PETER'S PUNISHMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume 304, Issue 304, 23 December 1926, Page 6 (Supplement)

PETER'S PUNISHMENT.

THE FAIRY WAIF. Away in a quiet corner of Fairyland stood a little red cottage with a snowcovered roof. It was here that Santa Claus lived and made all kinds of fascinating toys to take to boys and girls at Christmas time. One day he was making big brown puppies out of some soft brown fur that the Big Bear in the forest had sent to him. When he had finished making the puppies there was just enough fur left to make a small brown monkey. "It will do for some child," Santa Claus thought, as he finished the little monkey and put it on the shelf with tho other toys. But the other toys wore conceited; and the brown puppies were especially conceited and scorned the poor little monkey that had only been made of scraps. "I'm quite as beautiful as you are," the little monkey said one day T . "Are you, indeed?" the brown puppies asked scornfully. "We are made from the best brown bear skin and you are only made from an odd scrap that was of no use to anyone.'' And they turned their backs on their little friend. "Yes," added the giraffe, stretching his long neck to get another look at tho monkey. "You are only a waif and we don't want you hero. " Why you haven't oven got spots or stripes. You are just an odd piece of brown fur not worth talking to,'' and ho, too, turned away in disgust. The poor little monkey was very sad and he climbed off that .shelf and on to one at the far side of the room, where tho dolls were kept. But they, too, knew that he was a waif and they did not want him to stay with them. First a hi" baby doll with blue eves and saucy dimples looked at him in surprise. "Go

'way, go 'way," she cried and moved nearer her sister. The dignified Arabella gazed very hard at the • monkey, then pulling a golden curl over her shoulder, she said to the others: "Who is that queer person. No one that we know I am sure." And the others all laughed at the monkey's embarrassment. So the monkey sat down by himself for a while and wondered what he would do. He was very unhappy and he decided at last to run away. He was sure that if ho waited till the excitement of Christmas Eve night no one would miss him. At last the time came. Santa Claus was busy packing the other toys into bags and putting them on to his sleigh. The little monkey hid behind the door until the sleigh left with Santy and the beautiful toys, then he ran outside. He determined to go to the earth and find some one who would love him even if he were a waif. But he had not the slightest idea which way; to go. He wandered about for a while, then he met a dragon-fly. "Would you tell mc how to go to the earth," he asked it. The dragon-fly looked amazed. "Fancy wanting to leave Fairyland to go to the earth," he said. "You are a queer little monkey." "But lam unhappy here," the monkey said, and told the dragon-fly all about his unkind companions. When ho had finished tha dragon-fly nodded his head sympathetically. "I will take you to "the earth," he said. "Jump on my back. I know a little boy that would just love you. Come along." Down through the cool starlit night they sped from Fairyland to the earth. When they reached the home of the little boy the dragon-lly said; "Good-bye," and flew back to Fairyland. The 'monkey climbed down the chimney and into the little boy's sock. At first he was not sure if the little boy, too, might think ho was ugly, but morning and little Jack's pleasure chased away his fears and made his Christmas a happy ona after all.