THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 86, 12 April 1941, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE OLYMPIC GAMES

January the tir-t was a very important day in the- hi-tory of Hatty. For one tliinjr it mi- a holiday and that was \ try important. beeause holidays in Hatty wrro few and tar between. But the mily Ira-mi if was a holiday w,'i> (■imply because the Olympic Game* were heir) <• M that da y ciich year. Ii uae a very buey day for those invohed. and t lie four I'riuie Minister> were running r-Mind everywhere, j-ettinti into eaih iit her"-, uay. The I'rime >Fii ji s -

By MARJORIE THOMAS

ter nf .lust «a-i very annoyed becau.-o tile little p-irl. Barbara, whom he \\a~ expecting from the land of mortals, had not arrived. ""Dear, dear.'' he said, "where can that child lie?" "Here I am." tame a voice at elbow. "I have just arrived." "And about time," seolded the Prime Minister, oil the little pirl. "It couldn't be helped." said Barbara. "I couldn't find my Sunday hat.'"'

"Diil you ilo what. 1 told you to do?"' asked the Prime Minister. "'Yes,*' vhe replied. "I put all my hats in a circle on the Moor, stood in the centre, and counted four, just as you said, and here I .mi;. 1 am really glad to know that everybody's hat* possess spirit- who live in a land ol' their own. It's really dreadful lo think of a hat a- litele-s" i«-u"l i 4 ?" "Well, fancy anyone thinking of a hat a- lifeles-," exclaimed the Prime .Mini.-ter. "But now you're here 1 hail better explain things to von. This ifile land of Hatty where all the spirit* of the hats live (I suppose you know that liy now. though). Xo, that's not the right way to tell you. Let me ? ee — you a-k the questions and I'll answer them."' "Well/" .-aid Barbara, "that'- rather hard because 1 don't know what to ask. \o 11 see. you all look the *amc. just a large head with a hat upon it. Then ao arm from each «kle of the face, and two lei;- coming where the neck should Ik*. Oh," .-lie laughed, "you are

all so funny." "Indeed." cried the I'rime Mini-ter. indignantly, "just look at yourself: you have hardly any head, but are all bod \ , arms ami leg-. But. -eeiug von think it so fumi\. 1r- ha!! answer all the <|iie* tions. without your a-king iheiu!'" "How strange." thought Barbara. "He lllUst be able to lead llt\ t bought s." "See those tour bat- -it ling in the seat- of honour in front of the grand stand Y Well. I hey are the four queens of Hatty. You see. there are four kingdoms here, each one having one king, one queen and one Prime Mini*ter." "Aren't there any people in them besides people of importance ?" asked lia rhara. "Oh, yes, T forgot." said the Prime Minister. "There are ten subjects in each kingdom." "But there appear to be more than fifty-two people hero:" exclaimed Burba ra. "There are." replied the Prime Minister. "But most of them are only in the 'flock.' When a hat is destroyed iu the land of mortals, he goes into the flock, while someone already there takes his place in a kingdom, and that's howit keep, oil going." "Doesn't it get monotonous''" asked Barbara. "Xot at all." replied he. "The four queens are always having quarrels, and that makes life worth living."

"How strange!" exclaimed P.arliara "Hut. tell me, what are the* queen*' name* ?"

"Well." said the Prime Minister, "the one on the far seat is the Queen of All Play; she is. as you see. very young, pretty, and rather fat. Xext to her is the Queen of Hard Work. She is very old, thin, and very bad tempered. Then there is the Queen of Fashions. She is very prim and proper, and gives herself such airs. But don't worry about her. It is the one next to her I want you to notice. She is the Queen of Just Right, and I am her Prime Minister," he added proudly.

"Pleased to meet you." said Barbara, shaking him by the hand. "But please tell ine, what hat do you inhabit?"

"Your father's Sunday hat," he said promptly.

"Oh! T thought it might have been mine," said Barbara rather disappointedly.

"Xo, no, no!" said the Primp Minister. "I don't like your bushy liair; besides, I think a bald top is far more comfortable to sit on."

"Where are the four kings?" asked Barbara, changing the subject, "and when do the Olympic Games start?" "The King of All Play is out hunting white elephants, while the King of Hard Work is at home mowing his lawns, at least what's left of them. He's always mowing tlieni, so there is no lawn now to mow. Then the Kui£ of Fashions i~ having his hair ciirlad; he always does on the first day of evsry month. And the King of Juafc Hight is down at the winning post. Sh!—don't talk to me. The races are about to start. The first. otic is the queens' race. There is one for Prime Ministers, too; I'm in that, but sh!—the whistle is being blown. They're off! Ha-aa-a-ha-ha," he laughed. "Just look at them. Oh, dear! Just look at the Queen of All Play; she is so fat she can hardly walk. ' And the Queen of Fashions wears her skirt so tight that she can't move lier legs. Look! She's fallen in the mud. Ho, ho! The Queen of Hard Work isn't getting on a bit well, is she? She works so hard all day, scrubbing the palace floors, that she had no strength left to run. But my queen's coming on nicely, isn't she? She's sure to win. Ah-a-a!" he cried, as she passed the winning post. "I knew she would."

"Did you?" asked Barbara. "Of course," the Prime Minister replied. "She has to win every year, you see I"

"Oh! But I'd rather not know who was going to win." said Barbara.

"You might not! But it's such fun to see them run," said he. "Now there's not many more important races, so I shall introduce you to the people you should know. Let me see—would you like to meet your school hat?"

"Oh, please!begged Barbara. "Just one minute," said the Prime Minister.

(To be continued.)