirs? How I wish I were like you when I go out, I have to be still and laugh with care, Instead of laughing and jumping about, Or elso I am not a lady the grownups declare. GEOGRAPHY TIME. The answers to last week’s questions are:— 1. London. 2. New York. 3. The Dead Sea. John Ballanco, Ronnie and Mervyn Dalefield, and Brer Rabbit have one point each for their correct guesses. THE “THREE LEGGED” CREST. In early days the Isle of Man was more or less at the mercy of England, : Scotland and Ireland. The familiar three legs in the arms of the island stand for i those countries. Translated, the inscription on the arms means: “Which-j ever way you throw me I stand.” 'This implies that the island could always' appeal for help to two other countries if the third attacked her. A PAGE FROM HISTORY. Of course, his name was Robert Bruce, King of Scotland—the man described last week, who received an j object lesson through watching the,l

determined antics of a little spider to carry its web from one corner to another, after failing many times to do so. It was while the King was hiding from his enemies, and ho was feeling very disheartened and despairing. But seeing the little spider succeeded after trying ho decided that he, too, would try again. And ho did try again, and, like the spider, at last succeeded. This is a good thing for ns to remember, too. Lor when wo fail, we have only to “try again,” and, most often, we do succeed. Ronnie and Mervyn Daleficld, Star and Sunbeam receive each a point for correct guesses.

THE FOX AND THE BUNNIES

John Ballance (1 point) sends this amusing little poem by John Masefield about the fox and the bunnies:

I crept out of covert and what did I see ? Ow-ow-ow-diddle-ow! But seven fat bunnies, each waiting for me. With a poacher’s noosey, catch the fat goosey, Ho! says Rollicum Bitem.

“0 pretty bunnies, let’s come for a stroll.” “Oh, no, no, no; you’re a fox!” “A fox, pretty dears; can’t you see I’m a mole?” With a weaselly, stoaty snap in his throaty. Ho! says Rollicum Bitom.

“Let’s dance, one by one, arm-in-arm, as dear friends.” “Oh, certainly, sir, if you please.” So seven fat bunnies hud seven sweet ends. Hay for a henorel, snug in my denerel, Hoi says Rollicum Bitem.

IN THE KITCHEN.

LIQUORICE ALL-SORTS,

Make a good cake icing, roll out one-quarter of an inch thick, dampen with water, and placo a sheet of liquorice upon it. Place more icing on top of this and cut with a sharp knife. Boiled icing may be used if desired.

—JOHN BALLANCE (1 point).

WALNUT WAFERS,

Quarter lb butter, Ilb suggar, Jib treacle, 111), flour, ± teaspoon baking powder and 3 ounces of chopped walnuts. Mix anti put in small teaspoonfuls on cold tray, allowing plenty of room to spread. Bake in a moderate oven.

—CINDERELLA (1 point).

A GAME. FINDING THE RING. The players scat themselves in a ring and hold a circle of string upon which a small brass ring has been previously threaded. The string must not be too loose, and the palyers must not sit too tar apart. The string is then kept moving round, and with it the ring, which, of course, must be free to move from hand to hand. A player then stands in the centre and endeavours to find the ring. As soon as ho touches a player’s hand the latter must open it. When the search has proved successful, the player iu whoso possossion the ring was found must take tho central place. To distract the searcher’s attention, the players may utter various remarks upon tho supposed movements of the ring, or tho company may sing, to the tune of “The Campbells are coming,” either “The ring it is moving, I don’t know where,” or “The ring is coming, Hurrah! Hurrah!” This game can also be played with a whistle (instead of a ring), which may bo blown by tho players as chances occur. THE USEFUL SOAP BOX. What does a soap-box remind you of ? If you live in tho country it will make you think of rabbit-hutches. If you live in town it will'make you think of a Hyde Park orator. But it seems that if you live in Ileslia in AYest Africa it will make you think of toothache. The AYcsley Guild Medical Mission

'there has no elaborate dental chair, j with adjustable head-rest and velvet cushions, but uses just a soap-box, which (here comes the gruesome part) is described as being “worn smooth by many squirming sufferers.” Probably at this very moment a miserable man is nursing his aching cheek in a hut somewhere in the Yoruba Forest, trying to screw up his courage, while his wife says grimly: “There’s nothing for you but the Soap-Box.”

NATURE STUDY CORNER

LAUGHING GAS,

There is a certain Arabian tree which has yellow flowers. From each ot these is produced a pod which contains black beans. If these are ground to a powder and this is swallowed the result is something like that caused by laughing gas. Even the most solemn person will laugh and shout and dance for an hour or so, after which, thoroughly tired out, ho falls asleep. When ho wakes lie has no notion of what has happened and of the curious way in which he behaved.

THE GREAT ANT-EATER.

This is an animal of South America, tho ant-eater, which is one of the few that lias no teeth. It measures four feet in body length and has a tail nearly as long. It lias a mouth about tho size of a sixpence and has a long thin tongue. As you may guess by his mime, the food on which he exists is ants. He finds an ant hill and tears the earth away with Iris feet and then laps up tho ants witl) his tongue. He does uot need teeth, as he swallows the ants wholesale.

TE RAUPARAHA, (1 point)

IN THE WORKSHOP

A HOME-MADE BAROMETER,

Here is a simple barometer which you would find most useful: All you need for this is a glass jam-jar and a bottle with a long neck. Place the bottle into tho jar until it rests on the rim of the jam-jar neck downwards. Then pour water into the jar until it just reaches half-way up the neck of the bottle. The barometer is now finished, and should be placed in a safe position in tho open-air. Should the water rise in the neck you will know that the weather is likely to ho wet, but if it falls fine weather will follow. To make exact measurements, small graduations could be painted on the neck of the bottle. —TE ItAUPARAHA (1 point).

QUEER FRIENDS

TIM AND TILLY,

The greatest friendships often occur between tho most ill-assorted couples, and so it was in this case. A Muscovy duck with a broken leg was found one morning in a backyard. How it got there remains a mystery, but it looked so helpless trying to get about that the people decided to see what could he done in the way of mending its leg. The house's one pet was an Irish terrier, and a very savage dog lie had proved himself on more than one occasion, Anyhow, Tim must have felt

all his pit3 r rise when he discovered I the lame duck, as almost immediately they became the closest friends,' and for the months the duck was kept tho peoplo could never call Tim without Tilly waddling along too. They would dine together at midday, and then move leisurely off to a patch of grass in tho sun, whore they would stay until such time as something more exciting than mere fly-catching turned up to take their attention.

JUST FOR FUN

“Any animal with four legs,” said the teacher, “is a quadruped; a man is a biped. Now can anyone tell me what a zebra is?” “Yes, miss,” replied a small boy. “A stri-ped.” —TE RUAPARAHA (1 point). “How did you spend that shilling I gave you for taking your medicine, Bob?” “Oh, I bought ninepenny worth of lollies, and gave young Jim the threepence I promised him for taking tho medicine!’’ —JOHN BALLANCE (1 point). Bink: “My wife used to play tho piano before the children came; now she doesn’t have time.” Jink: “Children are comforts, aren’t they P” —TICKLES (1 point). * * * * * Stranger: “I say. is there a man in this vicinity with one leg named Smith ?” Farmer: “Dunno, do you know the name of the other leg?” * * * * * Inspector; “AYhnt is tho lowest form of animal life?” Sammy: “The sponge, sir.” Inspector: “Right, my boy. AYlmt is the highest form of life?” Jimmy (the pride of the class): “The man in the moon, sir.” • * m m * Owner of street stall, suspiciously, to small l>oy: Now, then, what do you want?” Boy: “Oh, nothin’- —I'm just looking at what I would have had if I hadn’t lost the pennv.” ROSEBUD (1 point). * * * * * Booking clerk (at small village station): “You’ll have to change twice l>efore you get to York.” A'illager (unused to travelling) :

“Goodness, and I only brought the clothes I be standing in.” ' A fly was walking with her daughter over the head of a very bald man. She said: “How things change my dear. When I was your age this was only a footpath.” . CIiSTDEItELLA (1 point.)