PUZZLERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 466, 22 September 1928, Page 31

PUZZLERS

Word square: 1. —Seen on the horizon. 2. —An Indian coin. 3. —Taverns. 4. * 4 Hero is a curious sentence. When properly spaced the leters form an interesting question. H AVEYO UCO MEDO°WNTI PT OESTRE ET? Answers to last week’s puzzlers: Word square: Gold. Over. Lena. Drag. Beheaded word: Clink-link-ink. THE WIND, THE PEACH TREE AND THE CEDAR Mr. Wind and Mr. Rain have again visited our garden. The poor peach tree suffered very much. The wind same whistling past it, saying in his chilly, harsh voice, "I will blow these silly pink things of yours off.” The poor little tree shivered with fright, and the merciless Mr. Wind scattered her beautiful, delicatelytinted blossoms about the garden. The big cedar, however, was not like the little peach tree. He waved his strong arms in the air and said in his deep, musical voice, “Ha, Mr. Wind, you think yourself very cleyer, don’t you? You need not though, because, in my opinion, you are an impertinent fellow. Look how you have torn Lady Peach-Tree’s beautiful frills. It is not ijianners, to be rough with a lady.” The wind laughed a boisterous laugh: “Ho, ho! And you are a gentleman, are you, Cedar?’* The* cedar took ho notice and the wind blew somewhere else. But he did not come to worry Lady PeachTree again that day. —GAY DU FAUR (aged 11). A NEW TUG-OF-WAR Mark a line with clialk, and the players stand facing each other at either side of this—one “side” being on one side of the line., and the other “side” being on the other. The players facing each other hold hands across the line, and at the word “go” they try to tug their opponents across the line. The “side” to get the most players across to their side of the line line, of course, wins the game.

■ JACK O’ LANTERN “Little Jack o’ Lantern, On a summer night, Went to catch a fairy With his pipe and light. Little Jack o' Lantern was very lonely, for he had no one to play with. All the other fairies thought him naughty, but, though Ije was very mischievous, he had never hurt anything in his life. He tried to be happy playing with himself and the bunnies, but at last he became desperate—he must have a playmate. Then a mischievous idea struck him. If he must have a playmate, why not steal one? With this idea in his mind Jack o’ Lantern took out his -reed pipe and bobbing light one starry night and flitted down the shadowy pathway which led to the milky way. And this is the song he piped as he went: “Follow, little, fairies, Follow, follow on!” (All the fairies followed: All the bunnies ran.) “Come, little fairies. Catch m© if you can.” The fairies were thrilled by this sweet music, floating from the velvet darkness. They followed it not knowing that they did so, until, one by one, they realised that it must be Jack o' Lantern, and they sighed and dropped behind. One wee fairy, only, followed now and Jack, turning, saw her slowly flapping her tired wings. All at once he knew that this was the playmate he had been longing for. Gently he took her arm and turned her toward his home in the green woods below. She was a beautiful little creature with skin as soft as rose petals and hair like wattle gold. Jack o’ Lantern built her a house of moss and ferns, and placed a bunny beside it to act as watch-dog while he was away at nights. And now, he is no longer renowned for his mischievous tricks, but is always the loving little elf that he should be. —Gwendolyn Tancred (aged 14),

FOAM O’ THE WAVES Old Kins Neptune sat in his hall of a thousand mirrors, with a frown on his shelly brow. Worried indeed he was for his daughter, Foam o’ the Waves, was very ill and unhappy. He had tried turtle soup and- crayfish custard ‘and every kind of food the mermaids ate, but lower and lower she sank, until the King gave her up for lost. All the mermaid's wore their saddest looks and even refused to smile at the antics of Cod, the jester. The thousand mirrors were covered over with seaweed and everything looked solemn and sad. At last the King, in desperation, gave an order that anyone who cured his daughter could have her hand in marriage. Servants spread the news, and all who had heard of her beauty came to try their luck. Prince Saltwater from the land of Shrimps, brought with him six snow white seahorses, attached to a chariot, covered with the scales of a million fish. Ho stood before the Princess and said, “Oh, Princess, pray arise and see my gift to you.” But the Princess only turned over on her couch and refused to see the gift. Many others tried; some brought wondrous cloaks of fishes’ tails, some crowns of real pearls, but none made the Princess happy. “Oh! My daughter,” cried King Neptune, “why do these presents not make you happy ?” “Because,” answered the Princess, “I have seen such presents many times before and they do not delight me. Oh, for something new!” Of a sudden, from afar, came a beautiful, clear song that echoed and fell like the sighing waves breaking on the seashore. Down the cobbleshelled street leading to the palace came a merman and in his hand he carried a golden cage. Inside the cage, on a gilded perch, sat a strange little figure, and from its throat came rapturous music. With a .cry of joy the Princess arose from her couch and ran toward the cage. “Oh, what is it?” she cried to “Lover of Mermaids,” for feuch was his name. “It is a nightingale,” said he, “which was bewitched by a wicked fairy and forced to live under the sea.” “Then,” said the Princess, “you shall marry me.” King Neptune called the old sea Abbot, who married them and, together with the nightingale, they were happy ever after. —John Conrick (aged Ts). CAUGHT Ned: “I say, Tom, do you know what birds have yellow feathers and four legs?” Tom: "No, I don’t, Ned.” Ned: "Why, two canaries, of course.” —Sent in by Thelma Stott. TONGUE TWISTER A haddock, a haddock, a blackspotted haddock, a black spot on the back of a black-spotted haddock. —Sent in by Lorna Johnson.