FOR THE CHILDREN.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14360, 4 February 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

FOR THE CHILDREN.

Till') MAGIC I'J'.X. Uy Mara Miiietl. It, waii 11 lovely day. Tho buh was iiliiiniig, and uvuiyuuug souiucd to Ho inning a goi.d 111..U u.ii, ui uoui't. JiYcryUiiii/i, that, is, except, JiiUiuiy. I'oiumy u...i uayl .a. Jlo Juwj nut, duiiu bis wollt noil in school, and now Jju had to stay and do it while llie rest were at pluy. lie ('Allied oat 01 tho wiudutv. la the held he cuuid seo the ooyj piayinjr cricket, and lie fell it won very hard that Ji<i fjluiulii have to may ju and do "n:e,ty old lessons." Jlo J'/irijot that )mj lind boon idle while tlio others were at work, so it was only fair that iio should work now. Jlo sat down and wroto a few words of Ins exorcise. Ho was hot mud cross, mid ho J;«d rubbed Inky lingejw oroi his fiioe, so you may guess what hi looked like

Soon ho'throw down hi* pan and rested Jus faeo in his hands. "Oh, dear," ho said. "I do wish I ' Had a magic pen, ojie that would do my exercises and got my sums right. How nice ,t would lie. i would never have to stay in then." Idee that?" „„id „ voi( . c ~,,„;<,„ j? P"" Tommy started and turned round, but there- was nothing there but tlif black cat, who was looking straight t

"Was it you who spoke P" said Tommy, not leolmg at all surpiged, , \es, ' said the cat. "I asked you 11 hat you wou d do to get n magic pen. 1 may as well toll you that I am a wizard, and 1 can givo you what you want, but it will liave t6 be a bargain " • louran have my best glass marble !? \'-'/ j; o, ', lllto ' Bni <l Tommy, "or lie knife Uncle Jack gave mo. It hao * two blades, and a.corkscrew, and 7 u ;>air of scissors in it." I ''Thanks,)' said tho cat,'getting up and stretching himself, "i Soft wai.it those things." and tho cat jumped tip walked round it throe times • : ,v.n lV °n'", h V a K "<*»*>' a magic ' pen. It doesn't look any different,' btit ' you will seo to-morrow. TJife inaoio I pKHVor won't wear off, but Will grSw stronger every d„y. Tho only condTtion is that you must not talk or play in school If you do, tho pen loseY its power » and with that he lay dowa and 1 went to sleep again. " Tho next morning Tommy wag oultn fb^f-v?- try h, 5 Ho «""enibered the condition, and did not talk or play. ,Ho listened I tho teacher liad -to say and watched him work the sums 'on tlio board so that ho could seo for him--Bp,f ]t tho Pen really did it right. rnoy lind a lesson about King Alfred and then hs teacher told Com to write out what they could remember. Tommy was quite eager to begin, and the maßio pen wont flying over the paper as[Tommy io ,d ft, and it was pU «.TO ?! ?i ,t i U dow s, right he-could see. iT° n l.' ToB »"y." B"id his teacher when he saw it; '"Tliis' is' the best ererciso m the dags' to-day." How plcnsod a.nd proud Tommy felt, R -was just the same with, tho sums. No staying in that day. Ev«ry day tin i d trtt«r and better, and atY the end.of the year Tommy had as many a* three prizes. w "Why did yon tntl Tommy you wore a wizardP» said tho tabby cat to tht black ono that night. "I don't belisvo it was a magic tx>n at nil. If Tommy has won prizes he hns lind to work."' Of course h 0 has," snid tho black cat Nobody gets what ho wishes for just hy wislung It, has to be worked for ns well. I think Tommy has found out by now that if he tries ha.-xl and also doos his best everv pen will bo a niDgio ppn.—'-Daily News."