THE KING WHO WOULD NOT EAT HIS PORRIDGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 714, 13 July 1929, Page 15

THE KING WHO WOULD NOT EAT HIS PORRIDGE

The King of Noodle Land -would not 1 eat liis porridge. “Take it away,” lie j shouted, shaking liis sceptre and glow- | ering at everyone. “Didn’t I order ! cucumber?” “But, your Majesty,” everyone hastened to assure him, “there are no cucumbers to be had. It is not the season.” “Then I shall go without,” said the King, and he sulked for the rest of the morning. The next day the king ordered kippered -whitebait. Th© Chief Cook had never seen whitebait because there were none in that country, and all this happened long before people had thought of canning them. And even if whitebait had been procurable there would not have been time to kipper them. “The porridge is very good, your Majesty,” the Chief Cook suggested gently. The King flew into a rage and would not eat anything. Day after day this went on, the King ordering impossible dishes and sulking when ho could not have them, until he grew as thin as a reed, and the Court Physician became anxious. “Anything in reason, your Majesty,” ho said, “but if you refuse your food this kingdom will soon be without a monarch.” Still the foolish King persisted until he grew so weak that he could not hold his sceptre, and so thin was he that the Royal Robe would fold three times round him. Then there came a day when ho could stand it no longer. “Bring the Chief Cook,” he said. The Chief Cook came hurrying in, wiping his hands on his apron. “Yes, your Majesty,” he said, hopefully. The King blinked hard. “Make me some porridge,” he said hoarsely. “Serve it in a large bowl with a little sugar and plenty of cream, and —serve it quickly!” Two minutes later all the bells were ringing in Noodle Land, and the Court Physician was dancing a hornpipe with the stable boy. Soon the King waxed fat, and now he has porridge for breakfast every morning. . —W.S.T. INTO THIN AIR Yesterday we went to the zoo. On the way we bought six balloons. When we came to the monkeys we blew up a balloon, tied it up, and dropped it into the cage. A monkey picked it up very carefully, then he ran away biting it, until, suddenly. it burst. All the monkeys looked so surprised. They wondered where it had gone. We did that several times with the same result. ,Toan Duthie, aged 10.