THE LAND OF RED DAISIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 261, 3 November 1928, Page 23 (Supplement)

THE LAND OF RED DAISIES.

to d cro» CaU DeVer tCII Whe ° jt iS ab ° Ut

A fairy and a witch fell oat about a PMgic ring, and they came to the youns £nd handbomo king of the country and K • i to decide to which of them |lie ring belonged. The fairy said the witch had stolen St irom her, and the witch said that she |ad bought it from a magician in the £And of Ked Daisies. T»e king looked at the ring, and, flnding no name upon it, he handed it Jo the witch and said: "Let me see M'hat enchantment you can work with ft. The witch rubbed the ring, and nothing wonderful happened. Tho king then handed the ring to the fairy, and she kissed it and touched his jtalver throne with it, and the throne fumed into pure gold. belong to those who can use jnem," said the king, giving the rinjr to $he fairy. "And asses' heads belong to those faho deserve them," said the witch (touching the king with her wand. The courtiers gave a cry of horror. {The king had become a man with an pss' head. But the fairy said to him: ''Love can cure the effects of hate. IMarry at once a sweet and trustful wife pnd the spell will soon be removed." The king then commanded all the Jroung girls in the country to assemble before his palace, so that he might ichoose one of them to be hfs bride. He looked at each of them in turn, and jeach of them in turn started back in flisgust at the sight of his ass' head, |«)d he sadly dismissed them all. As he was coming away he saw fcomething moving behind a tree, and found there a pretty begger maid. (Being barefooted and clothed in rags, J*he had been ashamed to stand among the other girls. The king looked at per, and, finding that her eyes were full of pity and love, he exclaimed: .'Tou shall be my queen." He appointed ten maids of honour to fcrray her in beautiful robes and glittering jewels, and then he led her to she cathedral, where they were marked. "Now," said he, "do not seek to know fcny thing about me until to-morrow fuorning, and then you shall know Everything." But in the night the young queen touched her has band's head and felt £hat he had a human face, and she got and lighted a candle and looked at Mm. Yes, it mt trqe. The a#a' head fcad disappeared, and ho was a young find handsome man again. She made a movement of joy, and tipped up the ban die. A drop of burning grease fell ppon her husband's hand, and he awake £nd said: "Unhappy girl! To-morrow morning Jhe spell would have been entirely retnoved. Now the witch has regained her power over me, and I must go and live with her in the Land of Red Paisies." In a moment he was gone, but the ta>ung queen felt that she could not live without him, and set out to find the Jjand of Red Daisies. Outside the palace she met the fairy. "Please show me the way to the Land pf Red Daisies," she said. "That is the place where the witch Kves," said the fairy, "and I have never Jbeen there. But take my magic ring, pmd it will, perhaps, help you." And so it did. The young queen had (rmly to kiss it and touch a stone with jit, and she obtained gold to buy food and lodging with. In this way she (Wandered to the end of the country, and i»me to a hut on the edge of a great Idesert. In the hut was a little old •woman, and the young queen said to her: "Please show me the way to the [Land of Red Daisies." "I do not know where it is," said the little old woman, "but my pig often goes there and comes back laden with precious things. It departs suddenly,

very well," said the young queen, *'I will sleep beside your pig, and wait until it sets out for the Land of Red Daisies, and then follow it." • ky down in her beautiful robe ln . A, es^ rr aw,w beside the pig. l a the middle of the night the pig shook itself and ran out, and she followed it, and came through the great desert into a strange, red land. The daisies were red and the leaves of the trees were red,' and amid the trees stood a strange red palace. * ° ' She tied the pig to a tree, and in the wood she met a ragged peasant girl, whom she persuaded to change clothes with her. Then she went to the red palace and was engaged as a maid. "Yon must work very hard and help me to get the feaat ready," said the cook. "Our mistress is a witch, and her daughter is about to marry the king of the country beyond the great desert." That is my husband," said the young queen to herself, and, going upstairs, she peeped ino the room, where he was sitting, and saw that rt was so. In the middle of the night she came to the room where he slept, and awakened him. He did not recognise her. But he remembered everything when she kissed the magic ring and touched him with it. They crept softly downstairs and got out of the palace, and found the tree t» which the pig was tied. The poor animal was very hungry, and as soon as it was released it started back home. They followed it in the moonlight across the great desert, and came at break of day into their own country, where they lived together in peace and happiness.