BEAUTIFUL SWEET-PEA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20514, 15 March 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

BEAUTIFUL SWEET-PEA.

Ey OLWY.S' RUTHERFORD. Bos 10, Bombay, (age lo). Original.

In a deserted corner of a great garden, covering a dilapidated and ugly fence with its delicate green foliage grew a plant, its blooms insignificant and colourless. 'tis true, but with marvellous grace in its twisting stems and slender sprays. The other flowers in the garden called it " that common pea,'- and looked with contempt on its pale face, for so vain and foolish were they that they were all jealous of the Pea's slender grace and lost no opportunity of letting her think they despised her. The aristrocratic rose drew haughtily away from her. The stately lily held her head, high and looked most disdainful when the playful breezes bent her toward the Pea —every flower in the garden pretended to scorn her. But the fairies loved this plant and called her Sweet Pea," for she was only doing kindly deeds. When a cruel mortal cut down a lovely tree and left an unsightly stump, Sweet Pea spread caressing arms about it and soothed its scars, and the tree spirit was grateful to Sweet Pea. When tired littlq sprites lost their way home in the dusk, Sweet Pea gathered them close and lulled them to sleep, swaying and whispering, so the sprites, too, loved Sweet Pea. At last the spirit that kept watch over the garden decided that a plant with such a lovely heart as Sweef Pea should have a lovely face, so she called a meeting of all the sprites and fairies and suggested that they should all give Sweet Pea some gift, " I," said the sky fairy, " will give her all the opal tints of sunset skies." ' And I," said the fairy of light, "will give Sweet Pea the silver light of the moonbeams, the rosy light of the sun, I will make her glow and shine." " We," said the sprites, " will gather all the perfumes of the wind. The spicy scent of moor and wood!, the tang of tossing waters, and the sweet perfumes of all the other flowers; we will gather them all and give them to Sweet Pea." So that is why now Sweet Pea is one of the loveliest flowers in our garde.n.