PEGGY'S BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 134, 8 June 1935, Page 20

PEGGY'S BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE

(Original, by "Chubby," 13, Kaiwarra.) PEGGY awoke.* She felt an unusual thrill about the atmosphere. Of course it was her birthday. As bhe rolled over in bed her eyes wandered to the "Fairy King" page which lay on a table at her side. It was the "Fairy Ring's" birthday, too. That must be lucky. She would go for a walk tonight to see if she could find that wonderful fairy glen where the members of the "Fairy Ring" celebrated their birthdays. At breakfast she received her present b, one of which was a spaniel puppy trom Jim, her brother, and another, a pretty rabbit hutch Peggy was a lover of animals and kept two rabbits, so she appreciated these two gilts more than any of the toys, books, and dolls received froni relatives and other members of the family.

As the day proceeded Peggy grew more and more excited, not only with Prince, her new dog, the hutch, and numerous varieties of other gifts, but with the plan that was rapidly forming in her mind (or her walk that night Her birthday guests began to arrive about four o'clock, but «o excited was Peggy, and so busy thinking about her secret excursion, that she nearly forgot to join in the games. That evening when the guests had departed, Peggy and the rest of the family retired to bed. Waiting only to put on a hat and coat, Peggy crept down the stairs and out into the night. As she walked in the warm evening, the fresh Northerly breeze blew to her ears the soft refrain of wonderful music, and, as if in a trance, Peggy wandeivd into a forest, following the direction of that magical sound. Here and there she heard1 the hoot of an owl or came'upon 'a rabbit scurrying home', but, still she was lured on by the irresistible charm of the low, sweet music But to! as she crawled through a parting in the under* growth Peggy beheld a sight far more entrancing than ever a human eye i had witnessed before. To Peggy was revealed «lairy glen illuminated by playful moonbeams. In the centre of this glen stood ring inside ring of tiny mushrooms, while upon these sat pixies of all descriptions, sizes, and ages, looking expectantly towardf • chimp of. moonlit trees In the background, while the Pixie Band * struck up A lively tube. Presently through these trees emerged two Pixie Pages carrying a large and1 gaily-decorated cake, which they placed on a large mushroom in the- centre,of the ring. The arrival of JFairiel was announced, and, as Peggy stole closer a chariot drawn by two white swans appeared high above the trees, sailing swiftly towards then.* , Escorted to her place Jby, a page. Fainel began to speak. "To agaki the birthday of our Ring the Fairy Cook has made us this beautiful cake, which I am sure you wiU enjoy and which contains a small tnagto tadde, the finder of which will be permitted to have one wish." ,'."','■-,,, > A buzz of excited conversation .was carried far afield by the friendly North wind. Pegg* ( *tirr*d from her position to obtain a better view of the games and gay ftttivhies that were being held about her, wishing that she, too, might h«V*,a' piece of fairy cake and a chance of findins the buckle. • ' j l. \\i ' . . v A» the moon glided, slowly across the sky and the glen gradually dark, ened. the candles Ob $« cake were lighted, and pieces of cake Were distributed to the pixies.- But the buckle was not found. When at last Fairiel and her pixies departed, and the forest ceased to ring with the echoes of happy voices, Peggy looked around her, but could not find the track by which she .had come. Being hungry she pfcktf up a small piece of cake, which'had previously been thrown away, and-^bibegun "' | to eat it when Peggy discovered the;tiny buckle, and, remembering.Muriel's words, wished thatshe couM And her way home. - «•,«•««» > To her surprise she was suddenly lifted off her feet and whirled away. i She found herself at her .home,into which she ran and, once in.bed dreamed of birthdays and The Fairy Ring." , t , **.f^*+**++_*_*_*AWf*++++***»*~*+**J~~* ■■>- 1 -1.