LITTLE BRAVE-HEART.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1935, Page 21 (Supplement)

LITTLE BRAVE-HEART.

(Sent by Keith Knofflock.)

Little Brave-Heart lived near a garden gate. Her real name was Dan-de-lion; but as die was so brave we called her little Brave-Heart.

Now little Brave-Heart liked to have her own way, She wanted to grow up tall; and she did grow up tall and nodded her head in the wind as well as in the sunshine. ( Then one day . such a . big storm came, and it rained, and rained, and rained. But little Brave-Heart knew what to do. She just drew her green cape oyer her head; and, while the birds sang in a tree close by, she laughed with - the raindrops. That happy little Dan-de-lion! But little Dan-de-lion could not always have her own way. One day a man came to cut the grass, and cut her down! But she was not a bit sad about it. She just tried again to grow up tall, and to live with such nice friends as the rain, the wind and the sunshine. By-and-bye she was ever so glad to see that her stem was a little < thicker, but she was vain about this, so she could not grow as tall as she did the first time. Now it is wrong to be vain about anything, so the man came again and cut her down, and she had to begin and grow again. But every time little Brave-Heart turned her yellow head to the blue sky her stem was shorter. And every time the man came and saw her he cut her down. But she always tried again, and laughed in the storm as well as in the sunshine. She was always bright and friendly, and sprang up again with her stem a little shorter every time. Little Brave-Heart was not only merry and bright; she was useful too. Before she got her pretty yellow head she was like a fluffy ball. On a fine day the ball looked just like a fluffy umbrella; then when the rain came it kept closed up like an umbrella when it is shut. Even when it was going to rain it kept closed up all the time, only opening out again when the day was fine. So little Brave-Heart always told us what the weather was going to be like. After a time she lived quite close to the ground on her little stem, because she was always being cut down. But now she had fresh green leaves around her, so no one could see her. Then one day' a boy came and stepped on her; he did not know she was there. And as she gazed up to the sky for the last time she sent up one little bud; but it had no stem. at al! Dear little Brave-Heart!