FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16375, 1 November 1916, Page 10

FOR THE CHILDREN.

THE SUN NURSE

I Tht sap flows fn the tree?, up from the i roots it flows: a noiseless tremor thrills I the cosy cradlps of the lazy. ; v.-, tucked!up leaf-babies. They yawn and kick off their blankets. i Oh ! but it is cold and terrifying to peep ! out over the cradle-edges into the bare , spiky-world, where mocking wiud J imps j deride, and ice-tears drip, drip from a | frowning sky. They shiver. Poor little leaf babies! j How they shiver in the open, and wished ! they had kept their wee toes underneath the nasty, sticky cradle roof. Some of them die of fright and vexation, but only a few, for the leaf-babies are hardv and do not mind being hurt, if it helps them to grow up. By and by the sun straggles through the grey and laughs down at them; like a big, strong, smiling nurse encouraging to daring deeds, the sun laughs down at the leaf-babies, so they coo back at the* sun-nurse and kick again. But it makes the leaf-babies very tired I indeed, this second kick-off, and they r-o j to sleep while nurse looks after the sap, | which flows up from the roots in the dark ground, and steals into the rootlets cradles. so that the sleeping leaf-babies can grow bigger and bigger, and keep warm without a roof to their cradle*. One Jay a little green fairy; broke loose from the Giant West Wind's palace, where he had kept her a whole winter. She

clutched at the end of his long, long hair, and flew away with him in his invisible airship, over miles and miles of fields and

forests, where the grown-up leaf-babieS were fluttering their green wings. The whizzing sensation produced by their swift flight made her so sick and tired that, unable any longer to bear it. she let go, falling, falling, falling to earth. The very second her wee, magic feet touched the earth-floor a band ofwaiting minstrels struck their gay cymbals, which woke the sleepy ieaf- babies so suddenly that they all fell out of their cradles, rubbing their eyes in astonishment. Just then the sun-nurse dozing behind a cloud, awoke, too. without apology for the nap, and laughed and laughed with such tremendous energy to sec how funny the leaf-babies looked without their cradles that the little gregn fairy forgot the shock of her tumble ofi the long, long hair of the Giant, West Wind and began to skip about in delight. This made the bunny rabbits brave» and the twinkle-tailed squhrel bold. Mrs. Bunny sat up on her haunches and laughed, too, and Mr. Twinkle-tail ran along a very tbiu branch to see how the leaf-baby on the farthest point was getting on; and he laughed as well because that particular leaiVbaby, not knowing quite where it was, couldn't stop rubbing its eyesEverywhere the little green fairy danced, flowers began to open, and out of each newly-opened blossom tripped purple, pink, white, bice, and other green fairies, who caught hold of each other's hand and made magic circles everywhere. Perhaps you have seen them in the forests, when you have gone in on tip-toe. All of a sudden the joy-cymbals were silent. Mrs. Bunny and Mr." Twinkle-tail ran home, and the fairies rushed away and hid, but being very inquisitive they peeped out of their flower-petal hiding-place? to see what was happening outside- Thereupon the leaf-babies stopped rubbing their eye* and sat up straight, for they, too, were just- as eurious to know all about it. ' At this the sun-nurse laughed louder than ever. Indeed, she was so merry that the little pale lady who had just come out for a walk pushed aside her black widow's veil and smiled up at the sun. A second before she had looked so sad that the leaf-babies began to wonder what made the difference, and to chatter and to ask erch other whether -she, too, had a sun-nurse. * Of course," said one, contempitjoaslv, "everybody has a sun-nurse." That was a very forward leaf-baby, who was trying to show off before the "others. The pale little lady took out of her bag the photograph of "a big man in khaki, who was smiling at a tiny baby-girl in its mother's arms. .."?*? "? oor darlings!"' she murmured, kissing the man and the babv, and crvinz softly. . - " » "What's that?" eicfaimeu the leafbabies in a chorus. There was not one of them who could answer, but they bent down to listen. lhe green fairy who had come from the West Wind's palace skipped out of her fern-frond when she saw the little, tired, pale lady was crying, and ran up to her with messages of cheer and comfort : but the widow lady did not look her way, and so she just lingered about as wistful as any help-fairy could be when it believes itself not wanted. "What a pity!" the leaf-babies shouted j all together. They called it shouting: ! but you must not forget thev were only ; just learning to talk, and although thev meant to make a great noise, the pale lady with the photograph onlv heard a teeny-weeny murmur. All the* same, she understood, as all mammas, somehow, understand what babies mean. "So it is!" she answered, and looked tip at the sun and smiled again fcbroueh ber tears- The green fairv, taking fright at this unexpected movement, "hurried back to her fern-frond helter-skelter. 'Ihat mane the leaf-babies laugh, and thev clapped their miniature hands at the fairy fright. i-A'i 1 k - no what ? ou ail mean." .-aid the little tired lady, looking up at the leaf-r-abies, who immediately felt .■= hhv as the preen fairy and hunc their heads. You mean there are other women who have lost, their husbands, and ptrhuw there are hosts of precious babies who will have no one to love them. At least I know that my darling babv is with her oaddv somewhere in paradise." She gulped down a lump in her throat, and the tears ran down her cheeks and sparkled on the black jacket like diamonds in the sunshine. "You mean," she weTit on. after a pause, ' that I must let mv love flow outwards- to others now I have no one of my own." The leaf-babies didn't gra>p what she meant in the slightest, but thev -air hesirile asrain and brush away the tear-, and they clapped as loudiv as thev could to show they appreciated" her effort . Kissing the photograph for the last time, the little widow ladv went home, her K her head up and a' brave pucker her hps. r "I told you she had a sun-nurse," observed the contemptuous leaf-ladv. But no one deigned to reply; the remark was too obvious.