BURGLARY ON THE FARM

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 204, 29 August 1928, Page 17

BURGLARY ON THE FARM

(By KING COUNTRY.)

Dad was in a state! He had bought a gold wristlet for mum for Christmas, and it had vanished. Mum had longed, secretly, for a wristlet for years. Dad having great intuition, which all husbands have —not —had guessed her wish, and seeing a very ornamental little watch in a shop in town, as he was returning from the calf sale, had bought it on the spot. It was several weeks before Christmas, but dad believed in a bird in the hand, etc. He was seated on an old kerosene box in the stable, elbow on knee and chin in hand, while he thought out the problem of disappearance. He had often taken the trinket out to admire it, and thought about, the surprise mum would get. As ke sat brooding about it, Wini, the weka (a pet), strutted past and peered up at dad with his bright beady little eyes. Then dad got stnick with another "intuitive" idea. He knew the weka's little ways. He would watch him! Part of every day after dad would spend lying on bis stomach on the grass watching Wini. Sometimes mum would look out the kitchen window and see dad, and wonder what he was doing. Wini would dodge round a tuft of grass, or behind a shrub—dad would crawl along quickly while the weka was out of sight and flop down immediately the bird eame into sight again. But Wini knew, dad had played this game before, and act?d accordingly. Dad was completely deceived Sunday afternoon—three days before Christmas Day. Dad, asleep on the settee on the verandah. Mum had gone over to Brown's for a short visit. Did Bob, the only dog off the chain, lay drowsing on the top step— one eye lazily watching dad, the other taking a keen interest in the weka. There had been lots of things about lately, and Wini had a £ood collection. He had everything planted in a hollow in the roots of the pine at the back •f the stables, but old Bob had been nosing about all the morning, and having discovered a more select spot under a big laurel, Wini decided to have a moving day. Back and forth he strutted. making a detour round the side of the house in going and returning past the verandah to see if Bob was still »afely drowsing on the step. It was the very U*t article to be moved when, just as Wini reached the corner of the house, "whuff" said old Bob in bis ear, 't >m the end of the verandah. With a Tightened squavvk, Wini dropped his *»-Vjrage. but retrieving it hurriedly raced to his cache. Bob's "whuff" had awakened dad, however, and Wini's hoard was looted. Amongst the teaspoon#, nails, pieces of tin and glass, etc., was mum's Christmas watch!