PETER PAN'S SHADOW

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 303, 23 December 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

PETER PAN'S SHADOW

You may remember that Peter Pan loit hi* bharlow once before. That was when he left it in the nursery an<l Nana found it. Of course, Mrs. Darling rolled it carefully ii|> an<! put it away in a <1 rawer, and it was really !»ecaiise of that that i'etar met Wendy and John and Michael, and they nil had lots of adventurer in the Xever-never land. Since then Peter Pan lias always had his shadow quite safe. He looks at it every morning to see that it is still there, and doesn't need to be mended, or anything like that, and occasionally

Suddenly there was a, loud outcry from Peter Pan. "It's gone!" said he. "What's gone?" asked Tootles, coming out with an armful of paper wrappers and looking over the top inquisitively. '"My shadow!" wailed Peter, running round the heap of prizes and searching anxiously on the other side. .And, euro enough, it was gone. While Wendy and Tootles and Tink had lovely shadows that grew and dwindled and leaped about the walls, poor Peter Pan had none. Not even the merest scrap. Well, they looked in the desks, and Peter Pan sneaked up to the drawers and 'pulled them open cautiously in ease the cunning thing had crept in there while he wasn't looking. And he found a pocket-knife that he had lost last Christmas, and Tinkepbell, who, of course, was helping Peter to search, found a piece of chocolate that everyone had, forgotten. "Here, you can have it all." offered Tink generously, dusting it off a little. Well, Sunshine House was in an uproar. There hadn't been such a to-do since epring-cleaning time. Drawers camo out and were emptied, papers were 6huHied and ruffled, desks were examined very carefully, and even the cnplKwirds and the corners were peered at and peeped at in case that lost shadow was lurking there. But it wasn't. And °poor Peter had to go all that day, and all the next, and even the one after that, without his shadow. It was no good trying to cheer him up. "Christinas is coming along, you know," said Tink wistfully, "and it's nice to see everyone happy." "What will you have for Christmas?" asked Wendy, hoping to cheer him up. But he couldn't be interested in presents, said he sadly, when he had no shadow. It was the day l>cfore Christmas, and Wendy was opening her mail. Suddenly, out, of a. very fat envelope fell a very small letter. "Dear Wendy," it said, "I just loved my storyl>ool<, but, what is this funny thing that was folded up inside it? Tam sending it back in caseit is Valuable." Wendy gave such a squeak that Tootles and Tinkerbell, who were sitting forlornly at their desks, leaped up and ran to see what was the matter. And there was Wendy, fishing for dear life in a fat envelope, while a very small letter lav open before her. She gently pulled out something dark, something misty and thin and

"It's Peter's shadow!" ' squeaked Tootles. At that very moment Peter Pan wandered dismally in, and what a joyful reunion there was between him and his shadow! Wendy stitched it on for him, and all was happy again. He walked up and down saying proudly: "Isn't it a beautiful shadow, Tink? Isn't it a wonderful shadow, Tootles?" He forgot to ask where it had been found, and was very pleased when Wendy and Tootles and Tink and the Ixmt Uoys told him that it was their Extra Special Christmas present. (To tell you the truth. Wendy and Tootles and Tink ean't decide which one of them wrapped it up and sent it out in that prize story book!)

Old Mr Twinkle raised his spectacles to the top of his head and wiped his hands on a large check paint-rag. He sat l»ack in his chair and surveyed his work. Mr. Twinkle was a, toy-maker. On the table before him lay dozens of bright carts drawn by smart, dappled wooden horses. There were dolls with cheery smiles on their painted faces and there were whole streets of dolls' houses, ranging from cottages to castles. It was three days lx>fore Christmas. Mr. Twinkle gave a. sigh of relief when he saw that Jiis work was finished in good time. "Another Christmas almost here," he said. "Another load of toys for my cart!"

Mr Twinkle had said that for more Cliristmases than lie could remember. For years and years he had been making toys. On the same day of every year he loaded them on to a neat little 'blue cart which he had made specially for the purpose. Then off he would go over hills and dales, until he came to the village. Everybody there, knew Mr. Twinkle, for he called at each house, and everyone would buy his gay toys for their children. Those who had no children of their own bought for nephews and nieces, and so each year Mr. Twinkle sold all the toys on his little cart. Then back he would trudge to his cottage with a plump little turkey for his Christmas dinner resting in the empty cart. His purse would be bulging with so many silver coins that he could afford to sit in his cottage for the rest of the year doing nothing save make toys for the following Christmas. _ This year Mr. Twinkle set off for the Village as happily as ever he tad done before. "Clang! Clang!" went the lx?ll which Mr. Twinkle had hanging on his cart to> let the mothers and fathers of tie vißbge know that he -was coming so that fbey <*wid busfle tfarir children out of +he'

Crisp snow crunched under his boots as he entered tlio village Suddenly he stopped. Something was wrong. The street were full of children. Always More when Mr. Twinkkfs bell was heard they had l>een hurried indoors so that they should not see the Christmas toys on Mr. Twinkle's cart before the right time. 15ut to-dav here they were clustering around and stal ing wide eyed at the gay playthings, with no mothers and fathers running out to stop them. The toy-maker made his way to the first cottage and tapped upon the door with the special rat-a-tat he always used. The door opened and Mrs. Robin peeped out. She was one of Mr. Twinkle's best customers, for she had three little girls and three little boys for whom to to buy toys. "I am very sorry, Mr Twinkle," she said, "But 1 am afraid that I do not want any toys to-day." She closed the door without another word and left poor Mr. Twinkle standing open mouthed. Such a thing had never happened to him before. The old man hurried to the next door. Alas! The same thing happened. So it went on down the whole of the street. Everybody was very sorry, but they would not buy Mr. Twinkle's toys. He came to the end of the street, and then he understood! There, sandwiched between the 'village stores and the butcher's shop v, as a large, glowing window which Mr. Twinkle knew liad never been there ore- It was crammed with toys, and over the door next to it Mr. Twinkle read the words "Toy Shop." Mr. Twinkle looked in the - window, ihere were dozens of toys there, and all of them were marked at exactly half the price of those in Mr. Twinkle's little cart! There was nothing to be dxme. The old man turned and walked sadh down the village street. He passed the stores where he always bought the plump little Christmas turkey, iVnow tuere was no. money "to buy it. J? /T®? „ good - b y e t0 children, J . followed him all the way, and then trudged home miserably. , T ".* , ne , xt , two days were the unhappiest he had ever spent. Poor Mr. Twxnkle worried the whole time about the money was to come from in future to keep him alive. It was too far to go to another village. J-his was a lonely part of the world, and the one where Mr. Twinkle had always around 8 was ' the onl y one f ° r miles Dav dawned (bright and air. -Ihe trees around the tovmaker's cottage looked as if they were dtoked lL < aS spangles with their trappings of snow and ice. Mr. Twinkle made himself a large steaming cup of tea a»d cut a thick sßce,of bread for Ms Christmas dinner. iiefoee he ooold take a sip of his tea fL a Mb hqemd, howeveT, tatejl - to Irar wises*

drawing near to the cottage. He opened the door. There clustering on his doorstep, were all the village children, and after them came their parents! Behind everyone else, -puffing and panting, ran a little fat' man. whom Mr. Twinkle had never seen before. "Dear Mr. Twinkle." cried Mrs. Hobin, "our children will not have the things we bought for them from the new toy shop. They want yours! We have had to take back all the toys we bought!" "I want that horse and cart I saw on Mr. Twinkle's cart!" roaTed one child. "I want that doll with a red dress!" cried another. oil naughty children!" exclaimed Mr. Twinkle. But he coyld not help feeling glad that they liked his toys so much and, after all,.it was Christmas! So Mr. Twinkle took out all his toys. The children chose their own and the mothers and fathers paid their sixpences and. their shillings until Mr. Twinkle's purse was as full as wer it had been.

At last the cottage was empty save for Mr. Twinkle and the little fat man who, of course was none other than the toy-shop keeper. little man shook his head sadly. I thought that there vould lie room in +he village for both of us,' 1 he said, mournfully. "But everybody bought my to_v~ because they were cheap, and now e\erjbody wants yours because thev are bettei." L»>t us be partners," said Mr. Twinkle. "We will put my tovs in vour shop Then they will sell all the rear round instead of only at Christmas, and need not drag around mv little cart any ,-e.°' Th .oy-shop mall „as delighted Ihe became firm friends at once tind so they have remained to this very day. >ristm as D«y Mr. Twinkle and the , man sharo a pliimp a pudding and a box of aa*l very happv they are