THE CASTLE PLEDGE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 26 June 1926, Page 20

THE CASTLE PLEDGE.

I promise to smile every time I can, and to chase all the

frowns into the dark cave, where the Smile Giant will kill

them -with his Magic Sword Happiness,

Dear Wee Folk, Have you thought of our talk last week? My fairies have. A few weeks ago you should have seen us. 7 We all trooped out into the garden, with spades, and dug up the ground. Since then we’ve done nothing else to it. The pieces were all big lumps, but we left them. When we want to plant things, the ground will be quite reai y without our doing much more to it. Jack Frost is one of our gardeners. When the rain conies and little drops of water lie on the ground Mr Frost chases them, and pinches and squeezes them, till they are turned into ice. [Jack, Frost says he’s not cruel, because cream becomes butter when it is bruised and shaken in the churn, so why may not water become ice when old Jack Frost holds it in his cold Angers?] When water is turning into ice, it tries so hard not to that it pushes and pushes —it really expands —and so breaks up the ground in the process. All the big lumps disappear then. No horrible germs can live when the frost is about. He just kills them all, and leaves everything sweet and clean. Wo should say. many thank-yous to him for this. He doesn’t mind biting you, for he wants'to keep all germs away from you too. His biting is also one of his ways of telling you to keep moving, to walk, run, jump, play and exercise, so that your blood may be purified with the sweet air he brings to your lungs. Now that you know Jack Frost is just as anxious as we are to make * you strong, healthy boys and girls, you will like him ever so much better. Since our shortest day is past, we shall have more sun, but Jack Frost will still be helping us to tidy up. Next week, I know I’ll have lots of letters from you telling me all about the Show. Some night we might glide down to it too. A Good-night. From,

SMILE QUEEN,