OUR POETRY

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1930, Page 8 (Supplement)

OUR POETRY

THE FAIREST FLOWER

Red rose, sweet rose, High upon the wall, Pearled with gleaming dewdrops At the even-fall. In the. flowery garden Are you queen of all? Lily, lily. Jail mid fair ami cold, Snowy petals veiling Heart of purest gold — Does this world of blossoms Richer treasure hold? 'Tulip, tulip. Clad in varied hue, flaunting gorgeous cloours In the sunshine new, Is there any flower Jo compare with you? Bea r I. 'seaso. flea rl "s-ea se, You are the best I ween; Decked in purple velvet, Laced with gold and given, In the realm of flowers Yoh shall reign, the Queen! MY iXJU.IT;. (Sent by Caroline Tur.chie). J have a little Doliie, tier name is Lucy Jane, She's not so very pretty, My brother calls her’ p'a’ii. But. o.h, siio's such a darling. As sweet as she. can be; I. often talk to doliie.. She is so ft.nd of me. If harm befell my. darling, (Jli, dear! how I should grieve. She’s had both eroup ami measles — Or so J make believe. One day I found her hanging, This little pet of mine. Head downwards in the garden Up on the line. ’Tuas -naughty brother Charlie. Who did i L just for fun; Of .course I quickly rescued My precious little one. And so. you see. of troubles My doll has had her share, But. folks must, have their burdens, So mummy says, to bear. When I am nursing doliie She's happy as a bird; I sometimes tell her stories— She never breathes a word. If you could sec my treasure In party frock of blue.. And dainty socks and slippers; I’m sure you'd love her. too. WH>> < AV STRAIGHT KN Tills? (Sent by Ines ), I saw ati orange driving a fat. ox. J saw a butcher not a twelve month rd d. I saw a great goat crackling like a scold. J .saw a peacock with a fiery tail. 1 saw a blazing comet pour down hail. I saw a cloud enwrapped with ivy round. I saw an oak tree swallow up a whale. I saw the boundless sea brimful of ale. I. saw a pewter pot fifteen feet deep. I saw a well full of men’s tears that weep. i saw wet: eyes; among the things J saw were not sore eyes nor any others eyes sore. A funny lady. CHRISTMAS I'l MIL (Sent by Hazel Martini. The church bells at Christmas time . ring all about the town, -The gay folk at Christmas time go walking up and down; They smile at me, they smile at you. Tin- street and squares are smiling, too. OLD SANTA CLAUS. Old Santa Claus sat alone, in his den, With his legs crossed over his knee, While a comical look peeped out of his eyes, For a fumrv old fellow was he.

His queer little cap'was tumbled and torn, And his wig it was all awry. But be sut ami mused the whole day long. While the hour-; went flying by. He had been as busy as busy can be. Lu filling his pack with toys. He had gathered his nuts and baked his pies. To give tn the girls and boys. There. were dolls for the girl 4 and whips for the boys, With wheelbarrows, horses and drays, And bureaus and trunks for dolly s new clothes, All these in his pack he displays, Of candy, too, both twisted and striped. He had furnished a plentiful store. While raisins and figs, primes and grapes Hung upon a peg by the door. "I am almost ready,” quoth he, quoth be, “And Christmas is almost here; But one thing more—-I must write a book, And give to each one this year.” So he put his specs on his little round nose,' ■ And seizing the- clump of his pen, He wrote more lines in one little hour, •'Than you ever could write in ten, He told him Meries all pretty and new, And wrote them all out in a rhyme. 'Then packed them away with his box of toys, To distribute one at a time. And Christmas Eva when all were in bed, Right down the chimimy he flaw, And. stretching the stocking leg but at the top, Ila put in a book ter

I ' VIS!T T 0 doll-land. This morning, taking the 11 a.m. train from Sturdy Point, on the Hallway line. I left the carriage at Verandah station, and was immediately in Doll-land! ‘■My house is very comfortable. I've got a bedroom, a kitchen and a diningroom.’' said Margaret. ‘•Joyce, your table is sticking into my bedroom; that’s where my doll’s 'bed is.” “’Tian’!. 'Barbara. isn't thia my house?” “No, it isn't,” i-eiteraled. Joan. “Yours comes to there. (Barbara marked it.” “Oh, well. J. haven't got half enough room, so I'm going to put my tilings there! " Who knows what might have happened had the housing problem proceeded much further. Luckily a diversion was caused by the sudden outburs! of one small mother. •’Margaret Doll has got influenza! I must ring up the doctor’, les, doctor, she's very sick. What shall J give her to eat? Yes. yes. Very well., Uoodb vc.” Tinga-aling-a-liiig. Ji was Tuesday in Doll-laud, so out eamr irons, ironing-boards, and the ' bundles of dampened frocks. “Dear! Dear! Thai naughty Joyce Doll has made her dress so flirty that it won't come clean.'' “I think J'H have to put a new frill on Primrose’s dance frock; she .tore it at Betty’s birthday party.” “Oh! Heavens! ’-.loan, we haven’t done these." Joyce brandished three tiny frocks which she had just discovered on the line. “Ami- Joyce Doll wants hers to wear into town this fatornoon. ; The two small voices contain all the i worry in t lie world as they debate the I ((uesttmi of Joyce Doll's town frock. Just at this juncture the cat passes by, and doll-children are. temporarily superseded. “0h..-the darling little kitty. Can 1 pal him? Here, pussy, pussy, come here. Me’ likes me patting him. He likes me better than you. Ok! He's gone —where is he. going to, Barbara?” “ I think he's gone, to play with nextdoor • pussy.” It is imperative that pussy ’s sudden departure should be ex- ' plained. “P'raps he'll come back after. Joan, where did you put my little cup and saucer? oh, dear, where is it? .My ' poor Margaret Doll is so sick, and she must have her medicine. Here you are, darling. The doctor says you've got to drink this, and a beautiful, big chocolate after!” “Doctor says .Margaret Dull must have fl holiday, so she and I are going: to. the seaside.” “Where are you going?” said Barbara . “We’re going to a house at Newport for a month.” “That’s good. We are all going. Loo. when school breaks up next week.” ’This is a chorus from the others. “Good-bye. Margaret Doll, stop crying; you'll see Joyce and Primrose next week, Good-bye.” LOTUS EATERS. When Ulysses, one of the heroes of ancient Greece; was sailing- home from the wars. be. met with a strange adventure. He beheld a lovely island in the warm sea, and. as he and his sailors were weary, they sailed to this land, where they were greeted by strange, pale-fac-ed people. Very bautiful were they, with great dreamy eyes, and, although all their faces were pale, they appeared I to belong to all the races of the earth. I

Thankful for a little rest,. Ulysses disembarked. He immediately noticed that beautiful flowers grew upon the island: round flowers, like cups, some a heavenly blue in colour, and al! having round green leaves. “What is the name of these beautiful blossoms?” asked Ulysses.

“Lotus,” murmured a young man. ■‘When Lotus, the beautiful daughter of the sea god, was running away from someone whom she knew would bring trouble upon her. she was changed into the lotus tree. We are the Lotus Fitters.”

Picking a blossom, the young man handed it to Ulysses to eat. But suddenly the Greek, realised the terrible danger he ran. “To the. ship!” he cried. ‘These lotus eaters have lost all love of country, all pleasure in work, all energy, and here they live in idleness and luxury. If we eat the lotus we are lost!” Alas! Some of the sailors had already tasted the lotus and liked it so much that they had no wish to return to their homes. But Ulysses and the rest escaped, because the dreamy lotus eaters had not the strength to keen them against their will.

BEAD TOYS FOR CHILDREN.

'Bead toys are amongst the latest novelties. They are inexpensive, and easy to make, and may well form one of the-series of our articles for presents. Children like them immensely. They need only stray beads, including a round wooden unpainted one for each head, and a few wooden button moulds. To make a figure thread a very long piece of mercerised cotton with a fine darning needle at each end. Pass one needle through a round bead, forming the top of the hat, push the bead to the centre of the. cotton, then thread both needles together through 'beads suitable to form neck and body. The needles separate to thread a leg each.

Each needle returns up its leg, and they pass together back through the body, then separate again .to thread the arms, returning as in the case of the legs, passing together through head and hat, and ending in a loop above the hat. Thread rather loosely, so that the figure will dance when jerked on its loop. After threading Little Black Sambo, paint the head bead black, and features in white, and stripe the button moulds used for cricketing cap and handle is threaded on wire instead of hips.

A little lady forming, a dainty puff cotton, so that she will stay upright. She has no legs, but ends in a button mould at the hips. Mount her on a swansdown puff by removing puff handle, and sewing the button mould in its place with over-and-over coloured stitches. Paint her head pink, and mark features and hair in Indian ink. Her hat brim is a cork washer (painted green) from a potmendcr outfit. A prim little aproned lady’s maid (also threaded on wire) has a crinoline which spreads over a lamp-shade frame, and conceals your powder bowl from sight. Threaded, on. cotton and unmounted, these little figures make charming car- or room mascots, or favours for dances. THE ASS. The railway carriage was crowded as the young man opened the door and asked in a sarcastic voice, “Is this Noah’s Ark?” “Yes,” was the reply from a grumpy man in the corner. “We’re all here except the ass. Come in.”