THE PUDWIGGLE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 318, 31 March 1928, Page 27

THE PUDWIGGLE

The Pudwiggle lived all by himself in a tiny cottage. He had just finished making a delicious bowl of porridge, and had put it in the pantry to cool, when someone knocked at the door, and there was the Wander Witch, who never sleeps twice in the same place, and who knows all the spells there are. “Good morning, Pudwiggle,” she said. “Can you give me anything to eat? For I am very hungry.” Then the Pudwiggle was glad that he had put his porridge in the pantry, for he did not want to share it with anyone. “If you like you can have some bread-and-butter,” he said, “for that is all that I have in the house.” Now, the Wander Witch knew that was not true, for she had seen the porridge through the pantry window, and she was very angry, but * she only smiled and ate the bread-and-butter. When she had gone the Pudwiggle fetched his porridge and took a big spoonful, and it was as salt as salt could be! “Now, that is very strange, said the Pudwiggle, and then he knew that tlie Wander Witch must have left a spell behind, and he knew it must be because she had known that he had something more than bread-and-butter. Now, the spell that the Wander Witch li<«J left was a truthful spell, because if the Pud wig o ' l e had told the truth the .spell would not have hurt him at all, but because he hadn’t told the truth something went wrong with everything he did. Then the Pudwiggle was in a terrible way, and off he started to find the Wander Witch; but she had wandered a long way, and terrible trouble tlie Pudwiggle had to find her! When he did find her his coat was in ribbons and his shoes were in holes. Now, when the Wander Witch saw what a terrible way he was in she laughed and laughed and laughed, but the poor Pudwiggle cried so hard that at last she said she would come and take the spell away. And when they reached his little cottage the Wander Witch put the spell in her pocket and the Pudwiggle made her a big bowl of porridge. It was neither too salt nor too sweet, but just right. And the Pudw* — 7 e made up his mind never to be greedy again.