Thanks To The Ball; £400 Mark Passed

Northern Advocate, 26 July 1938, Page 2

Thanks To The Ball; £4OO Mark Passed

W E can’t tel! you exactly, but by to-day the Orphanage building fund of the Kupe Club has passed the £4OO mark. As yet, the results of the Bargain Stores' Benefit Ball have not been notified to H.Q., though Mr Johnston, one of the organisers, spoke confidently of £IOO being handed to the fund. When Kupe and Princess dashed off for the North, final results were hot obtainable. The ball was a tremendous success. With rain lashing down outside—falling heavily enough to cause floods in some parts of Northiand—people from Whangarei town and from near country districts turned up by the score to give their support. More than SCO thronged the ballroom, and no one went heme disappointed. It was a great effort. The Bargain Stores'Social Club originated the idea, but in its carrying out received the utmost help from other business firms, the Women’s Institutes, and Whangarei as a Whole. \ During the evening Northland's Pop-Bye and. his Ranch Roys performed bright musical numbers, Whangarei’s “Larry Addler” entertained with his mouth-organ, and Maori Entertainers from Whangaruru gave liakas and several vocal numbers. Pennies showered the hall when a ballet from the Warrington School of Dancing performed “Won’t You Buy My. Pretty Flowers?” and nearly 15/- was collected as a result of that dunce. Princess and I were very tired the next morning. Quite unexpectedly, we had 1C guests for the night. The weather was responsible. The Maori entertainers from Whangaruru came through by ’bus specially for the occasion, and intended returning home after the ball. Later, however, reports of water across the road were received, and so they were marooned until daylight. With, a roaring fire in our big sitting-room and with cakes and sandwiches given us by the Ball committee, we did our best to make the party comfortable. Some dozed in easy chairs, others sang quietly to themselves, and when I went to bed at 4 a.m. it was to be lulled to sleep by the soft music of a mandolin next door. One could not have entertained more grateful guests. The Whangaruru folk were the essence of helpfulness and politeness. Whilst I slept peacefully at 8 o’clock next morning the Princess served a "scratch” breakfast and received a long oration of thanks from one of the oldest Maori men, whose remarks were interpreted. It was a speech of appreciation in which the Princess was quaintly described as “Mother of us all for one night”—a special honour. Really and truly, we enjoyed our guests, and we enjoyed the ball. Best thanks to all who helped make it so great a success. In the hurly-burly of going North, we have had no time to prepare an acknowledgement list this week. But we thank sincerely all who have sent contributions, which will be acknowledged later. Meantime, we require another £2OO, Best foot forward, Northlanders. Remember, every little helps! ’

The Timeful Gnome

There was once a gnome. He was too tuneful. Every day he ran through the wild woods singing all sorts of tunes, some loud, some soft, some grave, some gay. All day long he sang them, and sometimes all night, too! Now, all the birds and animals, and other fairy folk who lived in the wild woods, did not like this at all. And' one day they all went to the little house where the Too-Tuneful Gnome lived, and asked him, very politely, if he would mind not being quite so tuneful any more. But the Too-Tuneful Gnome laughed at them and said; “I shall be just as tuneful as I please/’ ; “Oh, very well!" said the birds, and animals, and little faii'y folk. “Then we must see what we can do." - All that day the Too-Tuneful Gnome went hopping and skipping

"You didn’t stop this afternoon when we wanted you to.” said all the wildwood folk. They kept on for a whole hour, and( the Too-Tuneful Gnome couldn’t keep out the noise and couldn’t sleep. j The Too-Tuneful Gnome gave a big grunt of content, “I won’t bo so tuneful any more,” he said, as he fell asleep. Welcome In Kupe, Princess Raranga and the Staff at Headquarters extend a hearty welcome to the following Young Northlanders who have this week joined the Kupe Club:—lrene Halford, Kamo; Doreen Halford. Kamo; j William Boswell, Hikurangi; Jessie; Malcolm, Hikurangi; James Malcolm, I Hikurangi; Bruce Telfer, Partia Bay; June Flower, Maungaturoto.

through the wild woods, singing as loudly as ever he could. And in the evening he stopped and sang beneath the wood pigeons' tree, and woke up the two baby pigeons just as Mother Wood Pigeon had got them off to sleep. “Bear, dear, dear me!” said every little bird, and animal, and fairy, as the Too-Tuneful Gnome trotted back through the wild woods on his way home. That night the Too-Tuneful Gnome felt quite tired out from singing so much all day. So he went to bed very early indeed, and as soon he his little head touched the pillow he was sound asleep. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, ho woke with a tremendous start, A most fearful noise was going on outside his little house. Every' kind of noise arid song that ever was heard in the wild woods, on every sort of note, all mixed and jumbled up together! “Good gracious!” cried the TooTuneful Gnome. "What ever can it be?” And he hopped out of bed. He ran to tire window, and pulled up the blind. Outside, in the garden, in the bright moonlight, just under his window, stood all the birds, and animals, and fairy folk who lived in the wild woods, singing at the trrp of their voices. The Too-Tuneful Gnome Hung up his window. * ”Oh. please stop!" he shouted. 1 want to go to sleep!”