THE FIRST CROCUS

Southland Times, Issue 23610, 10 September 1938, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE FIRST CROCUS

—PRIZE— May lay back in bed and yawned. “I wonder why mother makes me go to bed so early. lam not,.a bit sleepy.” “Well May,” said a tiny voice, “Would you like to spend a few hours with me?” May sat up and looked around,.and there on her counterpane was a lovely fairy. “Who are, you?” said May. “I am the flower fairy,” said the tiny voice. “Would you like to come to fairyland?” “That would.be lovely. May I come now?” “Shut your eyes, take hold of my hand, and we will soon be there.” May took the fairy’s hand, and the next moment she felt herself flying up through the air. • Soon they came to a halt and May opened her eyes. There she stood in the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. There were flowers of every kind and colour. May saw many pixies at work. Some were watering the garden, while others were painting the flowers many bright colours. At last she came to a crocus bed. “How lovely,” said May. “May I have just one?” “Certainly,” said the little pixie gardener. There were purple and white ones, but May liked the golden ones best, so the pixie picked one and handed it to her. Just then, back came the flower fairy, who told her to hurry as the dawn*was near. In .her hurry May dropped the crocus and it fell down out of the reach of her hand. The next moment, May found herself sliding down a moonbeam, right into her bed. She waved goodbye to the little fairy and asked her to come again. . Just then May heard her mother calling her to get up. She dressed, then went to the window and looked out. What a surprise she had when she saw the golden crocus which she had dropped the night before. —Prize of 1/- to Cousin Valerie Fox (8), 57 Conyers Street. —PRIZE— Hurrah! Hurrah! Winter ispast and every day Mr Sun gets up a little earlier in the morning and sets a little later in the evening, so that the days become longer and warmer. How happy we are, because we all love the Springtime. . One morning as I hurried out early to get The Tunes, I saw, peeping out above the earth, a dear little yellow crocus. ' “Good morning,” said he. . “Good morning,” said I. “What have you been doing all this long time?” . “Why, don’t you know?” said the crocus. “I have been asleep in Mother Earth all through the cold wet days of winter, but now the air is warmer I have just awakened, and can pop my head above ground without being frozen. Do you like my little yellow head?” ■ “Yes, yes!” I said. “You are certainly very pretty, and make us feel so proud of you. You cheer us all with your bright colour.” “Wait until you see my brothers and sisters, though,” said he. “They have different coloured heads, some white, some blue, some purple, and some yellow like my own, and when they come to keep me company, we will brighten up Mother Earth.” “I know you will,” said I, “and everyone who sees you will feel happy because you are so bright and cheery. Goodbye, and thtak you for that lovely talk, Mister Crocus.” —Prize of 1/- to Cousin Victor Jones (8), 71 Conon street. x —PRIZE— One day Joan was in the garden looking at the plants to see if any flowers were out, when suddenly she heard a tinkling sound. She looked down and saw a little fairy ringing a tiny bell. “Why are you ringing that bell?” said Joan. 1 “Why, don’t you know? lam ringing this bell to awaken the

crocuses/’ Joan looked down and saw a tiny yellow crocus. It was in her own garden. How excited she was. —Prize of 1/- to Cousin Heather Baillie (6), 216 Nelson street.

—VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED— A little crocus slept all winter, soft and warm in the brown earth. He slept so soundly, he did not hear his Fairy Godmother calling him. “Wake up, Wake up,” she called. “It is almost Springtime.” But the sleepy little crocus snuggled down in his soft, warm bed. “Wake up,” the fairy called again. “Look at the lovely golden coat I have brought you.” The little crocus opened one eye, and peeped at the little silk golden coloured coat, then he opened

both eyes very wide and sat up. “Come along,” said the fairy, “and I will help you to put on your silken coat, and then I will take you up into the sunshine.”

When he was dressed, the fairy helped him to climb up to the top of the flower bed. She kissed him goodbye and left him there all alone.

All the other little crocuses were fast asleep and he was first to come up in that garden. He felt very

proud, and he held his face up to the sun.

By and by a little girl came trotting along the path. Suddenly she saw the little crocus and became very excited. “Oh! you dear little crocus,

you are up early. It is not quite Spring yet, and here you are all alone. Grandma, Grandma, a crocus is up. Comb and see it.” Grandma stooped and touched the petals tenderly. “The dear little flower smiling there makes one feel so glad that Spring is near at last, Phyllis,” Grandma said. “Why do you call yellow crocuses little boys and pale ones little girls?” “Because,” answered Phyllis. “The yellow ones are always' up first, while the pale ones look like sweet little girls in party dresses.”

—3 marks to Cousin Alys Holloway V.A.C. (11), Herbert street.

—VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED— One cold day in winter I found a wee, brown bulb lying out in the snow. I didn’t know what kind of a bulb it was, so I took it home, planted it in a snug corner of my flower bed, and put some sticks around it to keep the wind away. It seemed a long time before the bulb sent up a little shoot. At last, to my surprise, I saw a little bud peeping through the ground and I found that it was a yellow crocus. In about threq days’ time when I went to look at my crocus I found it was wide open with a big bumble bee

settled in the centre. The flower was surrounded by some tall, thin, green leaves. ■ The little crocus brightened up my garden for quite a number of days, then it gradually withered and died. I was very sorry to see the first crocus die but I look forward to the next Spring when it will bloom once more. —3 marks to Cousin Nancy Traill (10), Half Moon Bay, Ste Wart Island.

—VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED— When Peter was five years old, his Grandad gave him a garden, for himself. Peter dug it and planted it with bulbs that Grannie gave him. Grandad had a bulb garden too, so Grannie said she would give a prize to the one who had the first flower out. . .

Peter worked hard in his garden to keep out the weeds, but it was such a long time before the little green shoots of the bulbs’ began to come through. Then one morning as Peter was getting dressed he Iqoked out of the window and there he saw

in his own garden, a pretty little purple crocus. He ran quickly to tell his Grannie. Grannie was pleased that Peter had the first crocus, and for the prize she gave him a little watering can to use for his garden. —3 marks to Cousin Doughs Baillie (8), 216 Nelson street.

—VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED—“Oh dear,” sighed a small green bud. “Is it really spring again?” “Yes my dear,” answered Mother Earth. “Hurry up, here is your golden gown.'Now put your green cloak on and hurry up the stairs. Your sisters will follow you.”

Very soon the first crocus pushed her way through the dark brown soil. As she gazed around her she saw two little violets peeping curiously at her. . , “Good morning,” said one, while the other said, “Will you please unfold your cloak, and let us see your gown?” •' , , “With pleasure,” answered the proud crocus, as she slipped the

cloak from her The violets thanked her for doing'as they had wished. Up came Mr Wind and with a gentle breeze made the crocus dance, for she was the first sign of spring. After a while out came the shining sun and made her feel ve'ry gay. —3 marks to Cousin Yorath Winsloe (11), Merrivale R.D., Otautau. ,

—VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED—

“Oh, Mother, come quickly and see who is here,” said Douglas on his way to school one morning. There, tucked up in a warm corner of the flower garden, was a wee golden yellow crocus. When Douglas went in to school he was’ thinking about the crocus, and not paying attention io his work. After school was over Douglas went to see if any more crocuses had come out to keep the little one company, and surg enough quite a few were up. Some were violet or white, and some were golden. Douglas now noticed that other spring flowers and shrubs were showing signs of life. Birds were

nesting, the sun was getting stronger and the days longer. But Douglas always remembered the first wee crocus that had appeared in the garden, and he was very sorry when after a few days it no longer lifted its head to brighten the garden, but went to sleep until, next spring.

—3 marks to Cousin Colin Gibson (9). 60 Robertson street