CHILDREN'S. CORNER.

Evening Star, Issue 12060, 2 March 1907, Page 12

CHILDREN'S. CORNER.

BETTY'S TRAVELS. [By Beryl Millward, aged twelve, Queenstown.] " Let me go out for a walk, nursie, please. lam quite big enough now to take care of myself." The speaker was a rosyfaced little girl, with golden curls. " As long as you don't go near the pond," said nurse. " 1 am a bit afraid of you there by yourself, Miss Betty." " All right, nurse," returned* Betty, with a sigh, and nurse relieved turned "to her work. Betty was thinking about fairies. She was asking herself whether there really were any. " Well, you need not wonder any longer,'' said a tiny voice at her elbow,' and looking round she found one of those very small personifies at her side. "Are you a fairy?" she a-'ked, staring at him till she felt ashamed of herself. " Will you come and see our palace?" said the little man. "O, yes," said Betty eagerly. In a few moments they stood before the building. It was made of marble, resting on slender pillars of pure gold. Betty stood and gazed. , " Those are my brothers," said the elf at her side, pointing to a number of guard elves situated all round the palace. "Would you like to come and see our queen?" he added after a pause. " Yes, yes," Betty answered. " Come on, then."

Tho inside was far more beautiful than the outside. The queen was seated on a throne of gold. It was beautifully carved. " Plcace your majesty," said Pluck, for that was his name, " this is a little visitor from tho earth."

" Welcome little friend," said the queen, with a friendly gesture. "Would you like to come and see all my different subjects?" Betty made a courtsey, and said that she would hko to very much. " First of all we will go to the witches' cave, and I will give you some magic to put in your shoes, so that you will never got tired." And the- queen took her by the hand, and led the way. They came to a great mountain. With one touch of her w.ind a door in the mountain side flew open. Tho witches were all in. They had sugarloaf hats on, long dark cloaks, curious pointed boots, and long pointed noses, which nearly met with similar-shaped chins. They were curling their long, black, snaky locks.

" Now, sister," said one, " this is the first time you have been to a witches' ball, and you had better behave yourself. " Come," said the fairy with n nudge, after they had been watching them for a time, "we will go to the garden of the good dreams. Tou would not like to fee the bad dreams or the wicked nightmares."

As they went along Betty fancied she could smell a smell like that of flowers. She asked tho fairy what it was, and sho was told that she was getting nearer to the garden of the good dreams. Presently she and the fairy turned a corner, and she saw a golden gate in front of her. Coming closer to it sho saw to her dismay that upon the gate in letters of raised silver stood tho notice "No Being from the Earth-world Allowed to Pass." The queen saw how dismayed she was, and said to her: " I have got a pass for you from the king of dreams." With a touch of her wand the gate swung open, and the two entered. The garden was a very beautiful one, with masses of flowers, in which the dreams used to sleep. They all sprang up to welcome her, for they knew that Queen Violet was soon to marry the king of dreams, and become queen of dreams as well as queen of fairy land. • While the queen went to see the king a lively little dream prince managed to slip off with Betty. The prince showed her all round the lovely garden, and, finidnig that she could not play hide and seek, for she was too big, he made her small Eke a fairy.

She and the prince got a lot of other little dream fairies to join them, and they all had a dance round the maypoleWhen it was for Betty to go she said to the prince: "Dear prince, I must take leave of you now, but pray change me back to my proper form."

"All right, Bet," he said, with a sigh. But try as he did ho could not remember the magic words that would change Betty to her right form. " You will have to be a fairy always," he said, " and I w:ll get you a. wand from the king." He ran off. and soon, came back with such a; nice little war.d for Betty. It was a gold one, with a silver star on the top. If Betty had been-delighted a little while acoshe was ."still more so when she saw the, lovely vaud. .Queen Violet had beenjj-aat-.