An Afternoon’s Fun and Frolic

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 370, 13 September 1930, Page 19 (Supplement)

An Afternoon’s Fun and Frolic

Dear Wendy,—Here’s two big girls together going to return to childhood again. Well, really there’s three, but the third member of the party is not a Wendyite. For the afternoon she’ll borrow the pen-name of “Honey.” Well, on arriving "H.” and "S.” discover two pet lambs belonging to “Just William” and "Your Humourist.” They are given a rousing (very) welcome from "Jack the Dog” and gramophone we make up our minds to write this, and with the gramophone crying "Only his two cobbers. After a few records on the a Pansy Blossom,” "Cows” tells “Just William” to get the ink. He is away for some time and then returns with a bunch of mint. When asked for the ink he wonders what we are talking about. You couldn’t blame him as we were all talking at once. When he does understand he goes and returns with two large stone jars and two small bottles of the required liquid. We then sat on the verandah and commenced this epistle. He comes behind and tickles us. After tiring of that piece of teasing "Just William” goes away and gets a horrible instrument. The sound is like a badly-toned trumnet, tin whistle and a few others ns well. The real tone is like a cat’s scream with a 14-stoncr standing on its tail only much more louder and piercing. To escape being deafened by the noise we tried to escape through the front garden gate which happened to be chained Up to prevent stock getting in the garden. We had to get over somehow and as the gate is a "spiky” one we had to climb the post. Good oh! We did it, but I earnestly hope no one saw us. We come upon another fence. This one runs (on no legs) along the edge of a drain. Being very ancient most of the battens are evt and the wires very loose. We can jump this fence as it has not dreadful barb wire on top. We have to climb about three wires, and with a wonderful spring clear the fence and about three feet or more of drain. We go one at a time. "Sweety’s” jump is a real beauty. She’s a fine hurdler and can take the fences in great style. Now “Honey's” turn. She gets on the fence. "Just William.” cheeky as ever, makes a funny remark which causes us to giggle. This spoils her jump just a wee bit. Her foot slips back on the slope, but she saves herself from getting any more than her shoe wet from the water running beneath her. Now "Cows’ ” turn. You really must not laugh, Wendy. She gets on the wires and "Just William” gets on the fence. It rocks terribly and swayed so far one way that they both fall in the drain and a war cry rent the air. Such a funny cry. It was the combination of "Cows’ ” screech and "Just William’s” first note of laughter. You know what I mean by first note. It’s the beginning of a jolly good

giggle. Luckily they don’t get wet enough to catch a dangerous cold. She gets up to remove her stockings nnd shoes, wipe her hair and tell “Just William” what a darling he was. A little further we come across a gate. We all clamber on, but it gives an awful crack so we hop off like a shot out of a gun. We all sit on the “Big Hill” and “Just William” picks up a board from the heap of sledge and cabbage tree tops which was the “spoil” of the afternoon we spent some few Sundays ago. (You bet we'd have a jolly good slide down that hill.) He hits uh on the heads with it then taps a large block of wood and announces that it has the same sound, meaning that our heads were just blocks of wood. He wasn’t far wrong anyway. When told to stop it he goes nway laughing as hard ns ever. We were watching “Snowy,” the fox terrier hunting. He was down a burrow nnd nil we could see of him was a bobbed white tail wagging vigorously. A smart sting on the legs turns us to find "Just. William” with a rush smacking us around the leg. He seemed to have tired of playing with us after he'd received a lecture from u«. A lecture it was. We all gabbled like Chinamen at the same time and wore such expressions that he thought it wisest to stop. Then “Jack the Dog” joins us. After playing with us for a while ho spots a horseman and his dog coming, and runs off. We follow him fearing a fight. He merely runs up to his mate, shakes hands and says, “Hullo, mate! Lovely day, isn’t it?” and receiving a like answer comes back to us. He seemed to say that anyway. We explore the small plantation of young macrocapas for bird’s nests and succeeded (?) At least we saw one and after receiving several nasty blows from the branches of the trees secured it only to find it is an old one. The twigs of this tree are very stingy. Horsemen use them for whips for their horses and daddies (more or less kind) use them for their disobedient boys. My I they do sting though. “Cows’ ” father was lying down and when he got up he said, "He thought there was about twenty draught horses in the room, trotting around and calling out to each other.” If you have heard a horse whinny' to its matc> I know you’ll agree with me that the noisa we made wasn’t quite as bad as that. However, he said it sounded like that. Time and ink, paper and parents, will not per mit us to tell you more now, bfit perhaps we shall write another afternoon’s fun later on. Until then, au revoir. Kindest regards.— From “SWEETY” and "COWS,” Bulls. So pleased to have your welcome letter this week, my dears. What a mistake “Just William” made. Dear me, but what a time you all had together. Poor "Cows.” —Wendy.