LISTEN CAREFULLY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 828, 23 November 1929, Page 31

LISTEN CAREFULLY

Peggy was gathering a bunch of j £ roses for her mother, and tenderly fondled each bloom as she picked it. t Somehow it always hurt her to sever v a flower from its stem, but she comforted herself with the thought that r they must be meant for picking. As « she came to the last bush she caught sight of an extra wonderful bloom, and was just about to pluck it when r she heard a tiny voice. Peering into j the heart of the rose she saw the loveliest little fairy, on whose beautiful, c tiny face was a look of abject terror. i -v. Peggy was so astonished that she j ' almost dropped all her flowers as she ; • exclaimed: — j “Are you really and truly a fairy?” ! ( ' * , Yes, little girl,” replied the tiny U j voice, “but please, please don’t pull } I this rose, as the Queen of the Fairies | j is going to sleep here tonight, and I ; j | have to guard it for her. She would j never forgive me if I were to fail in j ] ! my trust.” 1 “Oh, how wonderful,” cried Peggy. ; i “I always knew there were fairies. Of S i ' course. I wouldn’t touch this flower < for all the world; but do you think i I might have hurt some other fairies j ! while I have been picking these?” j | ‘‘Oh, no, I’m sure you haven’t,” re- J i plied the fairy, whose face had now j lost its frightened look, and was smil- ! ing warmly up at the eager little girl, “because they would have called out, j as I did. But always remember to ■' listen carefully before you pick a ! ! flower. And, now. dear, you must run \ j away, as fairies are only permitted to j j speak to mortals for a very little i | while.” That night at the dinner table Peggy | told her family of her adventure with j ! the fairy, but mother was the only one i j who listened sympathetically. Bad and the boys told her she must have j been dreaming, or “seeing things.” ; ! But Peggy knows she was not I dreaming, and now, whenever she is j j picking flowers, she remembers her little fairy’s advice to “listen care- ! fully.” WHAT'S DIFFERENT? ! One goes out of the room, and alters I something about himself or herself- j For example, a boy may undo a coat j button, turn back a cuff, or pull out j the ends of his tie. while a girl might j alter her hairslide, take off her beads, j or turn her belt—any simple little ! change will do. Then he or she i romes in. and the first one to find out i | what has been altered has the next. i turn to so out,