The Seven Tinkers.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 184, 5 August 1936, Page 22

The Seven Tinkers.

(By I Healy, 46, Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby.)

Once upon a time there was a family of .seven tinkers. Now it was very silly of all these brothers to be tinkers, for there was hardly enough work for one tinker in their village —lot alone enough for seven!

The eldest did most of the tinkering, and the second one sometimes helped him, but, except at spring-cleaning time, there was never enough for them all to do.

So No. 3 made up sad little stories for the children on the village green. They didn't understand that the stories were sad, and I'm afraid they generally laughed at them.

Tinker No. 4 was very lazy, so he was nearly always asleep. Tinker No, 5 made a flute and played tunes on it. Tinker No. 0 planted daisies, and Tinker No. 7 cleaned the little house and did the cooking when there was anything to cook.

Now all this happened long, long ago, before steam engines and motor cars had frightened the fairies away, and people were never surprised at anything.

So one day when a very old lady, carrying a very old kettle, came hobbling alo»g to where they were all sitting on the village green, they looked at one another and thought, "Now something interesting might come of this. I wonder if she's a fairy godmother?"

"Good morning to you," said the old

"Good morning, Dame," replied the tinkers,/'and can we mend anything for you?" asked Tinker No. 1. "Trade's slack! we don't charge much."'

"Don't charge anything at all," whispered No. 2. . "I'm sure she can't afford it."

"I want you to mend this kettle," said the old lady, and she handed it to the eldest brother, who at once began to mend it.

"Only one hole, if you please, my good man," said she, rapping his knuckles with her stick. "There are seven holes, so that there will be one hole each. I can see you don't get enough work to do," she said, as she fixed her sharp eyes on the sleepy brother, who yawned uncomfortably.

i One after the other the brothers took the kettle and mended the holes.

TliS eldest thought, "I do wish she could turn out to be a real fairy and then she might arrange for me to be tinker-in-chief to the palace."

"Oli dear!" thought No. 2, "only one hole, in one old kettle, for one old lady, when I would like to- mend and polish swords, shields and helmets for a whole army!" "You're not much of a tinker," said the old lady when she came to No. 3. "He never does any tinkering," said one of the village children. "He makes up stories for us all day. He told us a lovely funny one yesterday." "It wasn't meant to be funny," said Number Three wearily. "I don't know why they all laughed. I can tell you a story now, if you like, madam, instead of mending your kettle." "No, no, get on with your job," said the old lady, "but I hope your stories are better than your tinkering, for that is very poor indeed!"

"She doesn't understand any more than the children do," thought,the poor tinker. "I wish I coukl put my .Stories into hooka and perhaps somebody would like them .there then." But he went 011 with his mending. "O —Oh. how sleepy I am!" thought Number Four, when his turn came. "I wish I could go to sleep for five hundred years and not have to mend any more kettles." He finished his hole very badly' and handed on the? kettle. Number Five laid down his Hute and took up his tools,

"How nice it would be," he thought to himself, "if I could put a. little tune into every kettle I mend so that it could sing when it boiled." He did his best and passed on the kettle to the sixth brother.

"Do you like flowers?'' asked Number Six of the old dame as he took it. "I can give you a bunch of pink daisies from the heart-shaped bed, or yellow ones from the round bed."

"No thank you," she answered tartly, "flowers are all very well, out I'm in a hurry, you get on with your mending."

At last Number Seven's turn came. "Oh, dear!" he thought, "if only we had lots and lots of things to mend how splendid it would'bc. I should have nice dinners to cook every day and not just sometimes," but he finished the last hole neatly and smiled as ho handed the kettle back to the old lady. " "Thank you," said she, "I am much obliged to you all. I have no money to pay you, but you will not be any the worse off for your courtesy." And she hobbled away. Now she was hardly out of sight before a glittering company of horsemen appeared in the opposite direction, and who should they turn out to be but the king and some of his nobles and soldiers. They rode right up to t'le brothers. "Ha!" -cried"-a' smart captain, "the very men we seek, your majesty." And before they realised what was happening the .First and Second Tinkers found themselves engaged as tinker and armourer for the king's palace. They were just about to ride away when his majesty noticed' Tinker Number Six and his daisies.

"Why!" he cried, "this is a man for the post of royal gardener. If he can make such a charming- arrangement with a few daisies, what might he not do with the palace gardens?'' So away went Number Six to be a royal gardener.

Now.' the people in the village were greatly excited to think thei:* very own tinkers had become so famous, and out they came with all the pois and kettles they could lay hands on. "Tell us all about it." they begged. So while Tinker Number Five'mended their kettle* (and everyone ho mended had a little tunc in it ever after), and while Tinker Number Seven cooked the dinner, which they could now afford to buy, Number Three told the story of the old woman's visit and the good fortune which followed. He told the, tale over and over so many times that. at last lie pot tired and he wrote it out in little books for people to buy and read at homo.

So you see all through being kind to the poor old woman all the brothers got just what they 'wanted.

Number Four? Ah—you thought I'd forgotten about him, didn't you? No, he slept for five hundred years, and he lias only just woke up and told me all about it. That's how I know the story.