A Wreath of Jewels

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22949, 29 January 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

A Wreath of Jewels

rrHE afternoon sun was shining brightly upon the tall trees and green grass of the forest, when two children ran gaily along the road leading from the village. They each carried a stone jar, for they were going to pick strawberries in the forest. Their widowed mother had a. hard task making both ends meet, so Erich and Pauline olten went gathering benies or nuts. , , , . Arriving at a great patch of strawberrv plants, they stopped playing, and settled down to pick the lovely led strawberries. Erich was a quicker worker than Pauline, and soon he announced trumphantly that his jar was filled. Little Pauline looked sadly at her jar; it was only half filled; but Erich came over to her and helped her fill it. They decided they had time for a game before they carried the strawberries home, so they placed the two jars carefully at the foot of an old tree, and soon were playing hide and seek. ' Then they began to feel hungry, and the sun, low in the heavens, told them it was time-to return for their dinner. They ran to the tree where they had left the strawberries, but to their horror found they were not there, and, search as they would, they could not find the jars. Pauline began to cry with disappointment, but Erich was in a rage. They had worked hard to fil! the jars, and the money for the strawberries was badly needed. He did not mean to return until he found them. "Hun home. Pauline," be said, "and tell mother what has happened. I am going to stay here until 1 find the strawberries."

He began to search very carefully among the twisted roots and heaped-up leaves, but he was beginning to feel he would have to return home without the jars, when suddenly he saw a gnome in a silver coat and red cap trying to push something large and heavy through a hollow in a tree trunk. That something was one of the strawberry jars, and Erich pounced upon the gnome, nearly startling him out of his wits. . He snatched the jar away and demanded the other one. The gnome

pretended he knew nothing of it. but finallv said he had taken it to his king, and if Erich wanted the strawberries back lie would have to follow him. He led Erich through the hollow and down a dark tunnel, until finally they came to a large room filled with many ocooooooooooooooooooooooooo

gnomes and gnome maidens, and where the king sat on his splendid throne. The king listened to Erich's indignant complaints and then said: "I aril sorry your strawberries were stolen, but they are necessary for our feast to-night. I will pay you for them." "Have you any «■ money?" asked Erich bluntly. "Yea, « indeed, you foolish child. Do" you not know that precious metals and gems come from beneath the earth, and that the gnomes control Ihern?" Before he was paid, however, he was invited to have supper with the gnomes. The food looked delicious, and was served on golden plates, but it was served in such small portions that

000000000000000c,0000000004 Erich could not taste it. Wliile he wail eating he began to feel very sleepy, for the hour was late, and suddenly—he must have fallen asleep, for he found himself beneath a tree in the forest, with dawn breaking! Almost crying with rags at being duped in this way, for he soon dis-, covered his pockets contained not » penny, lie ran home and sobbed out his story to his mother and little Pauline. His mother tried to comfort him, though the money for the' strawberries had been needed sorely; but suddenly Pauline put her hand to Erich's curly hair and'asked, "What is that glittering in your hair?" She jerked his head and pulled off a circlet of flowers made of gleaming stones. "The gnome maidens \vore wreaths like that in their hair,,' 1 Erich' said. "Do you think those stones could be jewels?" "Wo will soon find out," said hi» mother. "In the morning we will take <t to the village jeweller." * 11 The jeweller looked at the wreath, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. . . The coloured stones were indeed jewels. He advised them to take the wreath to the neighbouring town, where they would have no difficulty in selling it. They did as he said, andthe great sum of money they obtained for the'jewels kept them in comfort for the rest of their days. And though Erich and Pauline often went into the forest to plav, and to gather strawberries to eat themselves, they never had them stolen again, and Erich never again found the way into the underground caverns where tha gnomes lived. \ ; *' oooooooooooooooooooooooooo©