SPIDER'S WEB

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 88, 15 April 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

SPIDER'S WEB

Long ago a little girl called Eliza lived in a tiny village by the sea. All day long she sat in her grandmother's cottage learning to make pillow lace. On fine days they sat in the doorway because the cottage was so old and dark. All the people in the village were lace makers, but none was so clever as Eliza's grandmother, and she twisted the bobbins so quickly that one could hardly see them go. No one thought it mattered about Eliza learning to read, but she must learn to make lace in order to earn her living. At first she thought it great fun, but' when spring came, and the lanes were full of primroses, she grew tired of sitting still and used to yawn and sigh till Granny got quite cross and called her lazybones. Oh, how Eliza did long to be free to run about and watch the lambs at play in the fields, and the squirrels and rabbits in the woods, for she dearly loved all living creatures. Most of the other children were fond of animals, too, and were really kind to them, but they used to make fun of Eliza when she declared that she loved insects as well. She couldn't bear to see a butterfly or an ant hurt, and she was even sorry when wasps had to be killed. When Granny took the big broom to eweep down the cobwebs from a dark corner, Eliza would cry out: "Oh, I do hope Mrs. Spider didn't get hurt!" And Mrs. Spider peeping out from her little home in the rafters would say to her children: "There, my dears! That's Eliza all over! I hope that you'll try and grow up just like her." And the little spiders answered all together: "Yea, Mama!" But their voices were so tiny, that nobody heard them, not even Eliza. After a while Eliza wa« not only weary of twisting und twirling the bobbins, she also got tired of the old patterns, which Granny had been making for years.

She drew a butterfly and Granny, though she pooh-poohed the idea at first, worked it herself with a variety of stitches, and made a beautiful "motif"; and then the people in the shop in the town wanted as many butterflies as they could get.

The other lace makers in the village were rather jealous and also tried to make butterflies, but they turned out clumsy things. At the beginning of August there was always a flower show in the Squire's big field, with prizes for the best butter and cheese, flowers and fruit and vegetables; and the lace makers had a stall to themselves. Granny was very anxious for Eliza to make some new and beautiful design, not only to win the prize of a golden guinea, but because it was said that a rich lady was coming to open the show, and, of course, she might buy some lace. For in those days ladies wore lace handkerchiefs and lace caps and even geHlenien had lace frills on their shirts. Certainly Eliza had queer ideas! She drew a wreath of little blossoms and, to fill up the centre, put in a spider's web, of all things! Granny said it wouldn't *do at all — nobody but Eliza liked spiders.

But when she had considered it more carefulry, she began to see that it might look very delicate and lovely. She started on it, and as she worked her delight in it grew. When it was finished, it was taken off the pillow and tacked on to a piece of black Velvet; then it was covered with a clean handkerchief and put safely away in the kitchen drawer. Two nights before the show, when Granny, was asleep and snoring upstairs, a person with a lantern softly lifted the latch and crept in. The light woke Mrs. Spider and she saw from her corner how the person peered about opening one drawer after another until she found the lace. Then she took a large pair of scissors and cut several threads. ' Mrs. Spider was so angry that she swung herself down on to the person's neck and almost made her scream. She covered up the lace in a great hurry, popped it in the drawer and hurried away. Mrs. Spider woke all her children (they were nearly all grown-up now) and told them what a dreadful thing had happened, and all through jealousy. And all the little Miss Spiders said: "Oh dear." . "If only I could get into that drawer!" sighed Mrs. Spider. But little as she was, she couldn't squeeze in, Granny, and Eliza never looked at the' lace until next evening. Imagine their horror! Their lovely spider's web was in holes, and there was no time to mend it, as the things must all be at the Squire's by eight o'clock the next morning. "It must have been the rats," said Granny, "nasty little varmints - !" And she left the lace lying carelessly on the dresser. She did not sleep well that night, she was too upset, but not a sound did she hear, though a lot of business was going on. For as soon as Granny had gone up the creaking stairs to bed, Mrs. Spider came down her tightrope and set to work. Early the next morning, when poor old Granny came down feeling very dismal, her eyes suddenly fell on the lace.

! Sho put on lier spectacles, peered at it this way and that, then she ran to the door and shouted for Eliza. "It's magic!" Granny cried. "It must be the fairies," said Eliza. For the lace was not only eo neatly mended that no one could see the joins, but it had somehow grown altogether finer and more delicate. Well, of course, they got the prize— the whole golden guinea—and the rich lady bought the "spider's web" lace and ordered more, and everybody said how wonderful it wa« that an old lady like Granny could do such fine work. . She went to bed that night very tired and very happy, and Mrs. Spider and all the little Mice Spiders clapped and danced for joy.