50
Packs, sacks, rag and tag, How many parcels had the hag?"
I saw our family walking up Fifth Avenue-each with a gunny sack over a shoulder. George cut up the wood of our table board for tags and Mr. Steiner painted our names on the tags. We were to count in his bloc.
Days passed and the ship was postponed indefinitely.
Clyde had a birthday on June 1st. He received a big tomato from Mrs. Binks. Mr. Binks had planted some tomato plants which had given them a little extra food. Miss Hollis gave him a little nest of woven flowers with two or three tomatoes from the bungalow garden. Miss Hollis was a witch who helped turn a wild garden into added nourishment for the communal pot. As the few tomatoes ripened she gave them in turns to the bungalow community. I think it worked out to about two each during the five months, and what a treat they were! Mr. Russ found a whistle for Clyde. Others gave him a sweet or two and some paper cutouts. None of the gifts were costly, but all were love tokens and meant a sacrifice. I used some of the flour ration and made some little cookies about three-quarters of an inch in diameter with a raisin in the centre of a few of them. These Clyde passed around at "tea time." I borrowed Mrs. Hall's idea of using a bottle for a rolling pin. She said even at home she used one with ice water in it. This may be a new idea to some others as well as myself. Clyde was promised a cake "when we left camp." He had it with 7 candles in Lourenco Marques. What a difference between that and his sixth birthday with a houseful of happy children. There were games and small tables laden with currant buns, sandwiches, cake and ice cream-lollypops and favours and all kinds of exciting parcels and packages for a happy little man.
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