FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15501, 7 January 1914, Page 10

FOR THE CHILDREN.

AFTER THE PICNIC.

"Mother says wa may Have tea by th» dell to-day, only - we must, put our cost* on," announced Dottie, bursting into the room where her sister sat,reading. Oh, Eow lovely," cried Cissie, jumping up, and both the gills' ran to get their tilings on. '* '''■" Though it was only early Bummer it really was quite warm and nice on the edge of the delL Mother boiled the kettle on a spirit stove placed in the hollow of an old tree which had rotted out near the ground, while the girls unpacked the basket. Then they sat on a fallen tree and had their tea. After tea the girls gathered a lovely bunch of primroses, dog-violets, stitchwerix wood anemones, and bluebells, and then home they went across the fields as the sun was setting, two very happy little girls. And so the del), and all around it wa» still and quiet once more, you think; bat wait—dusk was failing softly, silently, and there was a fluttering :nise in the hollow tree, and aoon a large owl fluttered and flopped down through the tree on to the spot where the spirit stove had stood. '' Oh, dear me," said the owl in a weak .voice, ".I feel so funny, I feel so funny, I feel—" " Well, you needn't repeat it any more," said a blackbird on a branch overhead. "What's made you feel funny?" The owl made an effort to recover and look his usual dignified self again, but it was rather a failure. Then ho looked up at the blackbird and blinked his great round eyes, and blinked, and blinked. " Don't wink at me like that," said the blackbird sharply, "it makes me quite giddy." "I feel so funny, I feel— began the owl again, and then added in a great hurry, "I'm sure I shall scream!" "Well, don't," said the other bird, "for you kept me awake nearly all lastnight by making a noise." "I think I shall please myself," returned the owl in a dignified manner, for jhe had now nearly recovered. " That horrid, stifling smell," he added, shuddering, coming from a little bit of light those people put in my tree, oh, dear!" and the owl flew away silently. "What!" said the blackbird aloud, to himself, "that means crumbs; there are always some crumbs about when those people bring that light. I'll have a look in the morning, for it's too dark now," and he sighed and went to sleep. " Crumbs," echoed a tiny voice at the foot of the tree; " who said crumbs? I wonder if there are any about. I'll have a look," and a mouse ran hither and thither searching for hi? supper. Such a lot of crumbs he found. They were the remains of Dollie's cake, and made a grand supper for Mr. Mouse. A rabbit peeped out of the undergrowth and thumped loudly with his back feet, then he ran out and seized a lettuce >.af 1 Cissie had dropped at tea time, and ran ' ii to the wood as'ain. " He need not, have thumped," said a [ moth to itself as it sucked away at a piece of sugar, moistened by the dew into a sweet drop of liquid. "there's no one here now to be afraid of," and it went on sucking. " Buzz, buzz," and a queen wasp settled herself for the night between the ivy stems covering the fallen tree, " what a fine piece of paper those people have left there. I shall chew up rome of that to make my nest with to-morrow," and it buzzed agaii in satis fa-ction, and went to sleep.