THE FIRST UMBRELLA

Southland Times, Issue 24243, 28 September 1940, Page 15 (Supplement)

THE FIRST UMBRELLA

—prize— As the clock struck midnight all the things in the old second-hand shop came to life. “It is the umbrella’s turn to tell us his life story, cried a squeaky 7 The umbrella stood up and cleared his throat. “Ahem! I was the first umbrella in New Zealand. When I was born in England I had a long for my handle as was the fashion in those days. I was brought out to Zealand in an emigrant ship and landed at Russell. As I said bef ° re > 1 was the first umbrella in New Zealand, so I was rather a novelty to the grownUPS ‘ “It soon became the fashion to have shorter handles so that a bit was chopped off my handle. I belonged to a man, but one day he left me behind in a department store. As no one claimed me I was put into a room with other was taken out and given to a kind-hearted lady who had a new cover bought for me. It was bright red, and I was terribly proud until one day I was dropped in some mud. I was so dirty that I was brought along here t^ e s ®° Id^ own and Mr Wa ] king stick stood up. “I wish to thank Mr Umbrella for his very interesting tale.” Everybody clapped, but just then five o’clock struck and they all settled down in their usual positions.

—Prize of 1/- to Cousin Jessie Shivas (10), 12 Preston street, Gore.

—PRIZE—

Twinkle-toes, a tiny elf, was skipping over a field humming a merry little tune as he went. The field was covered with daisies and clover. Twinkle-toes was happy, so happy that he did not notice the large grey cloud that appeared on the western horizon. He was thinking of the little pixie children whose home he had just visited, and how excited they had been when he had given them lovely things to eat. The pixies were very poor as their father had been Killed in the fierce battle between the pixies and the gnomes. Their mother could not go out to work as she had the three little children to care for. Twinkle-toes was a kind-hearted little elf, he loved to do other people d good turn, and very often he could be seen trudging through the meadows with a heavy basket on his arm, on his way to the pixies’ home. Twinkle-toes had gone about half-way home when, splash! a large raindrop fell on his head. „ , , . . “Oh dear!” he wailed. “What shall I do? I did not bring a coat with me, and my new suit will get wet.” He looked around for some kind of shelter, but could see nothing, except a few toadstools growing close by.

He ran to the toadstools and tried to creep underneath, but they were too small, so he broke one off, and held it above his head. To his delight he found that it kept the rain off splendidly, so he continued his journey with the toadstool held high above his head. Very scon he reached home and stood his toadstool in the hall. After that, every time he wanted to go out in the rain he carried his toadstool with him. Very soon all the elves, fairies, pixies and gnomes had followed his example, until even human beings began to make queerly shaped things, until they made the umbrella of today. All kinds of stories have been told about how umbrellas came into being, but no one really knows the story of Twinkle-toes and the very first umbrella. —Prize of 1/- to Cousin Iris Winsloe, M.A.C, (15), Merrivale R.D., Otautau. —PRIZE— Mrs Brown lived in a cottage in the country. She kept a little poultry farm, a cow and a pig. In the mornings and evenings when she was going around feeding the animals it was sometimes raining and she often got wet. This she did not like at all, so one day she decided to make an umbrella. First of all she made the frame-piece with wire, and put in an old walking stick for the handle. Then, taking one of her old raincoats, she covered the top, thinking it would be waterproof. Next evening as it was raining when she went to feed the hens, she took her umbrella with her. But what a surprise awaited her. The hens, startled by the weird-looking umbrella, flew away as quickly as they could. Wondering what could be wrong with them she went on to feed the pig. But, poor Mrs Brown; the pig leaped over the sty, knocked the bucket out of her hand, and ran for his life. Still she did not know what was wrong and, still holding her umbrella, she went to milk the cow. As she was nearing it, the cow, who had always been so quiet, put her head down and came for her. This was too much for the poor lady, so dropping her umbrella, she fled for safety to the hen-house. To her surprise the hens all came clucking around for their tea and suddenly Mrs Brown realized that the umbrella was the pause of all the trouble. As she slowly went inside she smiled and said, “My first umbrella, but certainly my last. I think I’d sooner be wet after all.” —Prize of 1/- to Cousin Dorothy Lake M.A.C., (11); Oreti R.D., Winton. —VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED— —VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED—

One day an old lady sat alone in her garden, watching a big toadstool mushroom growing on the lawn in front of her house. Suddenly the sky became overcast and it soon started to rain. As soon as it began to drizzle, the lady walked up the path to her house. When she was nearly half way up the path

she heard little fairy voices talking and laughing behind her. She turned around and saw many fairies dancing round the toadstool mushroom on the lawn. When they saw her they asked her what her wish was.

The lady’s reply was, “My only wish is that I can stay out in this rain and watch you perform.” When the fairies heard her wish they turned the mushroom into an umbrella.

Then the old lady said, “Thank you” and, she saw them no more. So that is how the first umbrella was made.

—3 marks to Cousin Joan Kemp (11), Winton Experimental Farm.

Daisy was out in the woods gathering the wild flowers that grew there. She was so busy she did not notice the sun had gone and big black clouds had gathered, until the rain started to fall. Daisy ran under a large tree to shelter until the rain stopped and while she was waiting, along came a tiny fairy holding a mushroom over herself to keep her dry. “That is a good idea,” said Daisy, “I must tell daddy about it.” When the rain stopped she ran home and told how she saw the fairy keep dry. Daddy said he would see if he could make a mushroom big enough to cover her. After a bit of thinking he managed to make one out of cloth and a wooden frame, but called it “umbrella” instead of mushroom. —3 marks to Cousin Betty McNoe (8), Heddon Bush R.D., Winton.

—HIGHLY COMMENDED— One very wet day a lady went into an umbrella shop. It was the day they had received a shipment of umbrellas from the boat. This lady was the first customer. She wanted a black umbrella. Very soon she was out in the street and rain again, but this time she kept dry. She had bought the first umbrella.

—2 marks to Cousin Melva Lake V.A.C., (9), Garston.