A STORY OF MR WIND.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIII, Issue IX, 1 September 1894, Page 215

A STORY OF MR WIND.

One beautiful quiet day, in early summer, Mr Wind said, ‘ Ha ! ha ! I wonder if the people think that I am not going to visit them again until autumn ? If they do, they are mistaken. Of course, after my busy season in the spring, I had to rest awhile, but now I am quite ready for work.’ So he shook himself well and started out on his journey about three o’clock in the afternoon.

The first place he visited was a large city, where there was a paper-mill. Inside the mill were a great many people, all working so busily that they had no time to rest and cool off.

Mr Wind looked in and said, * Oh, how hot and tired those people seem !’ So he breathed a long breath of air in through the door and then hurried off while the people were saying, ‘ Ah, how good that breeze feels !’ Next, Mr Wind peeped into a bedroom window and there he saw something that puzzled him. There was an old gentleman sound asleep on a lounge—he was snoring, too— and beside the lounge was a travellingbag all packed. Mr Wind thought a minute, then said. ‘Aha ! I have it, he is taking a nap before starting on a journey. lam afraid he will miss his train if he does not wake soon.’

So he whistled a merry tune, and rattled the shutters, then saw the old gentleman jump up, all of a sudden, and rub his eyes, saying, * I wonder who woke me just then ? I am glad I did not sleep any later. The train starts in ten minutes, and I shall have to hurry to catch it.’ Then Mr Wind went into a garden and saw there two little girls looking very shy. They did not say a word, but stood a little apart, as if they did not know just what to do.

Mr Wind said to himself, ‘How is this? Perhaps they don’t know each other. I’ll do something to help them to be friends.’

He stole up very quietly and carried off one little girl’s hat. They both ran after it, and by the time it was caught and put on again, they were talking and laughing as if they had always been acquainted. Mr Wind then peeped into another bedroom, where there was a little boy sick in bed. He had.fever and that made him feel very hot. Mr Wind slipped in and fanned him gently, and soon he was in dreamland. Next, Mr Wind saw a lady walking quickly down the street, with her parasol up to keep off the hot sun. She dropped one of her gloves without noticing it, but a few minutes later, a little girl picked it up and ran after the lady, calling as loudly as she could. But the lady did not hear.

By this time, the little girl was all out of breath, and she gasped, * Oh, dear ! If I could only run faster !’ Mr Wind came up with a big puff, and took the lady’s parasol right out of her hand and blew it back towards the little girl. The lady was very much surprised and turned around quickly to see what had happened ; and then she saw Jennie —that is the little girl’s name—running to her with the glove in her hand. And the lady said, ‘ Thank you very much. If it had not been for that gust of wind, I shouldn’t have known you were trying to overtake me.’ Then Mr Wind saw a tired mamma sitting in a window ; her little boy was playing with some paper soldiers, out in the garden, and his mamma wanted him to go to the store. She had called him three times, but he did not come. Mr W'ind saw how tired she looked, so he went up to the little boy, and what do you think he did ? Why, the little boy had six soldiers, and Mr W’ind blew them all away except one. The little boy reached after them, but they were fluttering off far above bis head, and he never saw them again. He felt very sorry. A poor little boy who had nothing to play with, found one of the soldiers on his way to school the next morning. The others were blown around in the street until they were

so torn and muddy, that no one would have recognized them.

Well, you know Mr Wind travels so very fast that it would take me a long time to tell all he did that afternoon ; how he set windmills going, and how he shook some clouds until they made a pleasant shower for the thirsty earth ; how he fanned drooping flowers and played with little children’s curls ; how he waved flags on the tops of great buildings, and rustled the branches of the trees. But the last thing he did was to go out on the big ocean and bave a frolic with the waves ; they had a merry time playing ‘tag,’all the waves running as fast as they could and Mr Wind chasing them. But all the time Mr Wind was so busy, not even oxperson had a glimpse of him to see how he looked.