THE LAND OF WINDING RIVERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1016, 5 July 1930, Page 31

THE LAND OF WINDING RIVERS

(First-prize Story

Many years ago there lived on little island in the Land of Winding ! Rivers, a gnome named Hollo. He was j the keeper of one of the many streams j meandering through the land, and s<> I ho lived on an island in the very middle j of his streftm. Hollo's duty was to feed the fish which swam down the stream, and to see that their colours ! were not fading. If they were he bar to inform by' fish cable the Fish Artis* j who recoloured them when he saw them further down the stream. Kollo did not have a snug little home | like the other Stream Keepers, but ' preferred living under a large mush- 1 room which grew near the stream j bank. He was not lonely, for the river god had given him three companions— i Lon? Legs, the spider: Web Feet, the j duck; and Scratcher. the hen. Of! course, these four were very’ happy and, ! although Hollo could not play with them, for he was far too busy* watch- ' ing and feeding the fish. Long Legs. Web Feet and Scratcher amused themselves. Long Legs spun silver web a which sparkled in the sunlight: Web 1 Feet loved swimming in the stream, and, if Hollo wanted him. ho could be ; sure of finding him there; Scratcher scratched for the pink worms, and often when she had had a number of worms for herself she would try to find a juicy slug to bring home for Web Feet. One morning when Long Legs, Web Feet and Scratcher awoke they could not find Hollo, and they immediately began to look for him all over the Land of Winding Rivers. Long Legs spun long threads and suspended them from trees, flowers and shrubs, and so searched all the trees and flowers on the island. Web Feet swam down all the streams in the land, thinking that perhaps Hollo had gone for a sail, and the current had driven him a long way from home. Poor Scratcher could do nothing but search under bushes in case Hollo had fallen asleep under one of them. For three days Hollo’s three companions searched for him. but in vain: it seemed as if he had been whisked away by' some magic power. At last Web Feet went to the river god to tell him of Hollo’s strange disappearance. The river god was very worried, and he could not think where Hollo had gone, unless lie had fallen into his stream and been drowned. He sent out his Fish Brigade to search for him on the bed of the river, but when they returned, saying they had not see Hollo, Long Legs. Web Feet and Scratcher lost all hope of ever seeing their friend again. The river god concluded that Rollo I must have flown away to Gnomeland. i so he sent for Wisp, the next oldest ! gnome in the land, and told him that be was to be the keeper of Hollo’s stream. Wisp had always been jealous of Rollo, anti he was very' glad that he had disappeared, for now he was keeper of a stream—his one ambition. Wisp cot down Kollo’s mushroom, and built a little house in its stead: he hated Long Legs’ pretty webs and always broke them when he saw any. He took the pink goldfish which Web Feet always caught for his own dinner and ate them himself, and forbade Scratcher to look for worms near his house. One day when Long Legs had spun a beautiful web. Wisp broke it, and Long Legs determined to run away that night, to Moonland. All that day he spun a long, strong thread, and folded it neatly under his little brown jacket. When the moon rose he commenced liis journey, and gradually he reached Moonland. Just as he was going to spin himself a web to sleep in. he saw the Man in the Moon come out of his palace and unlock a little shed in his courtyard. Long Legs was a very curious spider, so when the Man in the Moon entered his palace, he thought he would see what was in the shed. Luckily’ the little key’ was in the lock, and Long Legs turned it ver.v quietly, then he opened the door. There on the floor was his lost friend, crying bitterly'.

Rollo said a moonbeam had told him that the Man in the Moon was ill and wanted to see him. When he arrived in Moonland he had been locked in the shed and told that lie would stay there | for ever, as Wisp wanted to be keeper of his stream. Hollo put Long Legs in his pocket, and a shooting star that was just leaving for the earth took them back to the Land of Winding Rivers. Everyone except Wisp, in the Land of Winding Rivers, was glad to see Kollo, and Long Legs received great praise for finding him. The wicked Wisp was punished and banished from the land for ever. The Man in the Moon could not be punished, as be was not in the river god’s dominions, but the river god sent him a note telling him he would report him to the Sky King if he ever did such a thing again. Rollo was made keeper of the stream again, and, strange to say. another mushroom sprang up on the riverbank similar to the one Wisp had cut down. Rollo is still keeper to this day; Long Legs spins his web; Web Feet swims in tho river and catches pink goldfish, while Scratcher hunts for worms: and bo sure, they are very happy together. Nola Craig. ageil 14.

clematis, nil the way. Thank you for your painting, Violet. Hannah Beaton, Ponsonby: “My little friend Hannah has been busy, too.” remarked the middle-sized Pixie Postman. Ethel Harris. Royal Oak: And when is this little girl’s birthday? Your competition picture has arrived, EtheL