GOOD-NIGHT STORIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 151, 29 June 1927, Page 12

GOOD-NIGHT STORIES.

I THE LITTLE SPIDER BOY I WHO WAS NEVER SATISFIED iT.>ld by BLANCHE SILVER fur "PETER PAN. , . Willy Spider was a cute little, -piil-r ! boy with six perfectly good leg*, but h-.< was so lazy he never wanted to help hia mama or daddy or brothers or sisters. "Why should I always be running errands for them ?" he growled and"Tumbled to himself. "They have six legs apiece. Let them run their own errands. Fact is, I'm going to leave this place anyway and seek my own fortune." So. without telling ;i soul of his plans, Willy Spider started down the rose stein, where he had always I lived with his parents and scrambled j down on to the grasses in the garden. I Mrs. Hoppy Toad spied him and shook her head sadly. She knew it wouldn't do any good to say anything to him, so she just nodded and called a cheery good-morning.. Willy Spider stopped to chat with Mrs. Black Ant, but she was too busy to be bothered and told him so. Willy Spider grunted and hurried otT . across the garden. Soon he came to a • strange-looking creature with ever so many legs. In fact, the new fellow had so many legs Willy Spider couldn't count them all. You see Willy Spider was one of those fellows who thought lie didn't need to go to school, so he h;i'! never learned to count up as far as that. ''Well, Mr. What-ever-your-naiue-i.-. you certainly have some le?*,' , Willy Spider laughed. '"May I ask just how many legs you have and who you are?' , •"Sure you may ask," chuckled the fellow with many legs. "Folks cnll mo Mr. Thousand Legs, so I guess I

must at least have a thousand legs. Goodness, how I'd love to have six legs like- you.' . He looked so sad Willy Spider laughed at him.

"Ami here I've always wanted more legs,"' giggled Willy Spider. "I'll tell y«iu. let'.-, trade legs. I'll give you my •MX legs for your thousand <>r how e\er many legs you have." This suited Mr. Thousand Logs ami he and Willy Spider exchanged leg-. Willy Spider's hodv was so much shorter than Mr. Thousand Legs' that he had a hard time finding a place for all the legs, j Finally, he got them all 011 and thanking Mr. Thousand Leg*. Willy Spider started on his way. Bv this time it was .beginning to grow dark and Willy Spider, who nevir had been away from home .;!one af'er dark hegan to weave a wobbly house under a bu.-h. But his many legs all became entangled in the silken threads, and as fast as he would finish one -ection, up would come some of his many legs and kick the web full of holes. "Goodness me!"' he cried, kicking his thousand legs in a thousand different directions. "What -hall I ever do if '' "I'll tell yon what you can do."' laughed a merry voice in hi- ear. "Wake "p and turn ov. r."You're kicking us all .'MI of bed." j Willy Spider opened his eves and looked down a; hi- feet. There were • Ully six little feet. Then he laughed and moved over in the wee s]«ider liod. I But before he went back to sleep, he I 'old hi- and sister- of hi.I dream. "I m glad it w.i- .1 dream."' he Yawned ; -leepily. "I -iij.p.,-,. : f I , IS( . , ~ ! !•'j- I r.ave to gm»d ad\anTage. six will j b.- al! tiiat I need." and -nuggling down j again-t in- broi.nr. Willy Spider went Ito sleep once more. That was the la>t 1 time anyone c\er heard Willv Spider • wishing t'"r more leg- than he had. 1 I