FOE THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16624, 22 August 1917, Page 9

FOE THE CHILDREN.

BETTY'S BEDTIME.

Betty's flushed cheeks were exactly the same colour as the ripe red cherries "hanging over the garden wall, just beyond the swing where she sat, looking in a very bad temper indeed. " Bed-time, dear," mother told her for the third time.

A little' breeze rustled out from among the leaves of the apple tree. It blew her brown hair into her eyes, and rumpled the blue bow of her hair-ribbon. " Don't go in yet," it seemed to whisper just by her ear. Betty gave a long, long sigh. " Oh, mother!" she wailed. "Do give me just one more swing, pleaseonly one." "But I've given you three already, you know," mother reminded her, "and it's past seven now, quite time for bed, so come along at once." i Slowly, very slowly, Betty slid down j from the swing, smoothing the creases from her brown holland smock. And. 1 when she looked up again her eyes were full of flashing rebellious tears. " " Hate horrid old bed-time," she stormed, stamping one foot on the garden path. " Never can do anything that I want Always horrid old lessons in the morning, and horrid old bed at night. Waib till I'm growed-up, and then I'll stay up all night long." Betty looked at her supper with: stormy eyes and pouting lips. Presently, she burst out again. " Having to go up to bed at half-past seven every single night, just like a silly baby, and I'm eight next birthday! When I'm. growed up—" But mother had heard this remark so often that she was getting rather tired of it, so she just said. "When you are grown up, Betty, perhaps you'll understand why you had to do all these things that, seem so horrid to you now." "No, quite sure I won't!" Betty per-, sisted, firmly shaking her head. D'like to stay up till 'leven every night/* Jl This scene took place every evening just at seven, for it was then that Betty was called in from playing in the garden. Tears were shed every night, all the way upstairs to bed until °the moment when Betty went to sleep. So to-night, mother said quietlv, • " You would soon wish yourself in * bed, I'm afraid. But if staying up late will make you so happy, you're easily pleased for once. You may stop up. Just for tonight." Betty looked round in amazement. "Really and truly? Till 'leven?" she asked, checking just in time a dismal sob.

" Yes, till eleven," mother answered. " As soon as the clock strikes you musb go to bed." . Betty wandered out into tha garden again, and swung herself, and played with the black kitten, until it grew too dark to see properly, and the ■ ground was damp with dew. So she had to come indoors. The first hour passed away very pleasantly. Betty read her new book of fairy stories, until she came to the very end. Then -she fetched hep woolly ball to have a game with the kitten. But puss was tired, and lav down on the rug, and even scratched hard when Betty tried to lift her up again. So she went to her little blue work-basket, and sewed industriously for half an hour, until the needle snapped. She decided not to sew any more, and wondered what she could do next. She stood up on tip-toe, and looked at the clock, but it was no good, because she couldn't tell the time, so she had to ask mother, who was reading at the table. " Oh, it's quite early yet," Betty said, when she knew it was nine o'clock, bub she couldn't help wishing, just to herself, that she didn't feel so tired. At half-past nine, Betty gave a long yawn, and her eyes felt so sleepy that they would hardly keep open, and did nothing but blink and wink. When ten o'clock struck, she jumped up eagerly, in hopes that it was eleven. She would have liked nothing in all the world so much as lying down in her little white bed.

'• Why. Betty," mother exclaimed, "you can't be tired already? After all you said—" '• No, course I'm not," mumbled Betty. And mother went on reading, while Betty sat down, and fixed two round sleepv eyes on the clock's face. The next hour dragged along some-how. Betty rubbed her eyes and yawned almost every five minutes, but she knew she must stay up, whether she liked it or not.

At last she fell asleep in the armchair, and only wakened when the clock' chimed eleven, in time to hear mother's voice saying, "Betty, bed-time!" Never before had she been so glad to hear those words, and never again did she make such a fuss when she had to go to bed.

fate of the lazy bee. He wouldn't be a busy bee. And neatly spread the wax! Said he: " Improving shining hour 3 Means bees with aching backs." He wouldn't learn geometry. Or how to build a cell. " Six sides." said he. " are sillv When {our would do as well." And as for making each alike As if with line and rule. That may be good for children When practising in school. But when a bee has lovely winffa And feels so much alive. I'm sure I cannot see why ho Should stifle in a hive! A drone! Why, then, a drone I'll bat What's in a name? I guess I'm still a bee by any name, Although my fame be less. •* . Away he flew. The summer month# In merry leisure : hied. ... When winter came no home had So famished goon, and; died I