FOR THE CHILDREN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17245, 11 January 1924, Page 9

FOR THE CHILDREN.

DUMPLING He was a friendly little dog, and as ne was all alone the children thought he must be lost So thev took him for their own and called' him Dumpling, and played with him until dinner time. “ Dumpling shall go horn© with us, and we will give him a plate of sausage and potato,” said Fri£z and Lisa. “No!” cried Hans and Alinna. “He must come ibome with us and have a bowl of sheep’s-head soup.” Sausage and potato are nicer than soup,*’ said Fritz. ‘‘ No. they are not 1” shouted Hans. “Let us ask Dumpling which he likes best,” suggested Lisa. But this did not settle the matter, for when tihe little dog was asked if he did not think sausage and potato the nicest possible kind of dinner he only wagged his tail and barked. And he did exactly the same when he was asked whether he had ©ver tasted anything so good as sheep’s head soup. “ Our best plan will be to start for home, and thep we shall s ee which of us he will follow,” said Alinna. And she and Hans ran towards bhe farm, while Fritz and Lisa walked towards the mill. Dumpling looked at the broad backs of his new friends for a few minutes, then, turning his tail upon fihem, he trotted off towards the cottage in the wood. “Look at him.” cried Hans and Alinna “He seems to know his way.” And Fritz said. “I don’t believe he is lost at all.” This w-as quite true, for Dumpling was the woodman’s dog, and he was just going home for ihis own dinner of bones and biscuit. DISCOVERED. The belle of the nursery, Aliss Dolly Dutch, Went walking with Golliwog gav; And he murmured, “ Dear Dolly, I love you so much I could on a-walking all dav !” But her father, the stern Mr Jack-in-the-Box, Popped up with a terrible glare Gave poor Air Golly the hardest of knocks And scared the affectionate pair!

JACK’S PENNY. Little Jack Rabbit was very fond of sweets, and when anyone game him a penny, he would run off to the sweet shop and spend it, instead of putting it into the nice red money box his mother had given him. * But his lather wanted him to grow more careful, so one day when he was going away from home for some time, he gave Jack a penny. “ Now, Jackie,” he said, “if you will take care of that penny until J come home I will give you two more pennies.” Three pennies at once seemed a great deal of money, and Jack made I up his mind to earn them. He had to ! run very fast past the sweet shop, when he thought what nice peppermints or peardrops that penny would buy, but ho did not spend it. lie took great care of it. thinking of all tho things he could get when he had three pennies instead of one. Then one day he heard someone playing a fiddle m the street, and ran to window and looked out. The fiddler looked very cold, for it was a winter’s S day, and Jack felt sure he must be ! hungry, or else he wouldn’t be out in the rough and earning money. He j wanted to ask liis mother for some money to give, but she was out, and nurse, who was looking over hjs shoulder, had no pennies in her pocket. Jack looked at his own penny. If he gave it away, that wouldn’t be taking care of it, he thought, and Daddy wouldn’t give him those two other pennies, and lie did want them so much. But when he looked again at tho fiddler in the windy street. he wanted to help him, and he thought that, after all it would he nicer if the man could buy something to eat than to have Daddy’s pennies spent on himself. He leant out of tho win- “ Hero is something for you,” ho called out, and then the fiddler turned round so that Jack saw his face for the first time. Who do you think it was ? AVhy, Jack’s father, who had come back to surprise his little son. Ho was verv pleased with Jack’s kind action, and gave him six pennies instead of’ two, for he thought Jack had chosen the very best use for his penny. Jack spent three pennies for himself, but the others he saved up to give to the next real beggar he met. ~ i