For the Children

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16875, 28 October 1922, Page 15

For the Children

lUK PENNIES OF HENRY ST GEORGE. Mice upon a time there lived a' young rat. and his name was Henry St »■*« orge. < )nc day when he had become* nearly grown up his father went am| .-at in the library and scut a housemaid to fetch him. And the father of Henry St George wore very glittering kinds of eye classes, and he had grey whiskers that Kept on twitching. And when Henry St George got to ‘lie library, his father gave him a very •ig bag of pennies, and he said that now Hcur.v St George was nearly giovn up. he had better take care of all hi-' pennies himself, and he hoped vcr\ much that Henry St George v. onUl do nice and good kinds of .kings with them. An i Henry St George was very pleased and glad, and he rushed out very quickly and bought a high collar oecause he wanted to be very grown up. Then the thought that it would he veiy nice to go for a taxi drive, so ic called out with his voice until a taxi-cab came. Then he jumped into it and told the driver person to go on driving till he told him to stop. So tin driver person drove and drove and hove, and Henry St George looked cui of the window, and tossed with his ii< a<l at people who weren’t in taxi<abs. And lie liked it very much. Bir it. happened that lie tossed with hi- head at Dan the Fox Terrier, and Dan didn’t like people tossing with bew heads at him at all, and he growled with his voice and chased after him. When the driver person saw Dan the Fox Terrier coming after them he began to get very flurried ; and he made a mistake and ran the taxi into a water fountain. And all the bag of ennicr- and all the taxi-cab and all Henry St George were upset into the vater ! And Henry St George had to climb out and run away very quickly on his feet so that lie could escape from Dan tbo Fox Terrier And he ran and ran and ran. and he dodged round lamp-posts and up side streets until Dan the Fox Terrier was quite tired out and had left off chasing him about. Then he sat down on a doorstep and "ept because he had lost all his pennies and he didn’t happen to know which way to go home. Anti when tin* person that lived in the house heard him weeping and calling out. lie was very surprised and frantic because of the kind of noise

that lie was making, so lie gave him a concertina because lie thought it might ~ make nicer kinds of noises, and he sent him away, and told him to go and play m the next street, whore the people were much fonder of music. And Henry Sjt George wandered about for a long time, and bough 1 ! tilings to eat with the money vuat people gave him to leave oft playing the concertina, until one day lie found his home, and he gave the concertina to , the housemaid, and had tea. and wept because of all the kinds of things that had happened. Hut over afterwards lie always gave all the pennies that lie happened to ; g<?t to his father so that lie might look . after them. HOW MANY? When Grandma came into the room >hc found a sad -late of thing-. Janet ! i and Billy were playing in opposite corners, their backs carefully turned to ’ each other, and Grandma guessed at | once that a quarrel had taken place. ' She pretended not to notice anything 1 wrong, however. ! “ Mell. children,” she said cheerfully. did the birds enjoy the crumbs 1 you put out lor them?” “ Ever so much,” said Janet, kneel- ‘ ing down beside Grandma’s chair. " Eleven darling little sparrows came 1 almost at once*.” I “Twelve sparrows, Grandma,” cor--5 rooted Hilly. * '■ Eleven!” persisted Janet. “ 5 * counted them twice.” “ There were twelve,” repeated Billy. “I couldn't co-nut one that wasn’t there, could I. Grandma?” 71 ** You did’” said Janet. 1 '■ Didn’t!” answered Lilly. I “ Dear me. this will never do!” 1 said Grandma AY by didn’t yon both * ‘count them aagin to make sure?” ' ‘ Because someone- opened th** win- > don and frightened them away.” All, that was my fault.” said i Grandma.. " I saw Pussy coming, and wanted to warn the birds.” e “Then you saw them?” cried Janet fi ‘‘l was right, wasn’t T. Grandma?" s • Aon were both right. and both - wrong.” said Grandma quietly. “ 1 counted twelve birds, but only, cloven I of them were sparrows. One was a - chaffinch, you see. Janet was right v about the sparrows, and Billy about the number of birds, so your quarrel, like t most quarrels, wa> ail for nothing.” I They couldn’t help laughing at this I i unexpected answer, and after that, of e lcour.se, they were lricnds again.

DOLLY’S WASHING DAY. Oh ! washing day lias come again, My Dolly dear, and so lour irock and other things, ’tig plai All in the tub must go. J 11 get some water and some soap, And rub with all mv might • And in a little time.' I hope. I'll have them clean and white. And then to dry upon the line I’ll hang them overhead: P»ut till they’re ironed. Doliv mine You’ll have to lie in bed. Aon wouldn t like to wear them wet And so. you sec. as you Have only got n single set. There’s nothing else t*» do.