ONCE UPON A TIME.

Otago Witness, Issue 1499, 7 August 1880, Page 27

ONCE UPON A TIME.

(By L.M.0., in. "Young Folks.")

It was a day in early winter, jußt after the first heavy snowstorm, and the children were more uneasy on that account, Visions of

bright sleds and snow-balling crowded out the usually interesting pictures and stories in the primers. The teacher saw that it "wasn't going to do;" so she said with a very Bprightly air, " Now, boys, if you will Bee how quickly you can get your lessons, I will tell you a story." The lessons were soon finished, and they gathered in a group before the window, and presently three pairs of round eager eyes were staring at her — two gray, two black, and two blue j so she begau: " Once upon a time "—it was a true story, mind you — " once upon a time there was an enchanter who came to dwell in the land. He sent messengers ahead of him from the far North, where all things lie dead and dumb with cold, except the polar bears, seals, and little white foxes that bark at the streaming lights Aurora sends to guide the Esquimaux hunters. The messengers sent ahead into the land came one night in November, and set a gleaming, phosphorescent circle around the brilliant moon. Then little mists arose, gathered one by one, and floated upon her, till her shining face grew dim, and she looked down in mazy wonder upon the darkened earth. The pale morning dawned, gathered her gray clouds about her, shivering as the searching wind brought down the news that the enchanter was already on the way. Then stray bits, of his garments came floating down to the'ground, and the wee children, looking up with their bright wondering eyes, thought them fairly birds, and clapped their banda and crowed for joy. The bigger children laughed too, enjoying it just as much, but they knew better what it was than the little ones. Soon the enchanter was there ! he came drifting along on the blast, settling down upon the earth like a great white cloud. Still they came, and still are coming ! his people are not all here yet." When she had got so far she said : " Now, boys, can you guess who he was ?" All the eyes stared more and more, and opened wider and wider, in vain efforts to spy out the old fellow. Black-eyes, and Gray-eyes, and Blue-eyes each deolared that they could not guess ! •'Well, the name of the enchanter was Snow— the beautiful spirit of the snow."