FOR THE CHILDREN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16336, 27 January 1921, Page 9

FOR THE CHILDREN.

SALOME THE KITTEN

Once there lived a very beautiful kind of kitten called Salome. And the kind of things she liked doing beat were physical exercises—which was odd. Aud every morning before breakfast she used to stretch very carefully with her arms, and count one—two—three*— very snappily with her voice; and she used to like bending down and touching her loes with her hands very much. And every morning while Salome the kitten did her exercises, Peter the dog watched very surprisedly with his eyes. * And after Peter the dog had been watching Salome counting one—two—three —four, and touching her toes with her hands for some mornings, he began to think that he would like to do things like that too. So lie asked Salome very politely if she would teach him. And Salome the kitten propped him up very carefully against a chair, and she said that she wouldNow, it happened that Peter the dog was very nearly the same kind of shape as a dachshund, and because of the longness of his body, and the shortness of his legs, it was quite and absolutely impossible for him to touch his toes when he bent down. And so every time he tried, be fell down very bumpily on to the floor. And Salome the kitten laughed. And Peter the dog felt very miserable when lie saw; the way Salome the kitten was laughing at him. So lie asked Salome the kitten to show him unco more how to do the physical exercises. And Salome the kitten said she would, and she did. But Petfcr the dog still foil bumpily down on the floor when ho tried to copy her. Then Salome the kitten laughed again, and she thought she would show off her cleverness to Peter the dog. So she began doing a very difficult sort of exercise with a skein of wool. But it happened that she was thinking so much about how clever she was, that she quite forgot to think of the right way to do this very difficult sort of physical exercise. And instead of winding up all the wool beautifully into a. ball, which was the proper kind of finish to tliis sort of physical exercise, she wound it round herself, until 1 she was so wound up in the skein of wool that, she couldn’t move. Then Salome , the kitten began to mew very piteously with her voice, and Peter the dog couldn't help laughing, because it was so funny to seo Salome the kitten wound up in a skein of wool after all her conceitedness about doing the difficult physical exercises.