A LITTLE WORLD FOR LITTLE PEOPLE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 146, 10 September 1927, Page 29 (Supplement)

A LITTLE WORLD FOR LITTLE PEOPLE

THE JOY BELLS friendship is a steady light shining in dark places “IT’S all tine to Doctor Spring Sunshine,” said the man who 1 keeps the Joy Shop, setting a large bowl of daffodils in the middle of the window and then going briskly outside to studv die effect. “If he hadn't led us to do battle with Bi«- Black Nimbus it would not have been half such pleasant weather Peop e should be very grateful to us, I think.” “Where did yon get the daffodils?” asked the Doorkeeper. “I hope you haven’t been robbing my special plot by the Plaee-of-You-N ever-Can-Tell.” “Oh, no, I should never dare to do that. These are from the new Sunbeams. They brought me a big bunch this morning from the outside world, so it must be Spring there, too. You know, Doorkeeper, although vou keep everything carefully locked up in the Place-of-You-Never-Can-Tell, there is one advantage about the Joy Shop. Its doors are always open and the Sunbeams can just walk in and help themselves. There’s no mystery about it.” “Ah,” chuckled the Doorkeeper, softly, “mystery has a charm all its own, my good friend. That is why I take such care of my keys. Hello, is that the Competition Bell ringing again ?” c D “Yes, the Little Thought has been swinging on the rope all the morning. There’s that competition for the little ones, a,r-* ranged by Jean Melndoe, and some new ones that the Dawn Lady :.s thinking of. She is going to print one of those story pictures this time. The Sunbeams love those. They look at the picture, you know, and the story suddenly happens. Then they write it down. It’s really very simple. I have often done things like that, but the trouble is, I’m too old to enter.”

“Old indeed!” said the Doorkeeper. “You’re my junior by several days. Let us trip a merry measure to the song of the Competition Bell . . . Dear, oh dear, you’re dancing a mazurka and interfering with my minuet.”