HAPPY TOWN

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 596, 23 February 1929, Page 29

HAPPY TOWN

PUZZLERS

Word sqpare:— 1. The inner part. 2. Keen. 2. To suit. 4. Found in marshy places, 5. A lock of hair. * * #

Riddle-me-ree: My first is in mischief, but not in good; My second is in forest and also in

wood; My third is in nimble, but not in climb; My fourth is in skipping, but not in

time; My fifth is in fearful, but not in bold; My sixth is in youthful, but not in old. My whole with an organ is sometimes

seen With a jacket red and a suit of green.

Answers to last week’s puzzlers: Word square: Foil.. Ogre. Iron. Missing word story: Lion, cow, cow, bull, kid, cat, bat, lion, rat, ass, dog.

THE LITTLE BLACK SHADOW KING GOLDEN-GILLS AND FLIM The sunshine was pleasantly warm down by the river. On the tallest reed swung Flim. who was a member of the Court of Goblins, but who much

playing hide-and-seek with himself among the rushes, or using the long supple stalks as swings. Sometimes the tallest reed would bend right down to the water and Flim would draw his legs up under him so that his little shoes would not be washed away.

It was while he was thus poised that King Golden-gills swam to the surface with loud complaints about the brilliant sunshine.

“Oh, Flim,” said that important fish, “the sun is so bright and so piercing that it is fading the wonderful pink walls of my palace, and for three days I have been unable to sleep. What would I not give for a little black shadow with dove-grey edges to hover permanently over the palace roof and shut out that blinding light." “But are there any?” asked Flim, politely. "Of course there are.” answered the King. “ They live in Shadow Land and X would reward one well.” “And where is Shadow Land?” queried Flim.

“Round the last bend and down the first turning.” said King Golden-gills and sank slowly out of sight. “Lear, oh dear,” sighed Flim, *Tm afraid I can do very little to help him.” But he sprang from the reed and went hurrying across the meadow. ‘‘Excuse me," he said to a frog, “could you direct me to Shadow Land?” “Close your eyes.” said the frog, “take two steps to the right and one to the left and you’ll be there.” Flim obeyed these strange instructions, opened his eyes and found himself in Shadow Land. At first he felt rather afraid. Shadows of all shapes and sizes crowded round him, yet, when he attempted to push them away, his hand ent right through their dark bodies and they fluttered off on silent wings. Before long he found a little black one with dove-grey edges. It was playing all by itself in a quiet corner. “Please,” said Flim, “will you keep the sun from shining on the palace of the King of Fishes? It is fading the beautiful pink walls.” “ Take my hand,” said the shadow.

“ and I shall see what I can do.” If ever you should happen to be standing on the river brink directly above the pink palace of King Goldengills, you will see a little black shadow, with dove-grey edges, protecting it from the sun. The only reward it asks is to be retained in that honoured position. —'W.S.T.

MARY O'GRADY I am sorry to tell you That Mary O’Grady Could never behave Like a well-mannered lady

She was rude to her teacher Each morning in school, And forgot every promise And broke every rule. When the teacher said, “Mary, go back to your place!” She would laugh with derision And screw up her face, Till, growing still bolder. This troublesome child All the pupils upset And their morals defiled. Slio was given dictation And long tots to do, Kept in after school To make one and one two; She was scolded, admonished, And whipped with the cane. But she seemed quite immune To correction and pain. They called the headmaster Who stood for an hour Really trying his utmost To make Mary cower, But she listened quite calmly Then said with repose, “1 know of a euro For that wart on your nose.” And the headmaster cried, Though the child was not quelled, “Yes, Mary O’Grady, Go home. You’re expelled!”

So she tripped down the steps, Still precocious, I fear . . . It is sad that her history 'Will have to end here.

IN FROGLAND THE STORY OF A STRANGE GUEST Gillian had almost fallen asleep in her invalid’s chair, when she heard a strange noise. Looking into the thick bushes at her feet she saw two bulgy eyes watching her. “What are you?” she asked. “Come home with m© and learn all about me and my people,” said the visitor. “I can’t walk,” answered the child. “Dear me, that’s a pity. . . . But just stroke my back three times with the first and third fingers of your left hand and something may happen.” And the little creature hopped up into Gillian’s lap. . . . Suddenly, everything was changed. The oak trees seemed to be alive and swaying about in green-leaved dresses', which were all new, as though they wer© going to a party. Even the clouds looked more like snow chariots than clouds. Slowly Gillian climbed out of her chair and found to her amazement that she could walk, rather unsteadily, but she could keep up with her companion, whose jerky hops carried him quite a distance. “Here we are,” said the frog, stopping before a small pond which led under bushes to a river. “This is my home.” They walked a few steps, then plunged into the water. On every side of the pond, overhanging branches of wattle made a roof of gold. When they reached the opposite bank, they almost stepped on to a frog who had been sleeping under the mud. Her companion explained that frogs often lie in damp soil to keep their skins moist, for, he reminded her, none of his people like a dry skin, as, apart from breathing like ordinary creatures, frogs also breathe through their skins.

“What are those little white balls of jelly?” asked Gillian. “Those,” answered the frog, “are our eggs. If you look at them carefully you will notice a black dot in the centre of each one. Those are the baby tadpoles which one day will grow into handsome frogs.” “But 1 thought tadpoles were fish,” continued Gillian. “Perhaps thousands of years ago we were fish until some of our ancestors, probably through a quarrel among themselves, left the water, or perhaps they just came ashore occasionally to look for worms and other things to eat, for tadpoles after they are hatched have gills like fish which are, as in the fish, used in the same way for breathing; tadpoles also have tails, you may have noticed.” Gillian had noticed but what she couldn’t make out was why frogs were without them. “First of all,” began the frog “you saw the round eggs with the black dots showing through. Now when the dot or small tadpole is ready, it hatches out and attaches itself to some piece of grass or water weed until it feels strong enough to venture forth in search of food. One of its favourite foods is the green slime you see floating on the top of this pond, called spirogyra. At this stage the young tadpole is without legs or arms and breathes by its gills. After a while, however, the hind or back legs grow, followed a little later by its front legs. Not until the tail is absorbed, that is until it disappears, does the tadpole feel a full grown frog. “By this time the frog will have discovered that it can live equally on land or in the water, and this is because it has developed or grown lungs inside its body, by which it now can breathe instead of by gills.” “And what do you eat?” asked Gillian.

“We are very fond of little black wire-worms and other small insects. . . . Oh, dear, dear, someone is bringing you some tea. Stroke my back, quickly, quickly. . . .” And there was Gillian again in her chair Avith her nurse standing over her holding a tea-tray. She thought she heard a slight rustle in the bushes, but was never quite sure. FAIRY THOROUGHFARES All the little green roads in the Avorld are merry with the tip-tip-tapping of fairy feet. Where roads are wide, and yelloAV and brown, or richly red and thick with clay, great carts and horses pass all day, and terrify the goblins. But where the clovered roads are green and shadowed by tall blades of grass, the fairy people pass all day and ply their busy trade. Overhead in the yellow air a Tomtit lets his nest, quite crossly, to a Cuckoo, while down on the grass-green road a goblin auctioneer rings a loud Tecoma bell and cries, “Homes for Sale! Homes for Sale! Mush-rooms here to let!” let!” Should you wish to find the grassgreen road that leads to the fairy market, the Cicada motor-bus to the spider-web suspension-bridge, whisper the pass-word to the pink-eared rabbit Avho guards the bridge, and if he likes the look of you, he’ll show you the way himself! Then you may watch enchanted things that mortals rarely see. But be sure to go home at sunset! , Throughout the night the roads are lit by dandelion lamp-posts that shed abroad a yellow glow to light the goblins home. For down their cloversweet green roads by night the elfins go, not by moonlight, not by starlight, but by dandelion-light.