Big Sister’s Page

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 50, 26 January 1933, Page 5

Big Sister’s Page

BIG SISTER’S LETTER. Dear Brothers and Sisters, ’ What do yon think? I have a little mouse in my hand; 1 didn’t think I would Have the courage to pick him up, but he looked so tunny and helpless as he tried to scramble out of a pile of string that I just couldn’t let him go on getting “tanglier and tanglier.” So I have him in one hand —but oh, how frightened he is 1 The little heady eyes are Tound and scared, and his little pink “hands” are clutched together in a perfect agony of fear. His sides are heaving, and two rows of tiny white teeth are bared naughtily. There, iittlo mouse —I won’t hurt you—but he doesn’t know how fortunate he is that I am not a cat, or a man with heavy boots! If you only knew, little fellow, what a menace you and your numerous kind are to Man, and what damage you can do I Why, were not your cousins the rats indirectly responsible for the disappearance of all those children who followed the gay Pied Piper? (But perhaps that is a mythl) Perhaps, little mouse, you are the one who raided Mrs “Next-Door’s” pantry last night—who knows? Or perhaps it is you who disturbs Pussy’s slumbers with your scamperings and squealings behind the wainscoting—poor, overfed Pussy, who cares nothing for mice, except as rather noisy “disturbers of the peace.” Naughty mouse —shall I kill you? Oh, but how? No, I must not weaken —you are a “dangerous customer.” But oh, dear me, I don’t think I am brave enough to do it! I look down at the wee thing—there he is, not so frightened now. He blinks his eyes with faint interest, and now his wee paws are curled round my finger. How pretty he looks with his head on one side! There, mousie—no one saw me; I dropped him gently out of the window on to the lawn. And I’m sure he winked his beady eye at me as he scurried away under the withered leaves! I’m quite sure,

though, that my Brothers and Sisters would have done the same thing.

How is the Competition progressing? The subject lor the seniors is “A Spring Morning,” and 1 want to see how many of you can, during this hot weather, recall that there are such tilings as soft spring zephyrs, dewtipped daffodils, and grass the colour of an amethyst. Well, try. The junior subject is “A Day by the Seaside,” and will not be very hard to imagine at present. Remember, the closing date is January 31st, and points, instead of marks, will be awarded. Do your best; and I hope everyone will attempt it. Good luck, all, and love fr ° m BIG SISTER.

G.P.O. LETTERS TO RIG SISTER. BUTTON: I am very sorry to hear your sister is ill, and l hope she soon gets better. I’m sure you will have a jolly time at Piimmerton if you go to the picnic. Did you win any prizes at the sports? It must have been interesting to watch all the events. . . LONE STAR RANGER: I enjoyed reading your letter very much so full of news. Your garden sounds very inviting with its array of Iceland poppies, roses and pansies. Poppies are such dainty things, and they make such a splendid show. Your verso was very nice, and quite wellbalanced. Thank you also lor the other contributions. THE CUB: Are you quite better now ? 1 hope so. lam pleased you and Topping like your books —yes, it is a good idea to “exchange” books, for you get more to read than otliciwise. 1 was greatly amused at the cat’s new name —“Middy Mussenbyte.” I wonder wliat it-will he next week? Love to you, my Sister. TE lIA UP Alt AH A: Oh, how warm it must have been haymaking! And yet it must be fun, too, tossing the sweet, goldy hay about. The ram came as a great relief. / .I.hank you for your friendly letter, and those useful contributions. The paragraph about the ants was most interesting fney are such intelligent insects. You did very well in your school examine tions last year, and I hope you keep up your standard in 1933. TUI: Such a lot of news in your letter, Tui. You seem to be bavino" a very nice holiday, too. Baby frogs are sweet, arn’t they? \Ve once had one called hhp t] ie Frog”—but yours is called lip. Could you send me a sample of both voo.s, Tui ? I doubt if 1 could match them otherwise. Much love, little Sister. MOTHER’S HELP: Next time you come to see me 1 hope we shall have a nice long talk, Sister. Thank you very much for coming. xou must be fond of reading, since you have so many books. Books are such friends, aren’t they, Sister? And it is nice to keep every one of them, even if you have read every word. lam sure your friend is enjoying the holiday with you. Love to you, Mother’s Help. . WILD LILAC: I have received vour c'-'-y ' ’ -"t-v. very neatly

written. I can see you are going to be a very keen little new Sister. My love to you, Wild Lilac.

A CHATTY LETTER.

To Rauparaha writes as follows to Big Sister, in friendly strain: —Haymaking is ’ completed after a week’s work. The days were terribly hot and mado us all thirsty. I have not been away these holidays, but I may go to Wellington in a few months’ time. 1 have spent some time making a model sailing boat, but it does not behave to perfection in windy weather. I will have to put a new keel on it to give it better balance. I like all kinds of work such as making boats, etc. I have made mother a palm stand and a fire-screen, and a book-case for myself. We have had some very hot days lately, but as I sit writing this I can hear the low muttering of the thunder and the pleasant pitter-pat of the rain on the roof. We need it. Everything is drooping in the flower and vegetable gardens for the want of a refreshing shower —and to cool the atmosphere as well. Only three more weeks’ holiday before school starts. We have had five already. I am looking forward to school again, although I would like to gel a job. Last year, I came eighth in a class of 26, and in some subjects there were 52 in the class, and in the subjects I came 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th. This year I will feel more confidant in my work as there will not be a great dilference in it. FROM THE VINE TO THE BOX. Raisins, as you know doubtless, are dried grapes. But the raisin-grape is of a peculiar kind. They are picked, and must be dried out-of-doors. When the grapes are ripe, the bunches of the best grapes are very large. These are laid on wooden trays. When the grapes on one side are dried, they are inverted on another tray, as the raisins that are handled least are best. When

dried, which involves watching - the trays and tipping them to catch the sun as much and long as possible, they are put in boxes, and m these ooxes taken to the packing-houses. Now a sorting process begins. This gives employment to many people. It is said that in the harvest, or gathering season, miles of wagons pass over the roads, laden with ■ grapes and raisins. The children have so many of these to eat that they do not stop to pick up the bunches that fall from the wagons.

The best raisins are packed in wooden boxes of sierra-wood, and the paper and decoration used on them improve every year. The making of the boxes and of the decorations gives employment to many people.

ORIGINAL VERSE. “MOONLIGHT.” (By Lone Star Ranger, 1 point). Moonlight on the waters, The waves with white foam curled; And in the golden background— A ship with sails unfurled: Moonlight on the forest, Where stately kauris loom ; And ’mid the leafy treetops. Is the gorgeous rata bloom. Moonlight on the orchard On the “ivy covered” home; That is the finest picture Whor’ere you chance to roam. A HINT. TENNIS RACQUET RENOVATION. If your tennis racquet strings are dry and need a reviving varnish apply the following : ljozs. shellac; Joz gum sandarac; two teaspoonsful castor oil; half a pint of methylated spirits. Mix the oil and methylated spirits. Pour the solids through a paper funnel into a dry, wide-mouth-ed jar or bottle, and stir or shake until dissolved. Pour .off the clear liquid and paint the strings of the racquet back and front. Then hang up when dry. Once or twice a week wipe the racquet with a soft cloth dipped in paraffin. —TE RAUPARAHA (1 Point). ARE BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS? BUTTON wants to know if black and white are known as colours. _ According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, there are various pairs of colours which, when taken together in correct proportions, produce whito. Such pairs of colours may be a red light and a bluish green light, in scientific proportions, or a combination of yellow and blue lights. There are : other ways of producing white by the mingling of light rays, but while the result (white) may not be called a colour, it is composed of colours. Black, however, is an absence of all colour, as, having absorbed completely the light of all vaave-lengths, it throws back no light, and appears dark. So, strictly speaking, black and white are not colours.

GRAMMARIME. A Noun’s the name of anything As money, man, boy, top or swing; The time we waste, the song wo hear, The love we feel, or darkness drear.

An Adjective modifies a noun: This, that, two, four, good, bad or brown.

Three common little words we see, Are Articles: a, an and the.

Instead of no.uns the Pronouns stand, As I, you, he, my hat, her hand, Who, which, what, that—another kind Of pronouns, we must bear in mind.

Verbs tell of something being done, As road, write, spell, love, sit, or run; Or is, was, will be, will have been, Are verbs that often may be seen.

How things are done the Adverbs tell, As slowly, quickly, ill or well; They also tell us where and when, As here and there or now and then.

A Preposition stands before A noun, as near, or to, the store; Around the house, upon the stove, Or in, or through, or past, the grove.

Conjunctions join the words together, As rain and sunshine, wind or weather; And they may sentences unite ? As kittens scratch, but puppies bite.

An Interjection shows surprise, As Oh! how pretty, Ah! how wise! Indeed; Ha! ha! and now for fun, Hurrah! Hurrah! my lesson’s done. (Ida Kays, in the Pathfinder.) IN THE KITCHEN. EASTERN - NOU GAT. Ingredients required are 4ozs of white sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls of cold water, a small teaspoon of desiccated coconut, 1 finely chopped fig, and half teaspoonful of lemon juice. Melt the sugar and water over a slow heat; stir and boil till a little sets in cold water. Sprinide the coconut over the bottom of a greased tin, add lemon-juice and fig and stir in. Pour into the tin and mark out when nearly set. —MOTHER’S HELP (1 point). VANILLA CREAMS. Ingredients required: White of one egg (not beaten); half the quantity of tlie white in water, vanilla flavouring. Stir the egg and water together and add the flavouring. Add icing sugar till it is easy to shape into little balls. Put a piece of dried walnut at the tops and bottoms and leave for 24 hours to dry. You can vary the taste of the creams by adding different flavourings. —MOTHER’S HELP (1 point). A STORY FOR THE LITTLE ONES. GOOSE-GlftL ANNA. One day, many years ago, there was great excitement on a little island in the Zuyder Zee. A foreign princess was coming to visit the island. Anna, the little goose-girl, was the most excited of all, for she had been chosen to hand a bouquet to the royal visitor.

Each day, as she looked after her geese, she would pick a bunch of field flowers, then with this as a bouquet she would practise her curtsey, bending low and saying, “Welcome to our island, Your Royal Highness.” Then the great day came. All the islanders were gathered round the quay, and in the distance could _ be seen the boat bringing the visitor. Little Anna, with the bouquet clutched tightly in her hand, was repeating her speech nervously, not noticing that it had all gone wrong. “Welcome to our highness, Your Royal Island,” she was saying again and again. A cheer went up as the Princess stepped off the boat, leading her little dog, a fat pekinese. Everyone was so busy gazing at her that no one noticed Anna’s geese.

Their gate had been left open, and they had waddled up to her, thinking it was time to be fed. Suddenly the geese saw the strange dog and flew towards it with outstretched liecivS, hissing furiously. The pelcinese gave one frightened yap, and fled. ‘‘Help!” cried the Princess, and she Tan down the road after her little dog, with the geese hissing and flapping after them. Anna ran too. She caught them up just as the Princess and the pekinees took shelter behind a farm gate. “Quick!” said Anna, thrusting the bouquet into the Princess’s hand, “take this, and I’ll drive the geese off.” Soon the crowd had collected again round the Princess, and someone stepped forward and said, “Welcome to our island, Your Royal Highness.” But it was not Anna. She was in the field with her geese, weeping bitterly becauso she had just remembered that her only speech to, the Princess was “Quick! take this.” “Oh dear, oh dear!” she sobbed. 1 never did my beautiful curtsey at all.” She looked sadly at her geese, the cause of all the trouble, but they were quite happy. They had rather enjoyed chasing the silly little fat dog, and did not know a princess from a goose-girl.

JUST FOR FUN. On Christmas morning little Tom found a box of paints in his stocking and was so delighted that he set to work instantly. , “What are you painting, Tom ? asked his mother.

“Heaven,” answered Tom. i “Good gracious,” gasped his mother,

“you mustn’t paint that. Nobody knows what heaven looks like.” “They will, though,” returned the youthful artist confidently, “when 1 get this finished.” m * * * * “Well, Jack, how are you getting on with your French?” “Fine, 'uncle, thanks. We get really interesting bits to translate now, like: ‘My kind uncle never allows Christmas to pass without giving mo a present!’ ” * * * * « Short-sighted Father: ‘‘l bate to complain on Christmas morning, my dear, but I must say this ham is really terribly tough.” Wife, “Why, Walter, that isn’t the ham—you’re eating those pretty pink and white slippers that mother sent mo for Christmas!” JOHN BALLANCE (1 point). * * * * * Teacher: “Can anyone give me a sentence with ‘attack’ and ‘heroes’ in it?” Small pupil: “A man sat on a tack, and he rose quickly.” Friend: “Jove, that’s a striking tie! What are the colours —Old Boys?” Jones (wearing wife’s choice) : “No —the old girl’s.” LONE STAR RANGER (1 point).