THE MOON ELVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18711, 17 May 1924, Page 22 (Supplement)

THE MOON ELVES.

- One night, ; when ) the moon : elves should have been at work, "they ran away down on the earth |to play - with the goblins. .The' Moon elves are • hard-working little creatures on the nights when the moon. shines, as we mortals say down here ; on earth. For ; they have to . shovel, shovel, shovel all the bright moonlight piled up around the moonman's 'house and throw it down the - earth.

cr This' the goblins' did not know, and one night they ran part of the -way up a moonbeam path and .beckoned, to the Moon elves to come down and play with ' them. :. The goblins saw the Moon, elves peeking over the pile of moonshine, but they did not :go close enough to see their shovels, and when they were working the bright heap hid the elves from their • sight.

•The goblins are very ' inquisitive little creatures, and when the Moon ■ elves were in. their - woods they asked them where they lived and . what they did up there in the sky. , . ■„ ,

" We shov4) the moonshine down on the earth,*': said one, " and if we play with you we : shall have a lot of work to do .-n we go back." SMt was pretty late jyhen the Moon elves thought about returning to their work, but the goblins, because • they i were inquisitive and wanted to see just what went": on in the Moon elves'" land .went along with them. When the goblins ; reached • the yard of the moonman, . they were very much sur- : i prised, to see a heap of shovels. And they were much more surprised when old Moonlooked out of the door of his house and scowled very crossly as he' said: ion all go to work, and don't you dfcre stop until I tell you. The idea of running away on a night- the moonlight should be shovelled and all this heap piled up here in my yard! Go to Work, every one of you, goblins and all." . •• But the goblins can always find a way out of things they do not like, and after shovelling so long that their arms ached— and still Mr. Moon did not tell them to stop—they began to think, of a plan to get away without being , caught. ** .The shovelfuls of brightness were tumbling thick and fast down on the earth when . one of the goblins, winked at the others and dropped his shovel and laid a tiny finger on the aide of his pointed little no«e.'-::-;.,v."-'''V. 'M.v

Then quick as; a wink he tumbled into the stream of moonlight going down to the earth, and in a few seconds not a goblin remained; the Moon elves were working

On moonlight f nights, when the goblins see the moonlight streaming down, from .thejkjv A. rnirto a shadr spot in the woods, for they have no ; wish to let the Moon elves get them up the moonbeam path again. They like their own - lazy life far better than that of the Moon