A GARDEN STORY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 56, 28 May 1927, Page 25 (Supplement)

A GARDEN STORY

The little elf had been flying all day long on the Fairy Queen’s errands, and he went so far and so fast that by the time evening came he found himself in a part of the country where he had never been before, and none of the birds and insects he spoke to were able to tell him the way home; indeed, they were all in such a hurry to get back to their homes before it was'dark that they could hardly take the trouble to stop and answer his questions at all. Meanwhile it grew darker and darker, the elf was hungry and thirsty as well as tired, and worst of all, he had hurt one of his wings through flying into a bramble-bush to hide from some children who had chased him with a but-terfly-net, so that he could not fly easily, and he accordingly made up his mind to seek shelter for the night in the first garden he could find, where some kind-hearted flower would give him a supper of dew and sweet honey and a bed to sleep in.

But when he fluttered into the garden, very sad and tired and forlorn, it was so late that all the flowers had shut up and gone to bed for the night; the bees and the butterflies had folded up their wings and gone to sleep, too, and nobody was about except a few silent moths and a great clumsy cockchafer, who blundered straight into the traveller and knocked him head over heels into a raspberry-bush. “Oh, dear,” he said, as he pulled himself out of the prickles, “this is an unlucky night for me! All the flowers seem fast asleep; however, I’ll just have to wake one of them up, that’s all. I’ll knock up Rose, I’m sure she won’t mind.” But Rose didn’t like being wakened up at all. “No, I can’t open for anybody,” she said quite crossly; “all my petals are nicely folded up, and if I undid them now I should never get them back into the right creases again, and I’m not going to risk looking a fright to-morrow to please anyone.” So the little tired elf went away from the rose bush, and wandered dismally among the sleeping flowers until he came to the hollyhocks. “Perhaps one of them would let me, in,” thought he; “they haven’t got so many petals -to fold up as Rose, and I think they’ve got such kind faces.” So he knocked very gently on one of the Hollyhock’s

leaves, and said, very politely, “Please, Madame Hollyhock, will you take me in?” “What!” cried Hollyhock, “at this time of night! Certainly not—why, how do I know who you are? You may call yourself an elf, but you may be an ordinary honey-grabber for all I know. “Indeed, I’m not,” said the poor little elf; “I’ve been flying about all day for the Queen, and I’m lost.” “Well, I can’t help that,” snapped Hollyhock; “you ought to be

more careful. Call again in the morning if you want any honey, but don’t bother me now.” ,

“Well, I shall just have to sleep on the ground, that’s all,” sighed the elf. But it . was beginning to rain, and the prospect was not very pleasant, so he was delighted, as well as surprised, when quite an ordinary-looking khite flower growing near the hollyhocks suddenly opened her petals, and asked what was the matter.

“Why, it’s a fairy!” she exclaimed, “and the poor thing looks tired out! Climb up my stem and I’ll open a room for you.” So the elf climbed up thankfully, and was soon tucked away in the kind flower’s soft white petals, and in a very few minutes he was fast asleep and had forgotten all a-bout the other flowers’ unkindness. But when the Fairy Queen heard about it she declared that all night-travelling fairies would, lodge with the stock, and to guide to her she gave her the sweetest scent in all the garden, and that is why in the evening, although Rose and Hollyhock pass unnoticed, everyone stops by tlie night-scented stock. PUZZLERS Hidden New Zealand towns: 1. —C N A L D IT K A 2.—EUN D I N D 3. —M O L T I H A N 4. —F LU F B 5. —G I R N A H A W E 6. —R I M U T A Buried flowers: 1. —He is a hero. See his array of medals. 2. —Joy gave to Pan sylvan woods and a pipe of reeds. 3. —During the summer months, I rise at dawn. 4. —Upon the dais you must make your speech. Answers to last week’s puzzlers: Jumbled names of girls: Edna, Molly, Alice, Beryl, Bessie, Marie, Doreen, Elsie, Elizabeth, Kathleen, Eileen, Maude. Buried places:—Kent, Venice, Rome. Coin puzzle:—B farthings, 2 half-pence, 1 threepenny-piece and 1 sixpence. Answer to riddle-me-ree: Happy Town. MYTHS A dealer in antiques was very anxious to sell an old violin that came his way. “This fiddle,” said he, “was .he one used by Nero at the burning of Rome.” “Come, come,” said the customer, with a laugh, “that was a myth.-’ “Yes,” replied the dealer, “and the Myth’s name was on it, but it got worn off.” —Sent in by Eric Taft.