THE KIND WITCH

Southland Times, Issue 24273, 2 November 1940, Page 15 (Supplement)

THE KIND WITCH

—PRIZE— Margery stood at her bedroom window and gazed thoughtfully at the moonlit garden. “I wonder,” she whispered, “why witches are aU hornd ana unkind. I’m sure there must be at least one kind one in the world. It was All Hallow’s Eve and the clock was just striking midnight. There had been a party at Margery’s home, a wonderful party with games and music, and lots of the children had come in fancy dress. How they had laughed and shrieked as they bobbed for apples, and how they shivered and shook with fear as they sat in the darkness and listened to ghost stories. Maigery smile when she thought of Bobby Thomson who had, while trying to pick up an apple from a basin of water, fallen face downwards in the basin. The twelfth stroke of midnight echoed away into the night, and Margery was just about to turn away from the window, when she saw a black io™ glide over the tree tops and land on the lawn in front of her window. The moon shone on this strange figure, and Margery saw that it was an old woman with a long pointed black hat, “A witch,” exclaimed Margery. “Yes, my dear,” said the witch “but do not be afraid of me. Do I look like the witches you have read about? ’ “No you don’t,” admitted Margery, “You look so kind.” “Yes,” said the witch “I am a kind witch, and because you believe in witches, and felt sure that there were kind witches as well as wicked ones, 1 have come to show you all the kind things we do. ’ “Oh, how lovely,” cried Margery clapping her hands. “Come along then,” said the witch. “Jump on my broomstick behind me. Soon Margery found herself flying through the air towards the big city. When they reached the city, the witch told her not to speak or the spell would be broken and she would not see the good work the kind witches did. She then sprinkled some sweet-scented powder over Margery, and this made her invisible. Into a house they crept where v. baby was crying. The witch picked the little one up in her arms and crooned a soft lullaby till very soon the baby stopped crying and went to sleep. From house to house they journeyed, soothing crying infants, helping those in pain, giving sweet dreams to the good, and kind thoughts to the bad. They found stray cats and dogs and guided them back to their homes. Maigery remembered what the witch had said about speaking and was very careful not Soon, however, they reached a beautiful home, set back amid lovely gardens and lawns. With the moonlight throwing a strange white light upon it. it looked like some fairy palace. Forgetting the witch’s warning Margery exclaimed, “Oh! How lovely!” Immediately the house began to fade, the witch disappeared and everything went black. Margery shut her eyes, and when she opened them, the sunlight was streaming in her window and she was in her own little bed. Margery still insists that it was not a dream, but I think the excitement of the party and too much to eat are to blame, don’t you? —Prize of 1/6 to Cousin Iris Winsloe M.A.C. (15), Merrivale R.D., Otautau.

One day a little girl named Sue was out in the garden picking some violets when her mother called her. “Go to the shop and buy me some nutmeg, baking powder, and a shilling’s worth of oranges.” The store was five miles away, so Sue got ready right away. Her mother gave her an apple and said “Don’t be long.” Sue had gone two miles when she heard the sound of a witch s broomstick. “Where are you going?” asked the witch in a quiet voice. “I am going to the store,” answered Sue in a shy voice. “I will take you there,” said the kind witch. “Thank you,” said Sue. Soon they were at the store. After Sue came out the witch took her home and then flew away. —Prize of 1/- to Cousin Lorraine Black (9), Nightcaps R.D.

—HIGHLY COMMENDED— i One day as a little girl lay in prison an old witch came and took her away. Tire girl smiled and thanked her. The { kind witch did not know she was a | princess stolen from her home, the palace. Then one day she found out and she took her back to the palace. The witch was then called “the Kind Witch.” —2 marks to Cousin Melva Lake VA..C., (9), Tussock Creek. —HIGHLY COMMENDED— In a small town called Sunnyvale all the people were terrified of a witch. They called her the wicked witch. One day there a little boy went for a walk. He was lost in the woods. Everyone said that he had drowned himself in a creek. When they had given him up for dead in came the witch carrying the little boy. After that everyone called her the kind witch. —2 marks to Cousin Dorothy Lake M.A.C., (11), Section 8, Glencoe R.D.

—HIGHLY COMMENDED— Peggy and June thought that witches were very unkind, but one night there was a tap on June’s blanket. June looked, then hid her face under the blankets, but the witch said, "I am a kind witch. Come to my palace with me.” June believed her and woke up Peggy. Soon they looked like wee black dots up in the air. When they got there they were very happy enjoying cakes and honeydew and dancing to the music. Before that the witch had said, “Some of our witches poisoned cakes yellow, so do not eat anything yellow.” When a tired pair woke next day it was ten o’clock. —2 marks to Cousin Betty McNoe (8), Heddon Bush R.D., Winton. 1

—HIGHLY COMMENDED— - All Hallow’s Eve had come at last and the kind witch had flown from Witchland to cast good spells over all the little boys and girls who were giving or going to a party that night. As soon as she reached earth she heard a lot of noise and shouting, and saw a light shining in the distance. On flying over to it on her broomstick she found that a party was in progress and children were bobbing apples, both on strings and in a bath of water. In the darkness and in a corner of the room was a Jack o’ Lantern with its green eyes, looking very ghostly indeed. The kind witch, when nobody else was looking, made an eerie light, coloured yellow, in the rest of the face. Going onwards, she saw a crowd of children letting off fireworks and some of them were made to go up in the air in the shape of a Jack o’ Lantern. At last the kind witch completed her rounds and after looking to see if evreything was all right, she flew on her broomstick back to Witchland. —2 marks to Cousin Nancy Shivas A.C., (12), 12 Preston street, Gore. —HIGHLY COMMENDED— On Hallowe’en the kind witch rides around on her broomstick making people happy. To the little children in bed she gives pleasant dreams. She is realty not a witch, but is called one as she rides on a broomstick. Sometimes she gives children rides on her broomstick to far-away lands. —2 marks to Cousin Bob Mac Gibbon (8), McNab. —HIGHLY COMMENDED— On a warm summer day a witch was flying on her broom-stick through the air looking down on the peaceful scenes below. All at once she saw a group of bad elves taking prisoner a lovely little fairy. “Now,” she thought to herself, “I must help this little fairy. She followed them to a large town where a prison stood. The elves placed the fairy in the prison and left her without food or water. As darkness came on the fairy became afraid and started to cry. All at once she heard a voice calling her to cheer up. “A kind witch has come to help you,” the voice said. “At midnight my hat has magic power, and I will put it through the prison bars. You must wear the hat which will bring you up to my broom. Then we will fly away to your fairy glade.” —2 marks to Cousin Ken Robson (12), Monowai.

—HIGHLY COMMENDED— Once upon a time, there lived in one of the villages of Witchland a witch who was really kind. Indeed, she had very kind qualities, one of which was to help kidnapped people to escape. One day she found a little girl locked in a room in one of the wicked witch’s houses. The child was crying bitterly and wanted to return to her home from which she had been stolen. The kind witch waved her magic broomstick, and a beautiful white steed stood in its place. On it she placed the little child and the kind witch and the child were soon galloping away to a distant town where the little child lived. Her parents had begun to despair of ever seeing her again. They rewarded the kind witch with many beautiful gifts. The other witches in Witchland were very annoyed over this kind act and drove the kind witch out of their village, but she soon settled elsewhere and lived happily ever after. —2 marks to Cousin Margaret Woods V.A.C., (13), South Hillend R.D., Winton.

—HIGHLY COMMENDED— Once upon a time many years ago there lived several witches. Among them lived the most wicked and the kindest witches. One day two little children named Peter and Sue went for a walk in the woods. When they had gone a little way into the woods they felt very tired. They sat down and went to sleep. Near by there was a house where lived the wicked witch. On seeing the little children she rushed over and turned them into stone. Just then an old, old lady came by, she was the kind witch. When she saw the children she changed them back again. When the children found they could move they said “Thank you” and went home. —2 marks to Cousin Hazel Gordon (11), 58 Dublin street.

—HIGHLY COMMENDED— The kind witcii came along on her broomstick, she was looking for a chance to cast a good spell on someone. At last she came to a pig in a paddock, and sailing down she said: “Why are you looking so sad, little pig?” “Ho,” cried the pig, “a wicked witch cast a spell on me when I was a prince, because she said she did not like to see a prince.” “I’ll soon change you into a prince,” said the kind witch, and with that she cast a spell on him and immediately he changed into a prince. —2 marks to Cousin Jack Rawle (15), Great North road, Winton.