Evening star., 1941-12-23
All Rights Reserved-A. p. Feature Service

All Rights Reserved-A. P. Feature Service
CHAPTER, Xxx.
Twenty miles from the border
Carl and King Harald saw great,
rolling clouds of smoke on the hori-
zon. Ten miles from the border
they could hear guns roar. Two
Carl's old man friend sitting by the
road.
"Ho, there" shouted Carl. What
good luck! How did you get over
here?"
''1 thought you'd be coming along"
said the old man.
You and I know it was Santa, but
Carl didn't know it yet. Santa had
been talking with the people on the
neighboring farms, so he had news.
mo one seems to know why the
men are fighting" said Santa, "but
I found very wise old grandmother
in the house with the blue CHM
ney. Last night she saw a tiny
witch asleep in one of her black
poppies. Carl, this must be another
witch that started the war"
You're probably right. Let us 90
BEE the grandmother" said Carl.
So they went to the grandmoth-
er's farm. She gave them cold
chicken and water-cress and milk
for dinner and then they waited for
nightfall.
The moon rose behind some cedar
trees and Carl said to the grand
mother, "Is there river nearby
'Yes, indeed" she said. Down
at the end of the garden. I'll show
you" They walked through rows
of flowers, down a hill, to the banks
OF a wide river.
Fine" said Carl. Now help me.
want to dig up that row Of black
poppies near the house, and replant
them down the path we've walked.
Do you think I CAM"
why, yes" said the grandmother.
So they worked very hard In the
moonlight: Santa, Carl, King
Harald, and the grandmother. Carl
dug great, square chunks of earth
around the roots of the poppies, and
Santa and the King carried them
carefully down the path to the river
and rest them.
When they had reached the last
poppy, Carl said, This we'll save"
He went quickly down the path and
gently snapped the head Of each
poppy so that it fell over but clung
to the stem. The grandmother
Uttered as she watched. She said to
Santa. Il see. No witch can sleep
IN poppy that's hanging upside
down."
Then Carl strobe back to the
poppy he had saved. He dug that
up very carefully and said, Nov
follow me to the river" They did.
At the river bank Carl piled a
dozen thick, green lily pads together
until they looked like green floor.
Then he said, please hide in the
bushes and keep very quiet" He
waded out into the water carrying
the big black poppy he had saved.
Then he ducked his head under
water, until all Santa and King
Harald and the grandmother could
see was the big, black poppy sticking
above the water, and the end of a
big, yellow straw.
Carl is breathing through that
straw whispered the King. Nov
let's hide"
They hid that way for half an
hour. Then there was a chatterine
sound in the garden. It was the
little witch. She was very angry.
and talking to herself. She tried
every black poppy as she found it.
But she couldn't sleep in any of
them because their heads all hung
over.
Then she saw the last poppy. She
flew to it, stepped into the cup,
twittering agreeably to herself, and
curled up around the stamens and
went to sleep.
Then Carl's head appeared above
the water. He snapped the poppy's
stem. The little witch dumped out
on lily pad, and then Carl snapped
the lily's stem. The current of the
river slowly moved the lily pad out
into midstream. The little witch
stood up and screamed. But she