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THE EIGHTH HOLIDAY BOOK

THE EIGHTH HOLIDAY BOOK

By

LONDON SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO., LTD. AND C.A PUBLICATIONS,LTD.

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MADE AND PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY PURNELL AND SONS, LTD., PAULTON (SOMERSET) AND LONDON

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LIST OF CONTENTS
1. "I Dare You To!" Illustrations: Hilda McGavin Story: Safety Fun No.4 1950 Make a carol singers lantern 2. Too Good to Be True Illustrations: Robert MacGillivray Story: Sunny Stories No.422 Jan 23, 1948 The flowers in my garden 3. Mr. Big-Hat's Button Illustrations: Grace Lodge Story: Sunny Stories No.393 Nov 15, 1946 4. Wagger Goes to the Show Illustrations: Raymond Sheppard Story: Sunny Stories No.407 Jun 20, 1947 5. Clickety-Clock Illustrations: Grace Lodge Story: Sunny Stories No.425 Mar 5, 1948 A Christmas stocking puzzle 6. The Other Little Boy Illustrations: Cicely Steed Story: Sunny Stories No.319 Jan 14, 1944 An old Chinese puzzle 7. It's Just a Dream Illustrations: F. Stockes-May Story: Sunny Stories No.438 Sep 3, 1948 8. Two Good Turns Illustrations: Mary K. Lee Story: Sunny Stories No.421 Jan 9, 1948 A train from corks, matchboxes and paper clips 9. Little Lucky Man Illustrations: Dorothy Hall Story: Sunny Stories No.420 Dec 26, 1947

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A few dates for you 10. Think Hard, Boatman Illustrations: Mary Brooks Story: Sunny Stories No.418 Nov 28, 1947 Make a Pretty Flower for your dress 11. Tubby Makes a Mistake Illustrations: Grace Lodge Story: Sunny Stories No.370 Dec 28, 1945 12. What Happened on Christmas Eve Illustrations: Robert MacGillivray Story: Sunny Stories No.419 Dec 12, 1947 Make this little toy mouse 13. A Spell for a Lazy Boy Illustrations: Dorothy Hall Story: Sunny Stories No.335 Aug 25, 1944 A hidden words puzzle 14. It's Going to Rain! Illustrations: Cicely Steed Story: Sunny Stories No.409 Jul 25, 1947 15. Adventure in the Afternoon Illustrations: Mary K. Lee Story: Sunny Stories No.437 Aug 20, 1948 16. It Serves You Right, Jumbo Illustrations: Mary Brooks Story: Sunny Stories No.437 Aug 20, 1948 A desk for your dolls house 17. The Little Chatterbox Illustrations: Mary K. Lee Story: Sunny Stories No.321 Feb 11, 1944 Can you do this? 18. Mrs. Muddle's Scarf Illustrations: Hilda McGavin Story: Sunny Stories No.384 Jul 12, 1946

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19. The Monkey's Tail Illustrations: F. Stockes-May Story: Sunny Stories No.439 Sep 17, 1948 Who is this? 20. "Isn't He a Coward!" Illustrations: Eileen Thornley Story: Sunny Stories No.388 Sep 6, 1946 Charming little animals for you to make 21. The Spanking Umbrella Illustrations: Raymond Sheppard Story: Sunny Stories No.322 Feb 25, 1944 Make an observation balloon 22. Spears for Impies Illustrations: Hilda Boswell Story: Sunny Stories No.376 Mar 22, 1946 23. The Boy Who Never Put Things Back Illustrations: Marjorie L. Davies Story: Sunny Stories No.359 Jul 27, 1945

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I DARE you to! " said Geoffrey to Bill. The two boys were standing outside old Mr. White's cottage. It had a funny old-fashioned bell-pull, and when you pulled the handle you could hear a bell jangling somewhere in the little house. " Go onpull it! I dare you to! " said Geoffrey. He was always daring somebody to do something sillyand nearly all the boys were silly enough to take his dares. " PoohI would dare a lot more tnan just pulling a bell! " said Bill, scornfully. He ran up to the front door and gave the bell-rope a terrific pull. To his horror it came away in his hand, and at the same time there was a loud jangling noise inside the house. " Run!" shouted Geoffrey. " You've broken the rope, you idiot! Run!" Bill ran for all he was worth. Old Mr. White was a hot-tempered fellow, and he was getting very tired of mischievous children who tugged at his bell-pull. Whatever would he say to somebody who broke it? Bill fled down the street, feeling ashamed of himself for running away. But that afternoon, when Geoffrey told the other boys how Bill had taken his dare, and not only pulled at old Mr. White's bell but had actually tugged the rope in two, Bill found himself quite a hero! He forgot that he had been ashamed of running away, and he began to boast. " That was nothing! I'd take a bigger dare than that! " " I dare you to ride down Langham Hill without your bike brakes on! " said Geoffrey at once.

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"Right!" said Bill. " Don't be such an ass," said Derek, the head-boy of the class. " You'll have an accident. That hill is too steep to ride down without brakes on." " There's hardly any traffic down that hill," said Bill. " I shan't have an accident, don't worry. I've got all my wits about me. It'll be grand sailing down there at top speed." The boys all went to see him take the dare and ride down Lang-ham Hill. It really was a very steep hill indeed, but perfectly straight, and had a good level stretch at the end. Very little traffic used it, because it was too steep. It certainly looked quite safe. " Here goes! " said Bill, and got on his bike. Whooooooosh I Down he went, twenty miles an hour, thirty, forty ...! " As fast as a motor-bike!" said the boys, admiringly. " Look at him!" Bill sped down the hill, enjoying the wind in his hair and the swiftness of his bicycle. What a ride! He came up on the level stretch and the bicycle sped along there too and then gradually slowed down. Bill leapt off and waved to the boys who were now running down the hill towards him. Then he rode to meet them, pedalling leisurely along. " Jolly good! " said Geoffrey. " What did it feel like? " " Grand," said Bill. " I'd do it again any time. Anyone want to dare me again? " " We'll think of another dare for you, not the same one," said Geoffrey. " There's nobody as brave as you, Bill." " And nobody as silly! " thought Derek, the head-boy, but he didn't say it out loud. Bill was so pleased with all the back-thumpings and praise he was having that he certainly wouldn't like being called silly.

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Well, that was the beginning of many other dares. Bill was dared to ride home one night without lights, and he did, though he met the policeman and was rather scared when he was shouted at. He rode all the way home from school holding on to the tail of a van because Geoffrey dared him to. The van-man saw him and yelled at him, but Bill wasn't going to spoil his dare, and he didn't lose hold of the van till he came to the road where he lived. Hahe'd shown the boys how brave he was. He was Dare-devil Bill, afraid of nothing. Certainly Bill was a very clever cyclist. He was always in perfect control of his bicycle, which was a real beauty. It had cost nearly twenty pounds, and had been a very special birthday present from his mother and father and grandmother. Its brakes were perfect, its lamp was beautiful, and his red rear-light always shone out splendidly. Bill could ride so slowly on it that it almost looked as if he were going to fall off, but he never did. He could ride sitting on the saddle, with his feet up on the handlebars to steer instead of his hands. There was no end to the tricks he could do. " There aren't many dares left for Dare-devil Bill," said the boys at last. " He's done everything." " I bet he wouldn't dare to ride across the traffic lights when they showed red," said Harry. " Nobody would dare to do that."

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" Nobody would be idiot enough," said Derek. " Hie, Bill," shouted Geoffrey, " I've got another dare for you. Would you dare to ride against the traffic-lightsgo across when they show red instead of green? " " You bet! " said Bill at once. " That's easy. Which traffic lights? Choose difficult ones, or it will be no fun." " All right. Ride over the crossing at the end of the High Street," said Geoffrey. " On the way home from morning school. We'll watch! I bet you'll be nippy enough to get over before anyone knows whatyou'redoing." Bill was there at the High Street crossing, after morning school, standing with his bike, waiting for the lights to turn red. The boys stood a little way off, watching. Many people were walking up and down the pavement women-shoppers, hurrying men, and small children on their way home to dinner. None of them guessed what Bill was going to do. The lights turned red against him. Bill leapt on his bike. He rode straight across the road against the lights, with cars hooting at him and drivers shouting. He was nippy. He kept his wits about him as usual. He was soon at the other side, perfectly safe, and he sailed off into a side-street in case by any chance a policeman had seen him riding against the lights. He didn't hear a crash behind him. He didn't hear screams. He didn't see the crowd that gathered round a little girl on the ground. He rode home whistling cheerfully, thinking what a clever, courageous fellow he was. He went to school that afternoon as usual, expecting to be praised for his daring and patted on the back. He looked for Geoffreybut Geoffrey

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wasn't there. He looked at the other boys and grinned cheerfully. But nobody grinned back. The boys looked away from him. Nobody spoke to him. " What's up? " said Bill, puzzled. " Where's Geoffrey? " " Haven't you heard what's happened? " said Derek. " When you rode across the road, against the lights, a car jammed on its brakes so as to avoid youand it swung across on to the pavement and knocked down a little girl. She was taken to hospital." Bill went white. " Who was it? " he said, almost in a whisper. " Anyone I know? " " Yes. It was Geoffrey's little sister, Bets," said Derek. Then he burst out angrily at Bill. " You and your idiotic dares! You think you're so clever, don't you, showing off all the fat-headed things you can do, breaking all the rules of the road, and getting off scot-free yourself! Look at youthinking yourself no end of a fellowand that poor little Bets dying in hospital! You're a wormno, you're even worse than a worm."

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Bill sat down suddenly. He felt queer and ill. Betslittle Bets dying in hospitalwhy, she had only come to tea the day before yesterday, and he had shown her how to do a jigsaw puzzle. He was fond of Bets, with her round red face and golden curls. " It isn't true," said Bill with a groan. " Say it isn't true." " It is true," said Derek. " That's why Geoffrey isn't here this afternoon. He's at the hospital with his mother and father. Imagine what he feels like! It's all because he dared you to do that silly trick that this awful thing has happened to his sister. But you're all rightnothing's happened to you! You can still go on taking silly dares, and doing fat-headed things, and bringing trouble to other people." " Don't," said Bill, feeling sick. " We're all to blame," said Harry. " We all enjoyed seeing him take the daresand we patted him on the back like anything. We should have smacked his head instead. Poor little Bets! I keep thinking of her. She she was right under the car, and she screamed." Bill got up, looking as white as a sheet. He went straight to the headmaster's study and walked in without knocking. The headmaster looked up in surprise. " Sir," said Bill, " I'm in great trouble. It's about Geoffrey's little sister, Bets. Please, sirshe's not dying, is she? " " I don't know," said the Head. " She's badly hurt. I can only hope it wasn't one of the boys of this school who rode against the lights and caused the accident." " I was the boy," said Bill clutching at the desk. " What shall I do, sir? Tell me what

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to do. Tell me something I " The headmaster looked at Bill in horror. He got up and spoke sternly. " The first thing to do is to report to the police. Come with me." That was a terrible afternoon. In a dream, Bill went to the policestation and gave all the details of the stupid dare to a stern policeman. He went home and his mother listened in terror and distress to the tale. His father was telephoned for and came home too. " Mother, what about Bets? Will she die? " said Bill desperately. His father telephoned the hospital. " Bets is out of danger," he said thankfully. " She'll recoverbut she has a broken arm and leg besides cuts and bruises. Oh, Billhow could you do this? What unhappiness you've brought on yourself and us, and little Bets and her family! " " I can never, never make up to Bets for this," thought Bill. " I must go and see her every day at the hospital. I must take her flowers and toys and dolls and everything I possibly can. But where can I get the money? I've only about two shillings." He got the money. He got a great deal of money. Because, you see, he sold his magnificent bicycle and spent every penny on Bets. She's better now, though she still limps a little. She loves Bill for being so kind. Bill can't understand why Bets is fond of him. He thinks she should hate himand Geoffrey too. " After all, we nearly killed you between us," he tells Bets. " That was the most terrible afternoon of my life, I can tell you; it's changed me into A different person altogether! " And a very good thing too! What do you think?

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BINKIE and Tigger were cross. Their Aunt Work-a-Lot had just turned them out of her house without even a slice of bread and butter for their dinner! " Mean old thing! Just because we didn't dig up her garden for her! "said Binkie. " And she said we hadn't swept the back-yard," grumbled Tigger. "What's the matter with the back-yard? Why can't it be dirty? All this fuss about being clean and tidy and working hard for a living! " They were walking beside the river. It flowed calmly along in the sunshine and looked very peaceful. " It's a pity we were born pixies," said Binkie gloomily. " Why couldn't we be a river? Just flowing along because it can't do anything else. No cross aunt to make it rush here and there and do silly jobs." " I'm hot," said Tigger, and he flung himself down beside the water. " Here's a nice, warm, cosy little cove, Binkie. Let's bask in the sun." " We're supposed to go and fetch potatoes from the farm," said Binkie, but he sat down beside Tigger all the same. " Ah-h-h-h! How nice to be somewhere that Aunt Work-a-Lot isn't." They took off their shoes and stockings and put their feet into the warm water. Then they lay back, tipped their pixie caps over their ears, and talked lazily. " What we want is some good luck," said Binkie. " Just a little bit of good lucklike finding a shillingor some wonderful spell."

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" I could do with finding some dinner," said Tigger dolefully. " I had hardly any breakfast. I'm terribly hungry. We are very badly treated, Binkie. We deserve a great big piece of good luck, not a little bit." Now a good way up the river was Mr. Hey-There, the goblin. He had rowed all the way up against the stream, panting and puffing. He knew of a nice place to fish. He had brought a very fine lunch with him, a rubber sheet to sit on, a big umbrella in case it rained, and two fat books to read if the fish didn't bite. Aha! Mr. Hey-There meant to have a very nice day indeedplenty to eat, plenty to drink, plenty of fish to catch (he hoped) and books to read if he didn't. He came to the place he wanted. He flung the boat's rope over a tree stump and jumped out. He took with him his fishing-rod, meaning to get it ready first of all. Then he grunted crossly. Three cows were staring at him from just nearby. He didn't like cows. He didn't like anything that came and breathed down his neck whilst he was fishing. It frightened the fish in the water, and it made him feel very uncomfortable. He was always afraid that the horse or cow breathing over him might begin to nibble his hair, thinking it was grass. So what did Mr. Hey-There do but address the cows very sternly and tell them to go away at once. " Hey, there! " he shouted. "Shoo, go away!'" The cows chewed hard as they stood staring at him and didn't budge an inch. So Mr. Hey-There had to chase them. First he chased one cow away,, and then another, and then the third. By the time he had chased the third

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away to the other end of the field, the first two had come back to his fishing rod and were staring at it as if they thought it might be good to eat. So Mr. Hey-There had to begin his chasing all over again. It took a lot of time and was most annoying. But the most annoying thing of all was still to come. When at last he had got all the cows at the other end of the field, and was back where he had left the boat, there was no boat! It had gone. It simply wasn't therenor were his lunch, his books, his umbrella or his rubber sheet to sit on. Only his fishing-rod waiting for him. Mr. Hey-There stamped so hard on the bank in his rage that all the fish in the water nearby rushed off as if sharks were after them. " It's gone! " raged Mr. Hey-There. " Floated off down the river by itself. Now I've got to walk miles down the bank to find it! What a day! All because of those three cows that came to breathe down my neck." The boat had indeed gone off by itself. The rope hadn't been made fast to the tree stump and had simply slid into the water. So the river had

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taken the boat, and it was now floating back gently and peacefully all the way it had come. In fact, it floated right down to the little cove where Binkie and Tigger were lying, with their feet dabbling in the warm water. The current took the boat into the cove, and it bobbed over to the lazy pixies. They didn't see it because they were lying on their backs in the sun. They were still talking about good luck. " Some people have it and some people don't," Binkie was saying. " It's not fair." " Aunt Work-a-Lot always says that good luck comes to people who work for it," said Tigger gloomily. " Oh, Binkie, wouldn't it be nice to have a great big bit of good luck something like a wish that came true? " " If I had a wish, I'd wish for a jolly big lunch right away this very minute," said Binkie. Just at that moment the boat bumped gently against his toes. He thought it was Tigger's feet bumping him. " Don't," he said. " Don't what? " asked Tigger in surprise. " Don't push my feet," said Binkie. "I'm not," said Tigger, and just then the boat pushed quite hard against all their four feet in the water. " Don't! " they both said at once. " Leave my feet alone! " Tigger sat up crossly. He suddenly saw the boat. "I say, Binkie! Look here! It's a boat! "

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Binkie sat up, too. " A boat! Golly! There's no one in it. Oh, Tigger, do you think it's been sent to us? " " Who would have sent it? " said Tigger. " Don't be silly." " It might be a bit of good luck suddenly arrived! " said Binkie. " Boats never come without people in them. This must be a magic boat, a good luck boat! A boat full of good things for us! Oh, Tigger! " Tigger pulled the boat into the cove. " My goodnesslook at this basket of food! " " Oh! " said Binkie, overcome with joy. " My wish has come true. Don't you remember how I wished for a jolly good lunch, Tigger? I'll share it with you." " You'll share it? " said Tigger indignantly. " I should think you will! It isn't yours. It's ours. The boat came to both of us." " All right, all right," said Binkie, and he took the big basket of food out of the-, boat. There were two ginger-beer bottles beside it. " Look at those! " Tigger said joyfully. " Our favourite drink! " " What else is there? " asked Binkie. " A rubber sheet for us to sit on. How very thoughtful! I did think the grass was a bit damp, didn't you, Tigger ? And looktwo lovely, fat story-books to read when we've finished our dinner! " " And even an umbrella in case it rains," said Tigger. " It might quite easily rain. Oh, Binkie, it looks as if somebody has planned a really lovely day for usplenty to eat and drink, a ground sheet to sit on,

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books to read, and an umbrella in case it rains. This must be the big piece of good luck we've been talking about." They took everything out of the boat. They spread the ground sheet on the grass, poked the umbrella down a rabbit-hole to keep it safe, put the books beside them, and opened the dinner-basket. Chicken sandwiches! My favourite! " said Binkie in delight. " Egg and tomato! My favourite! " said Tigger joyfully. " Plum cake! Currant buns! Chocolate biscuits! Oh, Binkie, if this is the lunch you wished us, I must say you know what to wish for! " They ate every single thing in the basket. They drank the ginger-beer out of the bottles. They were just going to settle down in the sunshine to read their books when two cows came down to the water. " Go away, cows," said Binkie. " Go to another part of the river to drink. This is our bit. Oh, look, Tigger, that cow is eating the paper bags. Shoo, cow, shoo! " The cows wouldn't shoo, so the two pixies got up to chase them away. They ran up the river bank, shouting and yelling. The cows lumbered slowly away. A little way up the river bank Binkie and Tigger met an angrylooking goblin. It was Mr. Hey-There, still looking for his boat. He called to Binkie and Tigger:

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" Hey, there! I want to ask you something." Binkie and Tigger didn't like goblins. They turned away and began to walk back to their cove. Mr. HeyThere put his two heavy hands on their shoulders. " Now then! You'll answer my questions if I want you to." " Certainly, sir," said Binkie in a fright, not liking the feel of the goblin's knobbly fingers at all. " I'm looking for a boat," said Mr. Hey-There. " Oh," said Tigger at once. ' We've got one we can hire out to you, goblin." " I'm not looking for one to hire," said Mr. Hey-There. " I'm looking for my own boat. And for my dinner that was in it." " D-d-d-dinner? " stammered Binkie, feeling rather faint all of a sudden. " Yes, dinner," said Mr. Hey-There crossly. " Have you never heard of dinner before? My dinner was chicken sandwiches, egg and tomato sandwiches, plum cake, currant buns, chocolate biscuitsand gingerbeer." " Waswas it really? " said Tigger, stammering too. " What's the matter with you two pixies? " said Mr. Hey-There. " Stammering and stuttering and looking so silly! Have you seen my boat? " " Wellwe don't know if it was your boat," began Binkie, wishing he was a hundred miles away. " If you'd take your knobbly hands off our shoulders, goblin, we could lead you to where we know there is a boat." ' You'll lead me to it with my hands on your shoulders," said Mr. HeyThere, beginning to feel there was something queer about all this. " Now quick march! ' And quick-march it had to be! Down to the cove went all threeand then Mr. Hey-There stood and gazed at his empty dinner-basket, his books, Mr. Hey-There put his two heavy hands on their shoulders.

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his ginger-beer bottles and his rubber sheet. He saw the handle of his umbrella sticking out of the rabbit-hole. He saw his boat, still nosing into the little cove. ' You've eaten my dinner! How dare you! You little thieves! You greedy, dishonest robbers! Now, you get into that boat and row me all the way up-stream to the police station. Go onget in. Bring that umbrella. It will do to poke you with when you row too slowly! " roared Mr. HeyThere. And into that boat Binkie and Tigger had to climb, and row it slowly for a whole mile up the river to where the little stone police station stood. How they panted and puffed! Mr. Hey-There wouldn't allow them even a minute's rest. If one or other of them stopped rowing he would poke them with the end of his umbrella. " Thieves and robbers," he kept saying. He wouldn't listen to a word that Binkie and Tigger said. " We thought it was a wish come true when your boat came," cried Binkie. " We thought it was a piece of good luck. We did really." How they panted and puffed ! Mr. Hey-There wouldn't allow them even a minute's rest.

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Answer on page 130

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DAME Pippy, I want you to turn out my big cupboard," said Mr. BigHat, the wizard. " Yes, Mr. Big-Hat," said Dame Pippy. She came in to work for the wizard every day. She was a little bit afraid of him because he knew such powerful magic. When he was making spells she always locked herself away in the kitchen. " You never know when he's going to use thunder and lightning in his spells, or a dozen black cats," she said to her friends. " And my! What a temper he's got! I never dare to peep into any of his books, or even so much as open his desk! ' " I should think not, Dame Pippy! " said Mother Woolly, her friend. " That wouldn't be very honest. It never does to peep and pry, or to take even the smallest thing that belongs to anyone else! ' " As if I would! " said Dame Pippy crossly. " My word, I'm scared even to dust, with all the magic about that place! " When she turned out Mr. Big-Hat's cupboard Dame Pippy found a lot of interesting things. There were big, old books of forgotten spells. There were bottles of queer-smelling liquids that changed colour as she looked at them. There were boxes of strange powders that made her sneeze if she opened them. " My word! There must be a lot of old magic about this cupboard! " thought Dame Pippy. " And isn't it dusty! Now, what's in this tin that rattles so ? "

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She cautiously opened the tin. Inside was a collection of buttons. You should have seen them! There were all sizes and shapes and colours red and blue and green and yellow, round and squareand oblong, big and small. " The pretty things! " said Dame Pippy, and she ran her fingers through them. " I'd like to have these buttons in my work-basket! That's where they ought to be, not in this dusty old cupboard, where no one will ever see them or use them." But she didn't dare to take the tin of buttons and put it into her workbasket. Dear me! Mr. Big-Hat might fly into one of his dreadful tempers if she did such a thing as that! She was just shutting down the lid when she saw a very bright red button, perfectly round, with five little holes in the middle of it. She looked at it. " Now I do believe that would match the missing button on my old man's red dressing-gown," she thought. " Yes, I do believe it would!" She took it out and put it back again. Then she took it out again. " Mr. Big-Hat would never, never miss a little red button like that," she thought to herself. " Why, I don't suppose he even knows there's a whole box of buttons here. It would be silly of me not to take this little button, now I've seen it. I'm sure it would match perfectly, and it's just the right size." Without thinking any more about it, Dame Pippy took the round red button from the box and slipped it into her apron pocket. Then she shut the box, put it back on its shelf and went on cleaning out the cupboard.

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When she got home that night she took out her husband's dressinggown and put the little red button against the other buttons. But, alas, it didn't match at all! It wasn't a bit the same colour. Bother! She put it on the table and left it there. Soon Mother Woolly came in for a chat and she saw the button there. " My! Do you want that? " she said. " I believe it would just match the buttons on the jersey of the little boy next door. He's lost one." "Well, take it," said Dame Pippy, though she knew quite well she had no right to say that at all! It wasn't hers to giveand it hadn't been hers to take, either! Mother Woolly stayed for a while and then went home, taking the button with her. Dame Pippy forgot all about it till the next day. Then she got a horrid shock. " When you turned out that cupboard of mine, did you happen to see a tin of buttons? J: asked Mr. Big-Hat. Dame Pippy went red. " Y-yyes, sir," she said. "Good! " said Mr. Big-Hat. " I hoped they would be there. Get the tin for me, will you, Dame Pippy. I want a special button out of it." Dame Pippy went to get the tin. Oh, my goodness! How she hoped it wouldn't be that silly little red button that Mr. Big-Hat wanted! He took the tin from her and emptied ah1 the buttons on to his table. "It's a scarlet button," he said. "Quite round.

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With five little holes in the middle. A very, very special button, for use in a very powerful spell. It's a button off the dress of one of the cleverest witches that ever lived. Must be chockful of magic. Now, where is it? " Dame Pippy couldn't say a word. Her knees shook. That button! She knew it wasn't there. She had given it to Mother Woolly. Oh why, why had she been so foolish as to take it? "Queer!" said Mr. Big-Hat in a cross voice. " It doesn't seem to be here. Dame Pippy, it must have rolled out into the cupboard. You will please go and lookand go on looking in that cupboard till you find it. It is most important" " Y-y-y-y-yes, sir," stammered poor Dame Pippy. She went off to the room where the cupboard stood. What was the use of looking? She knew the button wasn't there. But she dared not tell the wizard. No, no, she'd rather run away and never come back! She heard him putting his big iron pot on his fire to boil. Ah, that meant he was beginning to make a spell. He would be busy for quite a while. She would have time to rush out to Mother Woolly's and get back that button! Dame Pippy slipped out of the back door, still trembling. She saw that the smoke from Mr. Big-Hat's chimney had suddenly turned yellow. That meant he was making a very powerful spell indeeda spell that might want that scarlet button! She must be quick! She banged on Mother Woolly's door. " Did you give that red button to the little boy next door? " she cried. " I want it back! "

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" Yes, I gave it to his mother," said Mother Woolly. " Why? " But Dame Pippy did not wait to answer. She ran next door and banged on the door there. " Funny! " thought Mother Woolly. " She's come out without her coat or hat and in her old working slippers. And it's raining! ' " Could I have that red button Mother Woolly gave you? " begged Dame Pippy when the woman of the house came to the door. " Did you put it on your boy's jersey? " " No. It didn't match," said the woman. " I gave it to John to play with. Johnny, what did you do with that button? " " I gave it to my cousin Ella," said John. " She said she had lost one of her red tiddlcy-winks, so I thought the button would do instead. She lives up the hill, Dame Pippy." " Oh dear! " said Dame Pippy, and tore up the hill in the rain, her hair getting wetter and wetter. She came to the house of Johnny's cousin Ella and banged on the door. " Have you got that red button that John gave Ella? " she asked. " I need it back. It's most important." " Oh, Ella was playing tiddley-winks with it, when Mr. Too-Tall came in," said Ella's mother. " And he said he would like to have the button to sew on a red belt he hasit was just the right size. I gave it to him." " Oh, my\ " said poor Dame Pippy. " Mr. Too-Tall lives miles away and it's pouring with rain. Why didn't I bring an umbrella! " Off she went again, her shoes quite, soaked through, her breath coming in pants and puffs. Mr. Too-Tall lived in the woods. Dame Pippy got

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there at last and asked Mr. TooTall please, please to give her back the red button. "Well, I sewed it on a red belt I had and gave it to my sister Katie," said Too-Tall. " I've no doubt she will give it to you if you ask her. How wet you are! Wait a minute and I'll lend you an umbrella." But Dame Pippy couldn't wait. She rushed off again to Mr. TooTall's sister Katie, who lived at the edge of the wood. But she had gone to a workingmeeting, so Dame Pippy had to toil all the way across the fields to Mrs. Busy's house, where the workingmeeting was being held. " Bless us all! How wet you are!" said Dame Busy. "And look at your shoes! Come in and tell me what you want." Dame Pippy panted out what she had come for. She looked for the belt on Katie's waist. But it wasn't there. "I'm so sorrybut the red button came off the belt whilst I was walking here," said Katie. " TooTall didn't sew it on properly. So off came the button and down dropped my belt. I picked up the beltbut I couldn't find the button. It dropped somewhere by the stile." Almost crying now with the wet and the cold, poor Dame Pippy stumbled off to the stile to look for the dropped button. And after she had gone down on her hands and knees and crawled about in nettles and grass and other weeds for half an hour, she actually found the scarlet button.

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Tears of relief ran down her cheeks. She had got it at last. She ran all the way back to Mr. Big-Hat's, hoping that he hadn't yet finished his spell. But he had. The chimney smoke was no longer yellow. Mr. Big-Hat was standing with his finger on the bell in his work-room, ringing and ringing for Dame Pippy. Why didn't she come? It was long past his dinnertime. He was hungry. Where was Dame Pippy ? " R-r-r-r-r-r-ring! " went the bell, as Dame Pippy staggered in through the back door. She ran straight to Mr. Big-Hat's work-room, panting, her hair dripping wet and her clothes soaking. " Oh, sir ! I've been looking for that button! " she said. " And I've got it! " She held out her hand with the scarlet button lying in the palm. But Mr. Big-Hat didn't take it. " I made a mistake," he said. " It wasn't that red button I needed after all. It was a blue one. I don't want that red one. There's no magic in it." Well! After all she'd done, to think it was the wrong button! Dame Pippy threw her wet apron over her head and sobbed loudly. Mr. Big-Hat was astonished. He saw how wet Dame Pippy was. What had she been doing? " I've been all over the place for that red button," sobbed Dame Pippy. " And now you don't want it." " But why did you go all over the place? " asked Mr. Big-Hat, even more astonished. " It was in the cupboard, surely? "

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" It wasn't. I wanted a red button to match one missing from my old man's dressing-gown," sobbed Dame Pippy. "And I tookjour red button. It would be the one you asked for! And then you didn't want it after all. Atish-oo! A-tish-oo! " " You have caught a dreadful cold," said Mr. Big-Hat. " Oh, Dame Pippy, it would have been so much better to have confessed that you had taken the button when I asked you for it this morning! " " It would have been better not to have taken it at all! " said Dame Pippy, tears pouring down her cheeks. " Now you'll tell me to go. Now I shan't be able to work for you any more. Nobody will let me work for them. I shall lose all my friends. How dreadful for such big things to happen to me because of one tiny red button! " " Yes, Dame Pippyit's surprising how often big sorrows come out of small sins," said Mr. Big-Hat sadly. " But, cheer upthis time the big things are not going to happen. You have punished yourself enough, without my punishing you, too. Go and get some dry things on and some dinner for usand I'll make a fine big spell to stop you having a very bad cold! " Well, dear me, Dame Pippy suddenly felt much better after that. She rushed out to get some dinner for poor, hungry Mr. Big-Hat. She'd been silly and wrong and not very honest but she'd be better now. She'd never so much as take a pin. Then Mr. Big-Hat made her a spell to cure a bad coldand he put into it the red button, which turned out to have some quite good magic in it. So, as Mr. Big-Hat said, it was a good thing Dame Pippy found it after all!

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M'UMMY, there's to be a garden-party at the Hall, in the grounds, next month! " said Terry, coming in with his sister Alice and his dog Wagger. " Can we go? " " There's to be all kinds of fun," said Alice. " There's a donkey to give rides, and all sorts of competitions, and swings and ice-creams. We can go, can't we, Mummy? " " Yes, of course," said Mummy. " You must start saving up your money at once, then you will have a nice lot to spend." " And, Mummy, there's a baby-show," said Alice. " Isn't it a pity we haven't got a baby, because then it might win a prize at the baby-show. I expect Mrs. Brown's baby will win. It's the fattest baby I ever saw." " Oh, it isn't always the fattest babies that are the best ones," said Mummy. " Well, I'm afraid you can't take a baby. You're my baby, Alice, and you're seven! " Let's put Alice in for the baby-show," said Terry with a grin. " I'm not a baby," she said. " Oh, there's a dog-show too. We're going to put Wagger in for that. What sort of a dog is he, Mummy? There are classes for fox-terriers, and spaniels, and pekes. What is Wagger? " Wagger isn't any special kind of dog, I'm afraid," said Mummy. He's what we call a mongreljust a mix-up of a dog. He's not pure-bred like the fox-terrier next door. He's a very ordinary, rather ugly mongrel." Mummy!" said both children in horror. " He's not ugly! He's beautiful."

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" Well, darlings, you think he's beautiful because he's yours and you love him," said Mummy. " But he isn't really beautiful. His tail is too long. He's too big. His ears aren't quite right. He'd never win a prize at a dogshow." Wagger looked up at the children and wagged his long plumy tail. They stared down at him, looking into his bright eyes. " I didn't know he was a mongrel," said Alice. " I didn't know he was a mix-up dog. I thought he was the nicest dog I ever knew. I still think so." " So do I," said Terry and he gave Wagger a stroke on his head. " And I'm going to take him to the garden-party even if all the dogs there turn up their noses at him! He'd hate to be left behind." " Well, don't put him into the dog-show," said Mummy. " Everyone would laugh at him, he's such a peculiar-looking dog. Yes, I know he's a darling, and faithful and lovingbut he is ugly! " The children went out, with Wagger jumping beside them. They simply couldn't see that he was ugly at all. " He's got the nicest eyes! " said Terry. " And the loveliest ways," said Alice. " Does it matter so much that he's a mongrel? Oh dearit's a shame he can't go in for the show." " Well, he mayn't be the most beautiful dog, but he's the happiest and healthiest," said Terry. " We look after him much better than they look after their dog next door." " Yes, we do," said Alice. " Wagger always has good meals and fresh water every day. And we bath him properly, and brush his coat well every morning. And he has good warm straw in his kennel in the winter, and lots and lots of walks all the year round."
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" Wuff," said Wagger, licking Alice's hand. " He understands every word we say," said Alice, and she hugged him. He licked her face all over. " Don't be upset because Mummy said you were ugly," said Alice. "We think you're lovely, Wagger." " Wuff," said Wagger happily. He wagged his long tail so fast that it could hardly be seen. The children saved up their money that month. They ran errands and weeded the garden, and cleaned Daddy's bicycle, and whatever they were paid they put into their moneyboxes. Soon they had quite a lot of money. " It's the garden-party tomorrow," said Alice to Terry one day. " Mummy's washed my blue frock for me. And you've got new shorts to wear." " We ought to make Wagger look nice too," said Terry. " Let's give him a bath with plenty of soap and warm water. And we'll brush his coat till it shines." " I wish we could clean his teeth too," said Alice. " His teeth always do look white and clean," said Terry. " He wouldn't like you to do that. I wish we had a new collar for him. His is old and rather dirty-looking." " Well, that won't matter," said Mummy. "He's not going in for the dog-show, so he doesn't need to be all dressed up in new collars and ribbons. So long as he is clean and

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healthy, that's all that matters when you take him out with you. Get out the little tin bath if you want to wash him." They bathed Wagger between them. He was as good as gold. He never made a fuss about being washed like the dog next door did. He just stood in the warm water and let himself be soaped all over. He even shut his eyes so that the soap wouldn't get into them. He was as clever as that! The children rinsed him and dried him. Then they took turns at brushing his thick, silky coat. It was rather curly, and it was fun to see the curls come up under the brush. They even brushed his big ears and his long tail. He looked very fine indeed when they had finished with him. He capered about in delight, barking. " I still think he's beautiful," said Alice, looking at him. " He's such a happy-looking dog. His eyes are so bright, and his tail is so waggy. Wagger, you're a darling!" Wagger licked her and pranced off again. He was certainly a very lively dog, always ready for a walk or a game. Next day the children set off to the garden-party, with Wagger at their heels, freshly brushed. They paid their sixpences at the gate and ran to have a ride on the little grey donkey. Wagger ran beside the donkey all the way round the garden and back. Then they had ice-creams, and Wagger licked up all the bits that dropped on the ground. After that they went to have a swing, and Wagger waited on the ground below, because he didn't like swinging. Then they all went to see the babies at the show, and Alice was glad she wasn't the judge, because she thought all the babies were as nice as one

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another. Terry didn't like them so much. He said they made too much noise, and their faces were ugly when they screwed them up to cry. Then they had another ice-cream each, and spent some money trying to fish prizes out of a pretend fish-pond with a little fishing-rod. But they weren't lucky, and couldn't hook a single prize! Wagger watched solemnly, and once he wuffed as if to say " I'm sure I could hook a prize if I had a chance! " Then a bell rang, and someone called out that the dog-show was about to begin. Everyone with dogs hurried to the big tent. What fine dogs there were, to be sure. Terriers dancing about on neat little legs. Pekes, with their snub noses, looking rather haughtily around. Scottics and Sealyhams barking loudly with excitement. Really, it was all very thrilling! " We'll go in and see the show," said Terry. " But we'd better leave Wagger outside, as we can't show him. It's a shame! Poor Wagger. He can't help being a mongrel." They tied Wagger up outside the tent and went in. There was a ring of sawdust inside, and here people walked their dogs round and round when

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they were showing them. The children watched, and the judges, sitting nearby, made notes and talked in low voices to each other. Then they called out which dogs won the first prize and second prize. The fox-terrier who belonged to the family next door won second prize and got a red ticket. His owner, a big boy called Ray, was delighted. '' See, Terry," he said, as he passed him. " I've got second prize for Nobby. Pity your dog's such an awful mongrel! " Then one of the judges got up to speak. " We have now awarded all the prizes for the various breeds of dogs," he said. " But there is one special prize to come, for which any dog can be entered, whatever breed he is. This is a prize given for the best-kept and healthiest dog. Please bring your entries to the ring one by one." So one by one the dogs were all brought up. Ray brought his Nobby too, proudly wearing the red ticket marked " Second " in his collar. And then a dog walked into the ring all by himself! The children gasped. It was Wagger! Somehow he must have wriggled himself free and come to find Alice and Terry. He walked into the ring of sawdust, looking all round for them. The judges thought he was entered for the competition. One put his hand on Wagger's collar and looked at his teeth. Wagger didn't mind at all. He just wagged his tail hard. The judges ran their hands over his coat. They looked at Wagger's eyes. They lifted up his feet and felt down his legs. Wagger barked joyfully. He thought they were making a nice fuss of him.

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Wagger was the last dog in the ring. One of the judges looked round the tent and called out loudly: " Who owns this dog? Will he please come forward? " Rather scared, Alice and Terry went into the ring. Wagger greeted them with loud barks, licks and jumps. " Wewe didn't mean..." began Alice. But the judge interrupted her. " Ah, so you own this lovely dog," he said. " Well, I am pleased to say that we shall award him the prize for being the healthiest and best-kept dog in the show. His coat, his teeth, his spirits are all first-classa very fine specimen of a dog, and most intelligent." And, to the children's enormous surprise, one judge handed Terry a white ticket marked " FIRST " in big letters, and another judge handed him a new collar for Wagger, and a big box of chocolates for themselves! " Oh, thank you," said the children, and Terry said, " Buthe's only a mongrel, you know." " Any dog can enter for this kind of competition," said the judge, smiling. " It's for the best-kept, healthiest dogno matter what kind he is,

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pure-bred or mongrel. You deserve the prize for keeping your dog in such good condition." Wagger barked and licked the judge's hand. The children turned away in delight, and bumped into Ray, who was holding Nobby on a lead. " We've got a First," said Terry, beaming. " Oh, RayWagger's got a First, and Nobby's only got a Second. I've never had such a surprise in my life." " Let's go home now," said Alice. " I want to tell Mummy. Let's go quickly. And we'll give Mummy the box of chocolates, because it was she who taught us how to keep Wagger so well and happy." So they left the garden-party and tore home to tell Mummy the good news. She was just as surprised and delighted as they were. She hugged them all, Wagger too. " We must all share the chocolates," she said. " Wagger, you look fine in your new collar. Really, you look beautiful! " " He does, he does! " said Terry. " And he's going to have his share of the chocolates, just for once. Three cheers for old Wagger, the best dog in the show! " ' Wuff, wurff, wuff!" said Wagger, three times, and made everyone laugh. Really, he's a very clever dog indeed! " We must all share the chocolates," she said. " Wagger, you look fine in your new collar. Really, you look beautiful ! "

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was a clown. He was a toy clown and he could be wound up by turning a key in his back. He was called Clickety-Clock because that was the noise he made when he danced about and turned head-over-heels when he was wound up. " Clickety-clockety-clickety-clockety," he went, and all the toys loved to watch him. He was a comical little fellow and they liked him very much. He lived with the two golliwogs, the black teddy-bear, the three dolls, the blue, rather dirty cat and the old wooden horse in the toy cupboard. They all belonged to Maribelbut, dear me, she was growing up fast and she didn't play with the toys in the cupboard much nowadays! She liked reading books and sewing and playing tennis. She hardly ever took out the golliwogs or the bear, and she hadn't wound up the clockwork clown for weeks. " I think, Maribel," said Mother one day, " I do really think it's about time you turned out some of your toys for the hospital children. They would love them, and, you know, you hardly ever play with them now." " Oh, MotherI know I don'tbut I still love them! " said Maribel. " I do really." " Well, just choose one or two toys then," said Mother. " I'll take them with me when I go on Wednesday."

CLICKETY-CLOCK

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Maribel went to look at her toys. " I can't give away you gollies yet," she said, and the golliwogs were glad. " I've loved you so much. And, Teddy-Bear, you are going to live with me always, till I get married and give you to my own children. Then I shall always have you. Blue Cat, you got grubby because I played with you so much. You came to bed with me every night for ages and I can't part with you." The blue cat was so pleased that she could have danced for joy. Maribel looked at the wooden horse. " Nice old Dobbin! " she said. " You've given all my toys rides for me and I can't give you away! What about you three dolls? Well, Angela, you're my baby doll and you'd be miserable if you left me. And, Gillian, you're a darling, with your sweet face and smileI'll never part with you. But what about you, Marigold ?" Marigold stared back at her. She was a beautifully dressed, vain little doll, who had felt very cross lately because Maribel hadn't taken her out in the pram and shown her to everyone. She hoped she would be sent to the hospital. She was sure she would be the most fussed-over doll there! " You shall go, Marigold," said Maribel. " I've never liked you very much, somehow, but you're a lovely doll. And, Clickety-Clock, I suppose you'd better go too. I really am too old for clockwork toys now." Poor Clickety-Clock! His little clownface still smiled, but in his heart he was very, very miserable. What, go away from the place he loved, and from his corner in the toy-cupboard? Leave the gollies and the bear, who were his friends? Never see the dirty blue cat again, and hear her stories of how Maribel used to suck her blue ears when she was a baby in her pram? He couldn't bear it. Maribel wound him up for fun, and he danced, clickety-clock, and he turned head-over-heels, clickety-clock, but all the time he was feeling very unhappy indeed.

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" I'm going on Wednesday, I suppose," he said to the others that night. " Oh, how I shall miss you all! I shall like to amuse the little sick children but I'm sure my heart will break when I remember that I shall never see you or Maribel again!" " You're silly! " said the vain little doll. " Instead of being poked away in the cupboard where nobody sees us, we shall be played with and made a fuss of all day long. I'm glad I'm going." ' Well, we're glad you're going too," said the bigger golliwog of the two. " But we just can't bear losing the clown. He's a darling. Some people are darlings and some are not. You're notbut Clickety-Clock is." Monday came, Tuesday came. Oh dear, the very last day at home among his friends for Clickety-Clock! He felt he really couldn't smile any more. At night he sat dolefully among his friends and they couldn't cheer him up at all. They were sitting there, talking sadly, when the biggest doll heard a noise. " What's that? " she said sharply.

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They all listened. " Only the rain," said the blue cat. " It certainly sounds like water. But it isn't the rain," said the bear, pricking up his little black ears. " Well, what is it then? " said the wooden horse. " It's a drip, drip, drip, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle noisewater of some kind! " The golliwog suddenly felt a drip on his head and then suddenly another. " Good gracious! Water is dripping from the ceiling! " he cried. " A pipe must have burst up in the loft. We shall all be drowned! The house will be flooded! And, oh dear, everyone is asleep! " " Clockwork clownyou must go and wake up Maribel!" said the blue cat. " We'll wind you up. You must go out of the door, along the landing, and into Maribel's room, and there you must dance and tumble, and make a noise to wake her up. Then she'll hear the drip-drip-drip and get help." " All right," said Clickety-Clock. " I do hope I don't meet the kitchen cat with her big claws. I feel a bit afraid of going along that dark landing, too. I wish I were braver." " You are brave," said the blue cat, beginning to wind him up. " It's always brave to do something you're frightened of. Didn't you know that ? " " R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! " went his clockwork as the blue cat wound him up. Then he was ready to go. He went clicking across the floorclickety-clock-clickety-clock. Out of the door and across the dark landing. And, oh dear me, Maribel's door was shut! Think of that! Clickety-Clock couldn't possibly go in. Now what was he to do? He heard a little sound from the room next to Maribel's. Her mother and father slept there, and her father was making some tiny snores, because he was lying on his back.
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Clickety-Clock was afraid of Maribel's father. He was so big and had such a deep voice, and when he was cross the whole house knew it. He had sometimes made Maribel cry when he scolded her, and the toys trembled when he came into the nursery. But the door into his bedroom was open! The clown could easily go there and dance and tumble and click. Did he dare to? Suppose Maribel's father woke up, turned on the light, and saw him? He might be very angry indeed to think that a clockwork clown should dare to come into his bedroom at night and dance. Stillsomething had to be done! The drip-drip-drip was still going on. The nursery might be flooded out soon. The clown felt that he simply must save his friends and stop the house from being spoilt. So he danced into Maribel's father's bedroom. He danced as fast as he could, kicking up his clickety-legs. He turned head-over-heels seven times running, choosing a wooden part of the floor, between rugs, so that he would make a lot of noise. And soon he heard a creak as somebody sat up in bed and said: " What in the world is that noise? " Clickety-Clock was so scared that he ran under the bed and hid! Then the voice went on: " Good graciousis that water I hear? Yes, it is. There must be a burst pipe up in the roof! Jane, wake up! ' Maribel's mother woke with a jump, and the two of them rushed up to the loft. Yes, there was a burst pipe! Water was pouring out of it! Oh dear!

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Soon the water was turned off at the main, and pails had been set to catch the drips. " Just in time! " said Mother. " The nursery is pretty wet now it would have been flooded out by morning! What woke you, John?" " A funny clicking noise," said Maribels father. " Can't understand it. It wasn't the water, I know that." Maribel, of course, had been enjoying all the excitement, for she had woken up when she heard her parents going to the loft. She had been into the wet nursery to see if her toys were all right. They all seemed safe but where was Clickety-Clock? He had disappeared. " Have you seen the clockwork clown? " she asked her mother. " He's gone." Mummy was putting her slippers back under the bed. One touched the clown and he gave a little click. Mother looked under the bed. " Good gracious! Your clown is here! However did he get there? " Maribel pulled him out and set him on the floor. His clockwork wasn't quite run down, and he gave a little clicking dance. " That's the noise I heard," said Daddy. " That's what woke me up! " "Mother! Daddy! The toys must have heard the water dripping and they sent ClicketyClock to wake us up!" cried Maribel. " They did, they didand he came, the brave little thing! Oh, Clickety-Clock, you shan't go away. I shall keep you for ever and ever! " Wellwhat a lovely bit of news for Clickety-Clock to hear! He couldn't believe his ears! Maribel took the vain doll, two puzzles and three books to the hospital. But the clockwork clown was left with his friends. " I'm glad I was brave," he said, beaming round at the others. " Look what a fine reward I've got. Oh, I do feel so happy." And he did a special dance for them all, and turned head-over-heels seventeen times.
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You should have seen himclickety-click, clickety-clock, clickety-click, clickety-clock!

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RONNIE was a very naughty little boy. He was rude and unkind to his Mother, and he would have been rude to his Father if he had dared to be. He was rude to the cook, and he always put out his tongue at the little girl next door. " Ronnie! Why do you behave so badly ?" his Mother would say. " You make me very sad. I can't believe that you are my little boy when you do things like that." Ronnie banged the door when he was in a temper. He kicked the legs of his chair when he was cross at table. He turned up his nose at all the things he didn't like, and shouted for the things he did like. " One day, Ronnie, I shall get another little boy," said his Mother. " I don't think you are a very nice little boy to have. If you go on behaving like this I think I shall have to look out for another little boy." " All right," said Ronnie. " I don't care." He felt quite certain that his Mother didn't mean it. It was just one of the things that grown-ups said but didn't mean at all. So you can just imagine his enormous astonishment when he came home from school one day to find another little boy with his Mother! This little boy was a bit bigger than Ronnie, and he was fair instead or being dark. His smiling face was freckled all over. " Who are you?" said Ronnie.
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" I'm Dan," said the other boy. " You go away," said Ronnie fiercely, " or I'll fight you! "

" I'm bigger than you, and I've learnt boxing, so I should win," said Dan. " Dan! " called Ronnie's Mother. " Will you come and help me for a minute? " " Coming! " called Dan, and rushed off at once. Ronnie's Mother was sorting out silver paper for salvage. She was smoothing out the pieces till they were flat and then packing them into a box. " I'll help you. I'd love to," said Dan. " Thank you, Dan," said Ronnie's Mother and smiled at him. Ronnie rushed up at once. " I'll do it," he said. " No, Ronnie," said his Mother. " I've so often asked you to do this little job for me, and you've grumbled and never done it. Now Dan and I will do it." " I'll do it," said Ronnie again. " You do what your Mother tells you! " said Dan. " She and I can do this nicely together. You go and play." " Who's this horrid boy? " Ronnie demanded, turning to his Mother. " Send him away." " Certainly not," said his Mother. " Dan has no Mother at all. He has never had all the things you have hadthe joy of helping his Mother, having her kiss him good night, telling her his troubles, looking after her when she is tired, sharing everything with her. You don't want those things, Ronnie, and you said you wouldn't mind if I got another little boy." " What about me! " said Ronnie, feeling terribly angry and hurt.
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" Well, you can do what you like," said his Mother. " You can go to Dan's home for a bit, if you likeor you can go to boarding-schoolor you can stay here if you don't interfere with Dan. He is going to look after me now and help me." Ronnie could hardly believe his ears. He stared at his Mother and frowned at Dan. Then he fled from the room and slammed the door so that the house shook. He went to find his Father. " I don't want this Dan in my house," he stormed. " I won't have Mother looking after him! " " My dear Ronnie, surely you can see that Dan is the kind of boy who will look after your Mother, and not expect her to look after him all the time! " said his Father. " It's your own fault. I don't blame your Mother for choosing another little boy. She's a darling, and so kind and jolly. She's wasted on you-"but a boy like Dan knows what a treasure she is, and will love her with all his heart. I must say I rather like Dan myself." Ronnie felt as if he was in a dream. How awful to come home and suddenly find another boy there, taking his place, and everyone liking him! " Don't you like me, Daddy? " he asked, his voice beginning to tremble. " Don't you love me? " " I love you, because you are my son," said his Father, " but I can't say I like you very much, Ronnie. Why should I? You are rude and selfish and unkind. I shall always love you and back you up, but whether I like you or not depends on yourself and your own behaviour."
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Ronnie ran upstairs to his room. He was so angry and upset and shocked that he sat in a chair and sobbed. He sobbed loudly, but his Mother didn't come to him. He heard voices in the garden, and saw his Mother and Dan there, his Mother showing Dan where the logs were kept. " If you would bring me in twelve every day, Dan, that would be a great help," she said. ' " I'd love to," said Dan, and slipped his hand inside Ronnie's Mother's arm. Ronnie sobbed again. How often had his Mother asked him if he would bring logs up each day for her fire and he hadn't bothered to remember? Now this horrible boy was going to remember and never once forget! Ronnie saw Dan carrying logs. He was alone. Ronnie rushed down to him in the garden and shouted at him. " You leave those logs alone! That's my job." " Now now," said Dan. " I promised your Mother I'd take some in. I say, isn't she a lovely Mother to have? I wish I had one like that. She's so kind and loving. I'd do anything in the world for her! "

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" You go away or I'll fight you," said Ronnie fiercely. Dan laughed. Ronnie hit him hard on the shoulder. Then he suddenly saw a very different Danand felt one too! Dan hit out with his fists, first the right

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and then the leftand Ronnie found himself on his back, his chin smarting and his left car tingling. " I warned you not to fight me," said Dan, picking up a log and walking to the house. Ronnie picked himself up and ran howling to his Mother. But she sided with Dan. " Don't be a baby," she said. " And don't howl like that. I have a headache." Ronnie howled all the more. Dan looked fierce again. " Did you hear what your mother said? " he asked. " I won't have her worried when she's got a headache. If you want to make a noise, go outside! " And to Ronnie's enormous rage, Dan took hold of his arm and pushed him out into the hall! " Thank you, Dan dear," he heard his Mother say. "I really can't bear that noise." Ronnie went to his room and stayed there till supper. He didn't go down to tea. He thought his Mother would come up to him, but she didn't. So he went without tea. He heard everyone laughing and talking downstairs in the dining-room. He pictured to himself Dan offering his Mother the jam and the cake, looking after her all the time. They didn't want Ronnie. He was just a horrid, selfish, rude boy. Nobody wanted him!

He went down to supper. " Hallo, Ronnie! " said his Father, and the others smiled at him. They didn't say anything at all about his missing his tea. Dan talked to Ronnie's Father and Mother happily and made all kinds of jokes. He really was a very jolly, kindly boy, and Ronnie would have liked him very much at any other time. He was very sweet to Ronnie's Mother and looked after her all the time. " I must say it's nice to see a boy with good manners," said Ronnie's Father, beaming at Dan.
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At bedtime Dan went to bed in the spare room. Ronnie undressed gloomily. He couldn't think what he was to do. This boy seemed to have come to live there. He certainly was a nice boy, just the kind his Mother lovedjust the kind any mother would love! " And I'm just the kind any mother would dislike, I suppose!" thought Ronnie. He got into bed and waited for his Mother to come and say good night to him. But she didn't come. She went to tuck up Dan. Ronnie heard her say: " Oh, Dan, what a hug! You've almost taken my breath away! " For the next few days Dan made things very pleasant indeed for Ronnie's Mother and Father. He was such a jolly boy, and always so willing to do anything for anyone. Even the cook sang his praises, and as for the little girl next door, she thought Dan was wonderful because he had made her a doll out of a fir-cone and an oak-apple and twigs!

Ronnie didn't try to fight Dan again. He knew that was no use. He didn't try sulking or howling, because if he sulked no one took any notice of him, and if he howled Dan pushed him out of the room. So for once in a way he was a quiet, polite boy, and sometimes even played with Dan. Dan talked a lot about Ronnie's Mother. " Isn't she marvellous! " he said to Ronnie. " Of course, you've had her all your life, but I've never had a mother. Mine died when I was a day old. I tell you, it's wonderful to have someone like a mother, looking so sweet and being so kind and loving always." Ronnie looked at his Mother. She did look sweet, sitting there sewing, her dark, curly head bent, and her brown eyes following her needle. Ronnie suddenly felt as if he badly wanted to do something for her. " But I suppose she would much rather let Dan do anything for her," he thought. All the same, he went over to his Mother and put his hand in hers. She looked up, surprised. " Would you like me to do anything for you, Mother? " asked Ronnie. " Do you want anything fetched? Would you like another cushion? ': " Yes, I would," said his mother. Ronnie fetched another cushion. " Thank you, dear," she said and smiled at him. Ronnie wanted to hug her, but he was afraid she wouldn't like him to, now she had Dan.

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The next day Ronnie fetched and carried everything he could for his Mother, and Dan looked at him in astonishment. " I say! " said Dan that evening, " I believe you could look after that nice Mother of yours properly if you really want to." " Of course I could! " said Ronnie indignantly. He looked at Dan and went red. " I don't like the way you've taken my Mother away from me," he said. " I know I was beastly to her beforeI see that, now I've watched how you behave to her, and I can see how much she likes you, and I don't wonder. Are you going to live here always? " " Well, I'd rather like to get back home soon," said Dan. " I've got a sister at home who wants a bit of looking afterbut I don't want to leave your Mother unless you are going to make her happy. I really do love her, and even if I go home I shall often come and see her. I wish she were mine. I can't think why you don't love her. I think she's a darling." " I do love her," said Ronnie fiercely. " You go back home, Dan, and

come again in a week's time. You just see if I can't look after my own Mother and love her just as you domore, because I'm her own boy and you're not! "
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" All right," said Dan. " I'll go. But listen, Ronnie. If you make her unhappy I'll come back again! " Dan went the next day, and he often comes back to see Ronnie and Ronnie's Mother. She always looks happy now and tells Dan what a fine boy Ronnie isand, strange to say, Ronnie and Dan are great friends! " You'll never get another little boy now, will you, Mother? " Ronnie says at night, when his Mother kisses him good night. And she always says the same thing. " Never, Ronnie! You're the only one I want! " And that's very nice for them both, isn't it?

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Answer on page 198

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and Heyho had been sent shopping by their Aunt Minnie. They had a long list, and they were cross about it. " Our basket will be awfully heavy," said Tippy gloomily. " Bother Aunt Minniealways sending us out on errands! " Heyho looked at the list. " Potatoesthey're always heavy. Plums they're heavy tooand I bet we'll have wasps round us all the way home! A sponge cakewell, that would be all right if we could carry it inside us instead of in our basket! " Tippy grinned. Then he nudged Heyho. " Look outthere's Mr. Plod, the policeman. We'd better go another way. He's been cross with us ever since we crossed the road when the lights were red and made all the cars hoot at us." " I don't like Mr. Plod," grumbled Heyho. " Always scowling at us. Always complaining to Aunt Minnie whatever we do. I wish I could throw something at him." " Sh! " said Tippy. " He might hear you. I don't like Mrs. Surly either. I'm sure she'd spank us if she could. Just because we threw our empty ice-cream cartons into her garden! " " Well, I suppose we should have put them into the litter-bin," said Heyho, " only it was such a long way to it. Horrid old woman. I'd like to throw something at her too." This was a very naughty way to talk, of course. They went on chattering like this till they got to the shops. They bought the potatoes and
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the plums, and got a very nice cake indeed, with icing on the top and three cherries in the middle of the icing. " Now the basket is frightfully heavy," said Heyho with a groan. " Are you carrying your fair share, Tippy? My arm is almost pulled out of its socket." They left the little village and went on down a country lane. And then they had their first surprise. Just round the first corner they met a big brown bear! Tippy and Heyho almost dropped the basket in surprise. They trembled as the bear came towards them. It waved its paw, did a queer little clumsy dance, and went past them down the lane. " Did you see what I saw, Heyho ? " said Tippy in a frightened voice. " I saw a bear," said Heyho. " And he waved his paw at us! " " I don't like it," said Tippy. " Come on, let's go on quickly, before it comes back. What are people thinking of to let bears wander about like dogs! "

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They went onand round the next corner they had their second surprise. They met a baby elephant, waving its trunk, ambling along in a very carefree sort of manner. "Oooh!" said Tippy, clutching Heyho. "Now there's an elephant! Can you see one too, Heyhoa baby one? " " Yes," said Heyho, watching the creature go past him down the lane. " What's happening, Tippy? Are we dreaming? " " I think W C must be," said Tippy. " You always meet things like bears and elephants and lions and tigers round corners in dreams." " Well, I hope we don't meet a tiger or a lion," said Heyho nervously. " I don't like this. And how is it we are dreaming the same dream? It's queer." " We're not really," said Tippy. " I expect I'm dreaming the dream, and you happen to be in it, that's all. You must be part of my dream." " I'm not" said Heyho indignantly. " I'm having this dream, too. I saw the bear and the elephant just as much as you did! " " Lookthere's a kangaroo jumping over the hedge in the next field! ' said Tippy, startled. " Fancy me dreaming a kangaroo too! " " Yesit really is a kangaroo," said Heyho in amazement. " I do hope we really are dreaming, Tippy." " Don't be so sillyof course we are," said Tippy. " Did we ever meet wild creatures like this before when we went shopping for Aunt Minnie? It's just a very real and peculiar dream. I shall wake up in a minute and turn over in bed and tell you all about it. See if I don't."
T

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" Oh, Tippythere's a lion! " said Heyho, clutching at Tippy's arm. "Quick, let's hide!" " No," said Tippy boldly. " It's only a dream lion. I'm going to shout ' BO ' at itand it'll run away! " So he shouted " BO " at the lionand, dear me, it looked extremely startled and turned tail and ran away! " There you arewhat did I say ? " said Tippy. " It's a dream, all this! Come on, Heyho, let's enjoy ourselves. Let's be naughty! We shall soon wake up, and it won't matter a bit." " Welllet's eat this lovely cake first then," said Heyho. " It will probably taste just as nice in this dream as it does when we're awake." So they ate the cake. It was delicious! The icing melted in their mouths. " Wellfor a dream-cake that was simply delicious," said Tippy. "I'm sorry we didn't buy two. I say, Heyhowe needn't bother to take these potatoes and plums home to Aunt Minnie, as it's only a dream we're having. Let's do something naughty with them! " " Oooh, yes," said Heyho. " Let's throw some plums at Mrs. Surly's chimney-pot! I bet I'll hit it before you do ! " So the two of them went back to Mrs. Surly's cottage. They began to throw plums up at the rather crooked little chimney-pot. But, of course, neither of them hit it. The plums went right over the low roof of the cottage and fell into the garden behind.

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Mrs. Surly was there, hanging out her washing. She was very surprised indeed when ripe plums began to fall all round herand very angry when one hit her on the head and burst. ' What's all this! " she shouted, and ran to see who was throwing the plums. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it was Heyho and Tippy. She picked up her stick and ran at them, shouting. They giggled. " All the same, we'd better run," said Heyho. " A stick might hurt, even in a dream. Good-bye, Mrs. Surly!" They rushed off, back to the village, laughing. Mrs. Surly simply couldn't understand their behaviour. She put on her bonnet and set off to complain to their Aunt Minnie about them. Aha! Aunt Minnie would deal with them all right! The mischievous pair caught sight of Mr. Plod, the policeman, walking slowly down the street. "Quicksee if we can knock off his helmet with potatoes!" cried Tippy. " It's only a dream; we shall wake up before he catches us! We might as well have some fun." So they aimed two large potatoes at Mr. Plodand Tippy's potato hit his helmet and knocked it right over his nose! He swung round at once, in a great rage. When he saw Tippy and Heyho dancing round in joy, he stared in astonishment. What! They had actually dared to throw potatoes at him, the village policeman!

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He shook his fist at them angrily. "You just wait, you little wretches!" he cried. "I'll come round for you this evening! If it wasn't that I'm warning everyone to keep indoors for a few hours, till a bear, an elephant, a kangaroo and a lion are caught, I'd come after you now! I only hope you'11 meet all the animals that have escaped from the travelling circusyou'll get a fine fright then! " Tippy and Heyho heard all this and when Mr. Plod had finished they looked very frightened indeed. Mr. Plod disappeared round the corner on his way to warn more people of the escaped circus animals, and Heyho and Tippy looked at one another in the greatest alarm. " Tippy," said Heyho in a very small voice, " it's not a dream after all. Those animals were realthey were the escaped ones." " Yes," said Tippy, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. "And we've eaten that cake." "And thrown plums at Mrs. Surly," said Heyho, still more alarmed. " And knocked Mr. Plod's helmet crooked," said Tippy, sniffing hard. " Fancyit's not a dream after all. Whatever are we going to do? " ' We shall have to explain to Aunt Minnie that we really and truly thought we were in a dream," said Heyho. " Well, it's the truth," said Tippy, cheering up a little. " She ought to believe us if we are telling the truth." But, alas, Aunt Minnie didn't believe a word of it!

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'" Pretending to me that you thought you were in a dream, and so you ate my cake! " she snorted, " You go along and empty your money-boxes and go straight back and buy another cake. And what's all this about throwing plums at Mrs. Surly? She's been round here complaining about you again. I suppose you thought you were still in a dream when you threw the plums! " ' Yes," said Heyho and Tippy. " You might believe us, Aunt Minnie, when we tell the truth." " If you want people to believe you, you shouldn't tell naughty stories as you so often do," said Aunt Minnie. "Who said they hadn't broken that jug yesterday ? That was a story, wasn't it? How am I to know this isn't a story, too? Now, you go straight round to Mrs. Surly's and apologise, and then go and buy another cake with your own money." "But she'll spank us with her stick," said Tippy,beginning to cry again. " You pretend it's just a dream then," said Aunt Minnie. " You're good at that, it seems to me! " But, alas, it wasn't any good pretending it was a dream when Mrs. Surly whacked them with her stick. And the worst of it is they haven't yet seen Mr. Plod. But he won't forget to go round to Aunt Minnie's about those potatoes, and goodness knows what will happen to Tippy and Heyho then! They are being so very, very good now that Aunt Minnie simply can't

understand it! I wonder how long it will last!

Jimmy and Karen live in America, and with great patience they have encouraged these timid Chipmunks to feed from their hands. Karen is especially delighted, because she has coaxed one to her lap.

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was the little donkey belonging to Mr. Johns. Sam was the little boy who lived at the greengrocer's shop and helped his Father to weigh the potatoes, and set out the cabbages and apples in neat rows. Neddy passed by the shop each day. Sam was always ready for him with a bit of carrot or half an apple. " You spoil that donkey of Mr. Johns," grumbled his Father. " He's a lazy, stubborn little thing. Sometimes he stands still in the middle of the street and won't budge an inch." " Mr. Johns isn't kind to him," said Sam. " He shouts at him and beats him. If I were a donkey I'd stand still in the middle of the road sometimes, if my master was unkind to me." " Oh, you would, would you? " said his Father. " Well, you'd get beaten even harder if I were your master. Donkeys like that don't deserve kind words and pats. Now, you go and get on with your work. Fold up all those sacks and stack them neatly in the corner." Neddy came up the hill by the shop the next day, and Sam flew out to give him an apple. But Mr. Johns wouldn't let the donkey stop for it. "He's been stubborn again! " he shouted angrily. " Backed into a gate and broke a bit off the back of the cart. He's not to have any treats. Come up, there! You bad fellow! ' Sam was sad. Neddy was sad too, because he did like an appleand, more than that, he liked the loving words Sam spoke to him and the feel
NEDDY
Clive watches closely as Hazel patiently coaxes this little New Zealand wallaby to eat from her band. The tiny baby in his Mother's pouch seems very curious; perhaps he would like a piece!

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of Sam's hands on his neck. Ah, if only he had a master like that boy! He'd never be stubborn again. The winter came. The weather grew colder and colder. Snow came, and it froze. More snow came, and that froze too, till the roads were like slippery ice. Cars could no longer go up the hill by Sam's shop. But the little grey donkey still came, sliding and slipping, pulling the heavy cart up the hill. " It's a shame," thought Sam, watching. " Poor little thingit's terribly hard not to slip just here, where the hill is so steep. Neddy will break his legs one day! " The next day the donkey stopped outside the shop. Mr. Johns lashed him with the whip. " Go on with you! What's the matter ? You're the laziest animal there ever was." Neddy started off again, but his feet slipped all the time. Sam watched him, terrified that he would fall and break a leg. Mr. Johns whipped him again. Sam darted into the shop. He went to where the pile of sacks was, in a corner. He rushed out with them. He went to the donkey and flung a sack under his feet. Then he put another in front of him, and a third one higher up. He made a whole pathway of sacksand the little donkey found firm footing on them and pulled the cart safely up the steepest bit. He looked round gratefully at Sam. Nice boy, kind boy! his big donkey-eyes said. " He could have got up without all that," shouted Mr. Johns grumpily. " Always making a fuss of Neddy! I tell you he's just a lazy, stupid beast, and I'd be glad to get rid of Mm! "

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Next day the frost was harder than ever. Sam was waiting with the sacks, and he made the same path for Neddy as the day before. The little donkey didn't slip at all. He was very pleased. It was Wednesday and a half-holiday for Sam. What should he do? " I think I'll go down to the pond, Dad," he said. " Not the one all the boys go to, because that's so crowded and I do want a good slide. I'll go to Bolter's Pondthat won't be crowded at all." He went to Bolter's Pond, and there were only two boys on it, trying it. " It's quite hard! " they yelled to Sam. " Come and try." The boys soon left, and Sam thought he would to make a really good long slide. Soon he had a real beauty, and enjoyed himself immensely. And thenand then there suddenly came a loud CRACK! And the ice split right across as Sam was sliding. He couldn't stop himself and slid straight into the crack, where the water was showing black below. In he went and gasped with the icy cold. He caught hold of the freezing edges of the ice and shouted loudly: " Help! Help! Save me! "

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But there was nobody near to hear, nobody at all. The boys had gone home. Bolter's Pond was in a lonely spot. "Help! Help! Oh, save me!" cried poor Sam. Somebody heard him thensomebody had been put into his shed a good distance away from the pond for the night. It was Neddy! He pricked up his long donkey ears when he heard the far-away voice calling. Why, that sounded like Sam's voice! What was the matter with him? The donkey stood and listened. He felt uneasy. Why was Sam calling? Neddy knew how to undo his door, and he undid it now, jerking the catch up with his nose. He pushed the door and it opened. He galloped over the frosty hillside towards Sam's voice. He was puzzled when he came to the pond. Sam's voice came from the middle of it! But he could only see Sam's head and shoulders. Why didn't the boy come to him as usual? " Neddy! Oh, Neddy! " called Sam in a weak voice. " I can't hold on much longer. Save me! ' But Neddy didn't dare to tread on the ice. He gave a frightened little bray and galloped awayaway to the greengrocer's shop he knew so well. Where was Sam's Father? He must come! He must come! Sam's Father was amazed to see Neddy walk right into his shop, and even more astonished when the donkey firmly caught hold of his sleeve and pulled him towards the door. " Look, wife," he cried, " this donkey's mad! He's trying to take me somewhere."

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" Then go, go! " cried his wife, suddenly feeling that something must be wrong. " Go where he takes you! ' And Sam's Father went with Neddydown the hill, across the field to Bolter's Pond. And when he got there, he heard Sam's faint voice: "Help! Help me! " " Goodness me, it's Sam gone through the ice!" cried his Father and ran for a ladder. He brought one back quickly, laid it flat on the ice and pushed it towards Sam. The boy caught hold of the last rung and dragged himself feebly out of the icy-cold water. His Father pulled the ladder to the bank and carried the boy home, the donkey following closely. Sam caught a terrible cold and was in bed for two weeks. And every day, when Mr. Johns passed by, he let the donkey look in at the bedroom window to see how Sam was getting on! Ah, Neddy was a hero now! He had had his picture in all the papers. " Brave Donkey Saves His Little Friend! " And do you know what Sam's Father is going to do? It's a secret, so don't tell Sam yet, if you should happen to know him. His Father is going to buy Neddy and give him to Sam for his birthday! Won't Sam be pleased! ' Two such friends ought to be together," says Sam's Father. And I think he's right; don't you ?

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Margery had a tiny little man out of a Christmas cracker. He was so small that he wasn't much taller than a pin! " Oh, look \ " cried Margery in delight, as he fell out on to the table. " A teeny little mandressed in blue and whitewith the tiniest smile on his face! " She held him up. " Look, Mummy, isn't he sweet? I know he's a lucky man! " Well, it did really seem as if the little man was lucky, because all kinds of things began to happen to Margery after that. She had invitations to four parties and a pantomime. She found a shilling she had lost. She was given a big box of chocolates by an uncle who had never given her anything before. " I'm sure it's this tiny man who's bringing me luck! " said Margery to Jack, her brother. " Ever since I've had him nice things have been happening to me. Oh, little lucky man, I shall keep you safe. I should hate to lose you. You might take your good luck away with you! ' " Lend him to me," said Jack, who had not had very good luck that week. Daddy had spanked him for being cheeky. He had lost a sixpence Mummy had given him for shopping, and he had broken a jug. " No. You're so careless," said Margery, holding the little lucky man tightly. " You'd lose him! You always lose everything, Jack. You even lost your new ball the day after you had it." " You're really mean," said Jack. " You won't even spare me a day's good luck! Well, one day I'll get your little lucky man, and I'll hide him
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where you can't find him and take him about with me. Then, maybe, all kinds of nice things will happen to me, too! " " You're not to take him away from me! " cried Margery. " You'll only lose him. I shall be so upset then." Well, Margery simply would not lend Jack her lucky man, and, really, it wasn't very surprising, because Jack was certainly a very careless boy. He was always breaking his toys, and had lost his two new handkerchiefs, as well as his ball. But Jack felt certain that if only Margery would lend him the lucky man even for a day he might find everything he had lost, and get some more good luck besides. He grumbled about it to his Mother. " I do think Margery might lend me the lucky man. Then things would go right for me, too. I'd get extra presents, and not lose things or break things." Mummy laughed. " Oh, good luck doesn't come to Margery because of her lucky man, though she thinks it does. It comes because she's a careful, thoughtful child, who keeps her things nicelyand it comes because she's generous and kind, so that people want to give her presents. You act the same as Margery, Jack, and things will go right for you, too." Margery kept her lucky little man on a tiny silver chain round her neck. She only took him off when she washed, and then she was careful not to put him in a place where Jack could find him. Jack was cross and sulky about it. He was more and more determined to get that little lucky man if he could! When his birthday came, he had a lovely surprise. His

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belonged to his cousin and was very rusty and shabby. When Jack saw his new bicycle he could, hardly believe his eyes! "Oh, Mummy! Daddy! What a wonderful present! Thank you! " "Keep it nice, Jack," said Mummy. " It looks so beautiful now." " Can I ring the bell, Jack? " asked Margery. She rang it. " Ting-aling! " It made a very loud noise indeed. The bicycle had a basket on the front and a saddle-bag full of tools at the back. It really was a beauty. Jack went for rides on it every day. He kept it very clean and bright, because he was so proud of it. Then he ran into another boy's bicycle and scratched some of the brightness from it. " Oh dear! What a bit of bad luck! " said Jack in alarm. " I hope I'm not going to have more bad luckI'm not a very lucky person, really. Wouldn't it be awful if I smashed up my lovely new bike! " He was so worried that he went to Margery again. " Margery, I believe I'm going to have a bit of bad luck again. Please lend me your little lucky man to put in my saddle-bag, so that I don't spoil my new bicycle."

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" No," said Margery. " I never will ! " " Mean thing! " said Jack and went off sulkily. He wondered what Margery did with her little lucky man now. She didn't wear it round her neck any more. The teacher at school had said that no child was to wear necklaces, so Margery had stopped wearing him except at week-ends. Jack watched to see what Margery did with the little lucky man whilst she was at school. He soon found out! She put him into the little teapot belonging to her dolls' tea-set. That was a very good hiding-place indeed. Jack would never, never have thought of it. He let Margery go to school before him one morning, and then he ran to the playroom, took out the teapot, and lifted out the little lucky man. He put back the teapot and ran to his bicycle. He must hide that little man somewhere on his bicycle! Somewhere that Margery would never find. Then the little man would bring him luck, and his bicycle wouldn't have silly accidents and be spoilt. Where should he hide it ? Not in the saddle-bag. Margery would certainly look there. Not in the basket. He would be far too easily seen. Where, then? Jack had a sudden idea. He unscrewed the top off his bell. He put the tiny little lucky man in the bottom part of the bell, and then screwed the top on again. He rang the bell. " Ting-a-ling-a-ling! " Yes, it was quite all right, even with the little man inside it. Aha! Margery would never, never find him now. Jack rode off to school, delighted to think that he would have a little good luck himself because he had got Margery's lucky man.

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Well, it certainly was very queer, but things did go very well for Jack that morning. He was top in arithmetic, he got full marks for dictation, and he jumped higher than anyone else at gym. He did feel pleased. When he got home that morning he told his Mother all about his good luck. Margery looked sharply at him. Then she went to the playroom and took out her dolls' teapot. She looked inside. No lucky man there! She ran to Jack. " You've taken my lucky man! You horrid, mean boy! Give him back at once. Where is he? " "Shan't tell you," said Jack. " I'm going to keep him for one whole day. I'll give him back to you tonight. Surely you can spare him just for one day, you mean girl? " " I know where he is! Somewhere on your bicycle! " cried Margery, suddenly guessing. " I'll find him! I'll find him! " She ran to Jack's bike. He followed her, feeling quite certain that she would never find the little man. Margery looked in the basket and in the saddle-bag. Jack stood by, grinning broadly. Margery felt very angry indeed. " Well, he won't bring you any luck, so there! " she said, almost crying. " He won't, he won't! " " He has alreadyand he'll bring me lots more! " said Jack. And you know, it was very strange, but that afternoon Jack kicked three goals at football, found the shoes he had lost at school the term before, and was asked out to a party the next day. What luck !

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On the way home he had to call and get some shoes from the cobbler's for his Mother. He put his bicycle against the outside of the shop and went in. He had to wait whilst the cobbler looked in the rows of mended shoes for his Mother's pair. And would you believe itwhen he got outside again, his bicycle was gone! It simply wasn't there at all. Jack stared at the place where he had left it, but it was quite empty. He went inside the shop and told the cobbler. " Well, there, nowwhat a pity! " said the cobbler. " There's a lot of bicycles been stolen this weektwo of them from this very street, too. So your lovely new one has gone, has it? What a bit of bad luck! " 'Bad luck? It was dreadful luck, the worst possible! He had lost his beautiful new bicycleand goodness knew if he would ever see it again. Those bicycle thieves were so very clever. Jack went home slowly and sadly, carrying the shoes. He thought of the little lucky man inside the bell. He had gone, too. Margery would never see him again. Oh dear! It seemed as if he had brought bad luck now instead of good. Margery was very upset and angry. " I told you that you would have bad luck if you took away my little lucky man!" she scolded. " It serves you right! Now your bicycle has gone, and I expect my good luck has too." " Don't be so angry with poor Jack," said her Mother. " He is very unhappy about his new bicycle. Daddy is ringing up the police to tell them." But the police did not think they could get back the bicycle for Jack. " You see, sir," they said to Daddy, " these thieves are very, very clever.

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They'll have painted that bicycle green or red or blue by tonight, taken off the basket and saddle-bag, put on others, and done everything they can to make it look like another bicycle altogether. And even if your boy thinks he can recognise his bicycle under its new coat of paint there's no way of telling it's his." So Jack had to use his very shabby one again, and he was sad about it. He tried to make things up with Margery by giving her his old Meccano set, but she was very unhappy about her lucky man. And then something happened. Jack rode over to the next village to see a friend of his, and on the way back he saw a bicycle standing with others in a shed. It was padlocked so that it could not be stolen. It was painted a bright green, and had on a lamp, no basket, and a very old saddlebag. But something about it made Jack feel absolutely certain that it was his! "I know the look of it! I'm sure it's mine, even though it's green now. Oh dear! How can I possibly know for certain that it's mine? "

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He suddenly thought of something. He looked for the bell. Yes, that was still there. Could he unscrew the top and look inside before the owner came outbecause the little lucky man might still be there? And if he was, that would prove that the bicycle really was Jack's! There was no one about. All the men were working in the factory nearby. Jack went up to the green bicycle and began to unscrew the top of the bell. His fingers trembled so that he could hardly take it off. But at last it was off. Jack looked into the bottom part of the bell and, yes, the little lucky man was there! Jack stared in the greatest delight. Should he take it out? No, because then he would have no proof that the bicycle was his. He must go to the police station and tell the police there all about it. They could easily telephone the police in the next village where Jack's home was and hear all about how his bicycle was stolen. So off went Jack to the police station and was soon pouring out his news. The big, stolid policeman listened carefully and wrote down a lot of notes in his notebook. " Thank you, my boy," he said. " Now come with me and show me which is your bicycle." So off went Jack and pointed out his bicycle. He unscrewed the top of the bell and showed the little lucky man inside. The policeman chuckled. " Aha! The thief didn't think of anyone popping a little fellow like that inside the bell! Well, wellit was a lucky thing for you that you put him there." Jack was told to go home and wait. Nothing could be done till the man

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came out of the factory and unpadlocked his bicycle. A plain-clothes policeman was going to follow him home and see where he lived and who his friends were. Jack rushed home and told his mother and Margery all about it. Margery was so thrilled to hear that her little lucky man was inside the bell still that she hugged Jack like a bear. " Oh, if I get him back I'll forgive you for taking him! " she said. " Oh, Jackit was bad luck that your bicycle was stolen, but very good luck that the little man helped you to know it was yours! "
Two policemen arrived that evening, one with Jack's bicycle. " We followed the thief," said one of them. " He didn't go home. He went up on the heath to a deserted hutand there under a pile of sacks we found three other stolen bicycles he was in the middle of repainting. We've got them all now. We arrested the man, of course. He's a thief we've been looking for for a very long time. Thanks to the sharpness of this boy here we've caught him, and been lucky enough to get back other bicycles for their owners as well! "

Margery watched whilst Jack undid the bell. He took out the lucky man and gave him to her. She was so pleased to have him again. " He is lucky! "she said. "I don't care what anyone says! He helped you to get back your bike, Jackand he got back three other stolen onesand gave the police enough good luck to catch the thief. He's a very, very lucky little man! " Wellhe certainly seems to be, doesn't he?

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Answer on page 129

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the ferryman, lived in a tiny house beside the river. He had a gay little boat painted blue, and his oars were orange. The boat was called Here-we-go! and everyone liked going across the river in it. Splash was really a very busy little man. He took the postman across to deliver his letters to the farms on the other side of the water. He took old Mrs. Dumble to and fro every day when she went shopping. He took four little children over and back each day too, because they went to Dame Little's School up the hill. He sang as he rowed his boat to and fro: Over the river and back I go, My little gay oars a-flashing, Watch me ferrying to and fro, Here-we-go, here-we-go, splashing! When he sang the word " splashing " he dashed his oars hard into the water and made a terrific splash. Everyone liked that very much except old Mrs. Dumble, who said that it made her jump and wetted her shawl. Splash never refused to take anyone. Even when Mighty-One the wizard came, he didn't say no, though he shivered and shook all the time in case the wizard might suddenly work a spell and take the boat off to the moon, or some other peculiar place. And when Fat-One, the giant, wanted to be rowed across the river, even then Splash didn't say no! But he was so afraid that the giant would

SPLASH,

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weigh down the boat too much at his end that he put a big stone just beside his own seat, so that the boat wouldn't tip too much. It made the rowing very hard, because the boat was heavy then, with the giant and the stone. Still somehow Splash managed, and he made it quite a boast that he had never said no to anyone who wanted to go across the river, or wanted goods rowed across to the other side. But wait a minute! There was a time when Splash very nearly did say no! It was when old Witch Grim told him she was going to leave him some goods to take across for her. Splash didn't know what the goods were, but he didn't like the sound of them. " You've got to be careful about my goods," the witch said. " If any get damaged I shall make you pay for it, Splash. In fact, I might even take your boat away! " " When will you leave the goods to be taken across? " asked Splash. " And what are they? " " Two animals and a nice big bag of carrots," said Witch Grim. " Mr. Quick will bring them in his cart this evening." Well when Mr. Quick came with his cart, Splash happened to be the other side of the river with old Mrs. Durable. Mr. Quick hailed him loudly. " Hey, Splash! Here are the goods from Witch Grim. I can't wait, so hurry up and fetch them before they damage one another." It made the rowing very hard, because the boat was heavy then, with the giant and the stone. Still somehow Splash managed.

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Splash rowed back as fast as he could, and there, waiting for him on the other side, were the goods. One red fox, all alive-oh! One white rabbit, scared of the fox. One bag of carrots that made the rabbit feel very hungry indeed. " Well now!" said Splash, scratching his head and looking at the goods. " I can't possibly take more than one of you across at once. You'd be too heavy for me, because I'm tired now. Which shall I take first? " " Take me! " said the rabbit. " I'm scared of the fox. Take me, Mr. Splash, and leave me safely on the other side. Then row back and get the carrots." " Right," said Splash. Then he stopped and scratched his head again. " Ah, but wait a minute! If I take you acrossand then fetch the bag of carrots and leave it with you, you'll nibble the lot! I know you, Rabbit! " ' Well, take the rabbit across, and then take me, and take the carrots last," said the fox.

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" Right," said the boatman. But the rabbit gave a loud squeal. "Oh no, Mr. Splash! If you do that you will have to leave the fox alone with me on the other side whilst you go back for the carrots and he'll eat me! " "Take me across first then," said the fox. "Aha and leave the carrots and the rabbit together on this side! " said Splash. "Not if I know it, Red Fox! " "Well, what are you going to do then?" said the red fox. " Either the rabbit and I are left together on one side or the other, or the rabbit and the carrots." Splash sat down on a tree-stump and scratched his head again. He thought very hard indeed. He simply must not leave rabbit and fox together, or rabbit and carrots. The fox would eat the rabbit, the rabbit would eat the carrots and then Witch Grim would be very angry and take his boat away. The red fox sat down too and grinned at Splash. " It's no good," he said. " Work it out how you will, Splash, something's going to be eaten. And you' re going to get into trouble! " Think hard, boatman! Think hard! There's a way to do it, if only you'll think hard. What, you don't think there is? Think again. Yes, Splash, you can do it, and nothing will be eaten, but just think hard and find out how! Splash thought so hard that his eyes disappeared under an enormous frown. Then he jumped up and smacked his hands together loudly. The fox and rabbit jumped.

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" I know how to do it! " said Splash. ' You don't," said the fox, disappointed. "I do! " said Splash. " Rabbit, get into the boat! You're the first to go across." The rabbit got in, looking very doubtful. Splash rowed him across to the other side and left him there. He rowed back to where he had left the fox and the carrots. He popped the carrots into his boat and rowed back to the rabbit. " Hey ! " called the fox. " The rabbit will eat the carrots if you leave them over there with him." But Splash didn't mean to do that. Oh no! He threw out the bag of carrots and called to the surprised rabbit to get back into the boat again and he rowed him back to the fox! " Now get out," he said to the rabbit, " and you, Red Fox, get in! I'm leaving you on this side again for a bit, Rabbit. I'll be back to fetch you soon."

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He rowed the fox across to where he had left the carrots and made him get out. " The carrots will be safe enough with you! " he said. " Now I'm off to get the rabbit! " And back he went to get the rabbit. He rowed him over to the fox and the carrots. " There! " he said. " I've done itand nothing's eaten! And here comes Witch Grim to fetch you all! Hey, Witch Grim, my fee, please!" " What! You managed to get these goods across safely! " said Witch Grim. " Splash, you're very, very clever. I quite expected either the rabbit or the carrots would be eaten! ' Splash was clever, wasn't he ? Would you have thought of that way, do you think ?

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'TT'S a very peculiar thing," said Mummy, looking into the biscuit-jar, JL " but my biscuits do seem to be disappearing! MollyHarryhave you been taking any without asking? " " Of course not! " said both children at once, and Mummy couldn't help thinking they were telling the truth. She knew, too, that they never took things that were not theirs to take. They were not that kind of children. " Well, it's a puzzle," she said. " I know there was a chocolate biscuit in the jar yesterday, on the top of all the other biscuitsand now it isn't there! I can't imagine that it can be either of you children who has taken it. It would upset me very much." The toys were sitting round the nursery and they heard all this. They looked at one another. No, it wasn't the children! The toys knew that. It was one of themselves! The golliwog had distinctly heard somebody scrabbling in the biscuit-jar up on the window-sill the night before. But it had been dark and he hadn't been able to see who it was. Still, he knew it was a toy. " It's too bad that Molly and Harry should be asked if they've taken the biscuits, when it's one of us toys," thought the golliwog. " We must really keep a watch and see who it is." Now, it was Tubby, the bear, who had been taking biscuits whenever he could. He knew where they were keptup on the window-sill, just behind the curtain. And each night, when the toys had crept into the toy-

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cupboard, tired out with their playing, and had gone fast asleep, the greedy little bear had hauled himself up to the window-sill, taken off the lid of the jar, and put in his paw for a biscuit! But that night, when the golliwog questioned everyone, he shook his little head with the others. " No," he said. "Dear me, no! I wouldn't dream of taking the biscuits." " I'm not asking you if you'd dream about taking them. I'm asking you if you did really take them," said the golly, who wasn't very fond of Tubby. " Of course I didn't take them," said Tubby most untruthfully. " I expect it was the mouse. Sure to be." Now the mouse was a great friend of all the toys, and was a gentle, honest little creature that would not even take a crumb from the floor without asking the golliwog's permission. The toys frowned when they heard Tubby say it was the mouse. " You mustn't accuse other people of doing things unless you have certain proof," said the golliwog sternly. " You know that. Just because the mouse is fond of biscuits doesn't mean that he would steal some."

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Tubby didn't take any biscuits that night. He had an idea that the golliwog was trying to keep awake and listen to see if anyone was scrabbling about in the biscuit-jar again. So he sat quietly in his corner and did nothing. But the next night he kept on and on thinking of the biscuits in that jar. He knew the children's Mother had filled up the jar that morningthere would be heaps of delicious biscuits there! He must get one, he really must! He listened hard. He couldn't hear a sound in the nursery at all. All the toys had been playing very wild games that night and they were tired out. Everyone was fast asleep. Tubby could be very quiet when he wanted to. He stood up. He caught hold of the long curtain and hauled himself up to the window-seat, and then to the sill. Ah, there was the biscuit-jar, in its usual place. Good! Very, very quietly he lifted off the lid. He put in a fat paw. He felt a biscuit at once, because the jar was quite full. He took it out and put back the lid. He didn't make the very slightest noise. He slid down to the floor again. He nibbled the biscuit for a long time and enjoyed it. Then he thought of something very naughty. He ran quietly to the little hole where the mouse came out to play, and he put down a few biscuit crumbs there. Now the toys would think it was the mouse who took the biscuits!

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In the morning Mummy noticed that another biscuit had gone. She was vexed. " It was a pink wafer one that was right on the top," she said. " It really is a mystery! What can have happened to it? " When the nursery was empty, the toy-cat spoke up. " Golly," she said, " I see crumbsbiscuit crumbs! " " Where? " said all the toys. " At the entrance of the mousehole," said the toy-cat. Everyone stared at them. Oh dear! Could it really be the gentle little mouse who was the thief? "I shall really have to find out," thought the golly with a sigh. " I must set a trap. It's a horrid thing to do, but it's even horrider to have a thief in our midst and not know who it is." But he didn't know what trap to set. And then he suddenly thought of something! The mistletoe was still hanging up, for it hadn't yet been taken down, as Christmas was only just over. One of the berries dropped from it and the golliwog accidentally trod on it. It stuck to his foot. He simply could not shake it off. Mistletoe berries are very, very sticky, and this one seemed almost as if it was glued to his foot. That gave him a fine idea. " I know what I'll do," he said to himself. " I'll get some of these sticky berries, and I'll put them on the window-sill, just by the biscuit-jar. The thief will go there in the dark, and perhaps he will tread on them.

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Then tomorrow morning I'll look at everyone's feet, and whoever has got berries squashed underneath their feet will be the thief. How clever I am! " It was rather difficult to get up to the mistletoe, but he managed it. The toys were surprised to see the golliwog picking a spray of leaves and berries. He didn't tell them why, of course. He just put the spray in a little vase in the doll's house, and everyone thought it was instead of flowers. But that night, whilst ah1 the toys were playing " touch-me-last ", the golliwog slipped up to the window-sill. Yes, there was the biscuit-jar as usual! The golliwog pulled the sticky grey-green berries off the mistletoe spray and pressed them lightly on the window-sill, near the biscuit-jar. Then he slid down to the floor. Nobody saw him. They were all too busy playing, even Tubby, the bear. They played till they were tired out. Then they went into the toycupboard to sleep. The dolls put themselves back into their beds or cots, the bricks hopped into their box, the other toys just flopped down into corners. The bear went to his corner, too. He was tired, but he couldn't help thinking of those lovely biscuits in the jar. He must, he simply must get one! It wouldn't take a minute. Then he could sit and nibble it in comfort. He hauled himself up by the curtain. It was very, very dark now, and he couldn't see the jar on the window-sill. He had to feel about for it. Ahthere it was! But dear me, a good many of the biscuits had been eaten, and the bear had to put

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his arm right inside the jar to find a biscuit for himself. He sat down on the window-sill, leaned over the jar and began to feel about for a biscuit. He didn't know that he had sat on all the sticky berries. He didn't know that they were sticking fast to him. He didn't guess about the golly's trick at all. Nohe got himself a biscuit, put on the lid again and slid down to the floor, the squashed berries sticking to him very tightly indeed! He ate the biscuit. Then he fell asleep. In the morning, what a to-do! Another biscuit gone! " Really!" said Mummy. " I shall have to set a policeman to guard our biscuits. WHO is taking them? " The golliwog looked round at all the toys. He could see the feet of some of them, for they were sitting down on the floor. The big doll had no berries under her feet. The toy-cat had none. She was lying down and the golliwog could see the soles of all four of her feet.

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He looked at the bear. Tubby was sitting down against the wall, his fat hind paws turned up. He had no sticky berries on his feet either. Who had? When Molly and Harry had gone for a walk, and the nursery was empty, the golliwog spoke sternly. " I want to see everyone's feet, please! " The toys looked at him in surprise and alarm. Why did he speak like that? One by one they walked over to him, Tubby too, and showed him their feet. But not one of the toys had the sticky berries squashed beneath them. How strange! But just then Tubby turned his back to walk awayand the golliwog's black boot-button eyes looked at him in astonishment. Why whyTubby had sticky berries on his little sit-me-down! He had! No doubt about it at all. " Tubby! " said the golliwog in such a very stern voice that Tubby jumped. " Have you been stealing the biscuits? " " Certainly not," said Tubby, but he couldn't help his face going red. All the toys came round. The golliwog took hold of Tubby and turned him round so that the toys could see where the mistletoe berries had stuck. " Look, toys! " he said. " Isn't this a peculiar thingpoor old Tubby has sat on some nasty sticky berriesand do you know, toys, those berries were up on the window-sill beside the biscuit-jar? What do you make of that?"

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" Now, look here! " said Tubby in a loud, blustery, growly voice. " I've not taken the biscuitsyou know very well the mouse took them. Didn't you see the crumbs in his hole? " " The mouse has gone to see his aunt in the fields," said the golliwog sternly. " He hasn't been here for at least three nights. Tubby, I don't know which is worse, do youto steal biscuits, or to say the mouse took them when he didn't? "Well, I didn't take them," said Tubby, looking very bold still. " And don't you dare to try and spank me, Golly! " " Oh no! Oh, dear me, no! " said the golliwog in a polite voice. " But really, we must try and get these sticky berries off you, Tubby. It must be most uncomfortable for you to keep sitting down on them. I'll hold you, and the toys can try and get them off." He caught hold of Tubbyand then, good gracious me, what a dreadful time poor Tubby had! The toys knew quite well he had been very naughty indeed, and you should have seen them try to get off those

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berries! They slapped the bear, they smacked at those berries, they banged them, they spanked them hardbut the sticky berries wouldn't be shaken off! Tubby yelled and howled and wriggled. " Stand stillwe've nearly got one berry off! " said the golly. " That's right, sailor dollgive another good whack! " Smack, slap, biff, whack! ' You're hurting me, you're hitting me, not the berries! " howled Tubby. But he had to have his spanking, and a very good one it was, too. " There! All the berries are off now, and you can sif down in comfort," said the golliwog. But Tubby couldn't sit down at all. He went and stood in a corner, hid his face in his hands and wept. " I did take the biscuits," he sobbed. " Don't spank me any more. I did take them! " " I know," said the golliwog. " I laid a little trap for you, Tubby. And I wouldn't have let everyone spank you and the berries so hard if you hadn't said that our friend the mouse had taken them. You deserved all you got! " Tubby never took a biscuit again. And he hates to see mistletoe put up now at Christmas-time, because of those sticky berries! Did you know they were so sticky? Squash one in your fingers and see!

It may look cold and snowy in Canada, but Hedda and Bernard have their very own Husky pups, and bow warm they all are after a romp in the snow!

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Noware we all ready ? " asked Santa Claus, standing by his rein-deer sleigh. " Sack in? All the toys in it that I asked forespecially those new aeroplanes for the boys? Have the reindeer had a good feed? " " Yes, sir," said his little servant. " Look at them stamping their feet and tossing their antlers in the air! They are longing to go. Goodbye, sir; I hope you have a good journey. You will find you have plenty of toys in the sack, and you know the spell to use if you want some more." ''' Right," said Santa Claus and stepped into his sleigh. " Brrrrrr! It's a cold and frosty night. Pull the rug closely round my feet, please." He was well tucked-in. He took the reins and clicked to the four impatient reindeer. " Get along, then! Up into the air with youand for goodness' sake look out for telegraph wires before you land on anyone's roof! ' Bells began to ring very loudly as the reindeer galloped over the snow and then rose smoothly in the air, their feet still galloping. Only reindeer belonging to Santa Claus could gallop through the air. They loved that. It was a wonderful feeling. They soon left the sky over Toyland and galloped into the sky over our land. The moon sailed up and lighted everything. Santa Claus peered downwards. : We're there! Go a bit lower, reindeer. I must just look at my notebook to see the names there."
Kay and Lindsay are having a wonderful time with these Australian koala bears. Look at the little one climbing to Lindsays back!

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" Peter Jones, Sybil White, Arthur White, Michael Andrews . . . they all live somewhere here. Land on a roof nearby, reindeer." The reindeer galloped downwards. The biggest one looked out for telegraph wires. The year before he had caught his hoofs in some and had nearly upset the sleigh. He guided the others safely down to a big roof, where a large chimney stood. Santa Claus got out and pulled his sack from the sleigh. " Two children here," he said. " Sybil and Arthur White. Good children, too. I shall leave them some nice toys." He disappeared down the chimney. The reindeer waited patiently. One of them began to paw at the roof, and then stopped quickly. He remembered that he had been told never to do that. It might wake up the children of the house if they heard someone knocking on the roof! The breath of the reindeer looked like steam in the frosty, moonlit air. They stood and stared out over the quiet town. This was a big adventure for them, and they enjoyed every minute of it. Santa Claus popped his head out of the chimney. " Give me a pull," he said to the biggest reindeer. " I'm stuck." The reindeer turned his big head and put his mouth down to Santa Claus's neck. He tugged at the back of his cloak there and Santa Claus came up with a jerk, his sack after him. " Thanks," he said. " I must have got a bit fatter. I never stuck in that chimney before. The two children were fast asleep, reindeer. They have

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grown since last year. The girl has stopped biting her nails. I noticed that. I gave her a specially nice doll because I felt so pleased." " Hrrrrumph," said the reindeer, sounding pleased too. In a minute or two they were all galloping off at top speed again, the bells jingling. Santa Claus was very busy. He left toys here, there and everywhere. Then he came to a little village and peered downwards. " There are two children somewhere down there," he said. " Let me seewhat were their names? Ah, yes-Elizabeth and Jonathan. Nowwhere's my notebook? What shall I leave them this year? " He turned the pages and looked down a list of names. " Oh dear! The report I had of them this year isn't good. They've been rude to their Mother and have been lazy at school. I'm afraid I can't leave them anything. And they did seem such nice children last year. What a pity! Reindeergo on to the next big town, please. There are a lot of children there." And then something happened. An aeroplane came flying by, fairly low, just as the reindeer galloped upwards into the frosty sky. There

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I wasn't a collision because the biggest reindeer swerved at once-but the aeroplane caused such a tremendous current of air as it passed close to the sleigh that Santa Claus felt himself being blown off! He clutched at the side of the sleigh and just managed to hold on, though his legs were blown over the side and he had to climb back very carefully indeed. He sat down and mopped his forehead. "My word! What a narrow escape! " he said. " I feel quite faint. Go slowly to the next town, reindeer. I've had a fright." So they went very slowly indeed, and Santa Claus lay back in his rugs and got over the shock. He didn't know that his sack of toys had been blown right out of the sleigh! It had risen in the air when the aeroplane almost bumped into them, and had then dropped downwards. It landed with a tremendous thud on the roof of a house, burst open, "They rolled down the roof one by one, ships, and flung all the toys inside to dolls, balls, golliwogs, trains and all. the ground. They rolled down the roof one by oneships, dolls, balls, golliwogs, trains and all. Bumpity-bump! Clitter-clat! Rilloby-roll! Down they went and fell all over the garden below. The two children in the house were wide awake. They hadn't been to sleep at all. They were Elizabeth and Jonathan Frost, the two children that Santa Claus was not going to give any toys to because their school reports had been bad, and because they had been so rude to their Mother that year.

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They hadn't been able to go to sleep because they were unhappy. Their Mother was ill in hospitaljust at Christmas-time! Nothing could be worse. " I wouldn't feel so bad about it if only we hadn't been so horrid to Mother," said Jonathan. " She never said a word about being illand we kept on being rude. Whatever came over us to be so horrid? " " I don't know," said Elizabeth. " And now we've upset Daddy too, because our bad school reports came on the very day Mother went to hospitaljust as if he hadn't already 'had too much bad luck. I feel awful. I wish we'd had good reports to cheer up poor Daddy." " There won't be any presents this Christmas," said Jonathan gloomily. " Mother awayDaddy upset. Nobody will think about us at all." " Well, Mrs. Brown next door said it served us right to have a miserable Christmas," said Elizabeth. " She said she'd heard us being cheeky to Mother. And she said if we hadn't been so horrid to poor Mother she would have bought us presents herself, but she didn't think we deserved any." " Well, we don't," said Jonathan. " We've been simply ... I say! What's that noise? It sounds like bells! " It was bells. The children listened. Then they heard another sound. "An aeroplane! " said Elizabeth. " Isn't it low? I wonder what those bells were." Suddenly there was a tremendous thud on the roof. Crash! Then came lots of other, smaller noises. Bumpity-bump! Clitter-clat! Rillobyroll!

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The children sat up straight and looked out of the window. In the moonlight they saw a lot of little dark things falling. Whatever was happening? " What is it? " said Jonathan, scared. " Something fell on the roof. Do you think it was something the aeroplane dropped? Shall we go and look?" " Yes," said Elizabeth, scrambling out of bed. She dragged on her thick robe and put on warm slippers. "Quick! Come and see." They went down the stairs and opened the back door. Scattered all over the garden were many little dark things. Elizabeth picked up the first one and looked at it in the moonlight. " Jonathan! It's a doll! The prettiest one I ever saw in my life. Do look! " But Jonathan was picking up a trainand a big ship with magnificent sailsand three golliwogs in a row together! Elizabeth began to pick up things, too. Another dolltwo fat teddy-bearsa dolls' house with its chimney offa musical box. Really there seemed to be no end to the toys in their garden that night! The children piled them all together and went through them again. What a wonderful collection! Elizabeth nursed each of the dolls, and Jonathan wound up the train to see if the clockwork was still all right. " Where did they come from? Did that aeroplane really drop them? ' said Elizabeth.

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" No, I don't think so," said Jonathan. " You know, Elizabeth, I think Santa Claus must have galloped over here and he's dropped his sack of toys. Look up on the roof. That looks like a big, burst-open sack there, doesn't it? " It did. The children stared at it. " WellI suppose we can't keep any of these lovely things then," said Elizabeth with a sigh. " I do love this baby doll so much. What shall we do with everything? " " I expect when Santa Claus misses his sack he will come back and look for it," said Jonathan. " We had better put everything into one of our own sacksthere are plenty in the shed. We will leave it standing in the garden for him to see. He will easily spot it in the moonlight." " I wish we could keep just one thing each," said Elizabeth. " Well, we can't," said Jonathan. " For one thing the toys aren't ours. And for another thing you know jolly well we don't deserve anything." They found a big sack and put everything into it. Just as they were tying up the neck, they heard the sound of bells againand there, up in

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the bright moonlit sky, they saw the reindeer sleigh, and Santa Claus leaning over, looking downwards. He saw the children, of course, and down he came, the reindeer landing softly in the garden snow. ' Your sack fell on our roof! " said Jonathan, running up to help him out of the sleigh. " We've collected all the toys, sir, and put them into another sack. Here they are! ' " What good, honest children! ' beamed Santa Claus, taking the big sack from them. " I'm sure I must have your names down on my list. I'll let you choose your Christmas toys, for being such a help. Let me see, what are your names? ': " Elizabeth and Jonathan, Santa Claus," said Elizabeth. Santa Claus at once looked solemn. " Oh! I'm sorryyour names are not down on my list for presents this year. Bad work at schooland rudeness to your Mother. What a pity!" The children went red. " Yes," said Jonathan. " It's more than a pity, Santa Claus. Our Mother's ill and in hospital, and we can't forgive ourselves for making her unhappy. And our Father has just had our bad reports when he's feeling miserable about Mother. I can tell you we're going to turn over a new leaf next year! ' " Yes. We're both going to be top of our forms, and we're going to make such a fuss of Mother when she comes home that she will be happier than she's ever been before! " said Elizabeth. "We didn't expect any presents from you this year. We haven't even hung our stockings up."

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" Wellit's good to see children who are not ashamed to own up when they've done wrong," said Santa Claus. " I think I'd better leave you two little things just as a reward for picking up all my toys for me." "We'd rather you left Mother something at the hospital," said Jonathan. " She broke her watch the day before she was ill. Could you leave her a new one, do you think? " " Oh yes! " said Santa Claus. "I'll do that. Goodbye and thank youand just see that I have your names down on my list for next Christmas! " He drove off into the air with a jingling of bells, and the children went to bed, feeling sleepy. They were fast asleep in two minutes. In the morning, what a surprise! Standing at the end of Elizabeth's bed was the big baby doll she had picked up the night beforeand at the end of Jonathan's was the toy train! " He came back! Oh, he's the kindest old fellow in the world! " cried Elizabeth. " Jonathan, I do hope he remembered Mother's watch." He did, of course. She was even more surprised than the children to find such a lovely present by her bedsideand one that nobody knew anything about at all! " Well, that was an adventure that did a lot of good! " said Santa Claus, as he galloped back to Toyland that night. " It's nice to meet children who know how to turn over a new leaf. What a surprise they'll get on Christmas morning! I wonder if their names will be down on my list for next Christmas." Of course they will, Santa Claus! We can all tell you that!

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was one of those boys who are always late for breakfast, late for school, last out at playtime, and behind in all their work. He was lazy and slow, and he just wouldn't be quick. Now one day his Father called him to him and spoke kindly but sternly to him. " Listen, Leslie. I am going to give you a reward if you try to alter yourself. You will be one of the useless people in the world when you grow up if you don't stir yourself up a bit, and really try not to be late or slow in everything. If for a whole week you are in time for everything, and even first at some things, and make a few runs at cricket, then I will give you a new bicycle." " Oooh! " said Leslie, his eyes opening wide. All his friends had bicycles, but his father had never given him one because Leslie never seemed to try hard at anything, and really didn't deserve one. " Now, are you going to try hard? " said his Father. Leslie nodded, and his eyes shone. A new bicycle! One with a loud bell and a pump. My word, how fast he would go and what fun he would have with the other boys! But although he had such a lovely reward offered to him, Leslie didn't feel at all sure that he would be able to be first in anything, or even quick. He sat and thought about it. " If I could get a spell to help me it would make things much easier," he said to himself. " I'll go to the old woman who lives in the heart of the wood. People say that her grandmother was a witch, so maybe she knows a few spells."
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Well, the old woman did. She gave Leslie a queer little yellow pill in a box. " That's the finest spell I know for laziness," she said. "It gets into your arms and legs almost at once and makes them quick and strong and active. You'll be all right if you take that. But mind if you get that bicycle because of my spell, I shall expect you to ride my errands on it twice a week! " "Oh, I will, I will! " promised Leslie, and ran off with the little yellow pill. He took it before he went to bed that night. He fell asleep at once. The spell worked away inside him all the night. It got into his arms and legs, and into his fingers and toes. It awoke him in the morning. Leslie began to yawn and stretch himself as he always did. But his legs gave him no time to do thatthey leapt out of bed at once! Leslie got a great surprise. But he soon had an even greater one. His arms began to work at top speed, and he found himself putting on pants and shirt and jersey and shorts faster than he had ever done before! " Goodness! " said Leslie, trying to stop his hands from putting on two shoes at once. But the spell was too stronghe couldn't stop himself at all. On went his shoes, and the laces were tied up in a twinkling. Then his legs took charge of him again and raced him down the stairs at top speed. He fell over the cat and bumped his head. He made such a noise that his Father was cross. " Leslie! Is there any need to upset the whole household like this? What are you doing? "

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Leslie's legs had rushed him to the breakfast table, and now his hands were helping him to his breakfast, shaking cereal out of a packet, emptying milk and sugar on to his plate, and then making him eat so quickly that he almost choked. Up and down to his mouth went the spoon, and poor Leslie had no time to swallow one mouthful before the next was at his lips. " Leslie! Don't gobble like that!" said his Mother. " Why are you in such a hurry? Yesterday you were so lazy that you took hours over your meal, and today you gobble so fast that you choke. Behave yourself! " It was the same with his boiled egg. His hand hacked off the top, and then the spoon dived in and out, and his other hand took bread and butter to his mouth at top speed, so that the egg and bread were finished in about half a minute. " Leslie! " said his Father, laying down his paper. " Leslie! If you think that this strange behaviour will make me give you a bicycle you

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are quite mistaken. You are being very silly. Sit back and be quiet whilst we finish our meal. I am ashamed of you." But Leslie could not sit back and be quiet whilst that spell was in him. His legs jumped up and ran him to his school satchel. His hands piled all his books in. They snatched his cap and coat, and put them on. Then his legs rushed him to his Father and Mother to say good-bye, and then he tore out of the house and down the road. He felt rather sick. It wasn't at all good for him to gobble his breakfast like that. " What's come over Leslie? " said his Mother in alarm. " You shouldn't have promised him a bicycle, Daddy, if it makes him behave like this! " School was dreadful for poor Leslie that morning. He was the first there, of course. The others didn't come for half an hour. But Leslie's legs were not going to be lazy, and neither were his hands. They were soon hard at work, pulling up weeds in the school garden, piling them into a barrow, and running the barrow at top speed to the rubbish-heap. The headmaster was most amazed when he arrived and saw what was happening. Could this be Lazy Leslie? Could this be the slowest boy in the school, weeding at top speed and wheeling the heavy barrow to the rubbish-heap so quickly? It was too good to be true. Leslie felt very tired when school began. He wasn't used to such hurrying and such hard work. He sank down into his seat thankfully. At any rate, he would get a rest now.

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But, no, he didn't. His hands set to work at his sums and copied them down at such a speed that Leslie could hardly see the figures. Then the spell began to work inside his head and his brain made him do the sums. He couldn't think of anything else but sums. Usually he looked out of the window or round at the other boys, lazing away his time. He couldn't do that this morning. " You've done enough sums now, Leslie," said the master in surprise. " You've done very well. I am. pleased with you." That made Leslie glad, but he was feeling very alarmed now. This spell was much too powerful for him. He didn't like doing everything at such a pace. But it was just the same in the writing lessons. The boys were told to copy out a page in their history book in their best writing. At once Leslie's fingers got to work and they wrote page after page. The master stared in astonishment. Leslie usually wrote about half a page, but here he was turning over page after page, filling it with writing. Whatever could have happened? When playtime came Leslie's legs shot him off to the cloakroom to get his lunch, and then shot him out to the playground, almost knocking over one or two boys. " What's the hurry now? What's the hurry? " they shouted, and gave him a push. " Stop rushing like this, Leslie. It's not funny." The boys played games in the playground, and Leslie ran about fast

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and dodged here and there, caught all the others easily, and knocked quite a lot over. The boys didn't understand what was happening, and they were cross. Peter gave Leslie a slap, and at once Leslie's fists doubled themselves up and began to hit Peter. " A fight, a fight! " cried the boys, and came round. Leslie didn't want to fight. He liked Peter. But his fists wouldn't stop lashing out at him. Then the master came up and spoke sternly and sent Leslie indoors. Leslie sat down, breathless. He was tired and frightened. He wished he had never asked the old woman for a spell. School went on for the rest of the morning, and in geography Leslie drew six different maps, much to the astonishment of the teacher. He also learnt three pages of poetry, three times as much as any other boy. He simply couldn't stop himself from working at top speed. His legs raced him home for dinner, and his hands made him gobble again. His Mother was alarmed. " Leslie!" she said. " What has happened to you? Tell me, dear! It's almost as if you are under a spell! " "Oh, Mother, I am!" said poor Leslie. " I asked the old woman in the wood for a spell to make me quick instead of lazy and slow, and she gave me one, because I did so badly want to earn that bicycle. But the spell's too strong. Whatever am I to do?" "I'll take you to the old woman at once," said his Mother. "If she doesn't take away the spell you'll be tired out. Come along." So they went to the wood. His Mother had to run all the

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way, because Leslie's legs didn't seem able to walk. The old woman laughed when she heard what the spell had done. " I'm sorry," she said. " It only works like that on a really lazy boy, one who has never in his life tried to be quick or punctual or hard-working. I didn't think Leslie was as bad as that." " Please take the spell away," begged poor Leslie. But the old woman couldn't. " You'll have to put up with it for a day or two," she said, " but if after that you yourself try to be quick and early and work hard, the spell will gradually die away. But if you get lazy again I'm afraid it will come back, and you'll do everything at top speed, and annoy everyone, and get very tired." So Leslie put up with it for two days more, and then the spell seemed to die away. Leslie tried hard to be early for everything, and to work hard after that, and he found it wasn't so difficult as it seemed. But, dear me, he had only to get lazy for a few minutes to start up that top-speed spell once more. You will be glad to know he got his bicycle! Are you a lazy child? Tell your Mother to let me know, and I'll see if I can get a top-speed spell for you and cure you, too!

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Answer on page 129

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upon a time, when the Weather-Man was going down a dusty country lane, he fell over a stone. He was carrying a rain-spell in a little pot and some of it spilt when he fell. : ' Bother! " said the Weather-Man, sitting up and rubbing his knees. " I've spoilt my spell. Now we shall have too little rain! " ' You spilt it on me, you spilt it on me\ " cried a tiny voice crossly. "It hurts! It smarts! I don't like it. Take it away! " : ' Oh dear! " said the Weather-Man in alarm, and looked to see if the spell had fallen on a pixie or elf. But it hadn't. It had fallen on a small plant with scarlet flowers, tiny and star-like. It was the scarlet pimpernel. " I'm so sorry," said the Weather-Man and got out his handkerchief. He wiped the little plant, but it still made a great fuss. "It's horrid! It stings! The rain-spell is much too strong, I don't like it." " Shut up your little red flowers then," said the Weather-Man. " It won't sting so much if you do. I'm really very sorry, pimpernel." He picked up his jar. It was only half full now. Dear, dear, what a lot must have been spilt over the poor little pimpernel! No wonder it had stung. " I shall be dreadfully afraid of the rain now," said the pimpernel. " I want an umbrella in case the rain comes. That horrid rain-spell has made me frightened of a rain-storm."
ONCE

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" Oh, don't be silly," said the Weather-Man. " Whoever heard of a plant wanting an umbrella? Of course I shan't get you one. Be sensible." He went on his way and left the little pimpernel staring crossly at the big golden sun above. " I shall always close my petals now when I know that rain is coming," it said to itself. " Always. If I don't, that rain-spell may set to work again when it rains, and sting and smart." Now the next morning, when the sky was as blue as forget-me-nots, the pimpernel suddenly shut up all its scarlet flowers. They closed very tightly indeed. Pip and Twinkle, two pixies passing by, called to it in surprise. " What's the matter? Why are you shutting? Is it your early closing day, Pimpernel? " " Don't be stupid," said the pimpernel, opening one small scarlet eye. " I don't have early closing days. I'm shutting my flowers because I know it's going to rain. I've had a rain-spell spilt on me. That's how I know."

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" Story-teller! " said Pip. " There isn't a cloud in the sky." " Well, you take my advice and go home for your umbrellas," said the pimpernel. But the pixies laughed and went on their way. Will you believe it, in an hour's time the sky clouded over and big drops of rain fell, soaking Pip and Twinkle to the skin! How they wished they had taken the pimpernel's advice. They went to talk to it again the next day. " Pimpernel! You are very clever. Will you come and live in the garden beside our little house, so that you can always tell us what the weather is going to be? Then we shall never get soaked again." " Yes. I'll come. Dig me up carefully, roots and all," said the pimpernel, feeling rather proud to be asked to grow in a garden, for it was really only a wild flower, a tiny weed. So Pip and Twinkle dug it up very carefully, took it home in their little wheelbarrow and planted it in their garden. They watered it, made a fuss of it and then went to get their tea. " We must hurry because we have to go to a meeting at six," said Pip.

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Before they went, they ran over to the pimpernel. Dear me, what was this? It was shutting up all its petals, though the sun was shining brightly. " It's going to rain," it told the pixies. " It is, really. I can feel it coming. I shall always know when rain is about now! ' The pimpernel spoke the truth. It does always know when it's going to rain. Would you like to prove it? Very well, then, dig up a little plant, put it into a flowerpot, and keep it on your window-sill. It will tell you truly whenever it is going to rain, so you will always know when to take an umbrella or not. Strange, isn't it?
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ANSWERS TO PUZZLES
Rose. Pea. Answer to Puzzle on page 32 Marigold. Mignonette. Stock. Poppies. Hollyhock.

Answer to Puzzle on page 54 Ball, Orange, Golly, Shilling, Toys, Teddy Bear, Ship, Games, Cards, Books. Answer to Puzzle on page 89 The letters E,R,A,S,T and E. Re-arranged, they make the word EASTER 1. Car. 6. Cab. 2. Train. 7. Taxi. Answer to Puzzle on page 125 3. Bus. 4. Tram. 8. Donkeys. 9. Van. 5. Horse. 10. Ship.

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had a camera. He had had it for his birthday, and he was very pleased with it indeed. It wasn't a new oneit was a very old one, really, that his father had seen in a shop and had bought second-hand. " New cameras are much too expensive," he told Jack. " And, anyway, it is best to learn on an old oneand this is quite a good one. Here's a little instruction book to go with itit tells you exactly what to do when you want to take a picture." Jack was thrilled! A camera! Ahanow he could take his own picturesand what beauties he would get. " What are you going to photograph? " said Eileen, his sister. " Will you take me, Jack? I'd like you to take a snap of me." " Oh no" said Jack. " I'm not going to waste my precious films on snapshots of people, Eileen. Anybody can do that." " Well, what are you going to photograph? " said Eileen. " Birds? Animals? " No," said Jack. " They won't keep still enough for me. I'm going to take pictures of cars and trains and aeroplanes. I'm going to make my own book of cars, to begin with. I shall photograph every kind of car! It will be great fun watching out for them and photographing them." ' Yes. That should be good fun," said Eileen. " Are you going to take a picture of our car, Jack? If you do, I could sit at the wheel as if I'm driving it. Do let me." So Jack took his first pictureand it was of his Father's own car, a Morris, with Eileen sitting up at the wheel as if she were driving it!
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He wandered off, with his camera on a strap round his neck. He felt grand with a camera of his own. But he didn't mean to take the things people usually took. Nohe was going to take pictures of the things he was most interested in, and those were cars, planes and trains. Ships, too, when he was by the sea. For the next week Jack had a fine time. He took a picture of a beautiful Rolls Royce car, complete with a very grand chauffeur. He took a picture of a tiny little baby-car with a dog at the back. It had been left there to guard the car, and it barked loudly and fiercely at Jack when he came up with his camera. " Don't you want your picture taken? " said Jack, and he clicked the camera. " WellI've taken it! And if you come out on it with your mouth wide open, barking madly, don't blame me" When he had finished the whole film his Father showed him how to develop each picture. Soon Jack had six beautiful pictures of cars to stick into his Car Book. He was very proud and pleased. " You've really done well with your first film," said his Father in surprise. "Well, I read that little book of instructions carefully first," said Jack, " and did exactly what it said." " Sensible of you," said his Father. " Most people rush at a new thingthey don't trouble to learn anything about it first, and then they wonder why they get poor results. You deserve your camera, Jack." Jack went on with his photographing of all kinds of cars. He got Austins and Bentleys and Rileys and Standards and Rovers and Vauxhalls

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in fact, all the cars you see rushing about on the roads each day. I expect you know as many as he did. He stuck the pictures of them in his book. " I've got nearly every make of car now," he told his Father. " I've got American cars tooand look, that's a French oneand there's another. I haven't got an Italian one yet. There's room for that, if only I can get one. They're lovely cars, aren't they, the big Italian ones? " His Father didn't know as much about cars as Jack did, and he laughed. " Funny hobby, this, of yours," he said to Jack. " I don't know that it's much use, really; it's fun for you, of course, but, honestly, your book looks rather like a catalogue of second-hand cars." Jack didn't mind. He enjoyed his hobby, and he loved taking his camera out, ready to snap any new or unusual car that he saw. It was fun to snap them, and even more fun to develop the film and see what kind of picture he had got. One afternoon he was sitting by the roadside, waiting for cars to come by. There was a lovely view to be seen from the place he had chosen and cars often pulled up to look at it. Then Jack could snap them if they were cars he wanted. It was very hot indeed. Jack moved out of the sun and snuggled into the greenery of the hedge. His eyes shut. He was asleep! He was awakened by the sound of a car pulling up near to him. He opened his eyes, yawned and poked his head out of the shady greenery around. Then he sat up straight in delight.

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An Italian car! A real beautylong-bonneted, yellow in colour, with bright silver lines shining here and there. What a car! Just what he wanted for his book of car photographs. He pulled his camera case over to him and took out his camera. He saw a man get out of the car and walk to the wall on the other side of the road. He had something in his hand, but Jack couldn't see what it was. To the boy's surprise the man lifted his hand and threw what he was holding over the wall. Then he walked back to the car. " They'll be off again in half a jiffy," thought Jack. " I must snap the car at once or I'll miss it. What a beauty! I shall never see such a fine Italian car again! ' He hurriedly knelt up on one knee and squinted down at the little camera mirror that told him whether the car was in his picture or not. It wasright in the middle, shining beautifully in the sun. The man was just walking over to it. Click! Jack snapped down the little lever that took the picture, and at the same moment the driver revved up his enginerrrrrr-rrrrrr-rrrr/

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The car shot off at top speed. Nobody had spotted Jack in the shade of the hedge. Nobody had heard the click of his camera. How Jack hoped that his picture would come out well! What a beautiful car to add to the collection in his Car Book ! He was walking home, longing to develop his roll of films and see what the picture of the Italian car was like, when he saw a black car coming along in the distance. Jack saw a sign glowing at the top of it: POLICE " A police car," he said to himself. "A Wolseley, and jolly fast too, I should think. I wish they'd stop, because I've got just one more picture to take on this filmand although I've got plenty of Wolseleys, I've never had one yet with POLICE showing at the top." Just as if the car had heard his wish it slowed down and stopped beside him! Jack hurriedly took his camera out of his case. Now he could snap this police car. Hurray! But before he could snap the car, a uniformed policeman put his head out of the window. " Hey, Sonny! Seen any cars along here lately? " " Only one in the last halfhour," said Jack. " I fell asleep in the hedge." The policeman gave an exclamation of annoyance. " Well, you won't be much help then. What was the car you saw? ': " An Italian car," said Jack. " It stopped just by me, and the noise of the engine woke me up."

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" Ha! Good! " said the policeman. " Then you can tell me who was in the carhow manyand what they were like." " OhnoI can't tell you that," said Jack, trying to think hard. " I didn't notice. I just saw a man get out of the car and throw something over the wall down theresome rubbish, I supposeand then he got back and the car drove away at once." " What was the man like? " asked the policeman at once. " I don't know," said Jack. " I really didn't notice, sir." " Think of that! " said the policeman in an exasperated voice, turning to another man in the car. " Here's a boy who had a good chance of seeing how many were in the car, what they were like, and everythingand all he knows is what the car looked like! " Jack felt hurt at the man's tone. " Well, sir, I know you think I'm jolly stupid," he said. " But actually I was photographing the car for my Car Bookso naturally I didn't bother about the people in it." Then things happened very quickly!

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The three policemen in the car exclaimed loudly, one of them hauled Jack into the car, and another whipped his camera case off his shoulder! " He may have got just what we want! " said one of them. " We'll get the snap developed immediately! Johns, you drop off at the wall where this youngster says he saw one of the men throw something over, and see what you can find. We'll drive on to the police station and get this film developed at once." " But it's my film! " began Jack indignantly. " I always develop my own films. What's all the excitement about? ': " Well, you deserve to know, seeing that it is likely you may be going to present us with a photograph of one or two people who are concerned in a robbery of valuable State papers," said the first policeman. " We've an idea who they are, but we've no proof. All we know is that they drove off in a big Italian car." Now it was Jack's turn to get excited! Fancy his camera snapping the very car with the robbers inand maybe the very robbers themselves.

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Jack remembered the man who had been walking towards the car just when he had snapped it. Surely he would be in the picture? One of the policemen dropped off at the wall and jumped over it to see what he could find. He hoped to get the case in which the stolen papers had been kept. It would be empty, of coursebut there might be fingerprints on it. The police car sped on to the big police station in the next town. The film was taken from Jack's camera and was soon being developed in a little dark-room. Jack watched in excitement. At last one of the policemen gave a whistle and held up the roll of film to the light. " Look here! This is the carand who's that beside it? It's Lennie Richardson, isn't it? We thought he was in this. And look, here's a man at the wheel, he's come out plainlymy word, it's Pete Lucien! " " Is it a good snap? " asked Jack, patiently trying to get'a peep of it. " Fine! Couldn't be better! " said the policeman. " What a bit of luck for us! Got the car and the men all in one pictureabsolutely positive proof of the thieves concerned. Sonny, you did much better than you knew when you snapped that car! ' Wellwhat a thrill for Jack! The thieves were caught because of his picture, and in the newspapers the next day was the photograph he had taken of the car and the men!

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Jack was so proud that he couldn't stop talking about it. " Fancy my little old camera taking a picture so valuable as that! " he kept saying. " What a fine picture to put in my Car Bookthe best and most exciting of the lot." All the newspapers that printed Jack's car picture paid him a fee for it and to his enormous surprise the boy soon had more money than he had ever had in his life! " Almost ten pounds! " he said. " Well, I know what I'm going to do with it! " I know too, don't you? He's going to buy a really magnificent camera now, for a Train Book. If ever you meet him, ask him to show you his Car Book it's really very interesting indeed. Especially the last two pictures in the book a big Italian car, shining in the sunand a gleaming black car with a word showing clearly at the topPOLICE.
We often try to tame a robin but this little black boy is hoping to tame a beautiful humming bird. He is keeping very still!

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Up on the mantelpiece of the children's playroom were six china figures and a little green clock. The toys often looked up at them at night when they came alive, and wished the china ornaments could come down and play with them. But the mantelpiece was too high up, and they couldn't. There was a china rabbit there with cock-up ears. There were two little horses with long tails. There was a small frisky lamb, and there was a pretty shepherdess to look after him. And last of all there was a big grey china elephant. He had a long trunk in the front and a little tail behind. At night all the china figures came alive at exactly the same moment as the toys did, and then you should have seen the high jinks that went on up on the mantelpiece! The lamb frisked away from the pretty shepherdess, and she ran after him, afraid that he would fall off. The horses galloped after one another and chased each other round and round the clock. The rabbit went to a tiny hole at the back of the mantelpiece and tried to burrow down it. He did so want a burrow of his own. The elephant was most tiresome. He was bigger than the others, and they didn't much like playing with him because he was clumsy and nearly knocked them off the high mantelpiece. And his trunk was most annoying. He had discovered that he could use it like a handand he did! He pulled the tail of the frisky lamb. He chased the shepherdess and pulled her hair down. He lay in wait for the two horses and caught hold of their flying manes with his trunk as they passed.
Pamela lives on a farm in Sussex, and how happy she is, for Daddy has given her a little black, baby lamb for her own pet.

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" Don't," they said, trying to shake free. " You spoil our game. Don't." As for the little rabbit, Jumbo gave him the fright of his life. He took hold of him with his trunk and set him high up on his back, and then walked up and down the mantelpiece with the poor bunny holding on for all he was worth, trembling with fear. " Don't! Let me down! Please let me down! " begged the little rabbit. " I'm frightened. I don't like it." " Well, you ought to," said the elephant. " Why, at the Zoo out in the Big World there are elephants a thousand times bigger than I amand children pay to have rides on their backs! And I'm giving you a ride for nothing. I'm very kind." " You're not," called the lamb, hiding behind the clock. " You're horrid! You're always chasing us and teasing us with that nasty trunk of yours. You let poor Rabbit down. He will fall off with fright if you don't!" Instead of that the elephant began to try and gallop up and down the mantelpieceand then a dreadful thing happened! The horses came unexpectedly round the clock and bumped into him. He slipped and fell. The rabbit slid off his back and landed unhurt on the mantelpiecebut, oh dear, the elephant fell right over the edge! CRASH! After that dreadful sound there was a silence.

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The toys down below were horrified. The horses, lamb, shepherdess and rabbit up on the mantelpiece were too frightened even to peep over and see what had happened to the elephant. " He's broken," said the golliwog at last. " Smashed to pieces," said the teddy-bear. " That's the end of him," said the curly-haired doll. " And I should think it was probably his own fault. He was teasing the rabbit as usual." The china figures peeped over the edge of the mantelpiece at last. They gazed down in silence at the pieces of the elephant in the fireplace. " I want him mended," said the rabbit suddenly. " I do! He was horrid to me, but I can't bear to see him like that. Mend him, toys, please do! " " Well! You are a forgiving little creature," said the golliwog in surprise. " But if you really do want him mended, we'll get some glue and stick the pieces together." So they got a tube of glue and began to stick together the pieces of the broken china elephant. There were fourteen of them, so it was a bit of a jigsaw to put them together.

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" Here's an ear," said the golliwog. " Here's a leg," said the teddy-bear. " And here's a bit of his tummy," said the curly-haired doll. Well, the toys worked hard with the glue and at last they had mended poor old Jumbo. Every piece was stuck in its place again, and there he stood, looking a bit cracked here and there, but still an elephant. But wait a bitthere was something queer about him! The toys looked and lookedand then the teddy-bear gave a squeal of laughter. " Oh, look! Golly, you've stuck his tail on the front of him, where his trunk ought to beand you've stuck his trunk at the back, instead of his tail! " Well, well, well, so they had! No wonder old Jumbo looked queer. He was really very upset about it. " Oh, my, whatever shall I do? " he said. " I can't pick up things with my tail, you knowand if my trunk is at the back of me I shan't be able to see what to pick up with that! "

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" Well, seeing that you used your trunk for teasing people, pulling their hair and manes and their tails, Jumbo, it's just as well I made that mistake," giggled the golliwog. " You do look queer! Anyway, you can't tease anyone now." "Did you do it on purpose? " said the teddy-bear, looking at the golliwog suddenly. " I might have. You never know," said the golliwog. ** Anyway, there's no reason why I shouldn't be a bit of a tease, too, is there? " There was nothing to be done about it. The elephant had a tail for a trunk and a trunk for a tail, and there he stood on the carpet, waiting for somebody to come along in the morning and pick him up. Jane, the housemaid, found him there and put him back on the mantelpiece without even noticing he looked different. Jumbo felt very much ashamed of his appearance. He went to hide behind the clock. The little rabbit was there. " I'm sorry for you," he said timidly. " I'm glad you can't lift me on to your back and frighten me againbut I am very sorry you got broken." Wasn't that nice of him? Jumbo felt sorry too that he had teased the rabbit, and he hung his head down and swished the tail that now grew from it. " Let's be friends," said the rabbit. " The lamb has his shepherdess and the horses have each other. We haven't anyone." So now they are friends, which is nice for them both. But I do wish you could see how queer poor old Jumbo looks with his trunk at the back and his tail at the front!

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was once a little girl who never stopped talking. That sounds queer, but I expect you know people like that, don't you? We are always saying to them: " Dear me, what a chatterbox you are! Do stop talking for a minute! " Well, Paula was like that. Nobody could stop her talking. She began when she woke up in the morning, she went on all the day, and she was still talking when her mother put her to bed at night. This is how she talked, without stopping: " You know, I really must tell you, yesterday I saw a dog with such a long tail, and when it wagged it made quite a wind, and I patted it, but it ran away, so I went on to school, and when I got there I was just in time, of course I've never been late, well, I changed my shoes and I took my pencil-box and went into school, and that morning I got all my sums right, and the teacher said my writing was very good, and I got top marks in drawing, and the teacher said I was very good at animals, and I daresay when I grow up I shall be an artist and make a lot of money, and if I do I shall buy Mummy a beautiful car and Daddy a splendid pipe, and Baby the best rattle in the world, and Auntie Susan a new dress, and . . ." That was how Paula talked, on and on and on without stopping. " Oh, Paula, stop!" people would say. "You really are a terrible chatterbox." Well, it is very nice to be able to talk easily, but no one likes to hear another person talking all the time. " It's selfish, Paula," said Peter,
THERE

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who wanted to tell her about his new book. " Stop a minute. I've got something to say too! " "Wait till I've finished," Paula would sayand, of course, she never would finish, and Peter would go off with his new book to find someone else to show it to. Sometimes Mummy had a headache. " Paula, stop chattering," she would say. "My head aches and you make it worse. Be quiet for a little while, dear." But Paula wouldn't. Her tongue wagged on and on and on, and at last her Mother would go out of the room and leave her talking to herself. But she often woke up the baby with her endless talking. He would cry loudly and Mummy would come running out. " Oh, Paula dearsurely you haven't been talking loudly and waking Baby up! There's no one here to talk to!" " I was talking to my dolls," said Paula. If she had no boy or girl or grown-up to talk to, she would talk to her toys. Really there was no stopping that tongue of hers! One day she went for a walk on Pixie Hill. Some of the children said they had seen pixies there, dressed in yellow and green, like tiny men, but Paula never had, and she didn't believe it. All the same, there were some there that day, and two of them met Paula as she walked up the hill. They said good morning to her, and Paula began her usual chatter. How she chattered! The little men tried to say something every now and again, but it wasnt a bid of good.

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Paula didn't even try to listen, she loved the sound of her own voice so much. " What funny little men you are! " she began, with a laugh. " Why do you wear hats like that ? I once had a hat like yours when I went to a fancy-dress party, and it had a red feather in it, and everyone said it was the best hat there, and I won the prize for the best fancy dress, and the prize was a beautiful paintbox, and you really should have seen the pictures I painted with those paints, they were beautiful, and-----" " Wait a minute," began one little man, trying to get a few words in quickly. But Paula went on without stopping. " And when I took my pictures to school the next day the teacher was very pleased, and she pinned them all up on the wall and------" " I want to say something," said the second pixie, but still Paula swept on and on. " And all the children thought they were wonderful, so when I'm grown up I expect I shall be an artist and make a lot of money, and-----"

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The two little men suddenly pounced on Paula. One of them tied his big handkerchief round the little girl's mouth. Paula was surprised and angry, and her voice came gurgling out through the handkerchief. " Ooogle, obble, oogle, obble, oogle, oogle! ' " Now listen! " said the first little man to Paula. " We want to know something. We've been sent out of Pixie-town to buy a gramophone for the little Prince Dreamy, who is ill. We know that a gramophone is a sort of box in which music and voices are kept, and you can turn them on when you want to hear them. Are you a gramophone? " " Ooogle, obble, oogle, obble," answered poor Paula. Another pixie ran up to see what was the matter. He laughed when he saw Paula. " Ho," he said. " You've caught a chatterbox, have you? Well, she'll go on talking for days and days if you let her. She's the finest chatterbox in the world! " " A chatterbox! " said one little man to another. " Oooh! Perhaps a chatterbox is as good as a gramophone. Will she really talk without stopping? We want something like that to keep little Prince Dreamy amused." " Well, take Paula then," said the small pixie. " Put her into a box with a nice lid, and she'll do very well for a gramophone. You won't have to wind her up, and you won't have to give her new needles, as you would have to do with a gramophone, and she'll never, never run down! " " My goodness, what a fine idea! " said the two little men. They took the hanky away from Paula's mouth, and tied her hands behind her back instead. She began talking hard at once.

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" You let me go, you naughty little creatures, or I'll tell Mummy, and she will tell the policeman and he will come and take you to prison, and then you will be locked up and you will be very sorry you caught a nice little girl like me, who hasn't done you any harm, and who doesn't want to go with you and see Prince Dreamy, whoever he is, he doesn't sound very exciting, anyway, and . . . ' All the time she was talking the little men trotted her down the hill to a little blue door set far into a cave in the hillside. In they went and down some steps lighted by big candles swinging from the roof. Down and down, and then up and upand at last into a big palace full of fairy and pixie servants, who were all very surprised to see Paula. " Where's the palace carpenter ? " asked one of the little men. " We want him." " He's in the workroom," said an elf. The little men hurried Paula off to a big workroom, where a tall gnome was standing, working at a new rocking-horse for the little prince. " We've found a real live chatterbox," said the men excitedly. " She'll do awfully well for a gramophone. Make her a box with a lid quickly, carpenter, and we'll put her in and take her to the little prince." In no time at all the carpenter made a beautiful green box, rather like a tall cupboard, with a hinged lid on top. Paula was lifted in, and she was carried quickly away to the bedroom of the little sick prince. The

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lid was shut, so Paula could not see or hear anything. She was very angry, and she talked loudly at the top of her voice, but no one could hear her with the lid shut. The queen was in the room, and a nurse. The little prince lay on his bed. He was not allowed to sit up. He was not allowed to read. So he had asked for a gramophone that he could turn on and off and listen to whenever he wished. " Your Majesty," said one of the pixies in an excited voice, " we have had such a piece of luck. We couldn't get a gramophone anywhere, however hard we triedbut we managed to get a real live chatterbox! Here it is. Inside this box is a voice that goes on and on and on without stopping, telling all sorts of things. If you want to hear it, lift the lid; if you don't, shut it down! " " How splendid! " said the queen. She lifted the lid and out came Paula's voice at once. " And if you think I'm going to stay in this box all day long you're

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wrong, because I won't, I shall escape, and I shall run home, and fetch my Daddy and my Mummy, and they'll come here to this palace and scold you all, and I can tell you, when Mummy scolds anyone it's dreadful. Why, I remember once she scolded my little cousin so hard for breaking two windows that he cried all down his overall and made it so wet that he had to take it off and dry it. Of course, I never cry like that, I'm not so silly, and, anyway, my eyes get red and swollen and I look ugly, and nobody likes looking ugly, especially when they're quite pretty like me, I've often been told I'm pretty, in fact, I'm a nice little girl and why I should be in this box I don't know; it's a very naughty thing to put me here and . . ." The little prince lay and listened in delight. The voice went on and on, telling all kinds of things, silly little things, amusing little things, things that were strange and surprising to a fairy prince who had lived all his life in a palace. " This gramophone is lovely," he said to his Mother. " I like it. Let me keep it. It's a most wonderful chatterbox, really it is. I could listen all day long! ' The queen and the nurse were pleased to see Prince Dreamy so happy. They went out of the room and left him to listen to the endless voice coming out of the box.

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Magic kept Paula inside that box. It was impossible to get out. All she could do was to talk, and talk she did. She talked all day long, and grew very angry when she heard Prince Dreamy having his dinner and his tea, for no one gave her anything to eat or drink at all. They didn't think that gramophones needed food. When night came the queen shut down the lid, so that the voice was no longer heard, and the prince could go to sleep. Early in the morning he awoke and opened the lid again, and at once the voice came out, rather weak and small and tired, but still chattering away. " If only you'll let me out, I'll never, never chatter so much again, only let me out and you'll see I will really stop, and listen to other people." " Oh, I shan't let you out then! " cried the little prince. " I don't want you to stop! I'm going to keep you here for always, my own real, live gramophone! " What a shock that was for poor little chatterbox Paula. She was so frightened at the idea of staying in the Chatter-Box for always that she

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lost her voice. She couldn't speak a word. She stayed quite silent and even when she found her voice again she didn't say a word. Perhaps if she was quiet the prince wouldn't want her and she could go! She didn't say a word all day, and that was very hard for her. The prince soon got tired of a silent gramophone, or Chatter-Box as he called it, and told his nurse to take it away. She carried it out of the room, slipped over a rug and fell down. The box fell too, the lid shot open and out slid Paula. In a trice she was on her feet, running for all she was worth. Down the steps into the hillside she went, along the dark passage, up more steps and out on the sunny, windy hillside. She fled home, sobbing, hungry and thirsty. " Where have you been, darling? " cried her Mother. " We've been hunting for you all night. Where have you been? * " I've been a gramophone. I was put inside a big Chatter-Box! " wept Paula. " It was all because I talked so much. I never will again, Mummy, never! ' And she doesn't. She listens to other people now, and she doesn't go on and on all day long. It was really such a shock to her to be a real, live gramophone. I should hate it too; wouldn't you?

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'I'VE got to catch a train this morning," said Mrs. Muddle to her Aunt A Brinnie. " I'm going to have lunch with a dear old friend of mine, who's back from America. She says she's got a fine present to give me. Isn't that nice? " " Very nice," said Aunt Brinnie, looking round at the muddle of unwashed breakfast things, the unswept floor and the undusted room. " Well, you'll have to hurry up, Mary Muddle, and get your house clean, if you're going to catch the twelve o'clock train! ' " Mandy! Mandy! " called Mrs. Muddle to her little maid. " Come and clear away. We'll have to look sharp this morning because I've got to catch a train." Mandy hurried in. Aunt Brinnie put on a coat to go and feed the hens. " I should think you'd better sweep this floor, Mary Muddle," she said. " It's in a dreadful statecrumbs and bits of fluff all over the place. Somebody might call this afternoon and I should feel very ashamed of it." " All right, all right," said Mrs. Muddle and fetched a broom. But such a cloud of dust arose from the dirty carpet that she began to cough. " I'd better tie up my hair," she said. " I washed it last night, and if I don't put something round my head it'll be all dirty again." So she fetched a scarf and tied it round her head. Then she began to sweep again. How she swept! Aunt Brinnie put her head in at the door once and took it out again. It would be at least an hour before the dust settled, she thought.

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Mrs. Muddle felt cross. What a nuisance Aunt Brinnie was, always telling her to do this and that. She would tell Mandy she could go out, and she wouldn't leave anything for Aunt Brinnie's lunch except a bit of dry cheese. If Aunt Brinnie wanted anything else she could cook it for herself. When she had swept and dusted, Mrs. Muddle looked at the clock. Good gracious! She would hardly have time to get herself ready and make herself look really nice before the train went! She untied her apron and threw it over a chair. She hurried upstairs and began to pull out her things. Bother, bother, bother, there was a ladder in her best stockings, and now she would have to mend it, just when she had hardly any time! She mended it. Then she looked for her best shoes. They had a button off. Oh dearof course, she remembered now, it had come off last week, and she had forgotten to put it on again. Could anything be more annoying ? By the time she had put on a button another ten minutes had gone by. Mrs. Muddle began to dress in a hurry, not even bothering to look at herself in the glass.

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'My best dressmy little black coatmy necklacemy black bag. Oh dear, oh dear, there's a spot down the front of my dress, and it just shows in the opening of my coat! " She looked down at the spot in dismay. She really couldn't go out to lunch with a dirty place on her dress, just in front, too! But there was no time to clean it. " I'll wear my scarf! " thought Mrs. Muddle. " That will hide the dirty place nicely." She found her hat-box, took out her big hat and crammed it on her head. Now where was her scarf ? She opened the top drawer. No scarf. It wasn't in the next one either. Mrs. Muddle grew anxious, and pulled out everything in the drawer, scattering gloves, hankies and stockings all over the floor. She looked in the wardrobe. She looked on her dressing-table. No scarf there. Where could it be? Oh dear, oh dear, the time was going, and still she hadn't found that scarf. " Mary Muddle, you'll lose your train if you don't hurry! ' called Aunt Brinnie. " Aunt Brinnie, what have I done with my scarf? " called Mrs. Muddle. " I know I had it yesterday." " Yes, you lent it to the little boy who came to tea," said Aunt Brinnie. "He wanted to be a train-guard and wave a flag, and you lent it to him for that." " So I did, so I did," said Mrs. Muddle, hurrying down the stairs.

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" I put it away with the clockwork train and the rails. That's what I did." But it wasn't there. Mandy came running in. " Madam, don't you remember, you wanted to shade one of the lamps yesterday evening, because it was too bright, and you fetched your scarf from the toy cupboard and draped it over the lamp? " " I know, I know! " cried Mrs. Muddle, remembering. " Miss Brown came in last night and wanted to show me a new way of bandaging a broken arm, and we took the scarf off the lamp and used it for a bandage." " Yes, and when you saw Miss Brown off at the front gate it was raining, so you took the scarf and flung it over your hair," said Mandy. What did you do with it when you came in? " " Oh, there was a strange cat in the kitchen and I used the scarf to flap at it, to scare it out," said Mrs. Muddle. " I seem to have used it for a lot of things, don't I, Mandy? " " And after that, Ma'am, you put it into the corner over there by the brooms, to be washed," said Mandy. " It was so dirty by then! " " Dear me, so I did," said Mrs. Muddle. " I remember putting it over the broom-handle. Have you used a broom this morning, Mandy ?" " Mandy hasn't, but you have," said Aunt Brinnie. " You've been making a rare old dust in here all the morning with your broom. You must have seen the scarf when you took up the broomand if you think

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hard, Mary Muddle, you will no doubt remember exactly what you did with it! "

hard Mary Muddle thought hard. Then she smacked her hand down on the table. " Of course! " she cried. " I was making such a dust that I tied the scarf round my head to keep my hair clean! " She put her hand up to her headbut she was wearing her big hat now. Auntie Brinnie looked at her closely and began to laugh. " Mary Muddle, you are the biggest muddler and the greatest silly I have ever met! " she said. " Do you know what you've done? You've crammed that big hat on your head without taking off your scarf! For shame, not even to brush out your hair before you go out to lunch! ' Mary Muddle blushed bright red. She took off her hatand, sure enough, underneath it, tied tightly round her hair, was the missing scarf! " How silly of me," said Mary Muddle. She dragged it off and knotted it round her neck. Then she pulled on her hat again, took up her bag and ran off to the station without even saying goodbye!

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" She's a real muddler, and she's got no manners at all," said Aunt Brinnie to herself, shaking her head. Mandy popped her head in. " Mrs. Muddle said I could have the day off, Miss Brinnie," she said. " I'm going now. I'm afraid there's not much for your lunch, though." Off she went. Aunt Brinnie went to the larder and looked there. How mean of Mary! She had left just a tiny bit of stale cheese for her Aunt Brinnie, and nothing else at all unless the old lady went to the trouble of cooking herself some meat. Well, well, wellthat was just like Mary Muddle! '' I shall take the bus and go out to lunch," thought old Aunt Brinnie. " I won't stay in and have that stale bit of cheese! " So out she went and just managed to catch the bus that went to the next town. She wondered if Mary Muddle had caught her train. She hadn't. It had gone five minutes before she reached the station, hot and bothered and untidy! So, as there was not another train till the afternoon, Mrs. Muddle had to walk all the way back home, tired and disappointed.

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And when she got there she called for Mandy. But Mandy was out. " Of courseI told her to go! " thought Mrs. Muddle. " Aunt Brinnie! Where are you ? " But Aunt Brinnie had gone out too. Mrs. Muddle went to the larder, feeling hungry. Oh dear, oh dear, there was only that bit of stale cheese and the Sunday joint! Why had she been so mean to Aunt Brinnie ? She could easily have sent Mandy out to buy some chops for her. Now the shops would be shut for lunch, and there was nothing at all to eat except a tiny bit of hard cheese! And that was all that Mary Muddle had for her dinner. She felt very sorry for herself. Then she began to be ashamed. " If I hadn't got my work into such a muddle this week, so that I had to do all that sweeping this morningif I hadn't forgotten to mend that ladder in my stockingand put the button on my shoeand wash that dirty place on my dressif I hadn't forgotten where my scarf was I'd have been lunching at the Grand Hotel in the next town now," she

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thought. " And if I hadn't been mean to Aunt Brinnie and left her only this bit of stale cheese for lunch I'd have had something nice myself when I lost my train and came back. I'm a selfish muddler! " She had the house to herself. Mandy wouldn't be back all night, and goodness knew when Aunt Brinnie would return. Mrs. Muddle suddenly made up her mind. " I'm going to clean the house from top to bottom! I'm going to clean out the hen-house too! I'm going to do all that washing that's been waiting to be done! I'm going to do all the mending as well! " And away she went like a whirlwind to begin all the jobs. How she could work when she wanted to! How she cleaned and scrubbed and polished, washed and mended! How surprised the hens were to have their house cleaned out so thoroughly. Mrs. Muddle was very tired indeed by the time it was dark. She took off her dirty things, washed, tidied her hair and put on a clean frock. Then she sat down, hungry but there was now nothing but bread and butter to eat! She had forgotten to go and buy anything at the shops. Presently the door opened and in came Aunt Brinnie. She stopped in astonishment when she saw the bright clean room. " Gracious! " she said. " What's happened?" "I lost the train, said Mary Muddle. " And when I came back

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to an empty house I suddenly felt ashamed of myself. So I've cleaned it well. And I'm going to try and do better now, Aunt Brinnie. I'm sorry, too, about leaving you no lunch! ' " Oh, don't worry about that! " said Aunt Brinnie. " I caught the bus and went to the next town. I thought I might get lunch at the Grand Hotel there, where you were going to meet your friendand, dear me, there she was, still waiting for you, though you were half an hour late already. When you didn't come, she asked me to lunch with her instead, so I didand, my word, we did have a fine lunch! ' " Don't, don't," cried poor Mary Muddle, with tears in her eyes. " To think what I've missed! And I'm so dreadfully hungry now and there's still nothing in the larder except the Sunday joint! ' " Well, I've brought some eggs and bacon and some fine mushrooms," said Aunt Brinnie. " We'll have a wonderful supper. And in that parcel you'll find the present that your friend wanted to give you." " Oh, how lovely! " cried Mrs. Muddle. She opened itand inside was another scarf, a blue one with little dark lines patterning it.

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" I don't deserve it! " she cried. " Aunt Brinnie, isn't it nice! " " Beautiful! " said her aunt, taking down the frying-pan to cook the supper. "But don't you go using it for guards' flags, or bandages, or flapping at cats! ' " Oh, I won't, I won't! " cried Mrs. Muddle. She took the frying-pan from her aunt's hand. " Now you sit down and let me do this! I've been selfish to you today but I'm different tonight! ' So Mary Muddle had her present after all, and a very nice supper, too. But Aunt Brinnie wouldn't have given her either if she hadn't come back to a clean house and a nicer Mary Muddle. You can't expect good things if you don't do something for them, can you?

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the pixie, came to play with the toys as usual one night, but she didn't look very well. " What's the matter? " said the teddy-bear. " You do look down in the mouth." " I don't feel very well," said Tickles. " I think I'm going to get a cold. A-tish-oo!" " Well, don't give it to me, then! " said the doll in the blue silk frock. " I don't want to be in bed, sneezing my head off." " It wouldn't matter if you did," said the golliwog rudely. " It's a silly sort of headno brains at all! ' The doll smacked him. " Oh, don't," said Tickles. " I do want a bit of peace tonight. I like you, toys, but you really are a quarrelsome lot, you know! Only the old monkey is really unselfish and peaceful." " Pooh! Old Monkey! " said the golliwog. " He's falling to bits! Look at his tailhanging on by a thread, and very dirty indeed." " Well, I couldn't help falling into the coal-scuttle," said Monkey. " I've managed to clean myself up a bit, but somehow my tail won't come cleanand I daren't do too much to it in case it falls off." " Never mind, Monkey. I think you're lovely," said Tickles. " Let me lean against you tonight. I do feel so tired. My throat hurts so, too." The toys were bored with Tickles because she wouldn't play with them. So they went off by themselves. Tickles sat with Old Monkey, and he made himself just as soft a cushion for her as he could.

TICKLES,

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" It's time for me to go," said Tickles at last. " Oh dear it's cold, isn't it! And I haven't got a coat tonight. Or even a scarf." "Well, the doll will lend you her coat," said Monkey. " And Golly will lend you his scarf. He's got a nice one." But they wouldn't lend her either a coat or a scarf. Weren't they horrid! " She'll only get my coat wet in the rain," said the doll. " It's just begun to pour." " And I'm certainly not going to lend anyone my scarf," said Golly. " I look awful without it! " " Well, never mind," said Tickles. " I'll go home as quickly as ever I can and get straight into bed." "I'll tell you what I can do," said Old Monkey. " I can lend you my long, soft tail for a scarf, if you don't mind it being a bit dirty." " But you can't pull your tail off for me! " cried Tickles. "A monkey without a tail! Why, I never heard of such a thing. Suppose the children you belong to saw you without your tail? They wouldn't want you any more. And I might not be able to bring it back for a little while, because I'm sure I shall be in bed for a few days." " Never mind," said Old Monkey. He took hold of his tail, gave a pull, and snapped the few threads still holding it to his body. He shook the dust from it and then wrapped it round and round Tickles's throat. He tucked the ends into her belt. " There you are! " he said. " That will keep you warm and cosy."

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" Oh, it's lovely! " said Tickles, pleased. " You are kind. I love you, Monkey. Good-bye. Ill come and see you when I am better." She flew off and the toys gathered round Monkey. " You look awful without a tail," said the doll. " I'd feel worse if I were like you and hadn't got a heart! " said Monkey. " You're rude," said the doll. " I hope the children find you without a tail and throw you away! " Monkey was rather afraid of that himself! He knew that a monkey without a tail didn't really look a proper monkey. He hid himself right at the very back of the toy cupboard and hoped the children wouldn't see him. A day passed and another. Then a third came and passed. Monkey began to be worriednot so much about his tail, as about little Tickles. Was she very ill ? Then on the fourth night she came again, all smiles. " I'm quite better," she said. " I only took two days in bed. On the third day I had to go and visit the Princess of the Silver Mountain. She's giving a birthday

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party and I'm in charge of all the arrangements. Fancy that! And I can ask one guest of my own to come." " Oooh. Do ask me\ " said the doll. " No, me," said the golliwog. " Where's Old Monkey? " asked Tickles. " I can't see him anywhere. Don't tell me that the children have thrown him away after all! " " Here I am," said Monkey, coming out of the cupboard. " Oh you've brought back my tail. Thank you! ' " I was glad of it," said Tickles. " Look, I've washed it nice and clean it's beautiful now, isn't it? And I've brought some soap and flannel to wash all your fur clean, Monkey. And look, here is a needle and cotton to sew on your tail againI won't hurt you a bit." " Oh, thank you," said Monkey. " What's that blue thing you've got there?" " It's a blue ribbon to tie round your neck in a smart bow," said Tickles, beginning to wash Monkey all over with flannel and soap. " It's for you\ "

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She soon had him looking very clean and smart. She sewed on his long tail. Then she brushed his fur and tied the blue bow round his neck. " All dressed up and nowhere to go! " said the golliwog with a laugh. " Ohhe's got somewhere to go all right! " said Tickles. " He's coming to the princess's birthday party with me tonight. Didn't I tell you? Come along, Monkey. I've got a little golden carriage outside, specially sent for us, drawn by six white mice. It's very grand." So it was. Monkey could hardly believe it when he found himself sitting in such a grand carriage, a blue bow under his chin, ready to set out for the Silver Mountain. Well, wellwhat a very astonishing thing! The toys watched them go. They were very quiet. " You know, I think he deserves all this," said the teddy-bear suddenly. " He really is a good, kind fellow." " Yes," said the golliwog in a small voice, " We'd better be kinder ourselves in future. I do really think we had." I think so, too. I would have liked to see Tickles wearing Monkey's tail for a scarf, wouldn't you? It really was a very good idea.

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Doesn't young Sven look gay? He lives in Lapland and has a little baby reindeer as his special pet.

Answer on page 198

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YOU'RE a coward, Harry! " cried Dick. I'm not," said Harry. " Well, climb up to the top of the school wall and jump down, then," shouted Ronnie. " I don't want to," said Harry. " I might twist my ankle and then I shouldn't be able to play football tomorrow. I don't see any sense in doing a thing like that." :< Coward! " yelled everyone. Dick climbed to the top of the wall and stood there, balancing cleverly. Then he jumped down. " Easy! " he said proudly to Harry. " Go on. Do it. I dare you to! ' " Dares are silly," said Harry. " You know they are. If everybody did all they were dared to do there would be an awful lot of broken arms and legs." " You're afraid," said Mike scornfully. " You say things like that because you are afraid." " No I don't," said Harry. " I'm not afraid. I've courage enough to stand here and refuse to do something silly which I could quite well do if I tried, haven't I? You wait till there's some real reason for doing things like that and I'll do them. But not just because you dare me to." " I dare you to jump into the river on the way home! " yelled Mike. ' You won't drown because the river isn't deep enough. You just prove you're not a coward, see, and jump into the river! " cc And get soaked just to show you I'm not a coward! " said Harry.
What a basketful of fun! The mother cat doesn't mind the three children making a fuss of her kittensshe knows they will be kind and gentle

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" Cowardy - cowardy custard! " yelled all the boys and danced round him in delight. " Harry the coward! Coward Harry! " Harry was tempted to climb to the top of the wall straightaway and jump down, just to show the boys what he thought of thembut he didn't. He might just twist his ankle, because the wall was high and how silly not to be able to play in the football match just because he wanted to show off in front .of the boys. Let them think he was a coward if they wanted to. He didn't care! But he did care. He cared dreadfully. He hated it when the boys called after him down the street. He couldn't bear it when his Mother heard Dick yelling " Cowardycowardy-custard! " after him. He began to wonder if he really was a coward. " I never have done anything brave," he thought. " I've never rescued anyone from drowning or from a burning house or anything like that. I wonder if I am a coward. I do' hope I'm not." One afternoon he took another way home and managed to give the boys the slip. He went down Chestnut Way and walked beside the high wall that ran round Chestnut House. A cross old man lived there, with a crowd of growling dogs. Nobody went into the grounds if they could help it. Round the corner he came across two people. One was a small girl and she was crying. The other was a big boy, bigger than Harry, from the school at the other end of the town. " What's the matter? " said Harry to the little girl. " He's thrown my doll over the wall," wept the child. " It was Amelia, my best doll. She'll be broken. She'll be eaten up by dogs."

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" What a horrid thing to do! " said Harry to the big boy. The boy put up his fists at once. " I'll fight you if you talk like that to me! " he said. Then there came a noise of voices and footsteps, and round the corner came Harry's school-fellowsDick, Mike, Ronnie and the rest. " Here he is! " cried Dick. " Trying to give us the slip. Here's Harry, old cowardy-custard." " Shut up," said Harry. " Something's happened. This big lout has thrown this little girl's doll over the wall. I was just going to fight him." The boys stared at the big boy, who still had his fists up. They looked at Harry, who was much smaller. " I'll take him on after you've finished with him, Harry," said Dick. " So will I," said Mike. The big boy looked scared. " I'm not fighting the whole lot of you," he saidand, quite suddenly, he turned on his heel and fled away as fast as ever he could down the road.

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" What did you want to make him do that for, just as I was going to punish him for teasing this little girl? " said Harry crossly to the boys. " He was bigger than me, I knowbut I have learnt boxing and I could have beaten him easily." The little girl gave a sob. " I don't like boys to fight," she said. " I want my doll." The boys looked up at the high wall. " It's jolly high," said Mike. " Be difficult to get upand I shouldn't like to jump down the other side. I'd be afraid I couldn't get back." ' And those dogs might come rushing up," said Dick. " And that fierce old man might come along." The little girl wiped her eyes and looked very miserable. " Goodbye! "she suddenly called to her doll over the wall. " Good-bye, Amelia. I can't get you." Then she suddenly burst into tears again. Harry put his arm round her. " Don't you cry," he said. " I've got a little sister at home just like you and I've often rescued her dolls for her. I'll get yours. Don't worry! ' " Oh, will you? " cried the little girl, and she smiled up at Harry. " But how can you? ': " You just see! " said Harry. He ran a little way up the road to where a tree leaned over the wall. He was up that tree in a trice. " What are you going to do? " cried Dick. " You can't jump down the other side, idiot. You'd never get back. And those dogs are always about." " Well, you come and do it, then," said Harry. But nobody wanted to.

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They all stood and watched Harry swing himself on to the top of the wall. The boy looked down the other side. It was a big jump. Bigger than from the top of the school wall. Suppose he broke his ankle? Well, he wouldn't. He wasn't going to disappoint the little girl now that he had said he would get her doll. He swung himself down from the wall and landed on the ground. He fell into the soft earth and gave himself only a slight jolt. The other boys swarmed up the tree that Harry had climbed, and they sat on the top of the wall to watch him. The boy looked for the doll. Ah, there it was, caught in a bush. He went over to get it. Suddenly, not far off, he heard a bark. Golly, the dogs were about, then! He snatched at the doll. But before he could get back to the wall and get the other boys to drag him up, a big dog came running round the bushes. He saw Harry and growled. He bared his big teeth. The boy began to back towards the wall. The dog growled so fiercely that he stopped. The boys on the wall held their breath. Surely the big dog would not fly at Harry? " What's happening? Oh, what's happening?" cried the little girl, who was on the path outside the wall. " Is that one of the dogs? ': " There are two dogs now no, three! " said Dick, and stared down from the wall in horror. " Harry make a dash for it. We'll help you up. Dont be afraid.

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" I'm not afraid," said Harry. " But I know jolly well if I do make a dash for the wall the dogs will be on me. I must try to make friends with them, that's all." He boldly held out his hand to the nearest dog. " Good dog," he said. " Good dog. Fine fellow." The dog growled, but not so fiercely as before. Harry still held out his hand, then the dog sniffed at it. " Good dog! " said Harry again. "Fine fellow! " The dog turned his back on Harry as if he was no longer interested in him. Harry stretched out his hand to the second dog. " Good dog! " he began again. " I'm a friend. A friend, see? And you're a good dog! " The dog growled. Then he put back his head and barked loudly. Dick almost fell off the wall in sudden fright. Harry made a move towards the wall. But the second and third dogs came close to him at once, growling. It was plain that they were not going to allow him to escape. Harry looked at them in despair. He couldn't stay there all day! But what was he to do? The dogs suddenly pricked up their ears and turned their heads. The boys heard a deep voice calling. " What's the matter with you, Boris? Why are you barking, Leo? Come here, Scamp, and stop your noise." " It's the old man," whispered Dick to Mike. " Now poor old Harry's properly caught. Let's go while there's time." " That would be cowardly," said Mike at once. " We must stay and stick by Harry."

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A man came round the bushes. He had thick black hair streaked with silver and shaggy black eybrows that looked very fierce. He frowned when he saw Harry standing there. " So you came into my grounds and the dogs found you, did they? ' : he demanded. " And what were you doing here, I'd like to know? Come after my plums? 'j " No, sir," said Harry. " I wouldn't dream of such a thing." The man looked at him closely. " I've seen you before," he said. " Aren't you the boy that the others call ' Cowardy-cowardy-custard ' when you go down the road? " " Yes, sir," said Harry, going red. " But I'm not a coward." A clear little voice came over the wall. It was the little girl speaking. " He's brave! A big boy threw my doll Amelia over your walland Harry went to fetch her. He isn't a coward, he's brave. Please don't let your dogs hurt him." The old man saw the doll under Harry's arm. He saw the row of boys sitting on the wall, looking rather ashamed.

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' So," he said to Harry, " you, the boy that the others shout after, are the one that jumps down into grounds where you know there are dogs, to get a little girl's doll. And the others sit up there in safety. Cowards, all of them! Bah! You're worth a hundred of them. Throw the little girl's doll over to her and come and have tea with me. I've got plenty of things a boy like you would like to see." " Well, thanks very much, sirbut I'd rather go with the others, if you don't mind," said Harry. " They're not cowards, sirthey've often done things they've dared me to do. I'm not a coward either, but they thought I was." " Well, you're not, Harry. You're braver than any of us! " shouted down Mike. " And more sensible, too. You only do daring things when there's a real reason for themwe did them just for a silly show-off. We'll never call you coward again! " " Well said! " cried the old man. " Good boy! I'll tell you what we'll do. Harry can go off with you today, but you can all come to tea with

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me tomorrowyes, and make friends with my dogs, too. Now, over the wall you go, Harryand I'll see you all tomorrow! ' And up the wall and over he went, dropping lightly down to the other side. " Good-bye, sir, and thank you! " Harry called. Then the others dropped down beside him. Mike thumped him on the back. " Sorry we were such idiots about you, Harry," he said. " Be friends with us. We'll be proud." " Course I will," said Harry. " You just didn't know, that's all. Hallo, here's the little girl again. Come along, youngster, we'll take you and Amelia safely home, and if you ever see that big boy again, you tell him Harry will be after him if he teases you any more! " Then off they went together, laughing and shoutingbut the happiest of them all was Harry. He wasn't a cowardand everybody knew it. Hurrah !

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was once a pixie called Spinky, who had very sharp eyesand because he had sharp eyes he often found things as he walked about. Once he found a silver sixpence, and he was very pleased. He picked it up and put it into his pocket. " Finding is keeping," he said, which, of course, isn't right at all. Spinky knew quite well to whom the sixpence belonged, and he should have given it back at once. Another time he found a pretty blue silk hanky. He knew that Bluebell the elf had passed by that morning, all dressed in blue, and he felt certain that she would have a blue hanky to match her dress. But " Finding is keeping," said Spinky and put the hanky into his pocket. He found quite a lot of thingsa ha'penny, a silver button, a brooch, and a little bonnet. " Ha! Finding is keeping! " said Spinky, to everything he found. One day he had a great find. It was an umbrella! It was a queer umbrella, because the handle was in the shape of a closed hand. It almost looked as if the wooden hand was holding the umbrella! " My! This is a fine umbrella! " said Spinky, and he undid it and put it up. It was bright green and there were silver stars and golden suns worked all over it. " I know who it belongs toit belongs to the old dame who has come to visit Mother Trot-About! " said Spinky to himself. " I saw her with it yesterday. Wellas I always sayfinding is keeping! It shall be my umbrella now! '
THERE

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Spinky was not much better than a thief. He knew whose umbrella it was and yet he didn't take it back. He took it home and stood it in a corner. Now, although he didn't know it, the umbrella was a magic one. It was no other than one of the very few spanking umbrellas left. A spanking umbrella stood quietly in a corner until someone came along who quarrelled, or said rude things, or did wrong, or was unkind. When that happened, the spanking umbrella lived up to its name and spanked the bad person hard! Spinky put the kettle on to boil water for his tea. Then he took a kipper from the larder and began to fry it. A delicious smell rose on the air. The cat next door, who was a naughty little thief when she got the chance, came slinking in at the window. Spinky didn't see her. She sat there, waiting her chance, and when Spinky had gone into the larder, leaving the cooked kipper on a plate, the cat jumped up on the table. She put out a paw to get the kipper. The spanking umbrella, standing still in its corner, saw her. In a trice a very queer thing happened. The umbrella hopped on its one leg to the table, opened the hand that made the handle, and gave the cat two good spanks. ' " MIAOW-OW-OW! " yelled the cat and jumped out of the window. Spinky had heard the tap-tap-tap of the umbrella and had popped his head out of the larder to see what was happening.

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He was simply delighted. " Golly! It's a real spanking umbrella! " he said. " What a bit of luck! Now I'm safe from anyone who does wrong or unkind things. Well, wellI didn't guess it was a spanking umbrella, though I might have when I saw the wooden hand." The umbrella hopped to its place again. It shut its hand, which at once became the umbrella handle. It stood quietly in the corner. That evening an old tramp came to Spinky's door. " Give me a penny," he said. "' I don't give to tramps," said Spinky. " You should get work and earn pennies of your own." The tramp began to call Spinky all the rude names he could think of, and he even put out his tongue at the pixie. He was a dirty old goblin of a tramp, and the pixie was rather afraid of him. But the umbrella wasn't. Oh no! As soon as it heard the rude names it tapped over to the old tramp. It opened its big hand, and before the

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tramp knew what was happening he was being spanked very hard indeed. He gave a yell and went tearing down the garden path. The umbrella stood quietly in its corner again. Spinky simply loved having it there. " You are a good umbrella! " he said. " You really are. You're better than a dog about the house. My word, I don't need to be afraid of anyone now I've got you here! ' But he wasn't so pleased about the spanking umbrella later in the evening. The day before he had found a necklace lying in the lane, and he had popped it into his pocket. He remembered it now and took it out to look at it. As he ran his fingers down the pretty green beads there came a knock at the door and a shy elf peeped in. Spinky at once put the necklace back into his pocket. " What do you want? " he said sharply. " Oh, Spinky, dear Spinky, you didn't happen to find my green necklace when you went down the lane, did you? " asked the elf. " Of course not," said Spinky. " For one thing, I haven't been down your lane." That was a story. Before Spinky could say a word more he had a terrible shock. The umbrella hopped solemnly over to him, turned him round with its big wooden hand, and gave him a really good spanking! " Oh! Oh! Don't! " yelled Spinky, in surprise and pain. "Stop!"

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The umbrella stopped after a bit and went back to its corner. The little elf giggled and ran off. " Spinky's got a spanky umbrella! " she told everyone. " Spinky's got a spanky! ' " Dear me, has he? " said Mother Trot-About, in surprise. " That must belong to my visitor. Wellwe'll let Spinky keep his spanky for a little while. An umbrella like that will do him good!" As soon as the news got round that Spinky had a spanking umbrella people kept going to speak to him about something or other, just to see if there was any spanking going on. Spinky got dreadfully cross. :c Go away," he shouted to Dame Tip-Tap. " Go away, and do some work, you lazy old woman! " Well, the umbrella wasn't going to stand that kind of thing! Rudeness to an old lady was very, very bad. The umbrella hopped quickly to Spinky, and before he could get away the big wooden hand had given him two hard spanks. He yelled and ran round his kitchen. The umbrella followed, and got in a few smacks when it could. Dame Tip-Tap stood and watched, shaking with laughter. " Now, here's something I like to see," she cried. " You've deserved your spankings for some time, Spinky. Oh yeswe know all about your little ways how you go round looking for things with those sharp eyes of yours, and never giving them back when they are found! "

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" I never do things like that! " cried Spinky. "Never, never! " The umbrella, which had gone quietly back to its corner, at once hopped out again. Spinky gave a yell. " Go away, you horrid thing! Go away! " But the pixie had told a big story, and the umbrella meant to punish him. SPANK! My goodness, that made Spinky jump! " I'm sorry I told a story, I'm sorry! " he cried, afraid that the umbrella was going to spank him again. The umbrella stopped spanking him and went back to its corner. " Horrid thing! " said Spinky, wiping his eyes. " Horrid, horrid thing! I shall take you back to where you belong. I'd never have brought you here if I had known you were going to behave like this. I'm ashamed of you." The umbrella hopped out of its corner. " No, it's all right, I'm not ashamed of you! " shouted Spinky, at once. " Go back! " The umbrella went back. Spinky looked at it and hated it. He went over to it and took it by the handle. Then he marched off with it to Mother Trot-About's. He banged on the door. Mother Trot-About opened it.%" What do you want? " she cried. " Mother Trot-About, does this umbrella belong to the old dame who is staying with you? " asked Spinky politely. " I found it in the road and I've brought it back."

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" Dame Hobble, here's someone with your umbrella! " called Mother Trot-About, with a smile, for she had heard all about what the umbrella had been doing. " Tell him to leave it in the porch," cried a voice. So Spinky put the umbrella down very thankfully in the porch. '' I always bring back anything I find," he said most untruthfully. The wooden hand of the umbrella suddenly opened, and the fingers slipped themselves pver Spinky's wrist and held on tightly. Spinky could not make the hand leave go. " Let me go! " he yelled and shook the umbrella hard. But the hand only held him all the more tightly. " It won't let go, it won't let go! ' wept Spinky, really frightened now. " Well, take it back with you," said the voice of Dame Hobble from the kitchen. " It's fine weather. I shan't want it until it rains." " But I can't bear this umbrella! " sobbed Spinky. " It keeps spanking me! " " Spinky has a spanky! " said Mother Trot-About with a deep chuckle. " That's what I've heard everyone saying. And it's time something

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unpleasant did happen to you, Spinky. Everyone knows your horrid habit of saying that' finding is keeping ' which, with you, really means stealing, because you know that in this village you can always find out very quickly if anyone has lost anything." " I won't do it again, I really won't," promised Spinky. " You tell that to the umbrella'. " called out Dame Hobble. " It may believe you. But if it doesn't it will come back with you." The umbrella didn't believe Spinky. It went back with him to his home. It stood itself in the corner, and there it waited until the time came to give Spinky his next spanking. Poor Spinky! How he wished he had never, never fallen into the habit of thinking that " finding was keeping " and hadn't taken the spanking umbrella home with him. He has had the umbrella six days already, and there isn't a sign of rain. Goodness knows how many spankings it has given him. Wellby the time the rain does come, and Dame Hobble needs her umbrella again, I daresay Spinky will have learnt a few lessons. How he hates to go shopping and to hear the children call out: " Spinky has a spanky! Spinky has a spanky! "

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Impies were very small. They were funny little creatures, and they wandered about doing all kinds of little odd jobs for anyone they could. They were honest, hard-working little things. Their chief was Nobbly-One, and he was called that because he had such bony knees. They were trying to save up to buy a small caravan for themselves, so that they could go about in that instead of walking everywhere. Nobbly carried a bag of money and he never let it out of his sight. Now one winter's day the Impies were journeying through the woods in search of work when they saw in the distance some small green creatures. Nobbly stopped. " Look! " he whispered.," The green goblins! They know about our money. We must hide! " But the green goblins had seen them. It was of no use to hide. The goblins formed up in lines and the Impies saw that they had stout sticks with them. " We've no weapons at all! " said Nobbly in despair. " Shall we run away?" " They'll soon catch us! " said his little men. " Nolet's climb this tree! Maybe we'll find a hole we can hide in." So up they went. It was a beech tree, its branches quite bare. There was a hole some way up. The Impies swarmed inside. It was very warm and seemed to be full of soft fur! " Gracious! There's a squirrel here asleep! " said Nobbly. But the squirrel soon woke up when he felt the little Impies scampering over him. He uncurled his nose from his tail and looked at them.
THE

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" Hallo! " he said, pleased. " I know you! You helped me to hide my nuts in the autumn. You showed me some very good places. I've forgotten them all now, but I know they were fine hidey-holes! " " We've come here to hide from the green goblins," said Nobbly. " We've no weapons, you see. We can't fight them. If only we had some good sharp spears." " The green goblins are climbing up the tree now! " cried a small Impy, peeping out of the hole. " Lookcan't you take some of the twigs of this beech tree for spears? " said the squirrel suddenly. " See how very very sharp the buds are they will prick you and make you bleed if you run the points into you! They would make wonderful spears! ' " Oh, yes, yes! " cried the Impies, and they quickly broke off some of the twigs. They held them like spears, the sharp buds making the points. And then what a shock for the green goblins! The Impies met them with their sharp new spears and soon the goblins

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were racing down the branches of the beech tree trying to get away from the pricks and jabs! They were soon caught! The squirrel helped the Impies and each goblin was taken back to the hole in the tree as a prisoner. But they were such dirty, smelly little things that the squirrel wouldn't have them with him! " But what shall we do with them? " asked Nobbly. " We don't want to let them go now we've caught them. I'm going to march them off to the king I " " I know what we'll do with them! " said the squirrel with a laugh. "You watch! I'll put them somewhere safe! ' And so lie did! He took each little goblin and flung him hard into the next tree, which was a big horse-chestnut. And the goblins all stuck fast on to the big brown buds there and couldn't get away! "There you are! " said the squirrel. " Caught as fast as you please! They can stay there while you send word to the king to send his soldiers here to get them."

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" But how is it they are stuck there?" cried Nobbly in surprise, watching the green goblins wriggling on the fat chestnut buds. Why, those buds are as sticky as glue! " said the squirrel. " Didn't you know?: So they were. Nobbly was surprised. " You are clever! " he said to the squirrel. " You showed us how to use the sharp beech-buds for spears and now you have made the green goblins prisoners on the sticky chestnut buds. What a lot you know about trees! ' " WellI live among them," said the squirrel. " Now goodbyeI'm off to sleep again. I do hope I remember where my nuts are when I wake up." -----------------------------

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES
Answer to Puzzle on page 64 Answer to Puzzle on page 157 1. Boat, Boar, Roar, Oar. 2. Pen, Pan, Ian, Inn, Ink. 3. Pig, Pit, Pat, Fat. 4. Mat, Cat, Cot, Dot, Dog. Answer to Puzzle on page 173 Elizabeth.

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you ever know a boy called George, who could never remember to put things back into their places? Well, this is a story about him. George was about ten years old, and he had two brothers and two sisters, all older than he was. They were fond of George, although they often called him the baby of the family, which he didn't like at all. He was always trying to be big and grown-up, so that his brothers and sisters would take him about with them and let him join in their games. " I don't like being left out of things just because I'm the youngest," he said to his Mother. " It's not fair. I can't help being the youngest." " There's no need for you to be left out," his Mother said. " Behave yourself, be kind to the others, do odd jobs for them when you can, and you will see they will take you out on picnics with them." There was one thing that George was always getting into trouble for and that was, he never would put things back into their places! Do you know anyone like that? They are really most annoying people. George used to like cutting out from papers and magazines, but he had no scissors of his own. So what did he do but go to his big sister Mary's work-basket and borrow her scissors. But when he had finished cutting out, he wouldn't put the scissors back again! No, he would leave them on the table, and then someone would clear them away. When Mary wanted them, they wouldn't be in her work-basket, and then she would spend half an hour hunting for them. That would make her very cross.
DID

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" I don't mind you borrowing my things, but you might at least have the decency to put them back! " she would say to George. Then he would borrow Alec's pencil and leave it lying somewhere in the garden. Or he would go off with Mother's matches to light the bonfire and not take them back. She would find them in his pocket a week later, when she had given up looking for them. His mother and all his older brothers and sisters scolded him well for this silly habit, but although George kept promising to be better, he wasn't. He was too lazy-minded to try and remember to take borrowed things back. Now one summer everyone was in a great state of excitement because they were going to the seaside. The older children were going to ride down on their bicycles, picnic on the way, spend a night at a camp, and then join the rest of the family at the hotel next day. George listened to all the arrangements being made. When he heard that only the four older ones were to ride down to the sea and he was to go by train the next day, he was angry and hurt. "Mother! Why can't I go with the others? I'm ten, aren't I? Why can't I ride with them? I've got a lovely new bicycle, I'm a very good rider, and I want to go with the others." " Don't talk like that to me, George," said his Mother. " That's not the way to get anything you want. You wouldn't be able to ride so far." "Oh, Mother, I could, I could! " said George, and he put his arms round his Mother to coax her. " Let me, there's a dear. Ask Alec if I can't ride well now! Ask Mary! I went all the way to the woods and back with

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her last week. Oh, Mother, do, do let me. I can't tell you how much I want to ride off with the others, and sleep in a camp for the night. I don't want to be a baby and go by train." " I should think you could let him come with us, Mother," said Alec. " He's good on his bike. I'll look after him. It would be nice for him to have his bike by the sea too, because then he could come for rides and picnics with us. Otherwise he won't be able to." They all talked it over, and to George's enormous delight Mother at last decided to let him ride off with the others. How simply marvellous! " I shall feel so big," thought George, as he polished up his bicycle the next day. " Fancy going off all by ourselvesand sleeping in a camp for the night! " The bicycles were kept in two sheds. Alec's, Mary's, Peter's and Jane's went in one shed, and George's, his Mother's and his Father's went in the other. They were all good bicycles, and their Father insisted that they should be well looked after and cleaned each week. The children thought the day would never come for them to start off. But at last the day before came, and they all took out their bicycles for a last polish and to make sure they had no punctures. They put them back into the sheds, shut the doors and went to help their Mother with the lastminute packing. George was having a friend to tea. It was Peggy, the little girl from next door. She collected stamps and so did George. They had fine stamp-

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books each, and they went to tea with one another once a week to swap stamps, stick them into their books and gloat over their collections. After tea the two of them took out their stamp-books. Peggy bent over hersand then she sat up with a cry. A spot of red had fallen on to her precious book! " Oh, Georgemy nose is bleeding again! I shall have to sit with my head back till it stops. Wipe that spot carefully off my book for me." " Bother! " said George, looking at Peggy. Her nose often bled and it was such a nuisance because then she had to stop whatever she was doing. " Mother's busy," said George, " or I'd fetch her." " It's all right," said Peggy, mopping her nose. " It'll soon stop. It never lasts long." But it did seem to last a long time this time. Peggy lay down on her back on the floor to try and stop it. But it still didn't. "We're wasting all this time," said George. " Is there anything else to do for nose-bleeding besides lying on the floor? " " Well, once Granny put the biggest key she had down my back," said Peggy. " She said that would stop it." "What a funny idea!" said George. " Shall we try it? I know where there is a very big key." " All right. Fetch it," said poor Peggy. " You can stick it down my back and perhaps the coldness will stop the bleeding."

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George sped off to the bicycle shed where his bike was kept. There was a very big key in the lock there. He took it out and ran back. He poked it down Peggy's back. She squealed. " Oooh! It's terribly cold. Ooooh, it makes me wriggle! " But very soon the nose-bleeding stopped and she could sit up. " I don't know if it was the key or whether it was really going to stop," she said. " Anyway, I'm better now. Let's get on with our stamps." So they got on with their stamps and had a fine time swapping and arranging. Then it was time for Peggy to go. " Good-bye," she said. " Come to tea with me as soon as ever you get back. I hope y9u have a fine holiday." " I'm biking down with the others! " said George grandly. " Going to spend a night at a camp! It'll be fine." The next day came. The children were to set off at ten oclock. They had their few night-things with them in kit-bags, and their packages of food. Mother gave George his, too. He did feel proud. " Now get your bikes, and I'll come to the front gate to see you off," she said. " Take care of George, Peter." They all went to get their bikes. Alec, Mary, Peter and Jane wheeled theirs out of the shed. But George couldn't get his. " The shed's locked," he said. " I can't get my bike."

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" Well, unlock it, silly! " called Alec. " Can't you turn the key? " " It's not here," said George, and he rattled the door. Mother came up. " What's the matter? Don't shake the door like that." " Mother, the key's gone. I can't get my bike," said George in a panic. " Well, where is the key? " said Mother. " It can't be far away. Has anyone taken it? " " Oh! " said George, remembering suddenly. " Yes, I took it, Mother! Peggy's nose bled yesterday, and I borrowed the key to put down her back. It must be in the playroom." He sped off to get it. He hunted everywhere for it. It didn't seem to be anywhere at all. Alec yelled up to him. " Oh, do come on, George. It's a quarter-past ten. We shall never get to camp tonight if we start late now." : ' Oh, wait for me, wait for me! " cried poor George, tearing about the room and hunting for the key. Mother came up and helped him. '' George, I don't know how many times I've told you to put things back when you've borrowed them," she said. " Now you see what's happened! You're making everybody late."

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" Let's try the key of the other shed," said Mary. So they did, but it didn't fit. " Well, we can't wait any more," said Peter at half-past ten. "We must go. George must come with you by train, Mother." " Oh no, oh no! Wait for me! Don't go without me! " begged George. " Oh, I couldn't bear it. Mother, can the gardener break open the door to get my bike? " " Certainly not," said Mother. " Now, George, this is entirely your own fault. You will ha veto put up with the results of your silliness. You took the key and you should have put it back. You didn't, so we can't get your bike. The others are not going to wait, so you will have to go with us tomorrow." And that is just what happened. The others mounted their bicycles, waved goodbye and set offwithout poor George. He was ten, and a big boy, but he was so bitterly disappointed that he went to the bottom of the garden and cried by himself for a whole hour. Daddy was not very comforting that night when he heard about it.

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" Well, sooner or later I knew that silly habit of yours of taking things and never putting them back would bring you a good punishment," he said. " It's a pity, Georgebut if you do things like that you must expect things to go wrong." " I wish I knew where the key was! " said George. " Oh, Motherif I don't find it I suppose I can't take my bike away on the train? " " You certainly can't," said Mother. So George spent the whole evening hunting for that key, but he couldn't find it. He had to go to bed very sad indeed. The next day Mother, Daddy and George got ready for the train. Just about ten minutes before the taxi-cab came Peggy came running up. " George! Did you want the key you put down my back yesterday? I went home with it still down my back, but I thought I had better bring it to you this morning in case it was important." " Oh, Peggy! You horrid, horrid girl! You went off with the key! Now I haven't been able to go with the others," said George, and he almost slapped Peggy. " Stop that, George! " said his Father at once. " It was you who should have thought of the key and taken it back, not Peggy. I won't have you blaming anyone else. That's a coward's trick. Take the blame yourself, as you should, and act like a man."

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" Sorry, Peggy," said George, feeling really ashamed. His Father nodded to his mother. ' Well, as George seems to be sorry, he can take his bike with him. There's just time to get it before the taxi comes. He can bring it on the train with him." George sped off with the key. He got out his bike. Now at least he would be able to go for rides with the others. But oh, what a pity he hadn't been able to go with them the day before! That would have been such a wonderful treat! " I shall always put things back in future," thought George. " I gave myself a terrible disappointment by forgetting about the key. I won't let things like this happen again." Did you guess where the key was? You are clever if you did!

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