MAGIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 258, 21 January 1928, Page 27

MAGIC

The baby owls with round bright eyes Wake warm with sleep in the old oak-tree. For night’s a parcel of quiet surprise . . . Swift through the hedges to look at me Peep fern-green pixies with, silver wings. And the footsteps of the moon goby: Go tip-toe across dark fields oi sky. A snail (though I did not see him pass) Has silvered a pathway where he went . . . ... A glow-worm deep by the wayside grass Is there like si little lighted tent. THE FAIRIES’ FAIR There’s a most wonderful fail* being held in Fairyland just now. You all know what fun fairs are, with roundabouts and swinging boats and coconut shies and everything else—and fairy fairs are even more exciting still. They play Rolling the Chestnut; that is, all the fairies competing stand at the top of a steep hill and roll their chestnuts down. The chestnut which goes farthest wins its owner a prize. Then there are Earwig tights and Beetle races, and watching the funny old Fairy who goes up in a Balloon, and Testing Strength by seeing who can blow all the thistledown off• a dandelion in the fewest number of blows. But best fun of all are the Roundabouts. There are all sorts, but the one the fairies nearly all like best is called “The Sky Roundabout.” You can ride on the Sun or the Moon or one of the Stars or Planets and off you go, round and round and up and down at ninety miles* an hour. . Or perhaps its only nine, but it feels like ninety. The most popular seat of all is in the curve of the New Moon, for that is the safest place on the roundabout. Then it is so exciting skimming along on that brightly gleaming crescent. The elves riding on the stars are alwavs rather jealous of those who have managed to secure a seat on the New Moon. If you were an elf, which seat would you choose to ride on?

IN ENGLAND John loves the birds That he often sees: The rooks that live In the tallest trees; The gay little robins That come to be fed. All through the winter, With crumbs of bread. The bright-eyed sparrows That love to fight: The lark that he watches Out of sight; But the bird that cries “Cuckoo! Cuckoo’.’ He never sees The whole year through. BLIND MAN’S BALL IE you are lucky enough to have a nice playroom, you’ll find this a verv good game. It’s called Blind Man’s Ball. All the players but one are blindfold, and they have to get down on their hands and knees. The odd player lightly drops the ball on the ground, and then the other players have to crawl about and grope for it. The leader keeps his eyes open, of course, and warns them if they are nearing any obstruction on which they might hurt themselves. The blind man who finds the ball first takes the place of the leader. PUZZLING “Come, put your best leg foremost now,” I’ve heard grown people say. And yet, alas! I don’t see how I’m going to obey. Although I try with all my might. Until I lag behind; Which is my best leg, left or right? I can’t make up my mind! “What is the highest form of animal life?” asked the teacher. Up shot a hand in the front row: “The Giraffe,” came an eager answer. Father: “I promised you a new bicycle if you passed your examination, but I see that you have utterly failed. What have you been doing all the time?” Son: “Learning to ride a bicycle.”