For the Children.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2360, 28 November 1908, Page 12 (Supplement)

For the Children.

THE BABES IN THE WOODS. Once upon a time two children lived in a big house on the borders-of a wood. Their parents, who loved them very dearly, were rich enough to buy them all the lovely things tiiey longed for, and all day .long they played in a beautiful garden, learning the songs of the birds and the secrets of . the flowers. But one sad day their father and mother left them for a happier home in the skies, and the sister and brother were left alone.

The boy did his best to comfort his little sister; but they were sad days, and, though they did not know it then, days that were sadder still were, soon to come.

The children had an uncle whom they had never seen. He Jived far away across the seas; but as soon as he learned of the death of his brother, the children’s father, he hurried to their home. He knew that now their father was dead the children would have all his money, and the uncle also knew that if he could get rid of the children all tills money would be his.

And the more he thought about this money the more ho longed for it. And then a dreadful thought cam© into his head. He determined to kill the little innocent children and take their money.

So "he hired two robbers, and paid them to take the children to a lonely spot in the wood and there kill them. One morning, when the sun shone brightly and all the birds were gay, the robbers crept into the garden where the children were playing and took them away. The robbers were Jug, rough men, and the children were afraid ; but they were told that their uncle had sent them, and they dared not disobey. The men led them out of the garden into the wood, and on and on till they came to a deserted spot. They had come a long way and the children were glad to rest. They sat down on the trunk of a tree while the robbers moved away and carried on a conversation in a low voice.

But presently they began to quarrel ; and their voices became loud and angry, and the children heat’d words that made them tremble with fear. “I’ve been paid to kill them, and I shall earn my money,” one of them was saying, over and over again. But the other robber seemed more kindly. - “AYhy kill them?” he said. “Let us lose' them, and perhaps someone may find them and give them shelter.” The little girl "crept closer to her brother.

“They want to kill us,” she said, in a terrified whisper. But before the boy could answer the kindly robber came forward aud spoke to them. “Stay here while we go and find food and shelter for the night,” he said in a gruff voice. They went away, and the children were all left alone iu the wood. They dared not return to their wicked uncle, and they had no other home; so they wandered on, tband in hand, hoping to find shelter. The forest was very beautiful, aud for a time they were happy among the wild flowers and ferns; but soon the sun went down, the birds hushed their songs, and a great stillness came over all. iStill the children toiled bravely on, tired, and hungry, and sad. Presently the trees grew so thickly together that they could scarcely find their way, and at last the darkness of night came on and hid eren the trees from sight. Too weary and frightened to go- any farther,, the children ‘sat down under a friendly oak, and fell asleep in one another’s arms.

The birds of the forest peeped down from their nests above; the sky squirrels with their long tails glanced wonderinglv, at them, and the gentle wind shook the leaves so that they fell, making a cloa'k of crimson and gold to- cover them. And when morning came a beautiful angel flew down and carried them away to their father and mother in the world above.

WHY IS THE WORLD LIGHT WHEN THE SUN IS BEHIND DARK CLOUDS?

It depends how dark the clouds are. If the moon passes directly between ns and the sun, the earth becomes as dark as night because the moon is quite opaque, which means that- no light- can pass through it- at all. But-when it- is only clouds that arc between us and the sun, a good deal of light always gets through them, so long as they arc real, clean, water clouds. Browning, the English poet, says : .

A sun will pierce The thickest cloud earth ever stretched. But sometimes in great- cities, and especially in Loudon, we make unnatural clouds ourselves, filled with smoke and dirt—mostly tiny specks of coal which have been sent up the chimney. These arc the really dark clouds, full of solid black dirt, and there are times when they make tho face of London darker than it ever is during a summer night. Tho coal was made by the sunlight of past ages, and we send- it into the air to stop the sunlight that has-travel-led such a long way from the sun, so quickly and surely to serve us. It has 93,000,000 miles to come, and just at the last half mile or so we stop it; is this not foolish? And we actually use past sunlight to stop it vytli!