A Little World for Little People

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

A Little World for Little People

FRIENDSHIP IS A STEADY LIGHT SHINING IN DARK PLACES VOLGA BOATMEN WHAT are jou laughing about, blister Doorkeeperasked the Little Thought, politely. “You are shaking the Place-of-Y ou-N ever-Can-Tell and a tongue-twister has slithered off its shelf. W hy, so it has. It will have to go into print as punishment. I was laughing at a letter from one of the Sunbeams. She thinks those mice pulling the cheese-liouse in that last jigsaw puzzle look just like the Volga Boatmen. And she is quite right. See, here is one of the completed pictures. Do vou know the ‘Song of the Volga Boatmen,’ Little Thought? It beings away in the distance and comes nearer and nearer, then it grows softer and softer until it has dwindled right away. I used to he able to sing it. It goes like this: ‘Ai da da. ai da; ai da da, ai da ’ One of these days I shall teach it to you. You might like to sing it to yourself when you are wheeling your barrow-load of messages across to the Hollow Tree. The Sunbeams seem to like jig-saw puzzles. Entries have been piling in all the week and there are numbers for the story competition, too.” The Dawn Lady is giving them another painting to do this reek, said the Little Thought, wisely. “It is a quaint little picture of some toys being given a hath. It must he fun having toys. T just play with thistledown and flower-petals and things, liut rockingr-liorses and water-balls and dolls always sound very exciting. Did you know that the middle-sized Pixie Postman has lost a button off his suit and that all his brother members are cut searching for it? He has offered a reward of ten used stamps nnd one ripe blackberry. He is very proud of that suit, you know because a Sunbeam made it for him.”

A button, did you say?” asked the Joyshop man, sauntering up. ‘Why, I found one on the steps of the Joyshop this morning. Here it is. The Doorkeeper can have the ten used stamps and the ripe blackberry will make a fine present for you Little Thought.”

Chatterboxes! called the Dawn Lady. “I have two competitions to judge and no one to help me.” “Oh, it doesn’t matter about the blackberry,” said the Little Thought, hurriedly. “Or the ten used stamps,” added the Doorkeeper. / ( s Jb “Then I’ll race you both M 1 . jPj oaaMa/ across, laughed the Joyshop - . man, giving himself a quite t unfair start. ' "