PUFF-BALLS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 86, 2 July 1927, Page 27

PUFF-BALLS

Dinky-Winky was a little elf. and he lived in a little house which he had built for himself in the top of a tall tree. It was a very nice little house. It was made of twigs and moss like a bird’s nest, and Dinky-Winky was ever so happy in it. When the wind blew through the tree tops, he would sit. snugly inside his little house and sing a little song which he had made up himself: “Blow, Wind, blow. Blow all day. You can’t blow my little house away!” One day, while Dinky-Winky was singing his song the Wind happened to hear him, and he grew ever so angry and annoyed. "Can’t I!” he said. “I’ll show you whether I can or not!” And he set to work, and he blew and he blew and he blew and he blew—until Dinky-Winky’s house was blown right out of the tree. Poor Dinky-Winky was very upset when he found that the Wind had blown his little house away. But he was a plucky little fellow, and he soon made up his mind that it was no use crying over spilt milk, or spoilt houses either. “I must build myself a new house, that’s all.” he said. “And this time I’ll build it where the Wind can’t blow it away. It’s evidently no good building in a tree-top. I’ll find a hollow tree and make my new house inside it.” So Dinky-Winky hunted about until he found a hollow tree. And then he built a cosy little house right insideit. It was an even nicer little house than the first one had been, and when

it was finished, Dinky-Winky was ever so pleased and proud of it. And he sang his little song: “Blow, Wind, blow. Blow all day. You won’t blow this little house away!” “Won’t I!” said the Wind when he heard him. And he blew and he blew and he blew and he blew, and he blew and he blew and he blew—until he blew the hollow tree itself right over. And Dinky-Winky’s new house was all smashed to bits inside. “Well. I must build another one, that’s all,” said Dinky-Winky bravely. “I’ll build it on the ground this time, then that horrid Wind won’t be able to blow it away.” So he hunted about until he found a nice place on the ground underneath a bush, and there he built another little house. When it was finished lie was ever so pleased with it, and he sang again: “Blow, Wind, blow. Blow all day. You can’t blow this little house away!” “Can’t I!” said the Wind. And he blew and he blew and he blew and he blew, and he blew and he blew and he blew and he blew, and he blew and he blew and he blew —until at last, even though it was underneath a bush, he blew the new little house away just like the other ones. “Well, never mind,” said DinkyWinky. “I must build another one, that’s all.” And he hunted about until he found a big white mushroom growing on the ground. “This will make a splendid little house,” said Dinky-Winky. “And as it is growing in the ground, I shouldn’t think the Wind could blow it away.” And he set to work and built little walls of twigs and heather all round the stem of the mushroom, until he had made it into a dear little house. When it was finished he was ever so pleased with it. “It’s the nicest little house I’ve built yet,” he said to himself. And he went inside and sang his little song: “Blow, Wind, blow. Blow all day. You can’t blow this little house away!” “Can’t I!” said the Wind. And he blew and he blew and he blew and he blew, and he blew and he blew and he blew and he blew, and he blew and he blew and he blew and he blew — and he blew —and he blew —and he blew —and he blew —until at last, though he couldn’t blow the mushroom itself away, he blew Dinky-Winky’s walls all down. So that little house was gone too. “Oh, dear, what shall I do?” said Dinky-Winky. And because he couldn’t think of any way of building a house that the Wind couldn’t blow away, he went to he old Wizard who lived in the Wood, to see if he could help him. “What you want,” said the Wizard, when he had heard Dinky-Winky’s story, “What you want is a mushroom that’s a mushroom all round and all over—one without any stalk to it at all. Then you could make your house inside and the Wind couldn’t blow you away.” “There isn’t a mushroom like that anywhere in ti» world, I’m afraid,” sighed Dinky-Winky. “Come back the day after to-morrow, and I’ll see what I can do for you,” said the Wizard. So Dinky-Winky went away and came back the day after to-morrow. “I’ve done it!” said the Wizard.

“Done what?” asked Dinky-Winky eagerly. “Made a new kind of mushroom for you, a mushroom that’s a mushroom all round and all over, one that the Wind can’t possibly blow away.” And

he took Dinky-Winky to a place where a round, white-looking thing was growing. It looked just like a mushroom, hut it wasn’t a mushroom, for it hadn’t any stalk at all but just grew straight up from the ground. ‘ Make your house inside that and the Wind won’t be able to blow you at way.” said the Wizard. So Dinky-Winky set to work and built a dear little house inside the white-looking mushroom that wasn’t a mushroom. First of all he made a door. And then he scooped out the inside and made a cosy little house, with a sitting-room and a bedroom and two windows to look out of. And when it was finished he was ever so pleased and proud. “This really is the nicest house of them all!” he said. And he went inside and shut the door and waited anxiously for the Wind to come by. Presently the Wind came, and when he saw' Dinky-Winky’s new house, he laughed scornfully. “Ho, ho, ho!” he chuckled. “Is this Dinky-Winky’s new house? Why, it’s as round as a ball and as light as a feather. I’ll soon blow this little house away!” And he set to work, and he blew i and he blew and he blew and he blew, j and he blew and he blew' and he blew J and he blew, and he blew and he blew and he blew' and he blew —and he blew —and he blew —and he blew—and he ! blew'— And then he stopped to take breath for a minute or two. And then he began to blow again. And he blew—j and he blew —and he blew —and he ! blew—and he blew—and he blew—and i he blew'—and he blew' —and he BLEW , —and he BLEW! But though he blew until he was : blue in the fact, he couldn’t blow that I little house away. And at last he had i to give it up and go home to bed, bei cause he was so puffed and out of breath. After that, 'Dinky-Winky lived ever so happily in his little house, and when the Wind blew he sang again his ! little song:

j “Blow', Wind, blow! ‘ As hard as you may! • You'll never blow this little house J away! M

| And the Wind never could. And the old Wizard made lots of J little round, white-looking things for , the elves and fairies to make their I homes in. And because they looked j just like round white balls, and because the Wind was never able to blow them away, no matter how hard he puffed and blew at them, the fairies called I them Puff-Balls. And that is what [ they are called to this very day.