The WENDY HUT LETTERBOX

Taranaki Daily News, 7 December 1929, Page 25 (Supplement)

The WENDY HUT LETTERBOX

to bo Addressed: “WENDY" Care Taranaki bally News, Box lift. new Plymouth.

Ivy Hollis, Spotswood.—Thank j r ou very much for the little poem. I think Snuff would like to have a milkman like that to call here. He is great friends with our milkman, who sometimes pours just a little into his saucer. We are so looking forward to receiving a big fat letter from you soon.

Norman Crosby, Mangainingi.—We shall be so glad to have yon in the Wendy Hut. How quickly you got to business! Billikins is racking his brains trying to think out the names for the calves. What do you think of, Binty. Bolly, Bobby and Bim? Daby Margaret has been out feeding the chicks with bread soaked in warm water, and they do enjoy it; she brought one in to show me, all fluffy and cuddley and quite cheeky looking. Florence Kovaleski, Tuna—The Hut gardener has been waiting for a long time to plant out some little plants from the aster nursery, but the raindrops have fallen too thickly to dodge until this morning, and now Baby Margaret is helping him, digging her little lingers into the moist brown earth and sometimes pulling up a lona wriggly worm. How did you enjoy the show? No; none of the Hut folk went.

.“Snowflake,” ■, Eltha m. —Cheeky little bantams yours must be to go and help themselves to gooseberries! I hope Baby Margaret’s chicks don’t want to go and scratch in the strawberry patch when they’re allowed out for a walk. One of Billikins’ pet spiders has spun itself a web across the window and the sun makes it glisten wonderfully. What do you call the kittens?

“Daffodil,” Eltham. —I am sorry that I am unable to remember the address for which you were asking me, but perhaps some other Tinks will be able to tell you. You should try to save your sweet peas before the snails come and chew them up for breakfast!’ I asked the Hut gardener what he did to save our sweet peas and he said put woodashes or lime around them.

“Grandma,” Waitoitoi.—Were you feeling very old when you ehose your pen-name? I think you must have been tired of bed, and wishing the sun would shine so that you could run out and greet it. Baby Margaret is a dear little girl. She is having a lovely time in the garden to-day and I expect she will be covered with earth from tip to toe when she comes inside for an apple!

“Fairy Rose,” Stratford.”—l read your little message written with kisses. The Hut garden certainly is beautiful with colours of every hue. Have you any “shivery” grass? Ours grows amongst the marigolds and daisies and shivers all day, even when the sun shines. What did you make when you were helping mother to cook? Dorothy Pittams, Wharehuia.—Yes; don’t shorn sheep look funny. I wonder if they mind looking so funny! You will have to get rid of that cruel weasel if it is going to take your precious family. Billikins is very well and is trying to persuade tutor that it is too wet for lessons to-day! Eileen Piper, Stratford.—How would you like “Jenny Wren” for a pen-name? She was the little lady who married Cock Robin, wasn’t she? Our cabbage leaves and lettuce leaves were floating about in the garden like little boats, we had so much rain. Did your onions get drowned completely? Have you dismissed old cold yet? It would never do to let him stay long. Dorothy Vesty. Waipuku. —You have really a fairy swimming pool in your river, haven’t you? Perhaps it is where the fairies swim and splash and play at night. What a lovely holiday you will have in the summer and I’m sure the ducks in the park enjoy the school holidays because they have such, wonderful meals.

“Snow-drop,” Pihama. —I am glad you have learned to knit, and I suppose you will be making all kinds of lovely soft woolly things. The Hut dressmaker is telling you this week how to make something else woolly, too, but it doesn’t have to be knitted. Tinker Bell has been opening r.ome of the parcels for the gift cupboard and she is very excited and pleased to see how clever our Tinks are.

Esther Billing, Rahotu.—The little poem was delightful. I wish I had seen the armful of little goslings. Billikins has been out fishing for tadpoles and chasing frogs into the water just to hear them go splosh! Do you ever hear the frogs croaking on moonlight nights? What flowers have you out in your little garden? We have a row of little pansy faces along one of the Hut paths. Ruth Billings, Rahotu. —I am so glad you do your one kind act every , day; they’re not hard to find, are they ? You will be a real little nurse when you take up red cross nursing, and then you will be doing kind acts all day, won’t you? We will be very interested to know what you, Gwyn and Esther represented at the fancy-dress ball. Olga Aagard, Stratford. —Would you like “Gipsy” for a pen-name? Some one else has already chosen the one you wished to have. I wonder how you got on at your concert with the piece you had to play? Baby Margaret has a wee piano which she loves to piny, and sometimes she and Teddy have a duet!

“Moon-Fairy,” Stratford. —Bimbo has been giving the Hut folk rides on a sledge, and such a wonderful time they’re having; falling and scrambling and laughing, and I think that even Bimbo has a smile on hie face, too! What a shame some of your ducklings died. How many have you left? lam glad you enjoyed the show, even if it was wet.

Elsie Freakley, Manaia. —Have you painted your little card yet? You will love it more than ever if you do, and if you haven’t paints crayons will do just as well. What a large family of chickens you have! I’m sure if you asked Billikins to name them he would have a terribly busy time! Thank you for the poetry.

“Billy Bobtail,” Tariki. —Y’ou have chosen a very good pen-name and Billikins thinks you were very clever to think of it. No; I don’t have to patch Billikins’ trousers; the Hut dressmaker spends a great deal of time doing patching for him. What excitement when you received your seeds! Ido hope you are successful. John Cantion, Mokau. —What a wonderful time Billikins had trying to guess all your riddles! He’s still trying to solve some of them and is enjoying himself tremendously. Did you find the thrush in last week’s puzzle? The twins have found a new bird’s nest, the little home of Mr. and Mrs. Thrush, and in it is one precious little <gg. I wonder how long it will be before we have a baby thrush! Gladys Piper, Stratford. —What a very useful cat Toodles is. I’m sure he is much better than an alarm-clock, isn’t he? Haven’t the raindrops been tumbling down thick and fast? I know lots of little Tinks who weren’t able to go to school. But what a lovely time the gardens and fields have had! Here come postie and Billikins with loads more of Wendy letters. Ivy Morgan, Eltham.—You will have enough birthday presents to begin a little shop, ’won’t you? Tinker Bell is so glad that you liked the birthday card and she was so interested to hear what your presents were. She has been rescuing a poor fly from a spider’s web and now the fly looks quite happy.

Edith Smith, Kaimata. —Well, little housekeeper, it was good to hear from you again and to know that you are making all the things the Hut dressmaker thinks out for you. There is such a pretty little gift foi’ you to make this week and I hope you will be able to manage it. I am so glad you enjoy Gwen and Polly. Joyce Stockman, Ngacre. —Wonder what happened to your letter last week, Joyce, because I’m sure Billikins and “postie” didn’t bring it to the Hut and they’re most careful. Have you a little, dog who may have chewed it up before it was posted? Yes; all our rose-buds are opening out but they’re getting a very cold bath instead of sunshine! Reginald Riley, Pihama. —Yes; old Father Christmas will be busy filling his bag with little gifts for New Zealand children and wondering what each little boy and girl would like. Billikins came in to telF me he’d seen a lorry load of pigs going off to market and their little tails were all poking out through the little wooden fence around them.

Sylvie Price, Oakura. —Your apple tree isn’t very kind to you this year if it has only one apple on, is it? I wonder who will have the little apple when it is ripe! Billikins has been looking very hard at the green apples on our trees, but thinks it is better to wait until they are ripe before he eats them. What do you call your pet- lamb? Michael Coneion, Te Roti.—You were a lucky person to visit all the sideshows. Did you guess how the trick about cutting oil' the lady’s head was done? It is raining hard and fast and I suppose your ducks will be having a lovely time splashing about in the water. Snuff and Bouncer look very sad because there’s no sunshine for them to-day. “Little Miss Farmer,” Eltham.—What a sad time has befallen all your pets. I am sorry the little hedgehog has died. They look so quaint running along like little prickly balls, don’t they? Billikins has gone into the shed to help the Hut carpenter make something to tell the Billy Boys about and I can hear hammer and saw going hard. Ellen and Edwin Furborough, Eltham. —Well; that was a shame to lose all the little goslings, wasn’t it? Have you been for any swims in your river yet, or is it still too cold? We haven’t seen our old mountain for such a long while, and I think he must be feeling very cold so shrouds himself with fleecy clouds. Pathie Watson, Stratford. —Have your bees made any honey for you yet? It will be good fun to have a hive of your own, but you will have to teach your little bees not to sting! What a pretty little garden you have. Candytuft is like a pincushion, isn’t it? ,Wc have some sweet peas in flower and lots and lots of rosebuds.

Peggy Jones, Stratford. —Welcome to the Wendy Hut, Peggy. We hope it won’t be long before we welcome your sister, too. Billikins has just written your name down on the Hut roll with a bio- flourish and now you are a little Wendy Lady! Will you get any prizes on the break-up day at school? “Snow-fairy,” Mangorei.—Yours was a most interesting letter. lam wondering how much milk was left for the calves to have for supper after Jean and the sparrows had had theirs! Are you looking forward to going blackberrying? I think it is great fun picking the fat, juicy berries and popping one into your mouth now and then!

Rakapa Thompson, Inglewood. —Have you ever seen the moon -walking at night in her silver shoes? Everything she touches on her way is sliver, even the little harvest mouse! How glad you must be to have your family home, and I hope you are all well. Yes; Tinker Bell lives at the Hut and so does Baby Margaret, Billikins and the twins, Pam and Peter.

Ila Marsh, Omata.—By this time the proficiency exam is over and I do hope you were successful in it. Did you enjoy your trip into town or did you feel like a little duck, paddling about in the rain. The twins gave me a ride in their little cart but one of the wheels came off and that was an end to rides for that dayl

Jean Armstrong, Pungarehu. —We were all gla& to hear from you again. Baby Margaret wants to know what toys you play with. Poor old Teddy has lost both ears now, so I don’t ’suppose he can hear, but Baby Margaret loves him just as much. Gladys Carlson, Eltham. —You are the second little Tink who has told me she has learned to knit this week. I suppose dolly has a lovely new little knited outfit, has she? Have you helped mother to ice the Christmas cake? Tinker Bell says she’s going to help cookie ice ours and she’s going to put real lollies on the top!

Alice Muller, Mangatoki. —What have you growing in your garden, “Silver bells and cockleshells and pretty maids all in a row?” Baby Margaret has been around our fuchsia tree and “popped” all the little buds,-just to hear them go “pop.” Do you help to milk or are you a gardener instead? Margaret. Hurley, Patea. —The little worms won’t have a chance to crawl to the top of the ground to see what is happening because it is raining so hard and fast that .they will be pushed down again. It will be great fun having a birthday and growing up one more year, or would you rather be a fairy, because they don’t have birthdays? Joan Hurley, Patea.—Thank you for the little poem. Another little Tink seems to have liked it just as much as you did because she sent it to me too! Have you written to Father Christmas to tell him what you want him to put into your stocking? I hope it’s not a wet night for him to come and pay his visit here.

Maisie Vickers, Te Wera. —You must have had a busy time making up that long piece of poetry; Tinker Bell is jumping for joy, she likes it so much. How nice it will be to have another little gift for the sunshine cupboard, and we will so look forward to receiving it. Have you found any little baby birds in your trees? We have a small family ’of squeaking little fellows. Colles Anderson, Kaponga. —The Billy Boys would love to make a model aeroplane, I’m sure, so do you think you could write and tell the Hut carpenter how to do it if you know? He has found something rather nice for you to make this time and I hope you will think it is a nice present for mother. “Thistle,” Tariki. —Tinker Bell is glad Sheila liked the card, as a birthday is a most important occasion and people like oetting letters and parcels, don’t they? What a lovely holiday you are going to have at Christmas time and I expect Father Christmas will know where to call to see you. I hope you will see the new competition for this week.

PASSING OF THE COWBOY.

Although the cowboy is slowly vanishing, he is still the envy of the young and old alike. Many people find more real adventure in bowed legs, buckskin trousers and a sombrero than in all the thrills of modern inventors. Slowly, but surely, the great open spaces of America have been conquered by the telephone, the telegraph, the motorcar, wireless, and, most deadly of all, the railways. The cowboy of the West and his' brother of the La Plata pampas, the gaucho, are engaged in a losing fight against progress. The cowboy of the plains, from Texas to Montana, was a gallant fellow. Dependent on his agility, particularly in the use of a rifle, he used literally to carry his life in his hands. Living close to Nature, so to speak, and relying on his own powers to conquer distance, heat, cold, rain, hunger and thirst, his knowledge was little short of astonishing. A good cowboy could find his way about unknown country. He could trace cattle after they had strayed for miles. Away from civilisation, he developed an intuitive knowledge almost accurately described as a sixth sense. Ability to stand fatigue and pain, sturdiness of character, loyalty to his friends leavened even the worst cowboys. Not least among his characteristics was a reverence for women. Not that he had an extraordinary regard for. individual members of the opposite sex, but the symbol of motherhood appealed to his sense of chivalry and protection. Too often his past was best forgotten. His future ' might be cut short at any moment at the hands of an enemy or as the result of an accident. He lived for the day, ofteiF as wild and dangerous as the Longhorns he herded. But all that is past. HEROISM IN SHEEP. Motoring in Wales a man noticed, a hundred yards ahead of his car, a rani and two ewes that had evidently broken through Hie hedge on to the main road. Between the road and the hedge was a fairly deep ditch. As the car approached the ewes became excited and ran here and there in panic. Not so the ram; he stood his ground and faced the car. As the car came nearer he turned his head every now and then and looked at the alarmed ewes. Then he turned and shepherded them to the side of the ditch, and again faced the danger from which he was guarding them. As the car was slowly reaching them he looked behind at the ewes and saw they were afraid to jump the ditch. Then, without further delay, he lowered liis head and with two rapid movements butted each ewe clear over the ditch to a strip of grass on the other side.

The ram never left the road but, his duty done, faced the car again ready for action; and there he remained till it had passed him and rounded the next bend in the road, only taking a look at the ewes now and then to see that they were safe.