FAIRY COINS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20722, 8 May 1937, Page 13 (Supplement)

FAIRY COINS

“And in the morning, when the poor woodcutter's daughter went to gather up the crinkly brown leaves, they had disappeared, but in their place lay a heap of silver pieces.” Mummie shut the storybook and tucked up the two little girls. "Oh, Mummie, are you sure that's the end?” said Pam. “Didn’t the story say just how the leaves turned into silver pieces?”

"Fairies,” laughed Mummie, and turned down the light. When she had gone, Pam turned to her sister.

“If only that would happen to us,” she whispered, “we could get that doll's house straight away instead of waiting weeks and weeks and weeks.”

“But how?” said Mary. She was not certain that she believed in fairies, but if Pam said so it must be right. “To-morrow, after school,” said Pam, “we’ll come home over the fields and there we’ll gather some crinkly autumn leaves and shut them up in the drawer.”

“Perhaps they'll still be there in the morning,” murmured Mary sleepily, "then I shan’t believe in fairies.”

“Perhaps they’ll be turned into silver pieces,” muttered Pam. “You can’t tell with fairies."

Next day, as soon as school was over the two children ran off home through the fields.

It was lucky, Pam thought, that it was autumn. For Instance, you couldn’t do this in spring, or summer, because there just wouldn’t be any brown crinkly leaves about, but to-day they were all over the place.

“Perhaps they’ve got to be fairy leaves,” said Mary, still feeling very doubtful of the whole business. “It didn't say so,” Pam told her, as she knelt and gathered the brownest, crlnkliest ones she could find. With their arms full, the children raced home; creeping up to their bedroom like mice, they tipped all the leaves into a drawer and turned the key in the lock. “There!” said Pam with great satisfaction. "We won’t take the tiniest peep until morning.” The sun was shining when Pam awoke next morning. She shook Mary sharply.

Mary was out of bed as soon as she had opened her eyes, and together the children ran to the drawer. Quickly Pam turned the lock.

There’s no telling which cry was the loudest as that drawer burst open, for every crinkly brown leaf had disappeared and there, right at the bottom of the empty drawer lay two shining silver shillings!

Well, it may have been fairies, or it may have been Mummie who had overheard what they had said. Pam and Mary never found opt.