OCR Text |
Show Edited by DOROTHY EDMONDS , . , ! I Hanako's Holiday Little Hanako Tanako opened her eyes slowly. She raised her black head from the wooden pillow and stared at the sunlight coming through the paper walls. She rolled quickly out of bed, which was made of soft quilts piled on the floor. She put on her gayest, brightest kimono with big red flowers Oj it, her white stockings which had places made for the big toes, and she slipped her feet into her red sandals. "Good morning, little one," said a gentle voice as her mother came into the room. "We are glad that honorable honor-able sun most kindly shines upon this great day of dolls." Mrs. Tanako pushed back the sliding walls and let the sunshine and the playful breezes of March pour into the room. "Now may we have the beautiful steps?" Hanako asked after she had eaten her breakfast She watched eagerly as her mother took out of a big chest five steps covered with red silk. At the top of the steps she placed a dazzling golden screen. "Here come most honorable emperor emper-or and empress," said Hanako, taking tak-ing two dolls from her mother's hand. Hanako placed each royal doll on the top step in front of the golden screen. "Next come the ladles-In-walting," said Hanako. She arranged the three dolls in their bright kimonos on the step below the royal family. "Here are the orange and cherry trees which are like the trees at the gate of the royal palace," said her mother. Hanako put the gay little trees at each end of the third step, with a royal roy-al sentinel beside them. In between them she placed the court musicians who were seated cross-legged on soft cushions. "Now we prepare the fourth step," counted Hanako with a happy smile. For a whole'year she had waited to see again all these beautiful dolls, for these were the special dolls whicb were used only on the day of the Doll Festival, when every little Japanese girl had a holiday. Later the boys would have their holiday, when queer paper fishes would fly from, tall poles and the boys would fly kites and have kite races. "We now greet the three coolie dolls," said Hanako as she placed them on the fourth step. They were dressed in plainer clothes and carried car-ried brooms and brushes to show that they did the household work. Then came a little platform holding some doll actors who were giving a play. At dinner time there was company and Mrs. Tanako's little maid servant heaped trays with good things to put before the guests. There were hot soups which every one drank, and blue and white bowls full of rice. There was golden brown fish served with preserved apricots, green chrysanthemum chrys-anthemum leaves in yellow batter, and bamboo shoots and mushrooms dipped In custard, and of course every one used chopsticks. After dinner Hanako went visiting other little girls all up and down the street, and she carried gifts for them in her kimono sleeves. "Alas, the smiling sun is going far away," said Hanako, as the third day of March ended. "The most beautiful dolls must go again into the big chest Of all Doll Festivals this has been best." She cuddled down into her quilts. How to Build Your Fortress 1. A soft wood box about 19 inches by 13 inches is used for the main part, and a similar one is cut up for the turrets at the four corners. 2. Tools you will need are: a coping saw, chisels, a small cross-cut saw, plane, hammer, assorted nails, sharp knife, a pencil and ruler. 3. Pieces are cut in the parapet with coping saw and knife and are 1 Inch long and 3i inch high. 4. The platforms inside turrets, for i soldiers to stand on, are 2 inches down from the top. Small ladders can reach from the floor to platforms. 5. Two doors, each 2 inches wide by 4 Inches high, are placed on hinges and open Inward. 6. The drawbridge can be made of several pieces of wood called slats, and can have small chains (obtained at ten-cent stores) to raise and lower low-er It. 7. The fortress should be painted a gray color. (Copyright.) WNU Service. |