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There were seven froggies of Lee
Who were happy as happy could be,
Till a duck close by
Just winked his eye,
As he thought of his afternoon tea.
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With a hop, and a skip, and a run,
He soon put an end to their fun,
For as they went past
He snapped up the last,
And that tells you my story is done.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. OSTRICH AND THEIR CHILDREN.]
Tinklebell Tales.
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Frisk was a dear little dog. He belonged to Mistress Molly.
One morning Molly said, “Now Frisk, I am going to the town, and you must
stay and look after the house, for Mother is going out too.”
Frisk sat down in his little chair, and held his walking stick between
his paws.
“No one shall steal the dinner while _I_ am here,” he said. “Bow, wow!”
On her way to the town, Molly saw her cousin Tommy leaning over a gate.
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“Oh, Tommy!” she said, “If you are passing our house, please look in and
see how Frisk is getting on.”
And Tommy ran off at once.
Frisk _was_ glad to see Tommy, who gave him a good drink of water from a
tub.
When Molly reached the town she went into the baker's shop to buy a loaf
of bread.
But when she put her hand in her pocket she found her purse had gone!
“Don't cry, my dear,” said the baker.
And he left his shop, and went with Molly down the road.
Very soon they found the purse with all the money quite safe inside.
Then Molly saw a shop with “SALE” printed in the window, and went in.
“Good morning, ma'am!” said the shopman. “What can I get for you?”
“I want some stockings, please,” said Molly.
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“How do you like these?” said the shopman. “They are _only_ one shilling
the pair, because it is sale time!”
“They _are_ lovely!” said Molly, “And the scarlet stripes just match my
dress! Please make them into a tiny parcel, and I will put them in my
pocket.” Then she paid her money, and set off home.
And what had Frisk been doing all this time?
[Illustration]
He soon grew tired of looking after the dinner, and spied his master's
hat.
“Bow wow!” he said. “What fun!”
He poked his head into the hat, and though it came right down on to his
shoulders he didn't mind a bit.
He hopped into the garden on his hind legs, and when the birds saw him
they thought it was a scarecrow come to frighten them away!
“Bow wow!” said Frisk. “I'm hungry!” He went back indoors, pushed the
lid off the pot, and dragged out a bone. How good it was!
Then a tiny mouse scampered past, and Frisk pounced on it and killed it.
[Illustration]
“Oh, Frisk, Frisk!” cried Molly, when she came home. “You _naughty_ dog!
I shall never be able to leave you in charge again!”
“Bow, wow!” cried Frisk. “Bow, wow! I'm _very_ glad. For I'd much rather
go to the town with you!”
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Holiday Time.
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Jack always said he should be a sailor when he grew up.
No toy ever pleased him so much as a boat, and he was constantly
imitating the ways of sailors, from dancing a hornpipe, down to floating
about in a big round tub on the little stream which ran at the end of
the garden.
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“Wouldn't it be too lovely for words,” he said on one occasion when he
was taking his sisters for a voyage in his tub-ship, “if we could go in
a _real_ big boat, and sail away across the sea?”
And that is exactly what they did do! For one summer day, Father and
Mother and the children, Elsie, Doris and Jack, all went on board a big
boat and steamed across the channel to France for a long holiday.
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Oh! what a glorious time they had! What fun the bathing was, undressing
in the little rocky caves and running down the firm sand, and then
tumbling into the water with shouts of joy. Then afterwards they paddled
and dug in the sands, and searched for shells and seaweed, and
thoroughly enjoyed themselves the whole day long.
There was so much to interest them, too, in the little French village,
and they were delighted with the quaint dresses of the peasants.
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One girl came to bring them fruit and vegetables, and the children
thought how pretty she looked in her snowy cap, coloured skirt and
wooden shoes, as she lifted her little sister to look for father's boat.
Jack, of course, was just in his glory, and never tired of watching the
fishing boats sailing out to sea.
Sometimes he went on the water himself, and soon learned to row, tho'
the first time he tried, his oar swung round and knocked him head over
heels into the bottom of the boat.
This, Father explained, was called “catching a crab!”
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Afterwards they made a huge sandcastle, and Jackie sat at the top of it,
singing: “I'm the King of the Castle!” at the top of his voice.
Presently he began to examine some shells and treasures which he had
been collecting in his pail, and was so intent on this, that he did not
notice how quickly the tide had come in.
When he looked up he found, somewhat to his horror, that he was quite
surrounded by water.
The castle was soon washed away; but not before the “King” was rescued
from his perilous position.
Father waded out, and pick-a-backed him safely ashore.
That was the little sailor's first adventure at sea!
The last time for Jackie to sail his boat came all too soon for him, and
the next day the children found themselves back in old England once
more.
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But they hope some day to return for another delightful holiday to the
dear little French fishing village where they spent such a pleasant
time.