Children's Page

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1, 5 January 1907, Page 37

Children's Page

COUSINS’ BADGES.

Cousins requiring badges are requested to send an addressed envelope, when the badge will be forwarded by return mail. COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE. Owing to the Christinas and New Year holidays, all letters to Cousin Kate will be held over till next week. The Four Kings of Candyland. By C. H. Bennett. Onee upon a time the Bluebell Fairy was offended, and sad results ensued. The King and Queen of Candyland sent the Lord High Chancellor down to the Bluebell wood the day after their firstborn came into the world to ask the. Fairy if she would be so kind as to bestow as much courage on the heir-ap-parent as she could conveniently spare; but, having just packed up a fairy gift for the little fellow that would have suited him a hundred times better, she flew out of her Bluebell in a great passion at the Chancellor, and told him to get out of her wood at once, for he was so ugly and stupid she could not bear the sight of him. “And tell the King,” said she, “that the Prince shall grow up bold enough, if only he is christened by the name of Longnose.” So Longnose the Prince was called, and bold enough he was growing, when a second Prince was born, whom both King and Queen wished to be a courtier. Down went the Chancellor to be wood, just as the Bluebell Fairy had cut out a large piece of Honesty that would have fitted the baby Prinee all the days of his life. Still she promised that if they would christen the child by the odd name of Greathead, he should certainly grow up a very smooth-spoken sort of Prim e. Well, after a few years, came a third Prinee; and this time they all went down to the Bluebell wood in great state —King, Queen, Lord Chancellor, and Court —to ask for the Poet's gift but, having just corked up a bottle of Industry, for the baby, she was so offended this time that, after crying out, “Call him Longears. arid be off!” she flew back to her Bluebell, drew its leaves round her, and never allowed any Candylanders to see or spake with her any more. So, when a fourth Prince came they could not find the Fairy; ami, after waiting a year and a day for her, as this youngest son promised to be neither bold, polite, nor poetic, they called him Slow, and by that name he was known for ever so long after. Perhaps it Was well for them that the Fairy had gone away, for they found, in course of time, that their Brave prince had a Nose two yards long, and their Courteous prince's Hands wore as long as his arm, ami that their Poet prince had a huge pair of Ears, as rough and as hairy as a donkey’s. These were the sad results that ensued from offending the Fairy, ami sad

enough the Candylanders thought them, when, from very grief, the old King and Queen fell ill and died, leaving the kingdom between their three sons, and only reserving a sterile, rocky, little north end bit for Slow, hardly enough excuse for his wearing a crown, let alone paying for it.

But that brings us to the Sandy landers and their Giant. In Sandyland nothing would grow but weeds, and not many of them: so the Sandylanders, who were so rich, fat and selfish, when the Gia»t helped them, became poor, thin, and sorry after he had gone away. He would not have deserted them if they had treated him well: and after bringing them such heaps of gold, silver, and precious stones from the great mountain over which rises the Sun, he thought to rest himseif a little, while they greedily sought for more. They made him work for them night and day : and, although he was as good tempered a Giant as you would even wish to find, he ran away from them into a cave up the mountain where no one eared to go. and there, gathering to him for playmates a thousand leopards, left the silly Sandylanders to their own devices. If their King was not so thin as they were, he was quite as miserable, for his subjects, all abused him for allowing them to be so selfish and wicked to the Giant; and. although they did not cry out against his only daughter, Daisy, the Princess, they insisted upon offering her as a prize to the first bold man who should bring the Giant back. They might as well have done a little work for themselves, only that did not occur to them; for now the Giant was gone away, the only question was, “who will fetch him back?” There he sits in his dark rave glaring at all intruders. The Bandylanders will not. I am sure, for there are only two inhabitants of that country; and I think you will agree with me that they could not do much against any giant; nor the Handylanders, for they are such a race of cowards as to run away from each other; so. of course, they ran away from the Giant. As to the Four Kings of Candyland. with Princess Daisy for a prize, we shall see. There is the old Sandyland King at the door of his palace pointing to them as they come in procession. while Ihe Princess implores him to deliver her from the attentions of finch an ugly set of Kings; but as her father invites them in to dinner, Princess Daisy is rather to le pitied, I think. Shall Longnose conquer? The Princess hopes not: he, bold King, felt certain that he should; the more when, at the mouth of the Giant’s eave, he killed <‘very one of the thousand leopards without got ting a scratch; but when the Giant pooped nut to see who had been killing his pets, he was so put, out at the absurd length of the famous nose, that he eaught hold of it very rudely and swung King Longnose back to Candy land. Will Greathead persuade? he could persuade almost anybody. still he had a difficulty with the Giant, who might, and. indeed, would, have gone back with the King if he had not caught sight of his monstrous hands; but they so offended him that he just struck Greathand a blow’ with his fist and olf ho flew to join his brother. Will Bigears charm this Giant ? He Bang a sweet song to him. and pleased

him very much; yet when the donkey s ears came in view his pleasures were brought so suddenly to an end that he could think of nothing better to do man, taking up the Poet king by these ears and leaning far over the mountain, to drop him in Candyland too. So all had failed but Slow, and he went up the mountain at last, without weapons, or compliments, or beautiful songs; but the Giant, looking at him. and seeing a man who could Im i brave without wearing such great hands, and who. although he sang no sweet ballads, at all events had not donkey’s ears, took a notion into his head that this was a King io be believed in. So as soon as Slow had promised that he should never be ill treated again, he called out: “Your name shall be Speedwell: you shall be my King, and I will carry you down on my shoulder.” So it was only Slow, when he became Speedwell, who brought the* < riant back. The King of Sandyland, feeling that he could not manage the Giant, gave up the kingdom to Speedwell, on the day of his marriage with Princess Dai-y: and as for the older brothers, they were so ashamed of their defeat that, as soon as they heard how the I landy landers had implored Speedwell to govern i hem, as they could not. govern t Imnseh *“», Longnose, Greathead, and B gears gave up ( ‘andyland to their young brother without a word, and, moreover, went over to Sandyland to dniire at Speedwell's wedding. So that Speedwell the King and Daisy the Queen ruled Sandy■and. Handyland. and afterwards ( audyland. for many a long year after.