WENDY HUT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 20 June 1931, Page 9

WENDY HUT

BOYS OF LONG AGO MORGAN Alor*raii hung about the palace for hours, and at last ho caught sight of the “madman.” All Europe had hom'd of this mail and his crazy theories; ho wandered from court to court, pleading bogging, but no prince would listen to him. Morgan noticed that he walked sadly. King Henry the seventh was yet another who only smiled at his dreams and his wild supplications. Morgan held his breath as the madman came nearer. lie saw a strangely quiet man, clad in a shabby gown edged with fur, carrying a bundle of parchment under his arm. His eyes caused Morgan to tremble. They wore clear and burning with a great hope; they saw neither the dirty street nor the grey sky, but gazed out fearlessly into the unknown. Then Morgan had a vision of spice islands, new worlds, glory—wide magic seas. “Who be the stranger?” asked a woman who was selling fish, when the man passed by. “The Genoese navigator, Christopher Columbus,” whispered Morgan.

“The dreamer who declares he can reach India by sailing away from it!” scoffed the woman. “Pah! Water is full of danger and perchance there is no end to it. To sail round the world is-but a fable!”

Slowly Morgan returned to the dirty ship lying in the Thames, on which he was employed as cookbov. And that night they set sail for Portugal to buy oil and wine. A terrible voyage it was, owing to storm, but Morgan felt none of the hardships because the burning eyes of the Genoese navigator seemed to be with him day and night, and lie too peered into the west —into the sunset —wondering. Oh, would no prince in Christendon give that man a ship with which to test his dreams! Suppose there were spice lands out in the unknown ocean? Suppose there was a way to India round the world, across the unknown seas?

When eventually Morgan readied Portugal lie heard "that Queen Isabella of Spain had taken the madman into her service, supplied him with vessels and money, and that soon lie was about to 'set sail for the unknown. Then Morgan the cookboy wept for very joy, and that night he crept away, risking great dangers, and set out for Palos. If the dreamer could risk the unknown, surely he could find his way in a foreign land. Those burning eyes—he would follow tjiem to the ends of the earth.

Footsore and tattered, Morgan limped into Palos one summer morning, and for three days lie haunted tile port, falling on bis knees when the Genoese

navigator passed by, and holding up Ids hands in supplication. One evening Christopher Columbus bent down and looked into Morgan’s eyes, and there he saw the priceless jewels of faith and courage. With a smile, he pointed to his ship. Morgan the cookboy sailed from Palos on 3rd August, 1492, and in the month of October his eyes rested upon the New World. So great was their joy that Columbus and liis crew fell upon their knees, and they named that first of the spice islands San Salvador.

THE OLIVE BRANCH “Why do so many statues carry a small branch of tree in their hands?” asked the -little questioning princess. “I’ve seen it on all sorts of things — medals, and stamps, and money.” “Oh, that is the olive branch,” replied the oldest of all the nurses. “Olive?” repeated the little princess. “Do olives do anything besides make oil ?”

“They do! Listen: Long ago there was a certain beautiful city of ancient Greece which had no name. Nobody could find a suitable name for so lovely a city, and at last the gods decided to have a great contest: whoever made the most useful gift for the city should have the honour of naming it.” “What sort of things could you make for a city?” asked the little princess.

“I will tell you about the two greatest. The god of the sea created a magnificent war horse, and the goddess of wisdom made an olive tree.”

“You don’t mean to say that a little old olive tree was considered better Ilian a magnificent war horse!” wailed file little princess. “I do,” nodded the oldest of all the nurses. “After much discussion, the gods said that a war horse would only induce the people to fight. But if the olive tree were planted in the city, men would cultivate it and work together in friendly spirit. And so they did. They took the olive as a symbol of peace, and they gave it as a reward to a good citizen. All enemies who eamc to them carrying an olive branch were protected, and all brides wore an olive garland—l don’t know why

we’ve changed it into orange blossom now! So when you see an olive branch anywhere, you know it means peace and prosperity.”

“And what did they call iho city after all?” *

“Athens, because the goddess wlm made the olive tree was named Athena.”

THE BILLY BOYS’ WORKSHOP

MAKING A FOLDING BOOKSTAND

This useful bookstand with folding ends can be made from wood threeeighths of an inch thick. For the base you will require a piece fourteen inches long and six inches wide. Plane this on both sides, and all round the edges, and rub over with glasspaper. As the ends are to be hinged to the base, cut the four recesses marked A with a chisel, after marking the position of the hinges as shown.

For the ends, out two pieces of wood seven indies long and six inches wide. Plane on both sides and edges, and rub all over with glasspaper. Now set your compasses to a radius of two and a half inches, and from the centre line on one piece of wood, make a half circle just touching the top end as shown at B. At a distance of two inches from the top mark two short lines from the sides cutting the semi-circle, as indicated. With a pad-saw cut the top part of the shape required. Finish smooth with a chisel and glasspaper and then, using this as a pattern, mark out the shape of the curved' top on tiie other end. Finish this piece in the same way.

On flic inside of each end piece, near the bottom, little recesses must

be cut to take the other halves of the hinges. To get these recesses in the correct positions, first screw one, leaf of each liii r e in one of the recesses’ in the bascboi cl. Now stand one of the end pieces ii olace, as shown at, G,Sancl carefully in; : on it the position of the othfer lei. of each hinge. Do ’ the same with tl. - other end piece, and then cut out the shallow- recesses with your chisel.

Before finally screwing the ends, in place, fix to each one a circular -flat wooden ornament in the position indicated by the dotted circle in diagram B. if the bookstand is made of ordinary whitewood, it can be finished with varnish stain.—The Hut Carpenter.

OUR SWEET-MAKING CORNER

FRENCH NOUGAT

For this you will require one pound of granulated sugar, the white of one egg, a handful of swebt almonds, and some glace cherries. Drop the almonds into very hot water, remove the skins, and cut the nuts into spikes. Cut each cherry into four pieces. Now put the sugar into a saucepan with a teaspoonful of boiling water, and allow it to dissolve slowly, but do not let the syrup boil. When the sugar has completely melted, remove the saucepan from the fire and stir into the contents the well-beaten white of one egg. Add the almonds and cherries and continue stirring till all is well mixed.

Pour the nougat into a buttered tin, shako or press into shape, and, before it is quite cold, cut it into bars with a very sharp knife which you have dipped in boiling water.

WENDY’S LITTLE DRESSMAKERS

A SMART DRESS AND COATEE

This week we’re going to make a. new dress. Study the picture, and you will see there is a plain little frock with a straight-fitting bodice and a softly flared skirt joined on at the waistline; you’ll make this of blue, green, or pink material. Then there is a loose, straight, sleeveless coat of gay-

flowered cretonne that you can slip on when you want to look specially smart!

The frock itself takes about three yards of material. Cut the bodice like diagram A, making it reach to your waist and lit loosely across your chest; leave enough extra each side for the little sleeves. The skirt is made in two

parts, cut slightly circular, like diagram B. You had better cut the whole thing in newspaper first, to make sure of getting a good fit. Sow up the side seams of both bodice and skirt, hem the skirt edge and bind the neck and sleeves of the bodice. Now you’re ready to join bodice and skirt together. Tack carefully and sew firmly, hiding the join beneath a little waistbelt, which you can make from the hits cut away from the skirt. 'The coatee takes about one and a half yards of cretonne. Fold it lengthways and widthways, and cut like diagram C. Join the side-seams, hem the lower edge, and bind the two fronts. Then cut two square pockets from the pieces you have left over—diagram X—and stitch them in position on the coat.

If you like, you can bind the neck of the frock with strips of the cretonne, and have a cretonne waistbelt instead of a plain one.—Wendy’s Dressmaker.

TINK’S CROSS-WORD PUZZLE

The man we drew last week was, of course, an actor; and the letter was F. If you put F before “actor,” you made t the word “factor” which was bidden in the puzzle. Solution: ACROSS 2. Wealthy.- (Rich). S'. Girl’s name. (Ada). (>: Frozen water. (Ice). 7. Payment for work done. (Wage). 10. Musical note. (La). 12. Concerning. (Rc). 13. Depart. (Go). 14. Hidden word. (Factor). 17. Small pony. (Nag). 18. Deep hole in earth. (Pit). 20. Part of verb ‘to be.’ (Are). 21. Monkey. (Ape). 22. Tov. " (Doll). ‘ DOWN ;l.;Not to succeed! (Fail). 2 Uncooked; (Raw). - 3. Hurry. (Hie). •1. Brave‘man. . . (Hero). -8. Part of ti circle. ’ (Arc). !>. Obtain. (Oct). 11. At a distance. (Afar). 13. Grasp firmly. (Grip). 15. Old. (Aged). 10. Precious stone. (Opal). 17. Short sleep. (Nap). 10. Number. ' (Ten). Here is something a little harder. Notice the arrangement .of the letters sketched beside the puzzle and try to decide which English word they represent as they are arranged. The word is hidden in the puzzle. Clues:—

ACROSS 1. Disorderly crowds. 4. Except. tj. Climbing plant. 7. Strike lightly. T B. Compass point. !). Put; on. 11. Hidden word. 14. Within. 15. Girl’s name (abbreviated). 10. Upon. 17. Require. 18. Combat between two persons. 20. Ocean. 21. Command. 22. Prefix meaning “formerly.” DOWN 1. Person under age. 2. Above. 3. Near. 4. Fruit. 5. To a higher position. 7. \yeight. 9. Loud noise. 10. Part of grammar. 12. Had dinner. 13. Hindu queen. 10. Belonging to us. 18. Perform. 19. French for “the” (masculine)

HOW MANY WENT? Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess, They all wont together to seek a bird’s

nest. They found a bird’s nest with five eggs

in, They all took one and left four in ! Answer : One little girl.