THE MAGIC PILLS

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1932, Page 7

THE MAGIC PILLS

(An Original Story for the Fairy King, by "Hunny.") ■ ■ tt\%J EJ jl> ' ,it>s rainin X really .properly noWj Marjorie. Helen. What di< •y^y I tell you? -I-knew it wouldn't clear up. llt never does if we aii going anywhere, and just think of that circus, and the clowns, atyi u } e. A 10?18 a^a tigera..' Ydukhow;Baruey dear, I simply, couldn't let you go to thi circus now it's, raining, especially.after being home froiri school with a cci. to? a^cek''' Barney mimicked.in his mother's.voice. ' " Qh, Barney, you naughty boy, be quiet!" cried his sister. . I- wouldn't mi»dso much if it was snowing, butthis awful drizzly rain'sf?. T ■•' Why don't we,have snow like they do ia England!" ■'. f . rt would be rather great, Barney. We'd have such fun. Oh, I've drop ped a stitch." : . • , ■ . - . . ' , ■:■.':.•• ,f

;v '•'T. eU'i'. ef, 0, rever dr°PPing stitches,.and I don't believe you mind missiii] vie circus at all—you'd rather stay home and knit that ole jumper!"snappei

. I wouldn't at all. You 're awfully horrid to-day."■ '';- ■■After lookmg mournfully out of the window for a while, Barney begat Z^^J ,I?'J n. d' o™''-everJ" n? W and then: B^inß anything^ in. his ways savage kick " Hate - rainy ■ days "-kick-"beastly things"-kick, kfek tentf' coal-seuttlo fell over on its side, emptying itself of its coiii

".P h! ,\ sa 7> s .is» come and look here quickly!?' cried Barney, leanins over the.table. ' • ' ■ ' '} _ The little girl put down the precious jumper carefullyiand ran round thi 1)3.016* ■■ -- ■■--.-• .... ■ '. '; -' . ■.-_■; ■ ■"•■ ■

"Look there!" Barney.cried excitedly. . Marjorie Helen looked to where Barney pointed,, and saw on the tabl< two blue pills with a neatly printed.card by them with "EAT US " on it.' v * Wy> t l1; 9 just like Alice in Wonderlandt Don?t you remember when she found the cake on the table!" cried the little girl excitedly. V ... iWo?s er hat'» happen if we eat them! We might grow small lit Alice did—they might be.poisonous, too." r 6 ■:..■■■ f I,l*^-ny way, let?s jeat them It doesn't matter what-Happens; it's boui« ti be. more .exciting than this," Barney said, looking round the room. ■-■*■ _ Both children ipicked- up the p.ills and swallowed them; then they ie] themselves whisked through, the air. . : ' " : ; ' r,yi 4. gl 16 to a sudden halt, and looking round found themsei&j at what looked like-the North Pole. ' ' : . : : .' ; --I \r. " I No»i* r j«n't *he North Pole/Vsaid a voice in answer to their unspokej thoughts. . ".This happens to be the Land of the Snow." 1 Tll^' £, hlldr. en looked round quickly, and there standing' beside thra _ "Here's,something to keep you warm," he saiaj handing each of thi>j a furry coat just like-his own. "Now whom would you like to see!" ■' ' "The Weather Clerk, please," said Barney ... >~ "Well, come aloiig, then." - v.; ■~"• !=. :V. Soon-they came to him'fast asleep on a piece of ice. /^Hey"" wake up!l said Jack^Prost, digging the Weather Clerk in the ribs. ," Make snow these children." ■ .. • . :• '

The Weather- Clerk sat up and yawned sleepily, but he obeyed Jack Frosi? request, and soon the snow began to fall very softly and feently. The' had not gone very far when they saw in front of them a- huge palace madi out of ice.^" It's where the: Winter King lives," Jack Frost told his coin Eam2v??" W P^y^.P' and we mi«ht in time.to see him before he goes out»j The' Winter King was a very nice old man indeed, and Marjorie Held wondered that such a dear old man could make such' fearful storms. Then ehi decided that probably the Winter King thought the mortals liked cold wfeai ther, and she was just on the point of telling him that they aidn't whei Jack Frost said they must go. .•• *■■■■ -. ,^ They saw the. Ice Maiden, and had a, very exciting snowball fight wit! some of the Weather Clerk's helpers. ; Then it was time-to go home. Jaci Frost-gave them two more pills to swallow. ... /!••/: . "Goodbye, Jack Frost/the children called. "Good-bye!" Thenthfei were back again in their own.dining-room; - --.;A "Children," called Mother, "Uncle Jim has jiist rung me to say he wanti to t^ake you to the circus. Npw that it has stopped raining, I'll let you » tO-night." . . .... - . ■ :;"

"Hooray!", cried thu children together. • • "You know, Marjorie Helen," Barney said that night. .'"l'm really ai? fully glad we didn't go to the circus this afternoon, because if we had wouldn't have seen Jack Frost and the Weather. Clerk, and all those otherti* . No,.we wouldn't. And besides, I did four rows of mr iumper befbii we went' with Jack Frtst," answered his sister.' ' ; j Fortunately' Barney had not heard his sister's, remark. Otherwige'lij ..would have said something; but as it -was he went.off to \,eS, turning someri saults all the way up the passage just like the clowns had done in the circui