REPORT ON THE

COMPETITIONS

The Editor offered two prizes of 9.5, the first for a new Tale for Children, the second for a new "Biography for Beginners."

WE must be forgiven if the report on the first competition is not very interesting. So many of the entries were excellent that we can do no better than catalogue the names of those competitors whose contributions we thought the best. There is so much good material that we intend to make use of two or three entries in subsequent weeks ; and, if our readers think that they would like to have still more of the entries printed, we hope that they will write and tell us.

Our thanks and congratulations go most sincerely to : "Juvenile," "Spiro," H. C. H., and William Ransted Berry ; and after these to " Fidge " (for three stories), "Pat," Nancy Wishart, " Kahan," T. S. Attie, E. C. Brereton, R. R. M. (though he put his initials at the top instead of the bottom of his manuscript), E. Sweattnan, Patricia Lynch, L. Whitney, Lena Tyack, Constance M. Hopkins, J. A. Clapperton, Sam Alexander, Henry A. Mess, A. H., and "Hope Grant." There are many others we should like to mention as well ; the competition has produced almost too good results.

The prize is awarded to " Caradoc," who tells us that his story is a family tradition, but, he thinks, has never been printed.

LITTLE PEGGY AND _um GIANT.

There was once a Giant—and he did not -like salt in his porridge, and he could not bear pepper on his mutton chop, and he hated mus- tard on his beefsteak.

And near the Giant's house there lived a little woman called Peggy. And one morning Peggy climbed up on the roof of the Giant's house with a bag of salt, and threw it down the chimney into his porridge.

When the Giant eat his porridge he called out, " Wife ! you've been putting salt in my porridge ! " and his wife said, "Oh, no. I haven't, indeed I haven't ! It must have been that naughty little Peggy." So the Giant went out and said, " Peggy tare you there ? " and Peggy said, "Ay, that I am." And the Giant said," Did you put salt in my porridge ? " And Peggy said, "Ay, that I did."

.

"Will you ever do it again ? " " Ay, that I will !"

Then Peggy ran away home, and next morning she climbed up on the Giant's roof again, and threw a lot of pepper down the chimney on to his mutton chop.

When the Giant eat his chop he called out, " Wife ! you've been putting pepper on my mutton chop ! " and his wife said, "Oh. no ! I haven't, indeed I haven't ! It must have been that naughty little Peggy ! " So the Giant went out and said, "Peggy, o,re you there ? and Peggy said, "Ay, that I am !"

. And the Giant said, Did you put pepper on my mutton chop ? "

and Peggy said, "Ay, that I did. Will you ever do it again ? " "Ay, that I will !"

• Then Peggy ran away home. And next morning she climbed up on the Giant's roof, and threw slot of mustard down the chimney on to his beefsteak.

. When the Giant eat his steak, he called out, " Wife ! you've been putting mustard on my beefsteak ! ". and his wife said, "Oh, no ! I haven't, indeed I haven't ! It must have been that naughty little Peggy." So the Giant went out and said, "Peggy, are you there ? " and Peggy said," Ay, that I am ! " and the Giant said, "Did you put mustard on my beefsteak ? " and Peggy said, "Ay, that I did ! ' " Will you ever do it again ? " " Ay, that I will !"

Then Peggy ran away, but the Giant ran after her, and caught her, a.nd tied her up in a bag. Then he said, "Now I'll beat you and I'll beat you till you bark like a dog. And I'll beat you and I'll beat you till you mew like a cat ! " Then the Giant went to look for a stick, and while he was gone, Peggy got out of the bag, and she caught the Giant's dog, and the Giant's cat, and tied them up in the bag, and ran away home.

Presently the Giant came back with a big stick, and beat the bag and beat the bag till the dog said, "Bow wow ! " Then the Giant said, "Alit I told you I'd beat you till you barked like a dog." Then he went on beating till the cat said, "Mew mew," and the Giant said, " Ah ! I told you rd beat you till you mowed like a eat ! "

And then he opened the bag and out came his dog and his cat.

Then the Giant went to catch Peggy again- But she ran away across a bridge. When the Giant got on to the bridge it broke, and he fell into the river, and that was the end of him.

" CARADOC."

The second competition forms the subject of a new com- petition, described in the next column.