Category: Children

Ting-a-ling, the doorbell was ringing. Who is at the door?  Could it be a visit from the postman with a letter for O’Toole’s mother?  Could it be the milkman with more milk?  Has somebody come to visit O’Toole or visit his mother?

Ting-a-ling, Ting-a-ling the doorbell was calling.   O’Toole was hurrying, he wanted to open up the front door. When O’Toole’s mother opened the door then O’Toole knew who was at the door. The Plumber has come to stop the drip in our kitchen. He brought a big bag of tools. Big shiny tools.  Little tiny tools and a great big box.  Lots and lots of wrenches and screwdrivers. All of the tools were shiny and colorful.  Hank the Tank really likes sniffing in the Plumber’s toolbox.

O’Toole’s mother said — O’Toole you’re going to need to stand back and let the Plumber do his job.

Hank the Tank said — Yes Mother, we will stand back so the Plumber can do his job. Can we watch from a distance?

O’Toole’s mother said – Yes, it is ok for you to watch, as long as the Plumber can do his work.

Ratatat, the hammer started making all kinds of noise. The hands of the Plumber moved very fast. He steps outside and goes into the storage room of the house. He turns the water off. Soon the drip stops.

Bit by bit, all the parts for the faucet come off of the sink. The Plumber pulls the faucet out of the sink. He opens the faucet up and puts parts inside the faucet. The Plumber puts a faucet back together.

Ratatat, the clanging sound starts again. The Plumber installs the faucet in the sink. I can hear the creaking sound as the Plumber tightens up the connections for the faucet. Then he picks all of his tools up and moves them away from where he is working. He looks at the faucet from the top. He looks at faucet from the bottom. He scratches his chin and says I think I’m ready to turn the water on.

Then the Plumber walked into the storage room and turned the water on.  He came back into the kitchen and looked for leaks or drips. O’Toole could not see any leaks or drips. The Plumber reaches out and very slowly turns the water on at the sink. The water comes out of the faucet. The Plumber turned off the water. He puts all of his tools back in his toolbox and checks for leaks and drips. Then the Plumber calls my mother into the kitchen to look at the faucet.

The Plumber asked – Does the faucet look ok?

O’Toole’s mother replied — yes it looks very nice. Thank you for coming and helping me with this project.

The Plumber said — I was glad to be of help. Call me if you need other things fixed. I’m leaving now.

And just like that, the Plumber picked up his tool bag, headed to the front door, and left the house.

O’Toole’s mother said — O’Toole, you did very good. You did not disturb the Plumber. Thank you.

She reached over and scratched Hank the Tank on the chin. She let Hank the Tank know he had done a good job keeping O’Toole out of trouble.  O’Toole’s mother picked up the phone and called a Carpenter. She wanted him to come and fix the back steps of O’Toole’s house. The Carpenter agreed to come soon to repair the back steps. A little while later O’Toole heard the doorbell ring again. Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling, O’Toole can hear that doorbell ring. He ran to the door. Just before O’Toole got to the door, his mother got to the door. She opened the door.  O’Toole looked around the corner to see who it was. He saw another toolbox and big pieces of wood. Oh boy he thought, this looked like fun.  It was the Carpenter.

O’Toole’s mother said to the Carpenter — have you come to fix my back step?

The Carpenter said to O’Toole’s mother – Yes, I am here to fix your back step. And who is this young man looking from around the corner?

O’Toole’s mother said — This is O’Toole my son and his dog, Hank the tank.  Mr. Carpenter, why don’t you come in and I will show you the location of the back step.

The Carpenter said — Thank you. Show me the way.

O’Toole and Hank the Tank followed the Carpenter to the back step. The Carpenter looked at the step and scratched his chin. Then the Carpenter made a plan.  He opened up his tool bag.  O’Toole was very happy to see more shiny tools. But these tools did not look like the Plumber’s tools. They look different. O’Toole wondered what the tools would do.

Just like that, the Carpenter got his hammer and started pounding – ratatat. Then the carpenter got his saw out — Oompa. Sawdust was flying. The Carpenter removed the old stair steps and just like that he put on the new steps. He trimmed up the wood to the right length. And then checked to be sure the step was right by using a level.  He showed the tool to Hank the Tank and explained how the bubble in the tool told the Carpenter that the stair was just right. The Carpenter called my mother to take a look. He showed her the level. She knew how to read the level to be sure that the stairs were correctly installed. She looked.  She smiled. The Carpenter smiled and packed up his tools.  He walked out of the front door.

The Carpenter looked back and said to O’Toole’s mother – call me if you need more help!

O’Toole’s mother said – I will call you soon.  I have other things that need fixing.

O’Toole’s mother said – O’Toole, I am going to get you a bowl of ice cream. Thank you for behaving so well while the repair men were here.  Hank the Tank, I am getting you a bowl of really nice food. Both of you behaved very well today I am very thankful that you let these repairmen get their job done. I thanked God that you two honored my request to be nice when the repairmen were in the house.

Hank the tank was really surprised. O’Toole was really surprised. The ice cream was really good. O’Toole was happy. It is good to behave.  O’Toole felt good he had honored and obeyed his mother. Hank the Tank curled up in the corner and let the evening sun warm his tummy.  O’Toole went outside and set on the new back steps. O’Toole watched the sunset.

The end.

Written by Margret O. Hyde, published in Humpty Dumpty Childrens Magazine, October 1955

Adapted for ShalomTalk by Dan

Scurry was a little squirrel. He was a gray, bushy tailed, busy little tree squirrel with big olive eyes and round ears that stood up each time he looked at you. He lived in the big woods near the Ranch of the Wild Winds with his mother squirrel and his Big Brother, scamper. They were friends with Hank the Tank.  Scurry and Scamper had fun playing with Hank the Tank. Scamper and Hank the Tank always took good care of Scurry, because Scurry was the youngest squirrel. Continue reading “Hank The Tank And Scurry The Squirrel” →

It was late in the evening, O’Toole was getting ready for sleep, Hank the tank was in the room making a circle in his favorite spot. O’Toole’s mother came in to wish him a good night.

O’Toole asked his mother — Can you tell me the story about yellow curtains again? I like hearing stories about you when you were a little girl.

O’Toole’s mother said — yes, I can tell you that story but then you have to go to sleep.

Hank the Tank said — oh yes please tell this story.

O’Toole’s mother started… If you asked my friend Carlie where she lived, she would say not in the city and not in the country. I live in a place just right between the city and the country. I live in a house on River Road.

The house Carlie lived in was not too big and it was not too little. The house was just right. Carlie had her own bedroom. Not many of her friends had their own bedroom but she did.

Now, right down the road from my friend Carlie in a beautiful White House lived Mr. Bill. He was a very nice man who worked all the time in the neighborhood.  Mr. Bill was a fix-it man. There seemed to be nothing that Mr. Bill could not make or fix. All the neighbors came to see Mr. Bill when they had something that needed to be done.

Mr. Bill and Carlie were very good friends. Sometimes Carlie’s mother would let her ride into town with Mr. Bill in his truck. She loved to go to downtown Tucson and look at all of the pretty buildings. Sometimes Mr. Bill would let Carlie go with him on a fix-it job in the neighborhood.

One day, Carlie saw Mr. Bill drive up to his house with wood in his truck.  She knew he was going out to fix something.

She ran over to him smiling and said — Hello Mr. Bill, what’s the wood for?

Mr. Bill said to Carlie — I’m going to make a doghouse for Mr. Brown’s house.

Carlie asked Mr. Bill — can I go with you please?

Mr. Bill laughed and said – Go ask your mom if it is ok.

Carlie’s mom was ok with the plan, Mr. Bill and Carlie drove up the street just a few houses and stopped at Mr. Brown’s house.

Carlie asked Mr. Bill — can you make any kind of doghouse?

Mr. Bill thought about it for a minute and said — well if you can draw a picture of it, I can make it.   

Carlie found some paper and drew a very nice picture.

Carlie replied — Here is the picture, please make this one a pretty one. 

Mr. Bill said to Carlie – well, I need to make this house look the way that Mr. Brown wants. After all, this doghouse is going to be owned by Mr. Brown. But just for you I will make you a pretty one also.

Carlie watched Mr. Bill make the doghouse. All the time she was thinking about how pretty the doghouse would be if it had a yellow door and yellow curtains.

Later that week, Mr. Bill had a job to do for Mr. Morris. Mr. Bill was going to make a hen house for Mr. Morse chickens. Mr. Morris was very happy to get Mr. Bill to work on the hen house project. His chickens were running all over the place looking for some shade.

Carlie asked Mr. Bill — can I come with you?

Mr. Bill said — you better ask your mother before you and I go to this job. 

Carlie asked her mother — can I ride with Mr. Bill over to Mr. Morrison’s house and watch him build the hen house?

Carlie’s mother said yes you may but don’t stay too long and don’t be a nuisance to Mr. Bill.  So, Mr. Bill and Carlie went over to Mr. Morris’s house and Mr. bill started building the henhouse.

Carlie asked Mr. Bill can we make this one pretty can you put a yellow door and yellow curtains on this hen house?

Mr. Bill said to Carlie — no not today. Mr. Morris wants to be able to see inside the hen house to see his chickens through the window. I’m sorry miss Carlie.

Mr. Bill finished the hen house and it was a very fine hen house indeed and they went back Home.

The next day Mr. Bill made a birdhouse for Carlie’s neighbor. It was a very nice birdhouse but it did not have a yellow door and yellow curtains. Carlie was sad.  She spent time talking to God about what to do.

Now the weekend had come and Mr. Bill had taken a few days of rest. Mr. Bill was the church on Sunday . On Monday Mr. Bill had another task. Carlie was not able to go with him because Carlie went to town with her mother.

When she got home later that day from town, she went and found Mr. Bill. She told Mr. Bill all about the moving stairs that took her to the top floor of the clothing store they were in. She had a beautiful new yellow hat that her mother had bought.

Mr. Bill said come on let me show you something in your backyard. They went back into the backyard together.

Mr. Bill pointed up in the tree and said — what do you think?

Carlie was so surprised. Mr. Bill had made Carlie a treehouse with yellow doors and yellow curtains.

Mr. Bill said I know you were praying about yellow doors and yellow curtains. God told me it was time to build this house for you. I kept the picture you made for me. I made you a tree house with a yellow door and yellow curtains.  I used your picture to guide my hands so your tree house would be just right.

Carlie was very thankful to God and Mr. Bill.  She spent a lot of time that summer with her yellow hat on, playing in that tree house, with a yellow door and yellow curtains.

O’Toole and Hank the Tank were almost asleep when O’Toole’s mom finished the story.

O’Toole smiled and said — I like to hear about your life and things that God does for us. Thank you, mom. It has been a very good day.  The End.

Written by Lillian Moore, published in Humpty Dumpty Childrens Magazine, May 1955

Adapted for ShalomTalk by Dan

O’Toole was making an invention. He made it from three very large paint cans, an old meat grinder, some bed springs, and the insides of a thrown away clock.  O’Toole found all the stuff for his invention because his mother had asked him and Hank the Tank the wonder dog to clean up the backyard and make it look nice for visitors.

When O’Toole and Hank the Tank were all done with the invention there stood this beautiful large thing that they had created. Why it really was an invention. Hank the Tank was dancing all about the back yard.  He was very very happy with the invention. Continue reading “Hank The Tank And O’Tooles Invention” →

 

O’Toole’s favorite TV show is the Arthur Alligator show. Arthur was a, happy, baggy eyed, Alligator who liked to have entertainers on his show who had never been on TV before. At the end of his program Mr. Authur would award a prize to the best performer. O’Toole was watching this show one evening when Mr. Alligator introduced a hippopotamus magician. The hippo had a nice performance; it was fun to watch the Hippo do his trick.

O’Toole said to Hank the Tank – I wonder if we could do magic on TV.

So, on the next day, O’Toole spent some time with Hank the Tank and Miss Kitty talking about doing a magic trick on TV.  Hank the tank decided that O’Toole and Miss Kitty were going to do a classic Magic trick of pulling a cat out of an empty hat.  O’Toole got very excited. Miss Kitty wasn’t so sure.

Continue reading “O’Tool and the TV Comedian” →