KIDDIES' CORNER

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 246, 8 June 1932, Page 7

KIDDIES' CORNER

"Peter")

"JOHN AND THE FIRE FAIRY"

(By

Pop, pop, pop, POP, said the lid of ° the kettle, and at the last big pop i out jumped a big spark. At least, John thought it was a big spark, and wondered why Daddy did not kick it 1 off the mat like he usually did. As John watched, however, a little column of smoke came curling up from the mat and then as it cleared away there stood a little man dressed in bright red. Good evening, John, he said, and John, who had always been taught to be polite, said good evening. I am one of the Fire Fairies, went on the little man. Oh, I've never seen you before, said John, slipping down on to the mat from daddy's knee. No, I don't expect you have. You see, you are usually in your cot when we start to hop out of the fire, and he laughed and turned a somersault and his laugh sounded just like the craclde of wood on fire. Your Daddy is asleep, said the little man, or I expect he would make me go baek on the fire, and as he spoke he danced for joy. Yes, I've often seen Daddy pick up sparks off the mat and throw them : back on the fire, said John. Why doesn't he let you dance on the mat? Oh, our feet are hot and perhaps Daddy doesn't like our fotomarks, said the little man. We help your Daddy a lot sometimes though, for when he puts tobacco in his pipe he puts one of us in with it and we eat the tobacco and whisper all kinsd of Stories and your daddy listens carefully and writes them down for other people to read, because lots of people ' can't even hear the stories we whispuer after they grow up. I wonder why Daddy never told me about you, said J ohn. i Oh! said the spark, I expect he has. forgotten about us now. You see, when people grow up, it's very hard for them to see us properly because their eyes are so much farther from the floor, but sometimes people like your Daddy, that have never really grown up, although they have grown bigger, can almost see us dancing in the fire and those sort of people can hear us whispering about the things we see all over the world. I wish you would tell me some of your stories, said John. Well, said the little man, we don't , often come out until after all the children are in bed, so most of our stories are abgut grown-ups, hut if you are- a good boy I'll tell my cousins the moonbeam fairies, and they will come and tell you stories when you are in your cot. But you'll have : to be good, because if you are not, , and make a noise, you won't he able to hear what they say. Oh, Daddy, there's a spark on the mat, said Mummy's voice, just then, and Daddy picked. it up and put it back in the fire again. Hullo, John, boy, have you been , to sleep? said Daddy, as he saw John ^ ruhbing his eyes to try and see the fairy spark amongst the others in ! the fire, No, Daddy, I think it was you that was asleep, said John, and told him about the fairy spark. Daddy smiled and said, Why I can see where the rascal was dancing on the mat, and sure enough there was a black mark. Daddy promised to write John's story down so as to let the other boys and girls know about the moonbeam fairies' stories, hut remember you . must be quiet and still oi' you canhot jtiear theiii, ...