FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15864, 10 March 1915, Page 10

FOR THE CHILDREN .

■•» THE VICIOUS SNOW-MAN. Vl V —. '% It was a most'.welcome change from sleet "-'"<te to snow, and the boys were delighted ; Harry and Billy Lee went out and gate- "'Veered largo handfuls as the feathery snow- "vif flakes fell, and they wished there -ffag r enough of it to start making a snow-man '" "' ' ''- at once. ! '%■**? "It will come to-night!" said Harrr '*" • "and to-morrow we'll 'have a go.'" " •.* In tho morning they saw quite { our ■*•% inches of clean, dry snow over the field : across the way, while neat little heaps '"'^" were piled on both sides of the street on ' the way to tho town. '? , "Let's make a 'snow-man,' Harry I">' -.. said Billy, for tho twentieth tim& '","'.,; " Who said 'snow-man?'" showed at-: sturdy-looking boy of twelve, as be came ■'.<.' rushing up behind them with & snowball '■■-"''■ A in his hand. * ■■'-■'■■ ~ " I did replied Billy. "And m don'iv,f ; 4 want you in it either, do we Harry?" fei^l "You bet we don't," said Harry, frown-' §|f 'H ing at the boy from next door, with whom ' they had lately had a quarrel. -Jjpty " Well, nobody wants to," said .Bob'V; Walker. "But I'll bet you a new pair of'"~; . skates wo fellows can make a betterlooking snow-man than you can!" •'"• ■■ "Agreed!" said Billy. "Come' on, ".' Harry. We'll make ours on the -bank by -*. • the house, and he'll be a beauty, too,' when V ' we've done with him." ..'>'."'" "--'- In a few minutes the competition had ~ begun. Bob Walker had found five or six of his chums to help him, and for some. . hours both sides worked most industri- xl ously. But although so many carried and , ~> ' fetched and ran for Bob, his snow-man .'- did not grow as steadily as the one the' y Lee boys were making, in spite' of the'-.' fact that there were only two of them for. V; 1 .-', it. " Why, Harry, you are quite an artist," > said Billy Lee, eyeing the '.man* which Harry was shaping with such- skill and §plf| care. .. "I'm not doing it alone," said Harry, although, in fact, it was his, workmanshipthat made the " snow-man" look so ferv human. / Now and then the. boy 3 from over the *'' \ way came to have a peep at Harry's handiwork, and they cast envious glances '',' '' as they'saw that it was far better than' -\ •% their, own. It was quite obvious that V"-*? Bob's gang were going to be badly beaten fMM in the competition, both in S time ' and * : ssjM quality. V.' ',v,'.'';;v-V--'.i' r -•■'-' ?&m After a while Bob himself came to look and to criticise. It was quite true what'..'„.. J|| the boys had told him. "Why, Harry, . the old thing looks, just like.you!" .'he. shouted. ,1 "ihank yon!" replied Harry, without iXstopping to turn round. "That is the, .. way I meant him to look, so T suppose he-v;' J| isn't bad." ' -';C\>\ : ,■ " "It's right," whispered Billy.?" It' • '> does look , uncommonly like you, Harry!"- • l ,y And Harry laughed and went on with the work. j At four o'clock the boys over tiew4yg|p||| had become discouraged. * They carried snow less eagerly, and oven Bob was be■ginning to get tired of it. But the Lee- j" boys' " snow-man" was then : almost fin- . ished.' "It only wants a few finifiHiny i touches!" said Harry, stepping back to %MSA survey the work. > ■•..:• "You just wait till to-morrow!" shouted' Bob. " We'll finish ours in the : morning, \ and I bet your' old chappie will be all melted. down by then!" . [' :r ' , -'- :, ~ : ,- "He won't melt of his own accord—that) '. a cert!" x said Harry, and then he whisp- ■ ered something to Billy as the two went * towards the house. Billy looked very wise, and nodded his head in a knowing way. * ----* It was quite dark when Bob Walkercame out of the house in answer to a whistle. There were four or five boys standing on the pavement, and they /; crowded together in a bunch to whisper together in a mysterious manner."- Perhaps the time 'had come for the Lee's "snow-man" to begin to "melt/' -^iW^SB^ Bob • left* his companions 1 , and crept y stealthily over the wall into the shadow, of the Lee's house. He heard talking and . . laughing as he passed the sittingroom window, and that made him think that/?h&|f§||| was not being watched. But still he felt" a bit nervous, because he had no business to be there,: for one thing, and for an- '■■ other ho meant to destroy the "mv-SMm man." . ' -v^iil He crept up behind the "snow-man," and was just putting his hand out to"pushJ|ps|| him over, when, suddenly, but unmjstak- . ably, the white figure raised one snowy arm, and held it up as though to stop th%®||| blow. - - ■-"S^f*is§P Bob jumped back in alarm, and for a second he felt his hair standing on «nd, and his limbs growing cold and shivery. , The " snow-man" then took a bold |stei>Jp|S!l forward and raised the other arm as if to strike. Then Bob, gathering what Htfe|f||§ pluck he had left, started to run doj&Jji|p, the bank towards the walk. Up the gate and over it Bob tumbled |as best he could. Down the steps and acroy§p||gf the road like a hare! And still the " snow-man" followed. ' Bob made for the waste land near the,•"-.•. -built houses, hoping to have a'deajrj|||p course. But half-way across tho plot he. . • saw that the "snow-man" was still J||§g| him. Panting and gasping, he ran r on'. . until he felt that he could go no further. He fell in a heap against a hedgo v .of;|||p brambles, and expected every minute t*l||il feel the cold grip of the snow monst«r at 'his throat. ' || But to his astonishment and relief, when he looked up into the moonlight he saw ■■:- nothing. The vacant plot was quite dp- --.- J" - serted, and he began to wonder whether • he had been dreaming. ■ .-' Had he been dreaming? At all eventij|p|| he had come out with the boys, and nowj£||§p he must? go back and tell them his strange ; ~ experience. Shivering with cold, hetrudgeß back-to the place where he had -\ -- ' left them, but on the way he came to the • conclusion that it would be better not'.-.'• , to mention the affair to anyone, at least - - not for. the present, for he felt that the '.' . boys would laugh at him and say he was .-. 's "dotty." And even if the "snow man" k ,' \ had chased him, he wouldn't let Harry and Billy Lee have the laugh at him about- '. - it. . - •-' > ■ When he came to the spot again he . went.quietly round the house and stood on a wall that looked over the bank near the Lee's house. The "snow-man" was gone! It wasn't a dream then! So Bob fulfill more and more bewildered, and without • . waiting to see his companions he went into the house and lay down on the sofa, pretending to be very interested in a story [?||§||§ book. * . On the other side of the garden, in their own room, two boys lay on their bed,||f||l|f laughing until their side* ached and the tears streamed down their ruddy cheeks.} J^^^l "My, how he ran!",said Harry Ley' "He vaulted over the front gate like -$?j|l||l acrobat 1" " Oh, Harry! Don't tell me any moreJ|||f|||| It hurts And Billy Lee held his acliing|||p§§| sides. "But really, Harry, you did : joQK|gngP exactly like'the "snow-man" when I tiedjfyil that aW around jouu. 1 ' " -V'.^fft'-