BLOSSOMING HOE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 138, 12 June 1926, Page 28

BLOSSOMING HOE.

There was once upon a time a_iw out of work, and she ran into tWutt_ country station of Blossoming Hoe t* see if she could find anything to do . It was dusk, the last train had'been ; Tip, and the porter was putting outitir .lights one by one. ; _ I _ > y° u *^ ink I . c ?' jld g<* a job here?" • j asked the fairy quickly, of the one U__.v , j post still shining. ™f%> "I am just going to bed," replied' th* ' r , lamp-post politely. "Perhaps J mi-],! W. i dream of something for you. J will tell , you in the morning." * c . "Oh, thank you, thank you," said the I fairy, and ran on till she reached the , place where seven labdrnum Bisters. i I clipped well, stood tall and bare in the | January evening. "Can you suggest any | thing that I could do at this station?" I whispered the fairy to them. "I am out v jof work, and I don't like it a bit. This seems such a pretty station, though I've - often wondered why you were clipped so closely, you dear things." s ;S : i "Oh, if we were allowed to grow' feathery and wavy we should take up roqm, and the enginedrivers wouldn't be able to see Mr. Signal," answered the * eldest laburnum. "I am glad you think , lovely. We greet all travellers in the spring, and all the rest of the year we" are busy getting ready for our golden flower-time. Good night, little fairy perhaps we may dream of some work you could do at this happy station." "Oh, thank you, thank you," cried the fairy, and she wandered over the bridge to the other platform, and finding ten fire-buckets all in a smart row, she whispered to them:— "Do you think I could get a job of: work at this station by any chance!" ...""■- ---"We must think," they answered in \ deep, important voices. "Do, do," said she. "But we are going to sleep directly wt have seen the milk-cans' rolling dance" said they. "We could not think to-night. Perhapß, however, we might dream of something for you." The fairy now wandered out into the station yard, where, to her surprise, ska saw in a corner a hen-coop, in which was 1V a hen fast asleep. The fairy began to hum a tiny, happy, 1 song, and the hen woke right up, for she liked the tune. • v "Do you think I could possibly geti work at,this station?'' asked the fairy, standing finger-high at the bats of the k coop. |t|| "Ydu could not have my job," answered the hen at once. "I wait for every train ; (crossing the line by the bridge 0n1y),.; and the enginedriverß all know mc, andv..V; throw mc their crumbs. So I lay big "" .' white eggs for the stationmaster and his 1 children. dear. .But lam obliged for" your song, and I will see if I can dream of something- you could do here," a_d-\v the hen-closed her round, bright eyes. Wg> "Perhaps something will happen—inll the morning," thought the fairy, and'll she spent the night in a little round gilt bed on the top of one of the weights on , the weighing machine. Next morning she tripped round to all;J?' her friends. The laburnums asked at; ; once. "Can you put thoughts into child*"*,;' ren's heads?" ' ■ ■'' She said she could. "Stay at our. ,7 station, then," they said, "and make the \ children notice our beauty." The huts*.',"'posts said, "Can you put thoughts into'"jj£ porters' heads?" and then thny implored"'■'..-.' her to : make their" porter clean theinvvl just a little ifiorejcarefully, so that they-)':. shouldjburn thfeiy very best. . | : • The 'fire-buckets dsked if the fairy" ; could Jmt thoughts into doggy heads, .they wished-she'd suggest to stray dpgi?; _0t tffl|_tM& the precioUs water in tt«; v bucket*, hut-to go to the stream. I'hef-.. fairy consented joyously to all thiß, but?®J told the hen that she would like .-Botol||l| thing extra to, do. "Ah!" said the wise hen, ."visit:. ; il§||| label stprej'and sort that carefully.- t-.'.- ;- ---hear them moaning that they've got into, .y the wrong pigeon-holes." _ i . The 'fairy-clapped her hands happily.; And she.stayed, and Worked thoughts so"| | splendidly; that there is no station a( gay and'pleasant as Blossoming Hoe hi : ; ; the whole world. Even the milk*cans rbll/i":. i—iore gracefully,, for the fairy is givingfthem lessons. *" §|i