THE THIMBLE’S REVENGE

Taranaki Daily News, 21 April 1928, Page 21

THE THIMBLE’S REVENGE

(E.H.S.) "Joan! don’t you think it is time for you to go to bed ?” said mother. “Oh, Mummy I just want to finish this hem before I go,” replied Joan, who was busily sewing. Very well, just five more minutes,” consented her mother. Io Joan the five minutes simply flew, and at her mother’s “Now Joan, bed she jumped up with a sigh, her thi: ible flying off her lap as she did so. "Oh, bother,” she sighed, “you can stay there. I am not going to find you,” and followed her mother from the room. Now, really Joan was a very nice little girl; she loved sewing but, unfortunately, had a nasty habit of leaving her needles, thimbles and cottons everywhere. The number of needles she broke and lost was amazing. Mother tried hard to teach her to be careful with them but I am afraid it needed a sterner lesson to deal with Miss Joan. fehe had just kissed Mummy goodnight when she felt a -Slight tug on her shoulder and heard a small voice say, “Now look here, young Joan, I am jolly well not going to be treated as if I was no use, so there!” Sitting up, quite startled, Joan beheld the quaintest wee creature she had ever seen. His body was the shape of a thimble with two legs, two arms, and two amazingly bright - eyes. He was surrounded by a queer glow and appeared to positively dance with anger. “Good gracious,” thought Joan, “looks like my thimble,” and it was.

“Well,” she asked, “what do you want?” Come with me, I’ll teach you how to treat thimbles and needles in a decent manner,” replied the thimble. Somehow, although she did not really want to go, for she felt just a weeny bit frightened, Joan jumped out of bed and followed' him, being led by his peculiar light. Just ahead of her she saw a beautiful glow, and in a few moments was on the outskirts of a wonderful, dazzling, sparkling town. “Oh!” she breathed, “how lovely.” “Yes,” replied her guide, “this is the place where all broken or lost, needles, thimbles and threads go. Joan gazed and gazed. She saw bright, sparkling, silver trees with row' upon row of glorious colours threading the branches in place of leaves, and in and out of these wonderful trees dozens of tiny figures, the exact replica of her guide, danced. “Why,” remarked Joan, .“how happy they look.”

"So would you be happy if you were free and did not have to live in fear of elumsy careless girls,” growled the thimble. After that Joan felt rather subdued. As they entered the gates of the town, Joan had observed hundreds and hundreds of tiny bright points sticking up all over the ground. “I can’t walk here in bare feet,” said she as Thimble led her on. “Oh, yes, you joliy well have to,” replied he. “These points are broken (needles which cannot be madj into trees as whole needles can when lost. Those beautiful colours,” he continued as he pointed to the trees, “are threads which people break off and throw away, or lose.” As Joan painfully forced her way over the points she wished as hard as she eould that she was safe home in bed. Her feet were torn and bleeding and she wanted to sit down and cry, but there was nowhere to sit. The trees, she observed as she came nearer to them were indeed needles

> and seemed to shake their branches mockingly at her. “Oh! Oh!” she moaned to Thimble, “please take me back.” “No,” he said, “you must be made to realise that we thimbles and needles are to be treated with respect.” He had led her on to where all the thimbles had gathered together and were growling ominously. As they approached the group Thimble held up his hand and aid, “Peace people. We leave the judgment of this mortal I to our good Genii.” They agreed and a messenger was sent to summon him. At his appearance Joan felt more and more afraid, he was so big and ugly but really he was awfully kind. After hearing the charges against Joan which were: “undue carelessness with needles and thimbles, and neglect generally in the matter of finding them when lost,” he turned to her and said, “I am the Genii of the Work Basket and I reign over all these people. It is my duty to punish all who offend them, but T think- von uro ininished enonwh.

judging by your feet,” and indeed she was. She was sorry she had been so very careless and wept loudly. “If,” continued the Genii, “you promise to do your best to care for my people I' will command you to be escorted back, but you must mean your promise.” “Oh, I promise! I promise!” sobbed Joan. “Very well,” he replied, “good-bye,” and the next minute Joan was conscious of being carried over those horrible points. Soon she was back in bed with daylight streaming through the window, and when mother came in she sighed, “1 am going to be so careful in future,” and I can assure you she has been.