For the Children

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16814, 17 August 1922, Page 10

For the Children

TIAIOTHY SNAIL. Timothy Snail always spent the winter in a snug crevice of an old stone wall. At the first sign of frost, he would fasten his front door and sleep through all the cold weather. One ! spring morning, he awoke to hear a ; robin singing merrily on the top of the wall. £i AVake up, wake up! Spring is ! here!” called the robin. Timothy Snail peeped out of his shell. Yos, the winter was gone, and now he could start on his travels. He moved slowly down the wall, until ho reached the ground. How nice it seemed to be travelling again! Although ho had to carry his house, he was quite happy. Presently, he overtook a family oi cousins. “ Why, here's Timothy,” said one. “ AYhere are you going this year?” Now Timothy had really no plans, but, a feeling that he ought to have a destination, he replied: “To see the ; world !” Hi® uncle and his aunt drew in their horns in dismay. Never had one of their family ventured beyond the gar- I den. They warned Timothy, but, hav- I ing made such a statement, he felt j bound to act upon it. So he bade his j relatives good morning and set off. At last lie reached the iron gate, be- j yond which lie had never been. He ’ crept under the gate, and now ho was j out in the big world. He was on some ! grafts that bordered a high road., and it was very pleasant after the graveled garden path- He made the acquaintance of a little snail, in a black and white house, who was clinging t-o a buttercup stalk. “ AVill you kindly tell me where this road leads?” said Timothy Snail, politely. “ That way to the town, this way to the river,” was tho reply. Timothy thought he would like to boo the river, so he kept on in tho j same direction. He shav many strange 1 creatures, but all were quite friendly. The grass was juicy and tender and there was water in the ditch, so he • fared very well. For days he plodded j

on, and thought he should never get { to the river. Then, one day, he heard 1 a lap-lap and a swish-swish, and found that he was on the bank. It -was so cool there. Timothy stayed there for many weeks, j Then a surprising adventure happened j to him. A little boy passed along the bank, and, seeing Timothy put him m a basket with a number of other snails. | How they were all protesting against J it! The little boy left Ins basket in the summer house that night, and, when he came to look at his treasures the next morning, they had all vanished. Timothy Snail had been one of the first t-o crawl out, and on the lawn he had met his aunt, and had discovered he was back in the old garden. He had hardly finished telling his cousins of his adventure initio big world, before another winter approached aiul it was time to go to sleep again! THE DRIVE. AYlien Mary and Alable were at the seaside they drove every day in a little carriage drawn by a goat. They missed their drives sadly after they came home, so their father made for them a small carb which ran upon four wheels. Then tho little girls looked shout for an animal to draw their carnage. ic Carlo will do it nicely,” said they. But Carlo did not think so. As soon as he felt the whip upon his back he barked and jumped, until the c-art was upset and Alary and Mabel rolled out upon the grass. Luckly they were not hurt, and when they had picked themselves up they sent mischievous* Carlo away, and har-

I nessed the cat to their carriage. But > Pussy had no mind to serve a® a horse, so she lay down and went to sleep, and nothing they could do would wake her up. j “Oh, dear! Whatever shall w*» | do?” cried the two little girls. <c Try the donkeys which Santa Claus , brought last Christmas,” said father. I So Ned and Nod were fetched from ■ the nursery stable and put into har- * ne?»s, and after that everything went as smoothly as amoothlf. Tho donkeys behaved very nicely , and although they did not gallop fast nobody cared. The carriage travelled quite quickly enough for Alary* and Alabel. and everyone was quite happy. LITTLE BLUE OVERALLS. I love my little blue overalls, With the red straps And ihe shiny buttons. I love niy little blue overalls, i AA r ith the buttons of gildy-gold. ' For in them 1 can make mud-pies And gardens and almost anything, And while they I get blacker and blacker fnoti n the least caring) II stay inside them and only have to wash my hands (and sometimes my face! for supper. ; I love ray little blue overalls, AYith the red straps | And the shiny buttons. j I love my little blue overalls i Hanging in the sun For while I watch them drying Wy:li the wind blowing this way and that iu--1 can play I’m sailing in them Like a funny blue balloou Caught in the clothesline. AY ALL PAPER. ' Here by the bridge that spans th# I Seine, The coach rolls swiftly on again. And here it swings past dusty trees, There the road skirts cl iff-bound seas. lAud here’s the mark of someone's head, Someone who went late to bed. There's the outline of a hand. I Half on sea and half on land. : The tear and scratch on coachman 3 j hat Must be the work of Thomas Cat. . That green-eyed pirate of the daxk I AA’ho pends his evenings in the park. J Past the inn and by the hedge. Until it oames to the woodwork’s edge Swift goes the coach bv bridge and fall Around the paper on my wall. - - ■ =