BEDTIME TALES

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12406, 27 March 1926, Page 16

BEDTIME TALES

TWO LITTLE FRENCH DOLLS Fanchette and Jacques were two little French dolls. They sat, propped up against the wall of the playroom, on top of the sofa in the corner. They were very lonesome, for they had been in America only a very short time. Mary and Bob and Susan, the coloured rag doll, and all the rest of them were busy talking over in another corner of the room by themselves. You see; Fanchette and Jacques could not speak any English, and so they felt quite alone and strange. “But they don’t seem to want to play with us! said little Fanchette, with sobs in her little voice, to Jacques, hen companion. “See, they’re talking about us, over there. They probably think we’re very queer!” and a tear of self-pity rolled down Fanchette s little pink cheek. . “Now, now! Remember you promised me before we left France that you would be brave and not cry!” cautioned Jacques. “How do we know—maybe they are planning some way to be friendly to us, instead of talking against us!” he whispered cheerfully. So Fanchette dried her eyes and wiped her little pink cheeks with the tiny lace handkerchief which had been peeping out of the pocket of her apron. Then she put the lace handkerchief back in the pocket again “just so,” with the lace-edged corner peeping out. She smoothed the ruffles of her dainty white apron, pulled out the comers of her pretty little lace cap, and opened her big blue eyes and smiled! “There! That’s better!” smiled Jacques approvingly. Buzz! Buzz! Over in the comer, Mary and Bob and Princess and Christabel, the little Swiss doll, were talking excitedly with one another. - “Yes, they just came to-day,” whispered Princess, the big, beautiful doll with blue eyes and long golden curls. She was just as sweet as she looked, too, and always most kind and friendly to all the big family of dolls who belonged to Betty Jane. Betty Jane was one of the children to whom the playroom belonged, and she was just seven years old. “Mistress Betty’s aunt returned from France to-day, and brought them wiflh her,” continued Princess “You see, I was sitting in Betty Tane’s lap when they arrived, so I heard all about it. ' “What shall we do?” asked Mary. “We don’t know them, but they must be very lonely—and we must be ‘kind to them somehow!” “I tell you—you go over there.and speak to them, Mary,” exclaimed Princess. “But they won’t understand me if I do,” replied Mary. “They don’t understand-a word of English!” Just then, Snubs, the little toy dog who stood on the mantelshelf, barked excitedly and wagged his tail. “Snubs wants to tell ns something. He knows what to do, don’t you, Snubsy?” cried Bob. “I think, Nancy, my little goat, might know,” exclaimed . Christabel. “She’s very gentle and very wise!’’ ' “Or Sponge! Look how she’s doing tricks,” cried Mary. “And now, .see!—she’s settled down and is purring, oh, so softly!” And the dolls began to think—what was it they could learn from the animals? They.wondered. But now, Susan, the rag doll, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. “Ah tell yo all, honey,” she said. “Just put a little sunshine in yo faces and smile when yo all speaks—then they’ll know yo all’s tryin’ to be kind—even though they can’t tell a word yo’s sayin’!” “That’s it! That’s just what Snubs was trying to say!” cried Bob. “And Nancy!” , * . “And Sponge!” • . “Good for you, Susan!” and Princess beamed at her. “Now I’ll go over first, and then you come, Mary, and Bob, and all of you. We’ll cheer up these little strangers!” “Look, Fanchette, look!” cried Jacques. “Someone’s coming over here, and she’s smiling!” Fanchette opened her eyes wider and wider, and then she smiled too, and there were little dimples at the corner of her mouth. She was happy. ' V/ In a few moments Princess and Mary and Bob and Christabel and the rest had made Fanchette and Jacques feel as much at home as if they had been there for months- They taught them little easy English words, and it was fun to see Fanchette’s little dimpled mouth twist and pucker up, as she tried, between smiles and little trills of laughter, to say the English words. Soon the party became a gay celebration of welcome to the newcomers. They were having such a happy time that they clin’t notice that it was almost morning, and that the little sunbeams were peeping through v the playroom windows! __ • '

“NIGGYWIGS” If you see a little black cat with the cheekiest face and brightest eyes in the world, it may be “Niggywigs,” his real name is “Nigger,” but everybody calls him “Nigs, or “Niggywigs,” or “Nigsy-wigsy.” The other morning Niggywigs trotted out as usual after breakfast to have a run in the garden, and sat down in the middle of the path to wash himself. He had just finished his chest, and was beginning to wash his face, when he heard a dreadful noise. , Startled, he looked up and saw .... a big white animal rushing at him f It was a dog! Niggywigs had never met a dog before, but, somehow, he knew that the very best thing he could do was to get as far away as possible. Then quickly he darted at the only tree In the garden. He had never been up a tree before, but he managed to scramble up to the lowest branch, and stayed there clinging tightly with all his claws. The dog barked at the bottom of the tree until he caught sight of another dog in the road. Then he ran off to see who it was, leaving Niggywigs stranded on a branch which seemed to be a terribly long way from the ground. For some time he tried to find a way down, but, like a lot of adventurous people before him. Niggywigs found that it is very much easier to get up than to get down. He was just going to chance it by jumping, when he saw master and mistress coming out of the front door of his house. “Miaow! Miaow! Miaow!” called Niggywigs. (In kitten-language this means: “Hi! Can’t you see I’m up a tyree? Why don’t you help a fellow down?”) As soon as mistress heard him, she flew round into Brown’s garden and tried to reach him, but the branch was much too high. In the end master had to get a pair of steps, and by the time Niggywigs was rescued, three errand-bovs, two nurses (with prams)' the milkman, and a policeman had collected to see what was happening. As Niggywigs was carried home mistress tickled bim under his chip (he loves it!), and master told him that if little cats would go outside their own gardens they must expect to be chased up trees by dogs. Then he drank a whole saucer of new milk went fast asleejo..