TALES OF LONG AGO

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20734, 18 February 1939, Page 21 (Supplement)

TALES OF LONG AGO

THE BPADEFUL OF EARTH 'jPHERE once lived in England a wicked old giant, who had a great spite against the town of Shrewsbury. No one ever knew why he hated Shrewsbury, but certain it is that he made up Ills mind to drown every man, woman and child living there. His plan was to dam the river near Shrewsbury, and so flood the town. With his giant spade, he dug up a huge spadeful of earth—quite enough to block any river. Then he set off for Shrewsbury. He lost hJs wav, and tramped on and on, mile after mile. At la6t he became very tired, and began to puff and blow under his heavy load. "Where Is trie horri-d place?" he groaned. By and by, there came along the road a cobbler, with a sack of old boots and shoes on his back. Once a month he used to go to Shrewsbury, and gather all the people's worn boots and shoes. Then he used to carry them home to mend. The giant called to the oobbler, ‘‘l say r how far is It to Shrewsbury?” “Shrewsbury!” said the cobbler. "What do you want at Shrewsbury " "I am going to fill up the river with this spadeful of earth," said the giant. "I have an old grudge against the people of Shrewsbury, and now I mean to flood their town and drown them all." "Indeed!" said the cobbler. “You will never reach Shrewsbury to-day or to-morrow. Why, look at me 1 I have just come from Shrewsbury, and I have been walking so long that 1 have worn out all these boots and shoes, since I started.” As he spoke, he took the bag off his back, and emptied all the boots and shoes on to the ground. What a pile of them there was I And what a shabby, old, worn out lot they were ! The giant stared at them. ‘‘Good gracious!" said he. "You must have come a long way, to w’ear out all that shoe-leather 1 It is, indeed too far for me. iam tired out now, and I can't carry this load of dirt another yard. I will just drop it here and go back home.” The giant let the earth slip off the spade, just where he stood, and then scraped his boots on the spade. He went slowly back home, and never again did he try to harm the people of Shrewsbury. Where the giant put down his spadeful of earth, there stands to

this day a high hill, called the Wrekin. What a great iptdefttl it must have been ! Even the earth he scraped off his boots made a smaller hill, which stands beside the Wrekin. If ever you go to Shrewsbury, you will see the big hill and the little bill still standing there side by side.