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Show IIP Daddy's Eyeriig Fairy Sale WY GRAHAM BONNER THE REWARD Over In a corner of a hut sat many fairies In very dark colors. They wore hoods which were dark too. and carried car-ried long crooked sticks. They had old wrinkled faces but under un-der the wrinkles one could see they were smiling. Their eyes looked young, very young and Jolly and twinkling. "Are they witches?" asked the brownies brown-ies who had arrived with the other fairies and elves for the party being given by Witty Witch. "No," said Witty Witch "they are not witches, but they are fairies." "Fairies!" exclaimed the brownies, how does it happen that we have never met them before? We thought we knew all the fairies." "Perhaps you will know these," said Witty Witch, "when they put on their party clothes. "They thought It would be fun to show you their old clothes for awhile." Now ttie Kairy Queen knew all about them, but she didn't say a word And the other fairies knew, for they often saw these fairies In their work and in their play. Whenever the brownies had seen them they had always al-ways dressed in their best. "Get ready! Change! Be beautiful 1" called out one of the fairies in a black cape and hood, in the loveliest voice. It sounded like a wonderful trill of music, so loyous and young was her voice. And as Witty Witch's guests looked the fairies who had seemed so old suddenly changed Into lovely fairies who looked young and beautiful. Their costumes were of gold and on their heads they wore crowns of gold, where the black hoods had been. Instead of looking old and wrinkled their faces were lovely and young looking. look-ing. Their skin was smooth and pink and their hair like gold with the sun shining upon It. They were very, very beautiful and they laughed, oh how they laughed to see the surprise of the guests. "Von see." said the fairy who had t' 1 Ik- i "Get Ready! Change." given the magic word of command, "we are really very, very old. "We're almost the oldest fairies there are. And yet we look like this when we want to do so. That's because be-cause of one great thing which we've never forgotten. "That great thing Is the understanding understand-ing and love we have for children. "We know what they like and what they want, and so we always keep young. "Anyone who always understands children keeps young, you know. They may not be able to wear our glittering glitter-ing costumes but their voices, their eves and their way:- are young. And children don't feel they're old. "But tin. ones who don't like childrenthey chil-drenthey grow old, right away. "Oh, they grow jo old. because they have missed understanding the nicest of people! "They're the ones who say, 'Oh dear, what a noise children do make.' And. 'liow nervous it does make me to hear children play !' "They're the ones who have forgotten for-gotten about the time when they were young. "They say: " 'Dear me, how you've grown.' Or they say, 'What do children want of those trashy old toys?' "Rul because we've always understood under-stood they call us the Fairles-who-never-grow old, and we're given the magic power of changing Into these wondrous costumes because we'r. ever-voung." ever-voung." "Isn't that a fine reward?" asked Witty Witch, as she set out the big table for the games they were all going to play. And every one agreed that It was, and that these fairies deserved the reward. |
