The WENDY HUT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 20 June 1936, Page 10

The WENDY HUT

LONG AGO STORIES

PUNCH AND JUDY

"Ar.c\ there's to be a Punch and Judy show,” said Jane excitedly, dancing on tip-toes, waving in her hand an invitation io a party. (j "Ah, a Punch and Judy show, murmured Grandmother, smiling at the little dancing figure.. “I remember, when I was your age “Were there Punch and Judy shows when you were young, Grannie:' interrupted Jane. "I thought “You thought they were something new, specially invented for you. I suppose?” nodded Grandmother. “Well. lei. me tell you that they are hundreds of years old and no one knows exactly when, or by whom, they were invented. “Some people say,” went on Grandmother, “that the show is derived from an old mystery play which was acted all over England in the Middle Ages. In those days, you see, stages were like the Punch and Judy boxes of to-day—only on a large scale, because living actors played on them —and they were carried about the country and set up in front of churches and in inn yards. “Other folk say that a famous Roman play actor, called Marcus, was the original Punch. A statue of Marcus the Mime was discovered in 1727, and the long nose, goggle eyes, hunch back and protruding chest are remarkably like those of Punch.”

“And the dresses?” asked Jane ; eagerly, “have they changed in all 5 these years?” “The costumes of our Punch and Judy,” replied Grandmother, “are Elizabethan and no one has tried to account for the fact that they have never changed much. Perhaps they ' left sc deep a mark on the minds of 2 the people that fashion could not in-

: fluence them and they grew to be a tradition.” “The figures arc funy,” chuckled Jane, “I think I could never grow tired of watching them and laughing at 1 them.” ■ “And yet,” murmured Grandmother, “the real story is not funny. It is attributed to Silvio Fiorillo, an Italian comedian and, although it looks simple enough, it contains many double meanings. In a violent fit of jealousy, Punch kills his child. His wife, Judy, in her grief and rage, belabours her husband and he, wild' with fury, kills her, too. Then he throws her and the child into the street, where they are found by the policeman. Punch has to fly for his life when the policeman enters his house, but he is arrested by an officer of the Inquisition and put into prison. He escapes, however, by means of a golden key. Punch now stands for a man suffering from his own misdeeds, paying for them, and eventually discovering that he is able to overcome practically anything if he so wills it.” Grandmother went on with her knitting and Jane stood looking down at her, a puzzled frown on her round face. “I didn’t think about the story,” she said at last, “It is sad, not funny.” “Most children think the antics of the quaint little couple very funny indeed,” replied Grandmother. “In her memoirs, Queen Victoria wrote that one of the red-letter days of her childhood was when her uncle called a Punch and Judy show to play in the garden and, for the first time in her quiet life, she saw it.” “I expect she forgot the sad part and only saw the funny side,” remarked Jane. “I expect so,” Grandmother agreed. lIOW TO MAKE A TEA COSY To make a Dutch Girl tea cosy, like the one sketched, you will need two pieces of checked gingham, 14 inches wide and 10 inches deep, for the outside of the cosy, which forms the skirts; two pieces, the same size, in plain blue, for the lining; an oddment of flesh-coloured fabric for the face and body; some white muslin for the apron and cap; a scrap of bright coloured material for the shawi; a skein of yellow wool for the pigtails, , and half a yard of unbleached cotton wadding for the padding. Cut two pieces of the fiesh-coloui'ed cotton to the shape shown in diagram A, and join them together, leaving an opening at the lower end so that you turn the bag right side out. Stuff tightly with little pieces of cut rag, making the head especially nice and round, then sew up the opening. Work the features with appropriately coloured wools, then cut the yellow skein of wool in halves and make them into plaits, which you must fasten on either side of the face. Make two white musiin sleeves from two pieces of material four inches long and five inches wide. Join the short sides, gather up the top edges, and sew one to each side of the body. Now make two little hands: cut four pieces of pink material, like diagram 3, join two together on three sides, turn right side out, stuff firmly, sew up the opening and insert the hand inside the end of one sleeve. Gather up the lower edge of the sleeve to grip the hand and sew together. Do the same with other two hand pieces and sleeve.

Diagram C shows the shape of the outer and inner portions of the actual cosy. Cut two gingham shapes, two linings, and two pieces of wadding. Join the pairs together along the curved sides, leaving the lower edges unjoined and a little space at the top

through which the body can be inserted. Turn the gingham pieces right side out and slip them over the linings, with the wadding between. Slijb stitch the lower edge of the outer cover under on to the lining, as invisible as you can. Push the body into the opening at the top of the cosy and sew firmly.

Add an apron made from a piece of muslin, eight inches wide and six inches deep, gathered into a ribbon

A Tea Cosy To-day Dressmaker tells you how to make a tea cosy which looks like a little Dutch girl. band. The cap is a strip of muslin, four inches wide and eight inches long. Gather one long edge, pull up to make a cap-shape, hem the other edges, and stitch to the head. Twist a little red-and-white spotted cotton square, folded cornerwise round the shoulders for a shawl. —Wendy’s Dressmaker. BILLY BOYS’ WORKSHOP BOOT AND SHOE CLEANING BUFFET This week I am giving instructions for making a useful boot and shoe cleaning stool with a box top. Cut the sides from three-eighths inch plywood, and the other parts from planed packing case wood, half an inch Thick. Mark out the two sides to the dimensions given in diagram A, saw these to shape, cut away the curved parts with a pad-saw, and smooth the edges with a rasp. The bottom of the box, B, is ten inches square, and the shelf, C, is ten inches wide and twelve and a half inches long. Nail these parts between the sides, in t'he positions indicated in diagram A. The front edge of the part B must be planed at a corresponding angle to the front edges of the side pieces.

Cut the front and back of the boxto fit nicely'between the sides, and nail them in place. Plane the top edge at an angle so that it comes flush with the top edges of the sides and back. The top is twelve inches, by nine and a half inches and one of the long sides is hinged to the back of the box. Cut two slots in the top edge of

“Billy Boys’ Womsnoy This week’s lesson is on making a boot anil shoe cleaning buffet.

this part to take one-half of ..each hinge, as at D, and make similar slots in the back of the lid to take | the other halves of the hinges, so that when these are screwed in place the lid will rest on the sides all round. Make the boot rest from two \ pieces of half-inch wood cut to the I dimensions given in diagram E. -Nail ‘ them together and fix them in the centre of the hinged lid with two screws driven in from underneath. If preferred, each end of the boot rest can be rounded, instead of left square. The finished buffet can be painted or varnish-stained. —The Hut Carpen-.. ter. ■ •• j WHY A RED CROSS? j Everyone knows that a red cross on a white ground is the symbol of those 1 who look after the wounded in battle, ■ but not everyone knows why it is a red cross. L

The cross is a compliment to Lie country of the man who first pointed out the great need for someone to look after wounded soldiers. This man was a Swiss, named Henri Dunant, and the reel cross is simply the Swiss flag—a white cross on a red ground—reversed: If you are a stamp-collector you nan see the Swiss flag on many of the country’s stamps. Before Henri Dunant told people, in a famous book, how terribly wounded men suffered, nobody seemed to think about it. But after the book appeared representatives of many nations met in Switzerland and agreed that special medical services should be started. This being settled, it was thought only right that Dunant and his country should be honoured in some way for what had been done and the red cross on the' white ground became the Recognised flag of the merciful service. Nowadays, every nation has its Red Cross service. The reason why a religious order known as the Knights of St. John is so closely '-onhectecl With the movement is that, in 1852, this ancient order was extended into an Order of Knights specially, devoted to hospital service.

TJNK’S CROSS-IVORD PUZZLE Solution to last week’s puzzle:— ACROSS 1. A musical instrument. (Flute). 6. Another musical instrument which will “groan.” (Organ). D. Kind of tub. v (Vat). 11. Limbs from “Mars.” (Arms). 12. Flower or a girl’s name. (Iris). I’3. Hotels. (Inns). 15. These are not true. (Lies). 18. A small mark or a girl’s name abbreviated. (Dot). 19. Great Indian river. (Indus). 21. A popular musical instrument. (•Piano). DOWN 2. “King ” a Shakespeare play, may be “real.” (Lear). 3. Preposition. (To). 4. Period. (Era). 5. Demand persistently, may be “it sins.” (Insist). 7. 21 across may be this kind. (Grand). 8. Part of verb “to be.” (Am). 9. Musical instruments played with a bow. (Violin). ?0. Weary. (Tired). 14. Mid day. (Noon). 16. Within. (In). 17. Half a meal. (Sup). 20. A musical note “is” back. (Si). Now try this one. Clues: — ACROSS 1. Kind of fuel. 4. A boy. 6. Team in a game. 7. You can make this from the letters in 1 across. !). Every one. 11. Famous Scottish river. 32. Not bright. 14. Girl’s name. 15. Something to eat. 18. Word made from the letters in 6 across. 39. Before. 20. Two horses harnessed together—word made from letters in 15' across. DOWN 1. A favourite. 2. A serpent. 3. To bind. 4. Metal. 5. Valley—from letters in 4 down. 8. In the midst of. 10. Girl’s name. 12. A lady. 13. Word from letters in 12 down. : 15. Came face to face. 16. Compass point. 17. Boy’s ljame —abbreviated.