THE LITTLE STEEPLE BELL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 76, 31 March 1945, Page 9

THE LITTLE STEEPLE BELL

By BARBARA HYLAND (14). It was the night before Easter, and people bustled backwards and forwards, making a good deal of noise. Thus it was that no one heard a gentle sobbing. It came from a little steeple-bell. To-morrow would be Easter, and all the other bells in the world would ring forth throughout the day. But this steeple bell would not. Just after Christmas he had developed laryingitis and, being unable to speak, he had not used his clapper, which, from disuse, had rusted to the side and had rendered him useless. To-morrow the other bells would peal forth and he alone would be silent. It was nearly midnight now, and people were nearly all a-bed. They heard the sobbing of the bell, and said: "Listen to the wind blowing through the branches!" and no one, except the moon, knew that it was the bell crying. Suddenly a star came Into the sky. The bell looked at It and began to say:

"Star white, star bright: first star I've seen to-night"—and the bell wished that he might ring forth with the other bells on the morrow. He waited and nothing happened. The little bell for the first time began to cry with real tears. The tears were warm, and as they ran down they washed away the rust and freed the bell. The clapper moved, and joyously he began to ring. The other bells also began their song. It was Easter morning, and not only was the little bell ringing, but he had been the first to start. The little bell was so happy and rang so joyfully all that day that people passing by said:. "How sweetly that little bell rings!" And the little bell, who heard, rang more joyfully than before. (This story, although published to-day, hasbeen entered in the April story contest, as requested by the writer.)