A SPINNING WHEEL STORY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIX, Issue 21959, 10 May 1941, Page 11

A SPINNING WHEEL STORY

PART I Tlie old woman was spinning, spiffning. The thread seemed never-ending And the odd thing about it was thta it was always changing, and wouM spin the most dissimilar things. .She could spin it into silk, or satin, or woollen, or linen. She could spm barley-sugar from it so fine that the cook could make airy castles with & for the king’s banquet, or whatever was wanted. She could even spin glass so fine, that it made tails for the glass birds that the glass-blower so fond of making. Truly, she was j wonderful spinner, and had a wonderful spinning wheel. Etta and Otto were never tired of watching her; and this was, not to be wondered at, for she would spin whatever - they asked for—tops, boUs, marbles, dolls that could open and shut their eyes, and all kinds of toys that can be imagined. Indeed their nursery was so full that the queen said she must tell the old woman not to spin anything more for them. The spinning-woman lived in onepf the old rooms of the castle. She a crimson satin petticoat, and a black satin dress all looped-up to show iti-a white muslin apron and handkerchief, and her cap had a great crimson bow in it.” She wore A pair of. gold tacles and was very MUCUE'Ihe children, who were never ttaeS.Sf watching her. £ , , £ “What can you spin for us to-day?" asked Etta; “we don’t want any more playthings.” “What are the people doing outside?” asked the old woman. “They’re skating., . Can’t you je them? If you go h step nearer to the window, you can do so.” “I never leave my spmnkig-wheei,” answered the spinnißg-wwaah. “I must spin on and on night and’day, or the thread would break, and I could no longer use my wheel." “Foor spinning-woman|” said Ette, “how tired you must be! If you will teach me how to spin, I will spin tar you, and then you can look about a litfleJ* " “Ah!” said the spinning-woman, “that I cannot do. I can never leaVe my spinning-wheel until I have sptfn the thread out; and it is so long—so long! ” Etta talt’ S® l ?/"/; Then the spinning-wpmm» said, "I* there much snowiputaMb?’’ * “Yes,, it is deep, ft js jriltaf up high.” The old woman the spin-ning-wheel and whftpered something. How it hummed ahtf “It is singing a song,” said Etta.“ “Yes; can you hear what it is?” " Etta and Otto drew -near ami. Jstened. It was a low sweet tune, and they had to listen for a long time before they could make out anything. "Ah!” said Otto, “I hear it now.” “So do I,” said Etta. "Hush! husht” “Over the silver snow * ! softly, softly rw: Larger, larger J Where I am going—hp! ho!— » Should you not like to know?”“What is it?” asked Etta. “Listen again,” said the woman, as the wheel went on humming and humming. “Of the silver snow I’m made, “ And I’m round, and round, and round, A little boy and a little maid Can trundle me over the ground.?; “Is it a hoop?” asked Otto. ’ “No,” said the woman. “Listen again.” “A great white silvery ball Is growing so tall, so tall: And the children behind it run; Oh! isn’t it fun, great fun? Harder and harder it grows; It will use all the snow as it goes.” “Why,” said Etta, "ft must be a snowball; and it is getting so large because it gathers the snow as it rolls along. Don’t you wish, Otto, that you and I were rolling it along?” "Of course I di,” replied Otto. Ah! they had not thought of it! But no sooner had they wished than they found themselves out among the skaters and a lot of boys who were snowballing. But Etta and Otto did not take any notice of them, for on the ground was a great snowball—just such a snowball as the spinning-wheel haff sung about; and with a merry shout they placed their hands upon it, and began to roll iValeng. ” How fast it went, and how easy it was to push, though it was growing larger and larger. Up to their waist—up to their eyes—over their heads. Why they could hardly see the top of it, and the strange thing was that they never thought of leaving it and going home. No, they felt that wherever the snowball went they must go and so they went on and on. The snowball was as large as a house now, and yet Etta and Otto could push it quite easily. “I wonder if it will grow any bigger?” said Otto. “I wonder where we are going?” said Etta. “I wish we could stop for a moment - and see how high it really is,” said -<stto, "I believe it is growing into a ' mountain.” ■ --.B<ft they could not stop; they were i 4>Hl'ged to go on pushing as long as the ’ Tsfanked to roll. J‘Not at all,” replied Otto; "but I am getttag hungry.”-“.And they went on. S®jidenly, without any warning the crashed- and fell to pieces. Etta and Otto sprang out of the way, but? they need not have been afraid; the ball fell so lightly that it did not hurt them; moreover it left a space clean round them. They were in a valley, and the snow mountains rose around them. There were patches of ground where plants could bloom, and there the blue gentians and the wild hyacinths were blossoming gaily. It was all so beautiful that for some minutes Etta and Otto could only say, ‘How lovely! How wonderful! It must be fairyland spun out of the snowball.” They they began to wonder where they were, and how far they had rolled the ball along. But they could not tell; neither did they know how long they had been rolling it along. It seemed a short time ago, and it seemed a long time ago, and after puzzling for some time, they decided that the best thing to do would be to try to get to the top of one of he snow mountains, and see what was on the other side. “For we cannot be very far from home,” said Otto. “I am so sleepy,” said Etta. “That is the effect of -the snow,” answered Otto; “we hay£_,been near it so long. I feel sleepy -too.” They sat down side by side, and looked again and again at the mountains, which were all sorts of colours in the sun. And then they fell fast asleep. The queen went into the nursery to see Etta and Otto but they were not there. Then she sent the nurse to find them, but the nurse was not able to do so. “Let everyone look for them all over the castle,” said the queen. So all the servants left off their usual work and set to work to hunt for Etta and Otto. But they were unsuccessful. At length the queen thought of the spinning-woman, and sent up a page to see if the children were there, but they were not. The spinning-woman said that they had been there, but had ' left her to go and play in the snow. (To be continued.: