THE MAGIC BALLOON.
Once upon a time there were two little boys. Their names were Jim and Jack. Now Jack had to go shopping for his mother and while going through the wood he saw a lovely balloon an old witch had left there. He took it home and asked his mother if Jim could come and see how high it would fly.
While they were flying the balloon it suddenly got so big that they had to leave go and they found it had tangled itself round the chimney pot and was carrying the house away. After it they went, right through the wood. Suddenly they noticed a cottage with an old lady at the door. Going up to her they asked if she would get the house back for them as their mother w-as inside it. The old lady was the witch, so she only laughed and sent them on their way.
Presently they met a woodcutter and told him their sad story. He said he would help them, so gathering up some wood he set off for the witch's house and gave her the wood to make a fire with. When the wood started to burn it gave out a lovely smell which sent her to sleep.
" Now," said the woodcutter, " run home and you will find your house is quite safe." Away went the two boys and you may be sure they were ever so pleased to see their mother again and they promised they would never bring home another magic balloon.
DERRICK REYNOLDS (age 8.)
MODEL RAILWAYS.
Model railways haver advanced enormously in late years. The only loco's obtainable 25 years ago were little steam engines, possessing no safety valve, throttle, reverse gear, or anything of that description, so that once you had steam up, you had to let her rattle round the track, at a scale speed of 100 m.p.h., or else the boiler blew up! Also there were hardly two engines with the same gauge, so that if you had six engines, you had to have six sets of rail!
Now, owing to the energy of four or five firms, model railways have developed from unreliable toys to very complete models, and one can now buy loco's only 6 inches high, which will haul ten people. Some of these engines are correct in every detail down to dry and wet sand pipes, an 1/8 inch in diameter, which really work!