PINKIE'S GOOD DEED

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 99, 29 April 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

PINKIE'S GOOD DEED

( F>y Cleone McFarlane)

The loaf on which Pinkie sat, rustled softly as tlio wind stirred it. Pinkie should have been doing his work like tlio other elves. nnlv lie was feeling lazy. He sut on his leaf with his paintbrush in one htind and his jiaints in the other, and gently rocked himself to and fro. He whs thinking very hard. Twiec lie hud seen the other elves rise lip to the rainbow for more colours, hut ho had not. hotlieied to do any painting. He fiegan to wliirl his lirush round and round, and tiny splashes of red paint dropped off it. So far he had only painted one tip of his green leaf, and it was bright red. Pinkie preferred bright colours, he never put any brown on the leaves he painted, because he thought it looked so drab. He glanced idly at the other elves, all very busy, painting, and smiled to himself. ''How ailly they all are," he said to himself as he watched. "I will not paint my leaf nearly so quick ly. "What are you doing, Pinkie" asked an elf above him. "I'm thinking," Pinkie said, and again whirled his paintbrush. "But you have, done no work. Look how much I have done/' replied the other proudly. Then he slid down and pulled Jits leaf with him, for Pinkie to see. Pinkie looked at the yellow tips flecked with brown. "The yellow is too pale,'" he Mid. "Why don't you make it brighter?" • "I think it is dark enough." "It's not," Tinkie said with a shake of his head. "It needs something like this." With a lightning movement he dipped his brush into his red paint and splashed A vivid streak across the leaf. "There," he slfbuted gleefully. "Now I like it." "Well, I don't. Why don't you paint yours like it, then," retorted the other. Pinkie laughed, and made a dive to add another streak, but lie missed, for the elf had sprung up again, and was sitting just above him, on his red splashed yellow leaf. Pinkie looked up mischievously, and ■aw the other watching him. "You must finish painting your leaf," he mocked as he snatched at a passing thistledown, and slid to the ground. "I am going to have some fun." Fancy the autumn fairy ordering the trees to be painted so soon. Pinkie slipped away. He played with the breeze and tossed the thistledowns. Then on again lie ran, until he felt very tired, so lie found a cosy cushion of moss just beneath a rose tree, and lay down to sleep. Just as Pinkie curled himself up he heard a noise. It was a loud noise, and Pinkie was curious. He stood on tiptoe, but he couldn't see anything, so he wondered if he had been

mistaken. Then it came again, high j above him. Pinkie skipped away to a tree, and sprang up it. From here he 1 could see through a wide, open window into a little girl' bedroom. The little triil was lying on the bed, with her 1 dark hair lying in a tangled mass on ' the snow white pillow. "Oh," Pinkie breathed softly. Poor little mortal, he B thought, fancy having to lie in bod instead of jumping and playing in the ' glorious sunshine. The little dark girl | was pointing a trembling finger at one single white rose on the rose tree. It was 1 hor voice that Pinkie had heard. I Then Pinkie started, a hand came through the window and picked the white bloom. From where he sat Pinkie ' could see the girl's face filled With ' delight, as the rose was given to her. ' ''You must be the last rose of summer,*' ' she was saying as she gently caressed the j snowy petals. Pinkie sat in the tree for a long time, | watching her; then he had an idea. All day he had played artfund amusing himself, to-nigh. he would do some work. Impatiently he waited for the shadows to fall. "Aren't you coming homo, ■ Pinkie," called the breeze as it rushed past, and Pinkie shook his head. Oh, how silly of him. Suddenly he i remembered he would need more colours, so off to the rainbow he rushed, and filled all his paint pots. When all was dark and very quiet, Pinkie set to work. He worked very hard and fast, for he knew the night would not last very long. The grey bat, who rested for a minute near his tree, said "Good-night" to him, but Pinkie was too busy to answer. Two or three moths stared stupidly at him, then asked him if he would come and play with the stars with them, but Pinkie refused. "I am very busy, and I must finish this spray by morning," he said, dabbing viciously in the red paint. "Come and play," called the shadow fairies. "Come and play little painting elf. Your work should have finished for to-day." "I am very busy," Pinkie said again. "Please do not bother me. I must finish this by morning." The shadow elves laughed as they skipped on their way, but they soon forgot the working elf. When the first pale primrose streaks of the dawn flushed the pearly sky, Pinkie finished his work. He stood back with his brush in his hand and admired it. It really was lovely; he hoped the little girl 'would see it. The green leaves of yesterday were no longer green, for Pinkie had touched them with his autumn painting brush. There was red and sold and yellow, and flaming orange. They were only pale, but to-morrow he would «ive them another coat of paint. He climbed into the rose bush and waited. Soon the sun crept high into the sky, and the little girl opened her big brown eyes. "Oh," she gave a gasp of delight as hor bright eyes caught sight of Pinkie's work. "Auntie look, do pick it up for me. See. That lovely spray of pale red and gold leaves. The elves must have been very busy last night, it wasn't like that yesterday," she cried gleefully. Pinkie was satisfied; he hurried back to his home with his empty paint pots. "Hullo, Pinkie," said a soft breezy voice. "Oh," Pinkie smiled uncertainly, for standing before him was the Autumn Fairy herself. "I am very proud of you, Pinkie. I always thought vou were such a lazv little elf before, but now I know you're not, so you can run away and play with the flowers, because you have done your good deed for to-day." "Oh, thank you," said Pinkie with a broad :-mile, and clapping his hands he | danced away to be his friends.