THE SMILE CASTLE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 12 February 1927, Page 16

THE SMILE CASTLE

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.

My Dear Smiles, — Last week I promised to tell you more about our dear little Princess Elizabeth, whose father and mother, the Duke and Duchess of York, are on their way to Hawera to visit us. Well, she is the dearest little bundle of smiles you could imagine, just nine months old. She has a wee round chubby face which often seems to pucker up and say, “Oh! I wonder just why I am so important!” Of course she is very important, because she is the third lady in rank in all the British Empire, and some day, if she doesn’t have a baby brother, she may be Queen. Won’t we love her? And we’ll be so proud to say we can remember when she was born. . At present she is living with her nurse m Bruton Street, London, where she was born. Now 1 suppose you are all imagining Bruton Street a beautiful avenue with lovely green trees and wonderful houses, where lords and ladies live. It is just a very ordinary street with grej pavements and plenty of shops. It is the wish of the King and Queen that our little Princess has this place for one of her homes so that she will grow up more like one of us and be able to .understand how other little children of the Empire live. But, Smiles, don’t be disappointed and think that this royal little lady has no . jolly interesting places to play in. Why! her grandparents live in the most interesting old castle in Scotland, Glamis Castle, up near Inverness. It is hundreds of years old, and has real ghosts and witches that haunt it. There are deep dungeons and high towers besides gorgeous gardens and immense parks. Oh! I can almost see little Elizabeth in a few years playing robbers and .Robin Hood, and, when she gets a little older, “Lady Macbeth.” Do you know that over 800 yeai's ago our greatest English poet, William Shakespeare, wrote one if his most famous plays about Glamis Castle? It is called “MacBeth.” Macßeth was the owner then of Glamis Castle. Some day I hope you will read it for yourselves. If any of you are fortunate enough to have a copy of Arthur Mee’s “Children’s Shakespeare” you would be able to understand it now. However, it is enough to know what a lucky girl our Princess is to be able to spend most of hei’ holidays at a castle over 300 years old, with all sorts of delightful hiding places. At present her nui*se must keep her in London so that her other grandmother, Queen Mary, will be able to look after her while her parents visit New' Zealand and Australia, and specially Hawera. I want you to take particular interest in the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York because, altho’ you might be only a very tiny Smile, next w'eek I shall tell you just how very important you are and, most of all, how important it is to begin life w'ith a smile. With all my love to you.— I am, dear Smiles — Your affectionate SMILE QUEEN.