THE ELF’S CAP

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20639, 30 January 1937, Page 13

THE ELF’S CAP

Teddy had been making mud pies all the morning, and now Mum was calling him to come and wash his hands and face for dinner, so squashing his old straw hat on his head he ran indoors.

In the bedroom he just dipped his grubby hands in the water, and then dried them on a nice clean towel. Suddenly he heard someone say: “Oh, dear! One more mark and I’ll have to go back.” Teddy dropped the towel in his astonishment, and rubbed his eyes to make quite sure that he was awake. Standing on tic towel rail, and shaking an angry finger at him, was a fairy about three inches high, dressed in white. On her beautiful fair hair was a sparkling crystal band, and her tiny shoes were made of soap. But her pretty dress was spoilt by dirty finger marks, and she was crying. Teddy bent down to have a closer view of this wonderful creature. "What’s the matte,-,” he asked, “and who are you?” “I’m the Towel Fairy,” she replied, drying her eyes on a dainty handkerchief, “and because you wiped your muddy hands on a clean towel my dress also became muddy. One more mark and I’ll have to go to the Laundry Witch again. I only came back this morning nice ; nd clean, and now look at my dress! The Laundry Witch is very cruel, _ she bites and scratches and hurts 'me. I’m disappointed in you, Teddy, and so are "-ie other Toilet Fairies.”

Teddy hung his head. He felt rather ashamed, and yet excited at seeing a real live fairy at last. “What have I done to the other fairies?” “Done!” exclaimed the Towel Fairy rather crossly. “Done! Well, you’ve lost the Toothpaste Elf’s cap so that he won't be able to go to the Soap Bubble Ball to-night. He’d been looking forward to that for such a long time. In fact, you make us all very unhappy.” “Yes, you do,” echoed another voice from behind the water jug.

Teddy peeped round the jug. Sitting on the soap dish, and looking very unhappy, was a little man dressed in a beautiful green suit trimmed with silver, but he had no hat on. Then Teddy remembered that only that morning he had dropped the top of the toothpaste tube and hadn’t bothered to pick it up again. “I’m awfully sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know I’d lost your cap, but I'll find it after dinner. I must go now. as Mum is calling me. And I’ll sponge off those muddy marks too,” he added, turning to the Towel Fairy.

At dinner he felt too excited t» eat much, and refused a second helping of his favourite pudding.

“Don’t you feel well, dear?” asked Mum in her kind voice. “I’m quite 0.K.,” replied Teddy. He had heard the big boys say that. It sounded so grand and grown-up, and he liked it. "May I go now?” Mum nodded. In the bedroom the two fairies were waiting for him. First of all he wiped the muddy marks off the Towel Fairy’s dress, and then he pulled up the blind to get more light. Down on his hands and knees he searched for the Elf’s cap until he ached all over, and felt hot and tired. “Why don’t you pull the dressing table away from the wall? It might be somewhere there,” said the Toothpaste Elf. So Teddy pulled and pulled, and the dressing table moved just a teeny weeny bit. “There it is,” exclaimed the Towel Fairy, who had been watching Teddy from her seat on the towel rail. He picked up the cap. and put it on the Elf’s head. "Now I’ll be able to go to the ball after all, and meet the Scent Fairy again,” said the Elf joyfully, and, turning to the Towel Fairy. "We’ll try and get Teddy an invitation to the ball, that is, if he’d like to come.” “I’d love to,” replied Teddy, his face beaming with joy. When he went to bed that night he found on his pillow a note from the fairies. In great excitement he opened it, and read: "The Toilet Fairies Invite Teddy to a Grand Soap Bubble Ball to-night at 8.30.” I must tell you that when Teddy touched the note he was changed into a very small boy, about three inches high, and before he knew what had happened he found himself in a wonderful ballroom full of elves and fairies, the walls of the room were white and shiny, and were almost covered with soap bubbles of all sizes. They shone like pearls lit up from inside when the fairy lights fell on them. The Fairy Queen was lovely, in a wonderful dress of spun glass, and the other fairies were nearly as lovely, but not quite, thought Teddy. Then he caught sight of the supper table, and he gasped! Never in all his life had he seen such a spread. There were silver dishes filled with shimmering, green jelly, on which floated water lilies made of ice cream, in lovely shades of mauve, pinlfc and cornflower blue. Crystal bowls held golden

honey, and the fairy fruit and flowers were too lovely for words. “My, but this is grand,” whispered Teddy to the Towel Fairy, who was standing near him looking very happy, for the Fairy Queen had given her a beautiful new dress for the ball. She waved her tiny hand to the Scent (Fairy who flated by in the arms of the Toothpaste Elf, who smiled at Teddy as he passed. “I’ll never forget this wonderful night, and I’ll really and truly never make you unhappy again,” he said when bidding the fairies good-bye. As Teddy has not seen any of the Toilet Fairies again, I think he must be keeping his word.