Left-over Stories

Southland Times, Issue 22475, 10 November 1934, Page 18

Left-over Stories

—Commended.— Here, on the top of all this rubbish, with torn pages and stained cover, I am lying in disgrace. When I first came to my senses in this dreary world, I was a fine handsome book with glossy pages and beautiful pictures, and I was placed by a shopkeeper in the window of a huge shop. I was gazed at by many propective buyers, until one day I was taken from the window and sold to an elderly gentleman. However, I suffered badly at his house for fie possessed two little boys who succeeded in capturing me. They took me to their nursery and there I was shorn of all my magnificent pictures. After much suffering at their hands, I was returned to the study. My master, seeing my disgraceful condition, handed me to a wandering tramp towards whom I took a great fancy. He treated me with great respect for two or three years but near the end of my stay with him, I noticed a change in his behaviour to me. At night, when he returned from work he would grunt in disgust at the disorder of his tent, and if I chanced to be lying about he would pitch me into the darkest corner of his dwelling. Therefore I soon became very stained and battered.

One day, however, he hired a charlady to clean his rooms and she, being a deceitful woman, concealed me beneath her coat and carried me home. I felt very indignant at first, but soon rejoiced for I now lived in luxury once more.

When she spring-cleaned though, bad luck again came to me for I was thrown out into the world with a great number of other dirty companions. After much anxiety I was picked up by a gipsy who sold me for five pence in the village. A wealthy merchant now possessed me, but he was angry when he saw how tattered I was inside. In his anger he pitched me into the street, where half-a-dozen village rag-a-muffins discovered me—much to their joy and excitement. They carried me off and floated me on a board down a gutter, but I was soon tipped into the slush and water by a projecting rock. I was rescued from my plight by a little goose girl who, when passing through a wood through which ran a river, tossed me heedlessly into the rushing torrent. I was at last washed up on the beach where the sun dried my dripping leaves. —1 mark to Cousin Dalwyn Pearce (13), Lewis Street. —Commended. — Exams had begun at St. Mary’s Boarding school. The first day’s work was over and the second day had commenced. Miss Small, the teacher, for that morning, was busy getting things ready. The girls had asembled and were ready to begin. When Miss Small went to the cupboard to get the examination papers, she could not find them. She looked very carefully through the cupboard, but they were not there. She did not think that any of the girls would touch them, but to make sure she asked them. No, the girls had not seen them. Miss Small was very annoyed, as she wanted to finish the examination. At lunch time, she asked the headmistress if she had seen them. The head mistress was very surprised to hear the news, and she had not seen them anywhere. When the girls assembled after lunch, Miss Small asked them if they had heard anyone in the class-room on the night of April 10. Harriet Eustice, a girl from No. 3 Dorm., stood up and said that she saw Martha Howard, a girl from No. 4 Dorm, going down the stairs towards the class-room that night. Miss Small then asked Martha if she had touched the papers. All eyes were turned upon Martha, the girls’ enemy, who liked getting people into trouble. She was “as red as fire.” The girls and Miss Small waited eagerly to see what she was going to say. She said that she had not touched the papers and added that she had gone down for her jacket out of the press. Miss Small then told the girls to go out for play. She called two girls, Norma Black and Sheila Day to her as they were going out the door. She asked them if they would help her look through all the desks. They did so willingly. They looked through the first, second, and third row, but did not find anything. To their surprise, when they looked in Betty McNab’s desk (Betty was one of Martha’s worst enemies) they found the papers. When the girls came in from play, Miss Small asked Betty if she put them there. Now, Betty was to blame, but she denied it. Miss Small then asked if the girl who put them there would come forward at once to save more trouble. To the girls’ surprise, Martha walked forward. She then owned up that she had put them there on April 10. —2 marks to Cousin Melva Rule (13) Mataura Island.