GETTING WELL

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 96, 27 April 1929, Page 19

GETTING WELL

There was once a little girl, and she had a leg Avhich was not like other little girls' legs; it hurt very much, nearly all day, hut Joan tried hard to think it did.not hurt, hut she could not always believe it was all right, and tears would come into her eyes." One day, when it was getting near to bedtime—the poor leg had hurt little .loan very badly all that' day—she shut her eyes, and when she opened them she found the room was very dark, except for a bright spot on the rail at the fodt of her bed. She looked at the light, and at.first could not make out what it was, then she heard a very small voice say: "Hallo, Joan, I knew your old leg had been hurting to-day, so I asked if I misrht come and see you."

"Who are you?" asked Joan, "and from where do you come." And then she saw a tiny man, with a very funny face, but the nicest, kindest face possible; he had jolly, twinkling eyes, and a smile which made everybody look at him and smile, 100. He was dressed in dark green clothes, and had such thin legs that they looked as if they would break when he walked. His cap was green, too, and had a very long tassel which hung down nearly to the floor when he walked. Joan did not feel the least surprised nor frightened to see him in her room, and when he said that he wanted to take her to see the owls' nest in the tall tree on the other side of the park she was delighted. But she thought of her poor leg, arid hex face fell, and she looked so sad Green Tassel said:

"It is all risrht, I can manage it for you quite easily, but first I must nut on your feather dress," and out of his pocket he took a lovely little dress, carj, coat, and leKgings, all made of white feathers, with some brown ones here and there. Joan sat up in bed, and her leg did not hurt her a leenv bit, so Green Tassel set to work, and in a minute she was wearing Ihe feather dress, and, do you know, she locked in the glass and saw a dear liule bird instead of a tired little girl? "Come on," cried Green Tassel, "I have opened the window, and all you have to do is to fly straight out,'but, please, hold my green tassel in your beak, and be sure you do not let me fall, and I will show you the way, and the nest in the tall tree on the other side of the park." So Joan took the green tassel in her beak, and she flew right out of the window, and Green Tassel put one arm round her heck, and held on tight, and they flew-—rather slowly at first, and then faster and faster— and they saw the tall trees in the distance and two round lamps looking over the edge of the nest. Joan thought—don't forget that she had turned into a bird when she put on her feather dress—there must be a motor-car up in the tree, but Green Tassel knew better, and he told her it was Mrs. Owl waiting for Mr. Owl to come home 'with, something for the baby owls to eat. '

So Joan and Green Tassel with her—you remember she had the end of his tassel in her beak and he had one arm round her neck, just where the brown and ,the white feathers grew —flew straight into the owls' nest, the one on the top of the tall tree on the other side of the park, and Mr. Owl came.along with something for them all to eat, and his eyes looked as bright as some more motor lamps until heshut them, and they all went to sleep, Joari arid Green Tassel, and Mr. and Mrs. Owl and the three baby owls all' snuggled, together in the nice warm nest, and the wind rocked them to sleep until Mr. Owl woke up and said: "Green Tassel, Green Tassel, wake ap and take Joan home, the stars are all putting out their lights and Joan must go home." So they went away from the owls' nest in the tall tree on the other side of the park, and Joan held Green Tassel by his green tassel in her beak, and he put his arm round her neck, where the prettiest and softest feathers grew, and she flew into her nursery window and right on to her bed, and the next thing she remembered was Nanny coming in to say "Good morning." "Where is Green Tassel?" said Joan, and Nanny looked at her, and did not understand till Joan explained it all, and Joan says that Green Tassel comes and sits on the rail at the foot of the bed, and brings her lovely dresses to put on, and off they go. Sometimes he brings her a furry dress (one day she went as a squirrel), another day it was a beautiful red dress made of fishes' scales, just like the prettiest fish in the Zoo, and the best is that Joan's bad leg is getting better, and she can walk about during the day as well as doing all the lovely things that Green Tassel shows her at night.