Wendy’s Letter-Box

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 45, 22 February 1936, Page 12

Wendy’s Letter-Box

(Letters to be addressed “WENDY,” c o “Chronicle” Office, Box 105, Wanganui.)

Serenading Matron I Part 11. Dear Wendy.—Rat! tat! May I come in. out of the teeming rain? It ii> raining all the time out here. I suppose I had better continue my story, which 1 am writing for the page, so here it is: “The revenge of the Wraiths!” said Myrtle. ‘‘A long, long trail of ghosts shall sweep through the corridors at midnight, and howl at her door, ‘give us back our Boodle.” Now, of course, we could have taken the sheets c/ff our beds, but, as we agreed, if we had done so, our revenge would not have been complete. “She has Jed us by devious wavs into making our beds a third time in one day,” said Myrtle. “No, no. we’ll wend our way to the sheet cupboard, and bring back enough clean linen for the dorm. May as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb.’’ “T’.v the Wolf. 1 suppose.’” said the rest. “Eaten, you mean!” We’d christened matron “The Wolf.” by this time, because she seemed to “hulT and to puff ami blow the dorm down,” evervtiine she came near us. We meant to have our revenge, however. “Thin people are al wavs afraid of spooks.” said .Myrtle. “Julius Caesar says so, or words to that effect. Hilary, if * our 'oath night —we can slip along afterwards and fetch armfuls of sheets.” “Rather,” agreed I. The bathrooms stand in a lint?, the linen room comes next, from which wp intended getting the sheets. Myrtle and I rapped on tTie dividing wall between our bathrooms, as a signal to come out together. As the clock struck nine. Mvrtle tapped on the. wall, t replied, and out we came. Just, as, heavily weighed down with sheets we felt the supboard, we heard the voire of the Head. Never before had the Head (That’s Miss Deare'i appeared upon the dorm corridors at bedtime. “Into the cupboard.” hissed Myrtle. “Till she pasps. There’s just roam.” Tn we rolled. We’d rdeared a shelf, and on it we lay, the rheets rolled onto the shelf below us. “How long will she take?” whispered Myrtle. “S-s-s-sh,” said I. for, suddenly the Head's steps and those of matron had passed the door. “As soon as the Head is gone, I 'll burst out and tell matron that we were eavesdropping,” said Myrtle. “Whack —whack —I banged on the door, for matron who w. \ now walking pact, had turned her key in the door, as sh-e always does at night. “It’s us, yet us out,” called I. ’Soon steps were heard in the passage, she wai- coming towards the cupboard. “Now—what’s this?” she unlocked the door. “Of course, now we’ll be separated and we deserve it,” me said. “You do deserve it,” matron stared at us. “You ought to be reported to the Head.” “Luckily it’s the fin-t clay of the holidays, and there are no school rules in holiday-time.” We got off luckilv that time.” said Mvrtle and I together.—“AUNTY’S PAL,” C.W.K., Wendytown. Many thanks for the continuation of your story, dear. I am sure everyone is enjoying it immensely.—Wendy.

• IT SEEMS SO SAD THAT MANY YOUNG LIVES ARE CUT OFF,” SAYS “ELUSIVE.” Dear Wendy.—Once again I sit at my desk and pen a few words to you. 1 hope you will excuse me for not ■writing for such a long time but 1 have been ever so busy, Wendy. That is not much of an excuse, is it ? But understand please, Wendy, that it is only too true in my case. Thank goodness the weather is improving. Let us hope that Sir Weather Clerk is in a consistent mood for a lew weeks. I’ve been away on holidays and had a most wonderful time. We toured all over the place and I really enjoyed myself. We had good weather must of the time we were away. Just, about three days wet weather, Wendy, so that wasn't so bad, was it? Even though it. was wet, we still went swimming. And one afternoon we played golf—lB holes!—in the rain. Oh, I did have a lot cf fun. We went to Rotorua again. I. say again because we have been there about eight or nine times altogether. And how we enjoyed ourselves. I cau remember th? very first year we went there, and I was quite a small girl then! It is a pity that we have had such inclement weather this year, for swimming, and all sports have been affected by the rain. As you said, Wendy, it is really a. necessity to learn to swim, these days, for the number of swimming fatalities are appalling. It seems so sad that so many young lives should be cut off before they begin to go through life at. 'all. For life Is the one gilt given to us that is so precious that once lost can never be retrieved. Of course, a<? you said, Wendy, these drowning fatalities do serve the rather dreadful purpose of bringing to public notice the very urgent need for everyone to be able to swim at least proficiently. Well, this is my fourth page of scribble and I am very glad that only you have to put up with it, Wendy. So I think I’ll cay an revoir before you have a chance of showing me the back door, of the Wendy Hut. But before doing so, I was wondering whether you could find me a pen-pal about 17 io 19 years of age. Hoping you will be able to find me one, I’ll close with best wishes to you and the Ites for a bright and prosperous 1936. From “ELUSIVE,” C.W.K., Wanganui. Why, dear, to have been busy ie a good excuse for your long absence. 1 and so happy to have you in our midst this Make-believe Day though. 'What a wonderful holiday you had. The Weather Clerk treated you very well, indeed, considering, didn’t he? I am delighted to have your co-operation of thought upon swimming. T here ■would be many and many a life saved if everyone could only be masters of the art. There are, of course, some accidents where loss of life from drowning is unavoidable. The element of accident precludes all hop’e in those cases and is not included among the cases where life is just simply lost through the inability to swim. These cases are few however, the great majority being preventable. I will try to find you a pen-pal.—W endy.