“BETTY AND THE FLOWERS.”

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 139, 16 May 1925, Page 9

“BETTY AND THE FLOWERS.”

(By Helen Shaw.)

It was a glorious summer’s -day and Betty should have been happy, but I am sorry to say she was not. In fact she was in a very bad temper. It was all her own fault, too. If she had obeyed her mother she would now have beon free to play or read or ramble in the orchard; but instead of doing any of these interesting things, she had to set to work and weed the flower garden. Mother had told her two days ago that the garden must be weeded. Lazy Betty had' said: “Oh, bother!” and had hoped that mother would forget; but mother had evidently not forgotten, and now, just at the nicest part of the day, Betty found she was not allowed to play until he task was done. “Silly old flowers! I hate them !” she said. “What use are they, and at least, why can’t they grow without weeding?” Betty grew more and more discontented as she looked at the garden. It would take quite a long time to weed it and by then the afternoon would ho over. “I’ll just sit under this shady little tree and consider where to start llrst,” she said to herself. Now. the grass wasi very soft and green and the lazy little girl felt very comfortable, and after lying there awhile she v.as quite startled to hear a sweet silvery little voice singing: “Who loves the flowers, brightening the hours, Blooning in gardens and meadows and bowers, Through them wo fairies glide, In them our babies hide, Dwel ing secure where the hollyhock towers.’!.

“Oli !” said' Betty, “is that where tho fairies hide their babies. I’ve always wanted to see one. I’ll just peep into the holly Dock and see what a fairy baby is like,' and dragging an old box over the garden (regardless of tho pretty purple pansies that were growing in the border) she stood on it and peeped into all tlie dainty hollyhock flowers she could reach. At last she found it. Oh, how swoet the tiny baby looked hidden under the pink petals. Betty gazed and gazed and was just putting out a finger to touch the swoon little thing when an angry little voice culled :

“Bow dare you look at the baliy, you naughty girl! Oh, yes! I know you. You are he wicked child who said she hated flowers and you shall be punished.” Betty looked up and saw a beautiful fairy with lovely purply wings. “Oh ! how lovely,” she said, “please tell ine why your wings are such a pretty coloi r.”

“1 hat’s because I .always wash in the dew on the purple pansies you have just crushed and broken, and now I am going to take yon to tho queen and she wifi punish you as you deserve.” T 1 o fairy touched Betty with her wand, and catching hold of her by tho hand the fairy flew away over tho garden. Betty fourd she had grown quite tiny; and jftei they had flown for a long time they caruo to a dear little dell where ferns and

flowers were growing and ''hundreds cf fairies were dancing and singing: “Columbines sweet, frilly and neat, Spreading their petticoats out roun i their feet, Dainty green “Silenco!” cried Betty’s fair)', and immediately the singing ceased. ‘‘Where s the queen?” she continued; “this wicked girl must be punished.”- , “The queen and her court are coming here now,” the others cried and in a fev minutes the fairy bugles were heard and the lovely little queen entered the dell mid her attendants. The fairy ran up and bowed to the queen and then she to d all that Betty had done. Betty was brought before the / queen, and stoed trembling while her sentence was heir g pronounced.“For punishment,” said, the queen, “ycu shall be sent to the Sad Land, Betty, umil you have learnt better behaviour.” Suddenly Betty found herself all alone in a. dull, grey placo, where no birds sal g and no flowers bloomed. llow lonely and sad sho felt! Sometimes she heard the fairies singing but sho never saw them. They seemed far away where the sun shone and tie birds sang. One day the fairy with tle purply wings came to see her and Betty heard her singing: K J “Daisies for all, pale lilies tall, Rambling red roses that grow by tire wall ” j “Oh!” cried Betty. “I wish I could lee the flowers you are singing about. _ I wish I had never said 1 hated them.” All at onco the birds were singing arid flowers were nodding everywhere die looked. Betty ran to them and touched them gently: “llow beautiful!” she cried. “I love flowers!” In the distance she could hear die fairies singing their “Flower Song”— “In country and town, up hill and down. Rivalling the glow of an Emperor s crown; Flowers, flowers everywhere, Blooming so fresh and fair, Shining like jewels in Mother Eardrs gown.” Betty woke with a start. Why! it vim all a dream! But what a lesson she lad learnt ! Jumping up, sho began to weed with a will, saying to herself: “I’ll never, never say I hate flowers again and I’ll always weed them as soon as mother tells me.”

BADGE FOR “AUNT ROBERTA’S FAMILY.’’ The original is a trifle smaller than the above. The outside rim is royal blue; the inner circle is gilded, with the letters “A.R.F.” (in monogram) slightly raised. The pin is also gilded. Anyone who- would like to have a badgo should post Is (in stamps) to “Aunt Roberta,” c/o “Manawatu Everting Standard,” Palmerston North'.