COG STORIES

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6844, 23 February 1929, Page 14

COG STORIES

HUTTEE BOY STIRS UP THINGS. Not a breath of air stirred the jungle. The tall grass stood quite still and the leaves on the trees did not move.

Huttee Boy, the youngest elephant, blew blasts of air through his trunk and made ' ripples ou the grass like waves ou the sea. Then he blew into the trees and set the leaves to dancing. And when he passed any of Ms friends asleep he would tickle their noses. When he came to the river he swam about awhile, spouting the water m every direction. Finally he lay down on the bank and blew the sand over his fat, roly-poly sides. This gave him an idea. He bid behind some bushes and heaped up a big pile of scand. Pretty soon out of the water crawled. Granddaddy Alligator and stretched himself in the 6un. He shut his eyes and was dozing off to sleep when a gust of wind suddenly covered him with dust. He opened one eye and thought: “Some trick about this. I’ll be on the lookout.”

Before long came Mistress Hippo ar.d B'aby Hippo from the bottom of the river.

“Very good, indeed, my dear. You stayed under three minutes tMs time,” Mistress Hippo was saying, when suddenly her face was filled with sand. She snorted: “Not a breath of wind! where did that come from?”

Baby Hippo’s quick eyes caught sight of her pal, Huttee Boy behind the bushes, but she never said a word. She grinned her big hippopotamus smile and winked an eye as she followed Mistress Hippo to a place beside Granddaddy Alligator. Huttee Boy peeped through tho bushes and wiggled the end of his trunk, meaning “Hello!” Baby Hippo crinkled the end of her great nose, which meant “Hello yourself.”

Mistress Hippo saluted Granddaddy Alligator and asked: “Did you sed that gust of sand that blew in my face?” “I did,” replied Granddaddy Alligator. “Do you suppose some monkeys threw it?” asked Mistress Hippo. “I doubt it,” replied Granddaddy Alligator and shut Ms eyes. And the daintily tripped the pretty little fawn to the edge of the water. She stood for a few minutes looking about with her lovely eyes, before low-' ering her graceful head to drink, j Granddaddy Alligator peered through] half-closed eyes and Mistress Hippo stared into the tree tops to see if a cloud of dust greeted the little fawn, but not a speck! But Baby Hippo was not surprised that- no dust greeted the little fawn, for she knew that to Huttee Boy this was the sweetest, daintiest dearest little creature in all the jungle. I Finally the Kangaroo twins, Kangar and Garoo, came galloping to tho river j for a drink. A blast of sand came out] of the still air and struck them. They] jumped almost to the tree tops in their! surprise. This made Huttee Boy laugh so hard] that everybody heard him. They formed a ring about, him—Granddaddy

Alligator, Mistress Hippo, Baby Hippo, Kangar and Garoo —and they wouldn’t let him out till he said “Forgive me, please.” “And why did you di it?” snapped Granddaddy Alligator. “Everything was so still, I just had to stir up things,” replied Huttee Boy, with his funny little three-cornered elephant smile.

NONSENSE RHYMES. The “Nightmare” is tho only possible title for one strange animal with “a porcupine’s head and a peacock's tail,” that hp.d the peculiarity of running “by "wireless on a single rail, with two green rats for stokers.” Horses, we are told, have fore-legs and two in the rear—that’s six—all told; while “the pig is a pig and a terrible glutton, he makes good pork, not beef nor mutton! ”

“Rippefity Pippet and Foppetty Poo” is an example of the nonsense rhyme at its best:— “We’re going for a walk without our feet To the top of the town that has no street We’ro spreading some butter without any bread For a poor old beggar who has no head.' Wc won’t go to bed till it strike: fifteen, And the lights turn black and the fire turns green.”

FLOSS—THE OLD BEOWN MAKE. Floss was the old mare that carried Bart and Davey and little John to school. Floss’s back was strong and large so that all three could seat themselves quite comfortably upou it, Bart and Davey astride and John sitting sideways because his legs wigc not long enough to stretch across tne wide expanse of the old mare’ back. When they reached the school, they would unbridle Floss and let her wander at will in the bush; she never went too far away and was always within “coo-eo” when 4 o’clock came and it was time to go home. If one or other of the children had to say after school hours and repeat their lessons over again, Floss would not budge from the schoolyard, eveu though the two childrep on her back would sometimes urge her to start for home. No there must be three children before Floss would move.

One day just before Christmas, when the teacher was very busy getting ready for the school Christmas tree, she said to Bart: “You are the biggest boy in my class. I wish you would stay and help me nail up the decorations. I will drive you over in my buggy afterwards. ’ ’

Of course Bart said he would be delighted to stay and help, but when it came to sending Floss homo with the other two children it was quite a different matter. Coax as they would she would not go without Bart. Mother will wonder where we have gone,’’ Davey said, as he tried and tried to get the old mare to move onward.

It was getting late, and dusk was commencing to fall; there is no twilight in the up-country districts of Australia ,and night comes on very quickly in the bush. “Well,’’ said the teacher, at last, “Bart musn’t stay and help me after all; he will have to go homo with you instead. ’ ’ <

Then Bart thought of a good idea. ‘ ‘ Suppose we send Floss home with a note to mother,’’ He suggested, “saying that we are all staying here to help you with the decorations, and that you will drive us back later.’’ “But will Floss go alone?’’ asked the teacher. The two children clambered down from Floss’s back and Bart tucked the message to his mother under Floss’s bridle. She seemed to know instantly what was required of her, and when i Bart led her out the school gate on to the road home, she trotted down it at a fast pace. The children returned to the schoolhouse and spent a busy time nailing up decorations and hanging the presents on the tree. Just as they were finishing they heard a noise outside and a whimpering neigh. “I do believe that Floss has come bsck, ” said little John. And sure enough it was. So the three children went home on her back after all, instead of in their teacher’s buggy. And when they arrived home their mother told them that Floss would not go into her paddock for the night—that she neighed and whimpered until the sliprails were taken down and then she trotted along the road to school again as fast as she could.

PLAY THE GAME. In no place in the world has individual character more weight than at a public school. Remember this, I beseech, you, all you boys who are passing into the upper forms. Now is the time in all your lives, probably, when you may have more wide influence for good or evil on the society you live in than you can ever have again. Quit yourselves like men, then; speak up, and strike out, if necessary, for whatsoever is true, and manly, and lovely, and of good report; never try to be popular, but only do your duty, and help others to do theirs, and you may leave the tone of feeling in the school higher than you found it, and so be doing good, which no living soul can measure, to generations of your countrymen yet unborn. —Tom Brown’s School Days.

GARDEN RIDDLES. Why is a tree always polite ?—Because it has boughs (bows). Why is a garden like a deliberately unkind remark? —Because there is offence (a fence) at the back of it. What is pollen?—What BB CC (bees 6eize),

H-ow many letters of the alphabet can you find in the garden?—B (bee), P (pea), U (you). Why is the Union Jack flying at the bottom of tie garden on the King’s birthday like an elected Member of Parliament? —Because they are berth at the top of the pole (poll). What garden path is silly?—A crazy path. Why is a rose in spring like a highwayman?—Because it shoots.

“THOSE WHO TRUST.” I will be true, for thero are those who trust me; I will bo pure, for there are those who care; I will bo strong, for there is much to suffer; I will be brave, for there is much to dare; I will' be a friend to all—to foe, to friendless; I will be giving, and forget the gift; I will be humble, for I know my weakness; I I will look up and laugh and love and '■ live. —By Rev. H. A. Walter, who died in Lahore, in 1918.

What is the difference between an oak tree and a pair of old boots? One gives acorns and ono gives corj aches.