This Week's Great Day LEWIS CARROLL AND THE FROCK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18043, 31 December 1926, Page 19

This Week's Great Day

LEWIS CARROLL AND THE FROCK.

Eewis Carroll, the author of “Alice

in Wonderland” and other well-known children’s books, had a wonderful charm for children. Of course, his real name was Dodgson, “Lewis Carroll” being a pen name. Here is a story which illustrates his interest in boys and girls. A little girl—one of Mr Dodgson’s friends—was unhappy one winter because she had to wear a frock made of woollen material of a large checked pattern in light blue and light grey. One day, going with her father to see Mr Dodgson, she was put into the hated dress in spite of protests and tears. When she reached her friend’s house he noticed her distress and asked her the reason, so of course the little girl told him how she disliked the frock. “But it seems a nice warm dress, Alice,” Mr Dodgson observed. “Well, it is warm,” she reluctantly admitted. Then, seeing her grief, Mr Dodgson drew her gently to him and told her a fine, story of the sheep and the fleece, the washing of the wool, the carding and the spinning, the shuttle and the click of the loom, the thickening of the cloth, and then how it was packed for shops and sold. The story so absorbed the child’s interest that her tears disappeared by the time it was finished, and she looked at her despised frock with greater interest. “I shall like it better now, and ,1 won’t be silly any more,” she bravely declared. “There are lots of little girls in the world, Alice, who would like to have such a dress as yours. And it's a very amusing dress, too—at least you might make it so.” “IIow? IIow?” she replied eagerly, ' “Do tell me, please.” “Then you shall see,” replied Mr Dodgson, laughingly. He took a square drawing-board, which he told her to put under the skirt of her dress; he also produced a set of draughts. The little girl sat on one stool and he on another, and together they played a

novel game of draughts on the blue and grey squares of her dress. It was a fine game, and the little girl won it. The girl forgot all about her distress and became quite merry, and for some months afterwards Mr Dodgson would say. “Put on your blue and grey frock when you come for a game of draughts,” when he invited her to have tea with him.