THE MAGIC SPIDER

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 9 March 1935, Page 10

THE MAGIC SPIDER

THE DWARF’S SPELL BROKEN Once upon a time there lived a man who was very poor. One day, as he was walking through the wood, he met a dwarf. "What are you thinking about so deeply?” asked the dwarf. “I was thinking how much I should like some gold,” said the man. “Well,” answered the dwarf, “if you do as I tell you, I will give you as much gold as you like. All you have to do is to bring me in twelve years’ time the first thing you meet on your w T ay home to-day.” 1 On his way home his little boy Tan to meet him, and then the man remembered w'hat the dwarf had said, and he felt very sad, for he loved his

little son very much. From that time the poor man grew Tich, for every time he put his hand into his pocket he drew out a of gold. Twelve years passed, and by that time the man had become wealthy and the son had grown up. One day the father told his son about the dwarf and his promise, and together they went to the wood where the man had met the dwarf twelve years before. The first dwarf did was to take the young man to a lake and bid him get in a boat and sail round ' to the other side, and there he would meet twelve more dwarfs, who would take him to their castle at the top of the hill.

The young man rowed on, and presently on the bank of the lake he saw a large white castle. The castle looked so attractive that he jumped out of the boat and on to the bank, and was soon searching the .place. Downstairs and upstairs he searched, and. was just going to give up and return to his boat when, on opening the last door, he saw a large spider on the floor. The young man nearly fell down the stairs in surprise when the spider said, in a shrill voice:

"Will you help me? I have been here twelve years, under the spell of a dwarf. lam really a beautiful princess.”

"Certainly,” replied the young man. "You must tell me what to do to break the spell.”

"To-night,” said the spider, "and for two more nights, twelve men will come, and if they find you ’here they will chop off your head. But I will give you a charm, if you promise to stay and help me.”

That night twelve men came, as the spider had said, and as soon as they saw the young man they got ready to chop off his head; but the young man was quicker, and threw some magic powder, which the spider had given him, into their faces, and. they all fell fast asleep, while he escaped out of the window and returned to safety. The next night the twelve men appeared again and, although they searched high and low, they could not see him, for he was hidden under an invisible cloak which, the spider had given him. As they could not see him they left the castle, but returned tl>.> next night as before. This time the young man had in his hand a magic sword, and, as soon as the twelve men appeared, with one stroke of the sword he cut off all their twelve heads, which went Tolling down the stairs and down, down the bank into the river below.

So that was the end of the twelve dwarfs. When the spell was broken — and of course it was immediately the dwarfs had their heads chopped off—the spider turned into a beautiful princess, with whom the young man immediately fell in love. So they were married, and lived happily ever after in the white castle. Mr Hardman addressed a new member of his staff. “I'm a man of few words,” he said. “If I beckon with my finger, that means come.” “I too, am a man of few words, sir,” was the reply. “If I shake my head that means I’m not coming.” The plumber’s mate arrived with the story that he had been sent because the work was urgent and his master was engaged elsewhere. “But we are not wanting a plumber,” protested the householder. “I’m sure this is the right address,” said the lad. Then, as light dawned, he said: “It must have been the people who were here before you moved in.”