ONE USE OF A THISTLE

New Zealand Tablet, 15 July 1909, Page 1117

ONE USE OF A THISTLE

It was late in the summer when Elsie went to visit her grandmother before school should begin. Grandma owned a big farm, where there was almost everything the heart could wish, and one should be happy. Elsie ran, jumped, played and gathered flowers from early morn till night. One day in her rambles she brushed against a thistle, which left its mark on her little white arm.' v , ' Grandma,' she said, ' I don't see what thistles were made for. They are not pretty one bit, and they only prick people, and spoil their tempers.' ' You must not let such a small thing ruffle your temper, my dear, for you will find as you go through life that there are 'worse pricks than those of the thistle which we have to bear. Come, sit on this little stool, and I will tell you about the thistle and its use. A great many years ago, in the summer-time, some Danish soldiers planned in capture Scotland. They knew that if they marched into 'the town, the Scottish soldiers would see them, and shootso they waited until evening, then took off their shoes and stockings, and walked quietly until they were almost as far as they intended to go, when one of the foremost ones stepped on a thistle. He was so surprised, and t hurt so much, that he cried out in pain. This awoke the men who were supposed to be on guard, and they seized their guns and spears, and drove off the enemy, The

,thistle has been held in high esteem ever since, for the part it played in saving that country.'