FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15852, 24 February 1915, Page 10

FOR THE CHILDREN.

GRANNY'S STORY. Gr.AXST had oorrte a long, long way— five hundred miles-to visit her graßdchildren for the first time, and directly thft i sweet i>lue eves, which were so Pke bit* g /if a summer sky, had looked into those ot / Doris and little Jack Trevor, they loved "•> the owner of them. It was not oaly her kind and loving ways % which endeared the charming old lady to.:; them, but her powers of story-telling- j were marvellous, and mother's stories';'.; were "nowhere beside granny's, as Dora;, put it. " .M

So every night, at twilight, she and LeT little brother curled themselves up besidft o their grandmother, and coaxed and", pleaded until she granted their request "just, one tiny tale." The kindly "Id?:*; e\es had looked deeply into the hearts dm the two children, and granny knew quite fveil that Doris, who was on'r six, was very fond of ,-ayiug harsh unkind. thing* about her playmates and other people, before s-he was really sure about them. *' To-night.she and Jack curled themselvei g upon the wide window seat, whence,': they could sej the ] eople as they passed. -* Suddenly Doris soiled her granny's arm, J and, pointing to an old lady who was passing, said, with a laugh, "That old - woman is a miser, granny : isn't ahe ugly. *! " How do you know that she is a misOT, darling'.'" questioned the gentle voice of ; her grandmother. ';* " Oh, everybody says so." answered J Doris, with a little pout. '" But 'everybody' may be quite, quite wrong," said the old lady, a::d she continued. " Long, lcr.g ago. in a oocntr* where 'he people were very ignorant, and' believed in such thir.es as witches and spells, there was a certain village into which a stranger came one dav. '" She was a very quiet old lady, and ■, lived qui'e aline, <»;*!. L-tiause the mad* • no inend.-. amongst the people, they in- .-, vented all kinds of wild stories .-..bout her. " Some said that she was a witch, and . others said that .- :ie was a. miner, and all,. agieed that si;*- had piles and piles of money which she had obtained in soma • evil fashion.

''Time went on. and .1 very bad harvest, together with floods, can;—J a famine ii» the land. "When things were a; their worst, a strange thing happened whj.h ta.is.td them all to wonder and feel a ! :lie .'aimed as well. Every housewife 111 lie Tillage came down to b-.r kitchen one turning to find a. big bundle of warm ilt.ihing fox herself and her children. and nobody Knew whence it had come. "They tried then- best to rind oct, bat did ntt succeed until cue cgnt, when seme of the meanest and meet, cruel amongst them determined to visit tbft old miser, as they called the strange lady, in order to rob her 01 the money which she was supposed to possess. " But when they itavhed the house _. they had a greao suxpris?. and they went away, feeling ashamed and sony for their evil tnoughta. *" Though it was long paot m T di ;ht, tba old lady was working hard i■;. 'he light of a. lamp, upon a nile 01 Garments, whica v.eie exactly like those •.... t •..•.. aid received, only a week before. ' Pray "have sou.e refreshment.' the oear lady saul. giving them r\ ;;--r best. ' ' I see that you have found out- what I hoped to keep a. secret.' si.e r .atinued,, ~ with a smile. .md. pointing to the pile a* "~ garments, sh.3 added, '1 ' liear hat i M * ttle ones in the next, village are cold and have ro clothing, so, 1: you will fXCttS*. me, I will get on 'with niy w..rk '" Tha villagers no longer thought evil * of their kind benefactress a..u the '*& miser ' became the most beloved person | in the plate." !,! Granny s sweet voice ceased, and there . wa». no need to explain the meaning «* . the story to Doris, who ew-pt a little closer and said. "' I understand, granny* . dta£, -, T-M»rgaret Uibbons. 4 •'&*§!§!