LAUGHTER

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 517, 21 November 1928, Page 6

LAUGHTER

“IN' the old days the world was a very sombre place,” remarked 1 the Jester, “for no one had been born with a sense of humour.” “How do you know the Sage. “The wind told me,” answered the Jester, “and, as the wind is as old as time, I take it that he should know. "Well, as you can imagine, life was a very serious business. Men went from place t.o place seeing nothing to laugh at, for the simple reason that laughter was still unknown. Then a strange person came among these solemn, people and altered everything. He was little and old, rotund and dimpled, with a round, fat face and twinkling eves. For hours he would sit hugging his knees and, occasionally, strange sounds like the trickling of water over the shallows would escape from his mouth. At such times his face would wrinkle up and liis eyes completely close. “ ‘Why are you doing that?’ the people would ask. “ ‘Mv thoughts amuse me,’ the strange little person would reply. “ ‘Tell us your thoughts, then,’ they would say. “And when the odd l'ttle man had told them his thoughts they, too, would sit hugging their knees and making sounds like water trickling over the shallows. It gave them a pleasant feeling of well-being, even though they could not understand the reason. “The little old man went from place to place until all the people had learnt his strange habit. They called him Laughter, and, ever since, he has been lurking in Ilie world.” "I see no reason to doubt the truth of your story,” said the Sage, with a broad smile. “There is no reason whatever,” answered the Jester, smiling even more broadly, REDFEATHER.