HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 798, 19 October 1929, Page 31

HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS

Witch Widdle-Waddle was tiu- d«.«r old lady who kept the toffee -tail • utside Fairyland Dell. From the window peeped tut bulgy bottles tilled with peppermint sweets and curly sticks of golden barley sugar; whilst inside, standing on the whitest of white counters, stood ; pnjr of shiny gold scales. Fairies, Pixies, Fives and Gnonu s visited the old lady’s shop each d;.>, for they love ‘•goodies*’ just as much as ordinary boys and girls. But one sunny afternoon when u group of little Red Elves came tu buy a pound of hundreds and thousands they could not make Witch Widdl. - Waddle hear. It was very tiresome, as they had hoped to have a picnic tea in the woods. “What shall we do?* said one tiny fellow to the other. But before th« y could find an answer someone called softly to them from the next room. “It must be Witch Widdle-Waddle calling. Perhaps she’s ill.*** exclaim* 1 the eldest of the Ited Elves. In a moment they opened and hurried in to see what was tin matter. And. sure enough, there aj the dear old lady in bod with her prettypatchwork bed-cover all around her. The wee folk soon made their friend a nice cup of tea and a golden brown slice of toast, telling her they would stay and take care of the shop until she was able to get up. “How very kind you are.*’ smiled the old lady, who was already feeling better. “It was just lovely of you to give up your picnic for me, and now,

if you will go and get the bottle with the hundreds and thousands in. you shall all have as many as you can oat,” said she.

THE MAGIC WOOD j One© upon a summer day, when 1 j wasn’t very good, ; i left my toys and ran away into a little wood; And there upon a toadstool I saw a j little man j Hanging up a spider's web as oniy { fairies can: I asked hint most politely for I thought he ought to know, ! “Will you very kindly tell me where | all the fairies go?” He winked at me and blinked at me, j and three times shook his head, j And 1 listened very carefully, for this i Is what he said. ! “Oh, they know when you’re good, i and they know when you’re bad, j They know when you're crying, and ■ they know when you’re glad. : But where you can find them, why that I cannot tell. Perhaps in a buttercup within a fairy dell: Perhaps on a bunny's tail as he goes ! whisking by, Perhaps in the tree-tops that nearly i reach the sky: ! But they know when you’re bad. > nd ! they know when you’re good!' ! I thanked him very kindly, and ran ' out from that wood