THE BOYS' CORNER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20152, 12 January 1929, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE BOYS' CORNER.

9999999999999 t •' TTTTT WHY POLAR BEARS HAVE BLUE TONGUES.

By KEITH PERCY STONE. 58, Owens Ed., Epaom, Auckland (age 16). . -Long, long ago. in the dim ages, there lived near the Nefth Pole, two polar bears, named Mesha arid Tresha. Mesha was the husband and Tresha was his wife. Both bears had red tongues jusfc liko most animals have nowadays. 'lhey used to play and gambol on the jce and snow together. One day, Zeus, the god who lives on high Olympus, descended to the land of limitless ice and snow, and told Mesha and Tresha that he was going to plant some blue flowers to try and brighten up their dreary land. " On no occasion whatever though, are you to destroy one single blossom. Vou will call these flowers blue loelSnd poppies. Blue, because of their colour. Iceland, because of the land they growin, and poppies, because they are shaped liko those flowers on the other side of the world." After saying these words the god disappeared in a cloud of smoke. For some days afterwards, husband and wife took good care not to damage the poppies in the least.

Then, one day, Traversphone, the God of Lies, came .up from his dark, dreary home in the underworld, and spoke deceitful words to the bears.

" I hear that in this land of yours, blooms all the year round, somo beautiful blue flowers. I have heard also that if an animal eats one of these flowers ho will procure the wisdom of a god Now, therefore, Mesha and Tresha, rise up and cat a flower each, for Zeus told me to tell you to do so." The two animals looked at one another for they greatly wanted to procure wisdom.

They did not know that the god in front of them was a liar.

However, disobedience conquered at last, and both Mesha and Tresha ate a poppy each.

Crash! Zeus, terrible in his wrath burst down upon them. " Traversphone! " he thundered to the the trembling God of Lies, " turn into an iceberg."

Before the cowering bears loomed a huge mass of ice, where a moment before had stood a liar. Zeus turned toward them.

" As you have disobeyed my commands, and listened to a liar, my blue Iceland poppies will be taken away from this earth, and nevermore will any mortal or animal gaze at them in admiration. Your tongues, also, Mesha and Tresha—yea, and your descendants' tongues after yep, will be a dull blue, not a beautiful bright blue like my flowers, but a dreary blue, to remind those animals that once in this white land, bloomed a beautiful blue poppy. Nevertheless it will teach them it is better to do right than wrong," said the god.

Maybe readers of the " Boys and Girls," page, next time you go to the Zoo, you will think of my story'and notice that to this day, the polar bears have dull blue coloured tongues. And you will never, never find a blue Iceland poppy growing in any garden in this world.