The Little "Fair Players" Guild.

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 25, 1 September 1894, Page 21

The Little "Fair Players" Guild.

My Dear Fellow-Guilders, —A hearty welcome to our new members. I wonder if any of you have made a practical use of my suggestion respecting the sending of flowers to the hospitals ? k “ Oh, I say, Aunt Dinah, \ please give us a little time to | grow the flowers,” says one of I our members. I Well, yes; I expect it is rather early to expect you to have done anything yet, still there are some flowers, even now, such as daffodils, wallflowers, Bnowdrops, and other sweet flowers. Still I shall not grumble, boys and girls, if you have not sent any in yet, so long as you intend to send some, and, by the way, those of you who can, might pot a plant. You see it will last so much longer..

And, now, young Guilders, I suppose you are wondering who has won the prize.for the scrap-book competition, are you not ?

“ Oh, yes, Aunt Dinah, we would like to know,” says one little girl, and I know she only expresses what you all think, but don’t like to say so. But I like teazing, so I think I shall ■not tell you till I get to ihe end of the page, for. I am not quite satisfied with the number of members who have competed, but shall, of course, awa,'d the prizes according to promise, and hope for more competitors next month. I can imagine that when some of our members read the list of winners, they will say ‘ I wish I had- competed.’ Ah, my dears, we are too often wishing we had done this, or had not done that, whereas, if we did what we wish we could do, many of us would, be all the happier for it. Talking of wishing, reminds me of a tale I read when I was a little girl, and may help some of us to be more contented. A cobbler and his wife lived in a village. They were extremely poor. The wife was very pretty, and, like many foolish people, thought on that account it was a shame, she was so poor, and had no fine dresses to wear and carriage to ride in. The consequence of this discontent was—that she was always wishing for something she had not got. One night she was wishing as usualj.when she was startled by hearing a sweet voice behind her say,—

I will grant you three wishes,!’ and, looking round, she saw a pretty little fairy. “Yes,” continued the fairy, “ I will grant you three wishes, but be careful what you wish for,” and then she disappeared. The delighted wife flew to her husband, and told him of the fairy’s promise. That night they talked long and earnestly of what they should wish for, but, as they could not agree, they decided to go to bed, and in the morning express their wishes. Just as they were going upstairs, however,-the wife said—- “ Heigh, ho, I wish we had a yard of black pudding for our supper.” In an instant, down the chimney came a yard of black pudding.

“You foolish woman,” cried the enraged husband, “ I wish it was on the end of your nose.” Up jumps the blacJc pudding, and fastens itself to the poor wife’s nose.

“ Oh, you bad man, what shall I do now ? cried the unhappy woman. After a good deal of scolding and reproach on her side, and no real repentance on his side, he at last said—- “ Well, wife, we must make the best of a bad job. We have one wish left, and I had better wish the pudding were off your nose.”

He accordingly did so, and the pudding fell off, much to the delight of the poor woman. i( I shall never wish again,” she exclaimed, overjoyed at being released from her unsightly appendage.

“ l am glad to hear you Bay so, and looking round she once more beheld the fairy. I trust this experience may be a lesson to you, and that, for the future, you will bo inoro contented with your lot.”

The wife kept her word, and, after a while (perhaps owing to his wife’s moro contented disposition), the man got on and made a lot of money, and, altogether, they were a much happier couple. Now, young friends, I want this tale to point a moral to you—at least to those of you who have not competed, but wish they had. This month do not wish but work. As I said before, I am not quite satisfied, with the small number of competitors, especially when I compare them with the largo number of members, so, until I have; and fewer drones, I shall offor one prize instead of three. I will now explain the nature of tho competition for the November Bair Play. I want those younger mombers who have got toys they are tired of to look them up, mend them, paint them, and do their level best to make them look new.. Any sort of toys will do—boys might havo old horses, carts, barrows etc..; girls—dolls, cradlos, etc., etc. To our oldor members we would say turn out tho toys you used to play with, and renovate them so that they may givo to others tho joy they once gave to you. Bemember, boys and girls, it is a labour of love. All toys will be sent to the Children’s Wards of the Hospitals and similar institutions. Anyono of us might be in the hospital some day, and how thankful wo should bo for anything that would make tho hours scorn loss weary and long, So rally round in goodly numbers, and let oaoh mombor of our Guild prove themselves Guilders in deed as woll as name. month.

Aunt Dinah would be pleased to reooivo competitors’ work by not later than tho ‘2oth October. And, now my dears, goodbye. Don.t forget the competition, nor the flowers, next The winners of tho Scrap-book Competition are— Stanley Bead, Wellington 1 Gertie Schoch, Karori... 2 Mary Twomey, Temuka 3 t have paid special regard to tho taste displayed in tho artistic arrangement of tho scraps rather than to tho valuo of tho books themselves. All members are requested to do their utmost to push on fhe*enrolment of new members.

Believe mo to bo your loving

Nf.w Mkmdkrs. Ago. Willie Schoch, Karori ... S Sarah A. Beri, Temuka 8 Eily T. Twomey, Temuka 9 Annie Greaves, Timaru 11 Willie Greaves, Timaru 9 Gertrude Dugnall, Milton 12 Sam Groves, Wanganui 18 Fred. Hunter, Wanganui ... 11 Amy Cole, Karori 18 Ivey Player, Wellington ... 12 Poppy Player, Wellington 8 Alfred Simpson, Oamaru 14 Polly Rhodes. Auckland 1C Albert Rhodes, Auckland 18 Percival G. Bezar, Berhampore (Wellington) 8