THE STRANGE LITTLE VALLEY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16907, 5 December 1922, Page 3

THE STRANGE LITTLE VALLEY.

i Once upon a time there was a. hoy named Christopher who liked to l iv on his back daydreaming, gazing up into the clouds. Otter he used :•> j wish that ho might float a way from ! his tasks at school on the broad while j back of one of them. Wliat was his surprise, one warm 1 summer day, to find himself gently wafted upward through the air for ; over a mil© into the very midst of a ' j swiftly moving cloud. The sensation J of passing rapidly and smoothly • through the air was very agreeable > I Christopher, or Kit. as everybody c-all-j ed him ; but suddenly, without any. [ warning, a rough wind tore off the edge ol the cloud and drove it downward, where it turned into a million raindrops, which began falling . » earth. And down with them, whether or no, came Kit. When his dangling legs touched the earth again, he found himself in a small valley in the midst of a xinv village. Twilight was falling, so !•-* j an through the rain to the first door in sight and knocked. The door wis flung open by a little old man, who wore his shoes wrong side before. ‘ He probably put them on in r great hurry,” Kit .reflected • but, being boy of good manners, lie made ;• > reference to the old man's strange appearance, but merely asked him for i shelter. j ‘ I’ll give you bed and food, proj \ bled you’ll help me get in my hay to-morrow,” the little old man bargained : and upon Kit consenting co this arrangement, the little old man j awkwardly hobbled along in his re versed shoes and led Kit above to tlv> j loft, where they wore both to sleep. A STRANGE CUSTOM. When they were undressed’ and lav /i side by side, the little old man place ! a heavy bolster of goose feathers on | top of both their faces. ; “Here, Master!" Kit protested. ! •• What are,you doing? 1 like my ! head on the pillow, not the pillow on j my head.” j The little old man sat up and looked ! at Kit. in great surprise; then he said I sorrowfully: • Pray introduce no changes here; ! We’ve clone this way for many n year. So pool' Kit was obliged to lie. tossing under the weight of the bolster until morning. When morning dawned and the boy arose to clress. the little old man bad • him put on his shoes exactly .*s he himself did his, toes in the.back, heoh in front. “But why?” cried Kit. “ I ean i only tumble along then, as you do.” The little old man set his mouth in j n firm line. “ Everybody in this | valley wears them so.” he said, and then he repeated : Pray introduce no changes here : We’ve done this way for many a year. Soon after ho bade Kit join him at breakfast. Two bowls of porridgesteamed on a neatly laid table. When Kit took up his spoon ail i began to eat, the little old man laid his own down in amazement. “What are you doing?” he cried. ; That’s not the wav to use a spoon. Watch me!” and he began eating his porridge from the back of the spoon , in a verv slow and clumsy fashion. ! Kit laughed loudly. “ Master,” he ■ said. tc don’t you «©o that’s no way to eat porridge! The cream all runs j away and you can get but a, morsel to j your mouth. We shall never ’ be f through breakfasting at this rate Watch me!” and Kit filled the howl of his RPoon in the usual manner j The little old man frowned terriMv He looked much disturbed. a« Kit rapidly and neatly ate his porridge'.

I Then be said again, only much louder . j and more positively than before: ! Pray introduce no changes here; j We’ve douo this way for many a ] j When breakfast was over, the litt 1 © | • old man led the way to a field full of ' I havcoeks. A waggon, topped with a j ! hayrack, stood near. i ■ Pile the hay into the rack,” 1 • , j ordered. “ I’ll show you how.” and. ! so saying, ho took the pjtchtork, an ', using the handle instead of the prongs. ■ I Jk began slowly and laboriously push- i I ing live liav upon the waggon. “Work fast!” he ordered. “ For | the clouds are gathering again for a ! ’ shower.” Thereupon lie wont back | to the village, leaving Kit to his work The moment the little old man was j out of sight, Kit sat down, put on his ' shoes right side before, and. using the pitchfork in the proper manne*% loaded the hay into the rack in a short time. Just as he finished his work, the j little old man and a band of neign- j j hours came running up in great ec- j j c-ifoment. j “The rain will be here any minute.” ! • cried the little old man; “wo will all j > help you load the hay on the waggon.’ J THE NEIGHBOURS MARVEL. Then, suddenly seeing that the liav I ; was already in the rack, he stared and | all the neighbours stared too. “ Wonderful !” cried the little oi l | | man. “ This boy has done in a few j j hours what it would take us all clav i i to do.” ! Then he glanced down and saw that j j Kit had put on his shoes right side ‘ ! before, and that he carried his pitch- • ; fork prongs down. • I see!” he said in a terrible voice, i ‘ You’ve been changing our ways! i ; That’s how you got the work douo, •- j j it?” and with that he and/ all oi- . i neighbours shouted together: i Pray introduce no changes here ; We’ve done this way for many a year, I and. not content with this, they began 1 j chasing Kit around the field. B-ic 1 just as they were about to corner him. i I Kit felt a warm current of air b-ar i him unward far above all the c-lammi’* • into the midst of a great black cloud. j Twav he sailed on its breast, puft'e 1 •i 1*1(1 blown and torn by the wind. This tiine, however, he did not come down with the rain: but. after being blown j j first up. then down, several times. L“ • ! was dropped back; to earth with the ; pattering hail. “ Rat -tat'-tat.” the hail j>ounded or i ' the doors and windows. One large egg-shaped stone struck Kit's own door with a loud whack. Kit's moth©:- •; threw the door open wide and saw liej son running up the walk. “Where have you been, day-dream - | or 2 ” sir- called. : But Kit onlv laughed for answer : a■ he ran happily into his own lions' I 1 The truth was he was not exactly ( i sure whether he had. in j-eality. ho j in the strange valley or only imagined the whole adventure. Of one thing j he was sure : he never wanted to go ! there again.