Part 2

A long time ago the Spinicum had two tails. It was his chief claim to social distinction, which means that people invited him out to parties and teas simply because he had two tails, and that started a cheerful conversation when the guests were shy or the tea was late in coming up. He wore his tails on either side of him instead of at the back, and every Saturday he used to curl them with a hot toasting-fork so that he would look smart on Sunday. I do not know why he used a toasting-fork instead of ordinary curling irons, I think it was because he liked the peculiar wave that the fork produced.

One day he was invited to a party and went up to his room to get ready and curl his tails. He could not find the fork anywhere. He ran up and down the house and looked in the cupboards and on the shelves and all the time the clock went on ticking till there were only five minutes left before the party began. Then he saw his nephew was in the garden digging potatoes with it. By the time he had got hold of it and had started to curl it was very late indeed. So he boldly cut off the right hand tail because he did not have time to curl it, and put it on his dressing-table, expecting to sew it on when he came home.

But he never saw his tail again. While he was gone his little nephew took it out to play “dressing up” with it. He was having a lovely time pretending he was his uncle, when a very noisy dog rushed up to him and ran away with the tail in his teeth. Little nephew was too frightened to run after the dog and it was never seen again.

So ever since that day, Spinicum always walks looking at the pavement, hoping that the dog may have dropped the tail by now and that he will find it sometime lying in the dust. Meanwhile he has grown a beard, or has tried to, and hopes it will make up for the tail. But it doesn’t at all.

SHIMMYHONK

[Illustration: SHIMMYHONK]

SHIMMYHONK

The Shimmyhonk is a lady as you can see by her smile and dainty steps. She is rather vain and thinks a good deal of her appearance. She is not very attractive, for one thing it is a matter of doubt whether she has any body. Spiteful people have been heard to say that where she isn’t neck she is leg, and vice versa, but I am glad to say that Shimmyhonk has never heard anybody say this for it would hurt her feelings.

She gives music lessons to the younger animals on the piano and harp. In fact she is the only animal who knows how to play any instrument (except Sloot, who does not count), so she has to play for all the parades and concerts that are given. She likes playing at concerts because she has a most elegant bow that she is able to give on those occasions.

Another thing she likes is having her photograph taken. She has one done every week in a different pose; playing the piano, playing the harp, playing both together, sitting in the garden with a basket of flowers round her neck, reading a book by the open window, pouring tea out of her silver tea-pot. She also collects picture-postcards, and all the animals know her postcard album very well indeed, because she always gets it out to show to them when they come to tea, before they have been in the house five minutes, and the younger animals look at it while they are waiting for their music lessons.

She is as yet a maiden lady, but it is said that Golophos is rather fond of her, and thinks that she alone of all the animals is genteel enough to be a good wife to him. However he has not said anything about the matter to her yet, and I doubt if he does for a long time, because, in spite of his pride, he is very poor and could not support a wife.

THE END