A LITTLE WORLD FOR LITTLE PEOPLE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 164, 1 October 1927, Page 27 (Supplement)

A LITTLE WORLD FOR LITTLE PEOPLE

CATCH AS CATCH CAN

FRIENDSHIP is a steady light shining in dark places “PING hey. sing ho, for the merry, merry Spring,” sang the w Joy Shop man, striking “Doh” on his new toy piano and then ceasing abruptly. “This instrument needs tuning, Little Thought. I must speak to the Dawn Lady about it. Where is she, I wonder?” “She’s playing catch as catch can round the Happiness Tree with the Doorkeeper. He’s in a playful mood and has run off with the competition results, to tease her. She is afraid she won’t be able to catch him in time for this week’s page. I came to tell you, but you were singing to the toy piano about the spring. Please come and help.” “ft’s really rather mischievous of the Doorkeeper,” said the Joy Shop man as they hurried across. “A night spent in a dark cupboard with the Amphi-elephant would soon bring him to his senses. . . . Now, you hide here, Little Thought, and when I say ‘Beady,’ fly swiftly into his face and make him blink. . . . Leave the rest to me. . . . Ready! Ah! Now we’ve caught you, Mister Doorkeeper. Here you are. Dawn Lady.” “Search me!” said the Doorkeeper, holding out two empty hands. “You mustn’t say ‘search me,’ ” said the Little Thought in horror. “It’s slang. Anyway, I saw you hide the results in your hat.” “Oh, in that case,” said the Doorkeeper with an innocent laugh, “I shall not hold up the Happy Town page any longer.” And he swept off his hat, carefully taking each result out of the crown. “First in Short Story section,” he read importantly (just as though he had judged the whole competition)—“Nola Craig. . . . First for Poetry, Becky Pelham. . . . Michael Hutt has won the Drawing prize.” “Oh, thank you for your help, Little Thought and Joy Shop man,” said the Dawn Lady, quite out of breath.