The Elf's Violin

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21763, 31 March 1934, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Elf's Violin

Hubbies, the olf, sat in the sunshine before his little brown house, playing his violin. How the notes danced as he played! Up and down, round and round, chasing each other about as though playing hido and seek. Tuis and bellbirds stopped their singing and perched silently on branches of nearby trees to listen; then vainly attempted to imitate his playing. A little fantail tried to dance to the music. Bubbles was the one and only musician in this Elfland town where ho lived. He played for all the singing, the dancing, marching and games. On ono memorable occasion he had been commanded to play before her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Fairyland. And the Queen had been so delighted she had given him the blue coat and shining black boots he was now wearing. This morning ho was practising very hard for the annual sports, soon to be held, and, of course, for the sports ho must play his very best. Presently he wrapped up his violin very carefully and placed it on a toadstool, for it was dinner time, and oven great artists such as ho was innst eat. He entered his house and snilfed at the snail stew he had put on for his dinner. "Ah! That's good! " he said. He was enjoying his appetising repast when the sound of stealthy footsteps came to his ears. He peered out of his small window. " [t is that mischievous Gnoine-who-lives-no-one-knows-whero," he muttered to himself. " I wonder what mischief he is up to now? " The dwelling place of the Gnome-who-lived-no-one-knew-where could never be found, and he was always playing tricks on the good folk of Elftown. After dinner Bubbles hurried out to his beloved violin and made a terriblo discovery. It was missing! Wildly ho rushed off to the village to break the news. And e\*eryone stopped work and searched and searched. In vain. They could find no trace of violin or of the gnome, who, they all agreed, had stolen it. " Whatever shall wo do for music now? " asked the elves, ono of another. Poor Bubbles was silent. His heart was brokenWer his loss. He had taken, one whole year to make his fiddle, and would have to take as long to make another. In the meantime he must earn a living somehow. He decided to make balloons and sell them in the streets of the town. So for many a clay he peddled balloons, trying to keep a brave front. He succeeded in this latter, but all the

II By LAVIN'LA LEE ||

time his heart was grieving for his violin. Then tho Gnome-who-lived-no-one-knew-where came sneaking behind him one day and snatched at a string of coloured balloons. " I need these," 110 laughed as he ran lightly away. Bubbles ran after him as fast as ho could, but the wicked gnome was faster and soon was out of sight. " I'll find him if it takes all my life," Bubbles vowed, and thereupon forgot his balloons and his violin in tho ono fixed determination that had become his. Weeks passed, and at tho end of that time Bubbles seemed as far away from finding tho mischievous gnome as ever ho was. Then .one day there came flying into Elftown two fairies who said that they had heard terrible noises coming from a dark, gloomy cave in the hills. " Someone is being dragged round tho cave by tho hair," said. one. "Surely tho world is coming to an end! " said tho other. All Elftown rushed up tho hill, and tho fairies led them to the entrance of a cave almost hidden from view by cruel and twisting lawyers. From the interior came such a wailing and shrieking as they had never heard, and had there not been so many it is sure not ono would have entered. But at last they plucked up courage and tiptoed into the gloomy recesses. Now some kiudly glow-worms lit up, providing a comforting light. And there, on a toadstool, sat the cheeky gnome, making desperate attempts to play Bubbles' violin! Now was the fear of the elves driven away and they laughed till tears ran down their cheeks. The mischievous gnome did not like being laughed at. Angrily he threw down tho fiddle and made a dash for the cave opening. The others let him go, but laughed long and derisively at him. Outside he tripped on a stone and rolled down the hill. And louder laughed the elves. He no longer troubles the good folk of Elftown, for he has never been seen to this day. The elves' laughter drove him away for all time. But Bubbles? Ho was more delighted ,thnn words can tell at having his violin returned to him. No longer does he sell balloons which he had hated doing. He may be seen often before his little brown house making such sweet music that the birds remain silent, listening. Tho sports held in Elftown that year were, of course, a tremendous success—and Bubbles' violin gave out music such as Elfland had never heard before.

For Nature Lovers

A GROWN-UPS LETTER Dear Miss Morton, —As you know, there aro a great many " grown-ups " who read and enjoy your Boys' and Girls' Page as much as the young folks do, the writer among the number. A few weeks ago, tho heading of one letter arrested my attention, " A Species of Mistletoe." Your correspondent, Norah Bonn, writes that she had seen a small plant, parasitic on tea-tree; it bore no flowers and she coudl not find anyone able to tell her the name of the curious growth. Probably what she saw was Korthalsella salicornioides, which is also to be found on Gaultheria (snow-berry) as well. She was mistaken in thinking that it bore no flowers, however. They are. minute, it is true, but they may bo seen forming a ring round the tiny branches, partly concealed by the expanded nodes or joints. There are a number of members of the mistletoe family in New Zealand, but only four of them have showy flowers. By far the most handsome is Elytranthe Colensoi. This plant bears masses of large, brilliant red flowers during December and January and is often mistaken for rata by the uninitiated. It is usually found 011 the beeches (nothofagus), but in Nelson it has been found on fruit trees as well. In a description of a visit to Waitomo Caves one of yonr young friends repeats a statement which probably was made by tho guide, relative to the time taken to form the wonderful stalactites and stalagmites to be seen there. Of course, the boys and girls know that the limestone which forms the hills under which the caves lie is formed entirely of the shells of tiny organisms which lived in the sea in past ages. But we do not know how long those hills lay at the bottom of the sea before some mighty convulsion of nature made dry land where once the waves rolled restlessly. Still less do we know how long the water has been percolating through the limestone forming caves and underground rivers. In a little man-made grotto in Auckland there hangs a stalactite which has been formed in less than six years, which goes to prove one of two things. Either the 30,000 years is what our American friends would call " tall guessing," or else that there is a very large quantity of lime and possibly alum in the water supply! Have you ever seen the feathers on a butterfly's wing, or the wonderful feet of a spider? Most boys and girls could buy a pocket lens which would make these wonders visible, as well as many others in insects and flowers. Save your pennies and buy a lens if you are interested in any form of nature study, oven if it is only a Is sample. When you see what wonders are revealed j'ou will not be content until you get a much stronger one which will reveal more still of beauty and interest. —E. F. Kibblewhite (A Child-lover.)