FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15548, 4 March 1914, Page 12

FOR THE CHILDREN.

■ '. ... -. .-.-■- • - - ■. mm MASTER -FREDDIE'S PETS. 1 Fbeddie was in bed and peacefully. dream- II ing wjjen he. heard his , favourite Teddy; I Bear talking to the Golly-wpg. In a mo- - ment Freddie was wide awake and listen- K| ing to the conversation.. " Yes," said tho -; bear, "I am .-Jways in. demand now, my. -•& little master £ very proud of mo; he'-l always shows.me to all his friend?. Yon, •Mister Golly-irog—well, you are ,just left ;>, alone in the corner- of the ; nursery.-- cup- 5 i board. Ha! ha!" ;'.,/., r -."- _ ;/ |

. Could that really be his : darling Teddy" J Bear talking 1 ! thought Freddie. So. nursa.?'? was -wrong after all, 'histoys could speak! Well, he had always thought so. And, oh, ;'" \ dear, his poor golly-wog; why had ho left 1 it all alone on that dusty old shelf for so y long. How wicked he was. To-morrow l»':,i would play with it. But, listen, what | was- the . black-haired, black-faced golly- ', • wcg saying?; Why, he was,ta|kiEg to Dob- | bin, the big rocking-horse." - -. 1 "Dobbin," he % was saying, "are you awake? Listen to me! Ever since that j horrid Teddy Bear came we have been neglected.. Oh, I do hate him so, with \ his stuck-up airs ; he thinks he is the head .. ...-■ of the -nursery." "Yes," answered Dobbin, who had been a great favourite before the bear came, .) " I don't like Mister Bruin at aIL He . > thinks he is everybody." ■% ' "And now I am always left alone," .".' chimed in Mister Golly- " But before you" came, bruin, I was the favourite. , Master Freddie just adored me, far more than he dees you. But just wait till he . gets a new A toy, and then you will ■ also be discarded."

' " OS; no," replied bruin, " I am far. too beautiful and too nice for my little master to get tired of me, but if I had a big black face like you, well, I should soon be pa* at the back of the shelf." And Mister Bruin marched "proudly across the nursery floor to his den. ' " Oh," said the poor old Gally-wog with tears in bis eyes,." Ido wish that my face would change, and-then perhaps my little master would play with me, tlen Mister Bruin would not be so concerned." " Never mind, Golly-wog," broke in the : big Rocking Horse, " you and I have m*de many little children very happy, but I do hope that we sha'n't be sold to some other master, because, although we are now ig- ': nored, at one time wo were the pride of the nursery." , .'. v, ; "Well, what 'about me?" said the old 'M •Bag Doll. " Once upon a time I was ; beloved by everybody, but now for many ; | years no one has ever mentioned my name. | But don't worry— I had done, why, my m poor old sawdust heart would have broken. -| years ago.;,, lake some advice from an I older person, don't worry." "% : "Now, now!" cried the Man in the Moon, who had been gazing in at the win- M and had overheard the conversation. |l "Take the old Rag DctU's advice and §§ -Don't worry.'; Your little master will® soph'get tired 'of the Teddy Bear, and you '$| wjll once more be, the favourites. Don't M let me hear you talking anynsdre, or else® you win 1 wake Master Freddie. away pi to bed, and if-there is any more grumbling,'Kft I shall not look -after,you in future, soWi good night." r^ffl M "Oh, thought Freddie," who was very ; tender-hearted, " I will never again desert ." : : my old friends for the new." And with. : that thought: fie "lay down And fell fast . asleep, .