SUNBEAMS' COLUMN

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 1, 3 January 1923, Page 6

SUNBEAMS' COLUMN

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO PEEPED

a «■ * a ONLY A CARPENTER

Dear ■ Sunbeams,—A Happy New Year to you all, May you have joy end happiness surrounding you throughout the year, so that in the t'Tn-G to come you will look back upon it as one of the good years of your life. And always remember that it is your mission in life t o be a Sjunbeam —it© bring light and warmith of human love wherever you go. Opportunities come to us i&ll to do kindly'little act'ionis for others,■'sometimes for those who are in bad health, .or trouble. Sometimes just from want of thought we neglect to perform these little deeds and we are sqrry when it is too late.' Be cheerful and kindly and helpful t o 'everyone. Just as the* Sunbeams that dance into jail the dark and ugly places ol' the earth •' banish the gloom and make .the whole world beautiful, so you living Sunbeams can make home and school beautiful and shed happiness all. around you,, .by liv-'ng up to your name. Also, here's a good New Year to our Cause, Sunbeams, the Cause of humanity.

"I shall stay awake to-night until Father Christmas comes and watch bis filling the stockings, ,, seven-year-old May said at tela on Christmas Eve. "You shouldn't do that," Daddy said. "Don't you know what happened to the little girl that peeped?" "What happened?" May said esagerly. "Dhl she see Father Christmas?" ' f Yes," Daddy said gravely, "she saw him come down the chimney and he knew she was peeping, but before she saw what he was doing she fell down, down, down—she thought she would never stop faliing—then she awoke with a jerk just as he was saying—"You dare to peep at mc." She was so frightened that she yelled out & 5 loud as she could and mother ran in to find that May had fallen out of bed. She roared so loud that mother had to take her back tr> her own bed. The next morning ther© was nothing in her stocking but a dirty old potato with eyes sprouting out all over it." "Didn't ishe get any Christinas boxes at jail?" May asked. "She was so disappointed that mother bought her a doll, but that wasn't the same thing as getting it from Father Christmas, besides she was afriaUl he would remember next year and put another potato in her stocking." "Did he?" "No. She went asleep F-ke a good little girl, so - he forgave her." "I don't think I'll peep," May said. "I don't want a njasty okl potato in my stocking."

It was.prize-giving day at the High School, and although Mary Neville had won a prize she hated going to the distribution. Her father had fceen very ill for a lons time arid, the family was so poor that Mrs. Neville had. to scrape and save and m&nd and make down old garments in order to keep the children tidy. She could not afford to buy them pretty new clothes, and M ; ary knew that all the other -iris would be dressed up ever so flue. Buit her mother said that was all nonsense, as she had wen a prize she had ii rig>ht to go and get it.

Everything was just as we expscted j when Mary got to the school. All the g4rls were -dressed £11 white muslins tand laces and embroideries, and most-of them wore white. shoes and ribbons in their hair, s o that she felt quiite awkward in her navy print and shabby black shoes and stockings. Her special chum who ixlways looked to her for help whh her lessons ': was very grand and turned her back on Mary altogether, indeed ■it seemed t 0 her that all the girls looked down en her. (Little girls are sometimes like thalt, Sunbeams, they think far to 0 much, of finery and dress instead of the nature of the person who is wwing it)

Now It happened that on that very morning the doctor wib o was. attending Mr. Neville had been telling his children how very ill he was and that he .wias not likely to get well, and what a splendid little help Mary was to her mother. He said she looked after the younger children, and took her share of nursing her father like a- Iftitle old woman. His daughter, Jessie, who went to the High School and was one of the nliost popular girls itherie was very and when she saw Mary walking in looking sad and lonely, she beckoned to her to come amd sit beisde her. Mary was rathjer surprised as the other girl F4UJ not in,, her clues and

she bjardly knew her, hut she sat down beside the vision fa white silk who immediately thrust a bag of lollies under her nose. Jessie was so friendly and chatty and agreeable that Mary forgot all about her shabby clothes, and when her name was called went up for her prize as briskly as the others. When the gathering broke up she went home quite happy. "Why on earth' did you make such a fuss about HER?" one of Jessie's friends,'a rather stuck-up girl, asked •later. • "Why shouldn't I?" Jessie said. "She's a very nice little girl." "Oh, well she !e*ke« « fright, and you know her lather's oDly a car]t>enteT.!,' "So was Jesus Christ," ■:-itite the quick .reply. "And you and I will be worshipping Hhn on Monday."