Children's Corner

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 34, 30 January 1930, Page 4

Children's Corner

TALES OF ROBIN HOOD.

How the King Came to the V Greenwood.

Things could not go on'like this. In Nottingham the sheriff represented the king, and to defy him was the same as defying the king himself. When, therefore, news of all that was going on— how the outlaws 4ived on the royal deer, and made light of all law and order—was brought to the court at London, v the king decided that something must be done to put ail end to it. So he gathered rcmnd^ him a great array of knights in armour, and rode northwards to Nottingham, determined to put-down with a firm hand all who declared themselves enemies of the crown. I But he could not find the outlaws, nor Sir Richard Lee,. nor their home in the greenwood. For six months he and his ~ knights stayed in Nottingham, hunting high and low through the forest, but never once did they catch sight of the men in-Lincolji Green. The king offered a- Big reward to any one who would help him to catch Robin Hood, but it was no good. All the people who knew where the outlaw might be found had received help and kindness from him at one time or another, and they would not sell him to what they knew would mean his death. . ' \ -

At last, one day when the kinghad grown tired and angry at the fruitless search, there came to him a forester, who said: "Sire, if you would like to speak to Robin Hood, I can lead you to his.camp. But you must go disguised, and must take with you not more than five of your friends; for if you go through the forest with a small army, as you have been doing, you will never find him."

. The following afternoon, Robin Hood and some of his Merry Men were standing over a fine, fat buck that they had just killed, when they saw, advancing towards them through the trees, an abbot and five monks.

"Ho ha!" said Robin Hood, '/Here is some one who may be useful to us,"- and he swept off his cap to the abbot. , "You are welcome, Sir Abbot," he said-, smiling. "For we are poor men and you.are a rich abbot, and it is only fair that you should give us some of your gold." The abbot shook his head.

"I have no more than forty pounds with me,'' he sald^ ' ' for I have been staying for the«4ast fortnight with the king, and life at court is very expensive. But surely you are Robin Hood? This, is;, lue^y indeed! For His Majesty bid me tell you if I should chance to meet you, that he sends you his greetings, and bids you^ dine with him to-morrow in Not-" tingham "

Robin Hood raised his head proudly. "I love no man in the. world as I love my king," he answered "and his invitation is-a great, honour to me, which I shall accept." Then he smiled.- '.'ln the-mean-time, Sir Abbot, '\ he said "you and your monks snail dine with me; and because you come from my king, whom I love as no other man, the feast shall be at my expense." ;

So the abbot and his five monks followed*:the outlaws to the campfire, where the feast was sodir set before them, and they, fell* to hungrily. When they had finished, the Merry Men took counsel among themselves 'how they should amuse their guests, and at length decided to. give a display of-archery, as this was the thing they did best. They set the wands up a great distance away.

"It is too .far away," said the abbot, "You will never be able io hit them as far away as that."

. "It is not too far for us," answered the- outlaw. "Moreover, it is one of our rules, that who-

ever misses the wand comes to me to receive a thrashing."

So they fired at the wands, and very wonderful their shooting was; but now and then one of them would miss a shot, and would honourably come to Robin Hood and submit to being thrashed.

Suddenly there was a hush, and then a great shout of laughter went up from the Merry Men. Robin Hood himself had missed the wand I / -

"H^i!" laughed Will Scarlet, who was smarting from, the thrash ing he had just received. ''Now, niaster, you must allow yourself to be thrashed as all of us have done."

1 "Very well," laughed Robin Hood,- "the abbot shall thrash me."

"But I am afraid to thrash you,'' answered the abbot, "for it .might.- make you angry, and then you would set upon me and my monks."

Robin Hood gave him a proud look, and told him that the men of the/greenwood were nlen of honour. .

MSrnite on without fear," he said: "for I give you leave."

So the abbot seized a staff, find gave the outlaw such a blow that it feUed him to the ground,"

"Truly you are a strong" fellow, '' laughed Robin Hood, picking himself up and rubbing his shoulder ruefully. Then he stared at his guest—for the abbot's hood had fallen from his head, so that his face was bare/ and it was a faee_that both Robin Hood and Sir Richard Lee recognised. Immediately they knelt down before him. '

"My Lord, the King of England," said Robin Hood humbly, "at last I know who you are."

'' Then have mercy upon me and my knights here," answered the king,''for we are in your power.''

"That will I," cried Robin Hood. "It is I who have to beg mercy from you. I ask a pardon, not only for myself and my men, but for .this brave knight, Sir Richard Lee."

Now the king had taken a, great, liking to his hosts,. whose' good temper and pollity had so much impressed him that he thought they could not be, such bad men as the sheriff declared them to be. He therefore decided to grant them all the pardon" they asked for. ■ ■■ . .

'' Moreover, Robin Hood,'' he said, laying a hand on the outlaw's shoulder, "you shall be my friend, and* shall come to live with me at court- for a while."

Robin Hood dwelt for a/year at the king's court,. but he was not happy there. After the free days in the greenwood, the life in towns stifled him, and all the time he was longing to get back t" his wife and friends. -At last he went to the king and begged him to let him go.

(-I am so homesick for the greenwood," he said, "that for a week now I have been able neither to eat nor sleep. If I remain any longer at court, I shall surely die." ' . ■>

_When the king heard this, he knew that he must let hinV go, thought it grieved him to part ■yvith his new'friend, of whom he hac grown very fond during the yea^that they had spent together. Tiiey said good-bye ,and Robin set out for the forest. 4 "When he was once more bacj| in the place he loved so well, Tim took out his horn, and blew tnre|f loud blasts .upon it, and to hm side came running Maid Marian* and Little John, and Will Scarlet, and Friar Tuck, and all the other Merry Men

They were overjoyed to see him. agamy for they had missed him as nmch as he had missed them.1

" Welcome, welcome, dear master, '' they cried: "do not leaye us so long another time."

Robin Hood never left them again, but lived in the greenwood until; his death; and though he took up, his old ways, he began once more to rob the rich, he was still the kind friend to the poor

that he had always jbeen, and there was no man in England more loved by them than he. ,

JESSIE MAKES JAM

The motor car stood throbbing in the lane, its load oi merry Children all talking at once, and Jessie and Joe stood on the garden path antL looked at each other.

"Come, now," said Uncle Jack, "I can only squeeze one more in, so be quick 1 . Who shall it be?"

Jessie hoped Joe would say "Jessie" and Joe hoped Jessie would say "Joe," for Uncle Jaek^ was taking the children on a blaekberrying -picnic away over the moors.

' ' Come, eoine!'' said Uncle Jack impatiently.

The children began-to speak at the same moment, but when Joe saw Jessie's lips open he shut his tight againj arid Jessie found herself saying stiffly: "Joe can go, Uncle Jack. I . . .don't . v; . mind,'' and then she ran into the house a!hd cried a little.

'After a bit Jessie went oxit for a walk by.herself, down the lane past old Mr. Hall's garden. It was a beautiful garden with velvety lawns and many flower-beds and everybody- £new that it ,was the pride of Mr. Hall's life.

On the gate, was a notice, '' Please shut the "gate,'' but now it was wide open, and inside it were old Gaffer Brown's two donkeys eating with all their might.

"They'll spoil "his garden," said Jessie, and. she ran inside and tried to drive the donkeys out, but they were, enjoying a pretty green bush, and they picked up their heels and laid, back.their ears in a nasty way, "

Jessie' ran up. the path and knocked loudly- on the front door.

" Oh, please!' 'she said to the maid who answered it, '' Gaffer BrOwn 's two donkeys are eating the pretty things in Mr. Hall's garden."

''What! what!'' cried an angry voice, and Mr. Hall popped out of a room and seized a stick from the hallstand..' He. ran down,, the garden calling loudly for Thomas, the garden.boy| and together they drove the donkeys out and shut the gate.

Mr. Hall looked at his precious bush, his face was red with anger liut it changed as he turned to Jessie. ■, "You're a smart little girl," he said, and then as he saw that she had been crying, /'What can I giye you? What do you most want?"

"Oh"' Jessie sighed, "I can't have what I want," and she pour : ed out the story of the blackberry picnic. "> ';

"Blackberries!" said Mr, Hall. "Thomas is picking blackberries for Cook to make'jam, but there are enough on my hedge to make jam for a <iozen families. You run home and fetch a big basket and you can take as many berries as you can carry." • ■ -'

"When Jessie got back with her. •bs&ket Thomas was waiting for ha-. He/showed her a hedge at the bottom of the back garden where great juicy blackberries ,gjew all neatly-and tidily, and soon Jessie's month and hands were dyed purple with juice. Her basket was filled'in a very short time, and she wasl starting for home when she met Mr. Hall.; ;

... ■ ' 'Blackberries are no goodwith out apples," lie said, and lie.took her to the orchard where , they shook down rosy red apples which' Jessie carried home in an old basket. ■■■■-:.•■

' l 'Dear me! '■' said Mother, when she staggered in /with- her load. "There is sugar in the cupboard, so we had better make the jaml"

So Jessie peeled applies arid weighed out sugar and stirred the bubbling jam, and when $he car came back with the other children with baskets' full of blackberries, she led their* proudly to the kifchen. ■::-■-:

''This is what I've gathered!'' she said, pointing to twelve shiiir ing jars of purple jam, and the .others could scarcely believe it until they tasted it for tea.