CHILDREN'S COLUMN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13304, 10 October 1906, Page 9

CHILDREN'S COLUMN.

JACK'S FRIENDS. ' ' " ' [BY WILLIAM BAKER.] Jack's birthday was the last day of October, or. as he, often said, on the " last o' Catober." And maybe it was because Jit was bom on Hallowe'en, wheu fairies coini / from their hiding places and cut up all soiti of pranks, that Jack had thoughts and experiences that all boys do not have.- . ' In the days when Jack played around the < house, before he was old enough; to go to school, he had playmates who were at hand- ■ whenever he wanted them, who joined in games with Jack and, made themselves .very .agreeable. ; .'»- ! ..^.^:-~^; , :'(.:.; '..'■•".. ':..,'. :■' -''-: }'-; ; Jack's; mother made the' acquaintance of 4j these "friends," as; Jack'calledSthem, one j day when she was busy in the kitchen;* and ; ? he was sitting on the diuirigroom floor, near | the window; surrounded by many of his • ' i toys. He was carrying on a conversation, and his mother called out, without stopping her work: -. . , ,„- "Who are you talking to, Jack?" t .,-; But Jack was so interested he did not hear his mother's question, and? coming to the . doorway . connectinfg the : two * rooms, she repeated her inquiry. -Y "Oh! it's Acrick, Jim and Georgia, who have come to play with me, and we are ' having a fine time, mom." . . v After that Jack had regular visits from his house companions, and they had good times together.' The visitors always agreed with Jack's way,of/playing the different fames, and thought that was fine. '.'But Jack's mother noticed that whenever he did anything for which she had to scold him he would declare that he was really not to blame—that Acrick, or Jim, or Georgia had thought of the thing, and that he merely did it because either of the others wanted it done.,. His mother did not like this explanation, and it did not save Jack from '■'"'■:£ many scoldings. ■' One day Jack was lost. ; ■.■„ ; Every little boy gets lost sooner or later, but this was Jack's first time, and there was great excitement around hie home. His mother had~*given him the freedom of the front yard, arid supposed he was playing there or near the house, until she went to call him and learned that ho had not been seen for some time by the children in the neighbourhood; who thought he had,gone in the house. ■ ■ Then Jack's mother became what they call in stories "frantic"; She rushed up and down the street for a while, and, after ' ■ making'-the- neighbours' children run ; into their houses to see if Jack was there, shesent Willie Smith off in one direction and Tommv Dayton in another to hunt for the lost boy. 'Then she ran . into her own house.; ' .', . . .. , . After crying some, and imagining thather boy might have been run over by a trolley "car, or crushed by an ice waggon, _ ; or mangled by an automobile, or trampled under horses' hoofs, or knocked down by a bicycle, Jack's mother rushed out of the house again to notify the police. ' At the corner she met Willie Smith leading Jack. Willie had met a policeman who had found Jack sitting on the edge of the gutter, five blocks from home, enjoying the sccflcrw "■ ,' r " . *'.*'■** ; -:."'* '■-''■.-"'«'".'" &C Jack's mother was so glad to have'htai back safe and sound that she did, not whip him, ' although she gave him a severe .talking to, and asked him. what he meant by, gomg 1 away and giving her so much worry.. , And I Jack- said he didn't * mean anything. He had' been invited to take, a walk with ; Acrick, Jim and Georgia, and he let them take him. - --•-'• r".-i. ■*«, ~ '••'',■ - i-j";.." . Then Jack's mother told him;she;diQnt want any more of his nonsense:about^ some _ _ one else putting him up to things he should not do, and if his three friends did this, he had better find. other company. Some time after this Jack came up to his . mother one day and said he was awful lonesome." ■ " Why, how is that?" > ; ■ ' • * '""Weft, you see, Acrick, and Georgia never come' to see me any more.'^ ."■* * "They don't? I.wonder why. Have you - thought of any reason?" a Jack didn't know of any, unless it v,as because he told them he wouldn t do some things tber wanted him to do. ":"'" - ,'Vt _ : %ere they naughty things?" asked h«smother, quite interested. • ■ /' Jack nodded " Yes. m„>*»» - / ."And you told them you wouldn «■ - > . '■'4 MSHis- :* kissed him ™*>§°^y. m ihatshe knew , he U his tfree friends had &>W as she was sure they were not the StSd of friends for hin/to have and she & he. would soon find • new-house playmates who ? would be just as good comI pariy as the others, and would tell him of only good things to do. ■" ■■■:' She gave Jack more kisses, and he , thought it was fine to have his' mother for / a friend anyway. And when he went to / bed that night Jack wondered, among other /.' things, how the world could ever get along / - , , without mother. *" . I /