THE CHILDREN’S COLUMN.

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17415, 1 September 1928, Page 7

THE CHILDREN’S COLUMN.

'll XV TOTS’ STORY. ! LUCKY RINK-TIPPED DAISY. j ISmlie and .Merry Garnett were, twins at. boarding school together. All the girls at the school said that in appearance Sadie and Merry were “as like as two pins.” But in their nature they were ‘‘as different as chalk and cheese.” Merry—like her name—was a merry, mischievous little girl, good at lessons and equally good at sports. Sadie, like her name, was a dreamy little sad-eved girl, plodding along at the bottom of the form, whilst her care-free twin headed the list. On this particular afternoon Merry, tennis racquet in hand, dashed into the “prep.” room, where Sadie was plodding along at her returned history homework. “Hallo, Sadie!” she exclaimed. ‘‘Coming for a game of tennis with Joy-re and Beryl and Me? What! j You’ve to do your history over again? Well, you silly old duffer! We shall have to ask Betty Proctor to make up a 'set now. and she’s an awful dud at tennis. Bye-bye.” When Merry and her chums’ laughing voices had died away Sadie set to work again. i

‘Battle of Hastings. 1066,” she repeated languidly ten times. Then, laying down her pen, she gazed wistfully out of the large window.

“Oh. dear,” .she sighed. “How I wish I was as clever as -Merry.” “Do you?” said a voice from .under the window.

Sadie jumped up and ran towards the window. Her large hazel eyes grew lugger as she gazed. A tiny clump of daisies under the .window was jumping about in high merriment at her amazement.

“Sadie,” said a little pink-tipped daisy in the centre, “you did my sisters and myself a good turn yesterday by preventing your madcap sister from trampling on us and crushing us to death. To-day we a© going to repay your kindness. Come along!” Sadie, wondering, jumped lightly out of the window. “We overheard your wish, Sadie, and J, am going to see that it is granted,” continued the daisv solemnly.

“How?” asked Sadie timidly. “I thought only four-leavecl clovers could grant wishes.”

. “Ah, so can pink-tipped daisies, my dear,” said the little daisv.

Looking closer, Sadie discovered that her little friend hatf grown two little arms and legs. Before she could take a second look the daisy had taken hold of the bottom of her gym. tunic and hurried her up the school drive and down the little lane leading: to the school gardens.

“Here we are,” said the daisy, stopping in front of a summer-house. “Open tho door!”

Sadie did as she was hid, and fol lowed the daisv inside.

The daisy mumbled something inaudible. and Sadie found herself outside the most lovely palace, iuad& of flowers. Sadio and .the daisy walked up a velvety path /of primroses, and the daisy rang a bell hanging from the door.

The door was immediately swung open by two tiny violets, and they were shown into a tiny room decorated with buttercups. The room was illuminated by glow-worms inside foxglove shades. The daisy rang a harebell hanging from the Avail. Almost immediately in' pranced a pink Canterbury bell, tingling as she came. “Tell the Queen Ave have arrived,” ordered the daisy. Back came the Cantorburv bell. “Her Majesty Avisho.s you to come i'onvard,” she said

'J lie daisy led Sadie along a passage of fioAveriug green moss, into the most lovely room she had ever seen.

“(Hi, how lovely! What a nice perfume!” exclaimed Sadie.

The Queen, a large, red, highlyscented rose, seated on a throne of forget-me-nots, smiled pleasantly at Sadie, and |>ade her sit down on a lied of lavender.

The daisy stood by the side of a four-leaved clover, avlio was also Avaiting to have a Avisli granted. Sadie amused herself Avatching the (lancing daffodils, Avliile the daisy and the Queen of .Flowers talked together. Presently the daisy went back to Sadie, and assuring her that everything Avas all. right, vanished;

“C hild. I do believe you have been dozing!”

Sadie looked up to find the history mistress regarding her. She Avalkecl over to Sadie’s sheet of paper, picked it up. and read it.

Sadie remembered she had only half-finished her work, and her knees trembled. What was' her surprise to seo the hi.story mistress smile at her, exclaiming:

•‘A very good piece of work, Sadie, I shall read this to the class.” When she had gone out Sadie went over to her desk, and found on it a little piiik-tipped petal and a "note. She kissed the petal lovingly, and placed it in her autograph album; then began to read the note. This is what she read:

A WEEKLY FEATURE.

‘’Dear, kind-hearted little girl.—The pink-tipped daisies have finished your aa OlK, and will always help you Avith your lessons if you place the little petal on your work.

“(Signed) A Pink-tipped Daisy.” Merry is never the only cle\ - er one now. Sadie and Merry are always bracketed top of the form. Sadie can a I Avay.s run out to play with her tAvin.

Rosemary and her two funny hears, Pdl.v and his little brother Fluffy, who have been living Avith us ever since they escaped from the Zooloiegu! Gardens, decided that they Avere going to lie like Bov Scouts and do one good deed e\’er,y day Rosemary said she Avould fold up her clothes neatly at night (a thing I bad been imploring her to do for the past two years!) and Billy sat "it It a froAvit on his no.se—because that’s Avliere a lroAvn comes with bears —trying to think out something avoudertul lor himself and Fluffy to do. 'Jhe morning after Good Resolution Day. I found that my hair smelt, strongly (;t scent and that my brush Avas AA-et. 1 asked Roseinarv about it, and her dear little face Aveiit red. “I I did upset a. little scent, Muinmie,” she explained .“while J. was tidying up your dressing-table for you. Tidying up toy you is one of my good deeds, you know!” She had “tidied up,” you

see, while 1 was in the bathroom: so 1 •said J. quit© understood, but in future I. should be glad if she would keep all the tidying up for the nursery! But Rosemary’s little accident Avas quite forgotten when I looked in the front garden. We have—or rather, had—some very nice roses groAving outside our windows, hut that morning they were noAvhere to be seen. It wasn’t as if they had been picked. Thev had gone. And in place of them Avas just rough, freshly-dug earth, something like a ploughed field. I thought lor a moment, and then 1 called the hears. “Billy and Fluffy,” I said “do you know anything about the roses?” “Fluffy hasn’t eaten them?” lisped the little hear, avlioso thoughts a heavy turn to food Avlien he is getting into a senype. Billy said nothing for a moment. Then he blinked hard at me and. explained earnestly: “It’s our good deed! They’ll Tie lovely potatoes!” Good deed! “You Avait,” said j I till the master looks for his roses!”

the land of story books

At evening Avheu the lamp is lit, Around the fire, my parents sit; They sit at home and talk kaiul sing, And -do not plav at anything.

Xoav, Avith, my little gun. I crawl All in the- dark along the Avail, And follcnv round the forest track Away behind the sofa back.

There, in the night, Avliere none can spy All in my hunter’s camp I lie, And play at hooks that I have read 'Jill it is time to go to bed.

I, These are the hills, these are the Avoods These are my starry solitudes; And there the river by whose brink The roaring lions come to drink. —R. Ij. Stevenson.

HOW TO BE POPULAR. Be generous. The Avorld Wes a magnanimous soul. Large-heartedness is ahvays popular. ShoAv a helpful spirit towards everybody. and a Avillingness ahvavs to lend a hand. Everyone despises a man or Avonian avlio is always thinking of self. Learn to say pleasant things of others. Ahvays look for the good in others, hut never for their faults. Try t© see the man or Avoman that God made not the distorted one Avhich an unfortunate heredity and er.viro nueur haAe made. Do not remember injuries. Ahvays manifest a. forbearing, forgiving spirit. Bo cheerful. The sunny person is Avan ted everywhere. All doors tly open to her; she needs no introduction. Be considerate of the rights of others Never monopolise ct iiaer-.ition To listen well is as great an art as to talk well