Paula’s Puzzle Picture 1 — Picnic al Fresco

One of the many things I love about Paula Meadows artwork is that it often seems to have a hinterland — it makes you think about the situation being portrayed and wonder what the back story is. Exemplifying this, Paula ran a series of drawings in Fessée magazine called “Puzzle Pictures”, and readers were invited to send in storylines to explain the drawing. This one is from Fessée 2 combined with readers’ responses from later editions.

Letter from Fessée 3

Enclosed is my poor effort at giving a story to Paula’s Puzzle. I always enjoy her drawings as she really makes the pictures live. In my opinion you could easily dispense with three or four photographs from your main feature as some of them are practically duplicated and put in their place more of Paula’s work or similar. I shall be sending my order for No.3 of Fessée shortly as I find it a really refreshing magazine. Is there any chance of a picture of Paula appearing as at the moment, in my mind’s eye, I imagine her as something like the enclosed picture.

Yours faithfully,

R.B., Truro, Cornwall.

Paula replies.

Dear Reader, Thank you for your story and your encouraging comments. I am always pleased to know my drawings have an effect. What do I look like? Well — you don’t have to imagine since there is a full page photo of me in Fessée 1 on page 54. I seem to be examining my marks in a mirror.

If you are not in possession of Fessée 1 (heaven forbid) there is a small picture of me smiling at you opposite. Okay?

Picnic Al Fresco

I have given the characters in Paula’s Puzzle names to make the story a little easier to follow

The picnic started well enough. Sally and Polly spread the table cloth and began laying out the contents of the hamper. It was then the two young maids discovered they had forgotten to pack Mr Carruthers favourite game pie.

He was furious!

‘It is sheer carelessness,’ he fumed to his wife. ‘They must be punished!’

‘Well,’ said his wife Sheila, ‘I will see to it as soon as we get home, six each with the cane I think.’

‘Never mind when we get home,’ shouted her husband, ‘I intend to warm their arses right now!’, and he wandered off to select suitable slender shoots from a nearby willow tree.

He was back in a few minutes with a bunch of thin pliable willow wands.

‘Now you two,’ he growled to Sally and Polly, the two servants, ‘up with your skirts and down with your drawers.’

The two girls looked at each other and hesitated, but Mrs Carruthers spoke up, ‘Do as he says girls, my husband is in no mood to argue.’

John Carruthers was getting impatient. ‘Bend over that gate!’ he shouted and as they complied he whipped up their voluminous skirts and pulled down their long frilly drawers to their knees, revealing two beautiful, plump bottoms awaiting their master’s attention.

Wasting no time, he brought his makeshift birch down hard on Sally’s buttocks, leaving a gay pattern of thin red weals and causing the poor unfortunate girl to squeal with anguish.

Six times those stinging twigs bit into Sally’s bottom and thighs, her cries for mercy going unheeded and then John turned to Polly, ‘Oh no,’ she cried, ‘you are not thrashing me,’ and attempted to escape John’s grasp.

It was a futile effort, however, as he was a sturdy and determined man. John held her easily as he administered the well-deserved punishment, adding two bonus strokes for making so much fuss.

Mrs Carruthers observed the action, more or less impassively remarking, ‘That will do until we get home.’

Daughter Veronica seemed to find the frantic wriggles and squirming of the girl’s bottoms most amusing and turning to her mother said, ‘Does that mean you are going to give them another whipping later.’

‘Yes,’ said Sheila, ‘I think they deserve another six each from my cane, in the touching toes position.’

‘Can I watch?’ asked Veronica.

‘Of course,’ replied her mother. She then turned and said, ‘Come on girls, get packed up, we have an appointment in my bedroom.’

The two maids showed little enthusiasm for the journey home and even less for the visit to their mistress.

Later, it was two very subdued girls that lay face down in their beds.