THE NEW YEAR

Waikato Times, Volume 123, Issue 20693, 31 December 1938, Page 19 (Supplement)

THE NEW YEAR

THE Weather Man was in a very happy mood and his large, round face was wreathed in smiles, while the Sunshine fairies played hide and seek on the earth below and the earth children were feeling very happy too. You see, the Weather Man had had a very severe fit of miserables and for days and days the llain fairies had been tumbling down to earth and nearly flooding the mortals out, and then all of a sudden the Weather Man decided to be happy again and the people on earth were delighted to see blue skies and l'eel the warm sunshine once more, for the next day was New Year and they felt that it had to he fine to start the year a-right. So the Weather Man hurried to the Land of Hope, which is the delightful place where the fairies spend ail their holiday hours, and it is here that the New Y’ear comes bringing with him New Hope, and joy and gladness for the fairy people to scatter among the mortals on the earth. When the Queen saw the Weather Man coming she knew that he wanted her assistance to make the earth bright for the little New Year so she called all her fairies together and said, "Put on your prettiest and best gowns and go to the earth people's gardens and brighten them, scatter your gifts widely my fairies so that no one will be missed and let everyone be happy, for it is nearly time for the Little New Year to arrive.” So very soon all the fairy folk were sliding down the sunbeams and nestling in the arms of the Wind Child, who carried them down, down to the earth, to brighten the dullest spots with lovely flowers and bird songs, to banish tears and to scatter smiles and happy hours. The elves hung the trees with silvery dew drops, and scattered jewelled spider-webs between the flowers, the goblins splashed their green paint over the meadows and the fields until they looked lovely and fresh while the goblins gathered together the dead flowers and put lovely new ones in their place. They cleaned the rivers and the lakes until they glittered like diamonds and then as the Old Year was fast drawing to a close, back they flew to The Land of Hope, to bid the Old Year good-bye and good luck. One little fay, who had never seen the passing of an Old Year before, enquired as to where he was going and the Queen said, "The Old Year does not die as the Mortals believe, but he travels to the Land of Once-Upon-a-Time to rest, and whenever the mortals close their eyes and say, “Once-Upon-a-Time,” then they see the old year once again.” And then, there came the sound of singing voices and the Old Year knew that it was time for him to take his rest so he waved to the Fairy Folk and turned to leave the Earth and as he disappeared out of sight, the Little New Year came over the hill. And such a lovely New Year he was too, with a mass of siim r.g gold curls and blue eyes, with laughing lips and dancing feet, while in his arms he carried Mo promise o:' happy days to come, days filled with golden sunshine and others grey with rain, days that were tinged with sorrow and days that were brimming with adventures and lots of shining hopes. The fairies were very pleased to see him and the little brownie people rang all the bells in the fairy glade and down on the earth all the mortals heard the soft bells calling and they danced for joy for they knew that the New Year had arrived and that there were lots of happy days and jolly adventures to come.