A LITTLE GREEN SHOE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 25, 30 January 1932, Page 18

A LITTLE GREEN SHOE

(Original)

the elf was just wandering along to Nowhere in-Particular/ He >^i always liked going there beat because he thought when you made , f up your mind to go Somewhore, quite often things turned up and f^ou never got there; whereas df you were going to Nowhere-in-Particulur, you1 J^veren't ever disappointed. So" lie' yraa Cl)joyi?ig himself in the golden sunshine and playing."hide-and-seek" with the rabbits, when he found her—s, •little figure in a green gown. ' Her shoulders were shaking;"and she scemad rto'be crying. Pipkin, stared at her for a moment. Ho didn't like females — Vthfiy did such funny things, he thought. Presently sho lifted her golden 3\end and gazed at him with two amazingly, big blue eyeo, and Pipkin *lww she had been crying because her cheek was wet. She. luokcd at liiui ;jjpr a while,..and, thon smiled. Pipkin hud never seen anything so beautiful ir all his life. - ■ "Are you in trouble?'' he managod-to stammer. •-- "Yes," she replied. "I've lost my shoe," and sho held out a pretty C']bare foot to; show him.

y "Can't you get another pair?" Pipkin asked her. Females, wero cer--5 tainly queer things. , Fancy crying over a shoe, when the cobbler would Jjjnake her another pair! ;; j , "Not like > this," she told him, holding out one little green shoe. "You *see, the cobbler made these specially to match my dress, and there isn't any « more material left. I was coming through the meadows when I saw a singJ Jug brook, so I just took my shoes off to paddle in it; and I must have propped one of my shoes, for I can't- find it anywhere. Oh, I can't go t:down to the earth wi,th only one.shoe!" £ . "Who are you?" queried Pipkin. * • The little lady rose to her feet, and stood dignified before him. "I'm ■^Summer," she told him. " 'Tis nearly time for mo to go to • the earth, but *I can't go with only one shoe. Oh, won't you help me find it, please?" .;}■■;■.; "Yes, little Summer Lady," replied the elf. "I'll be hunting it for • j'ou—-the mortals won't be disappointed."

i-; . Then the little grecn-aiid-gold lady thanked him, and flew away. '?''' • • ' • 1 ; Diana and Helen were on-their, way to the woods when they, found'it. tit lay there, glittering fa the sunlight—a tiny green shoe. ' i "It must belong to a fairy," cried Helen.' "See how'small it is!" ;

; TJio two little girls were wandering on when Pipkin saw them. He'd jbeen looking for the shoe for two whole days. "When he got closer to t them, he saw something sparkling in Diana's hand, and recognised it for the jjlittle lady's shoe. * "If you please "he began. The little girls jumped. "Oh, it's a •jfairy person, Helen!" shrieked Diana. "Yes," agreed Helen breathlessly. - | " —Wo.uld you let me have the shoe-you have in your hand!" finished ' ; •« "Is it yours?" Helen asked him. ' '

;■ "No," the elf told her. "It belongs to the Summer Lady, and she .^iron't bo able -to visit you mortals unless .she gets her shoe." ;." "Is she a beautiful person?" asked Diana. t ■ "Yes," Pipkin told her. ' , , J "Oh, I would like to see her—do you think I could?'' Helen asked him. •i '"Perhaps, perhaps. I'll ask her to .visit you. Thanjc you," he. said, !fis Diana handed him the little green 'shoe, and off he flew, in spite of jjthe fact that Helen caught hold of Insured jumper because>she wanted jto ask him a lot of things yet. , ' , • • It was in a beautiful garden he fouiid her, fast asleep. He gently her on the shoulder, and she immediately awoke. :'. "Oh1, thank you!" she cried. "You are so good. How can I ever 3thank you enough?" - * ' ■ ■ Somehow or other, Pipkin found his tongue, and after a while the '■Bummer Lady discovered she liked him very much; so they decided to do the only tliing they-could in' such circumstances,- and 'away 'they flew to jjhe Old Red Witch, to bo 'married. ' ' . ••,;,;.• It was a beautiful golden afternoon, and the children rested drowsily in £he shade of the old elm tree when she came to them—in her gi'cen and bold gown. Diana and Helen just sat up with their mouths 'open wide— they hadn't ever seen such a beautiful person. "Thank you, my dears," they heard a musical voice say, "for my woe." The garden was filled with a .marvellous, fragrant scent. To the ears of the children came the sound of music. "I must go!" cried the Summer Lady. "'Tis Pan calling me. Good-bye—good-bye!" And she was gone. ' V ' " -,i t t *.. '— ' Diana looked.atI'Helen', .and Helen1 looked at Diana. "Did she ically come, or did we dream-it?" asked Diana. "I'm; not.aurc^—" began Helen, but she stopped speaking,-and picked up, something." ,"Oh! She did come, JDiana! See, 'tis one of the posies she had on her. gown." Diana picked up the fragrant thing and put it in the pocket of her jpmafore. "Yes, Helen—it was real," was all she, said.' - "I really think the Summer is here now,"i remarked Mrs. Elliott to "Mr. Elliott, as they sat at the dinner table. ' - "Oh, yes, she is!" burst out Diana. "Helen and I saw her in tho garden this afternoon! * Didn't we, Helen?" Z. "Tut» tutl W^ nonsense, children!" said their father. "The Summer jjls only the name for a season, and it isn't a person." - Neither the children said anything more about it. Grown-ups weren't -.JUvrays right, and they, knew perfectly well, that they wore quite wrong this | Petone. '''. . T ' "' ~'/' MISS BILLY" (16).