ALUS WELL THAT ENDS WELL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 213, 8 September 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

ALUS WELL THAT ENDS WELL.

(By It. TAYLOR, Birdwood Papatoetoe; aged 15.)

» I "Gee, I'm late to-night," mused Jim, as he threaded his way through the £ crowded thoroughfare, "it must be after j ten o'clock." Five minutes later he , arrived at his room in one of thetten- t ment houses in the poor area of Ply- ( month. He had had no father since lie could remember for he had been killed in a railway accident when Jim waa two. Two days ago his mother had died and « so now he was left on his own. "I s'poee rd better get the key," he said to himself, but just as ho turned j to recroas the road something hit him. ( The next time he woke the whole | world seemed changed, everything was ] white around him. "Where am I':" he i naturally asked himself. Somebody epoke, "Who was it?" He turned his , head. Gee! how it ached. The person ' who spoke was dressed in white, also. "Ah I I know," he told himself. He turned over and went to sleep. When he awoke the headache was gone and a man, apparently an officer of some ship, stood by his bed. "Oh! I'm glad you're awake. I knocked you down in Wood Street when I was going back to tho ship." "What-ship?" "The H3I.S. Vivien. I'm her first officer. Look here," he added, "'l've found out that you have no parents. Would you like to become a sailor?" "You bet, yee," replied Jim eagerly. "Weli then, when you are discharged from hospital come down to the Queen's wharf and you will find the Vivien ( there, ask the gangway watchman if you oan see Mr. Drayton. By the way," j he added as an afterthought, "what is [your name?" "Jim Fortesque." A week later when Jim was pro- 1 nounced fit to leave the hoepitai he I made his way to the wharf and duly i found his new friend. Mr. Drayton led i him into a small office and gave him a seat. "Before yon can become a tailor it is necessary for you to have training, and I think the best place is Shotley. But to-morrow at eleven o'clock we set sail for Dover so you can go with us, then I will put you on the train, dy'e see?" "Thank you, Mr. er-er Drayton. But where —how —wliV"— ?" "Never mind." Next day at the appointed time the Vivien, a fast cruiser of 41,000 tons, with four 12in gnus, six 6in and three 4in, weighed anchor and at nightfall land was out of sight. Jim was enjoying every minute of his adventure and it was not before the early hours of dawn that he slept. But hardly had he fallen asleep seemingly, before he was awakened by great shouting and thumping above him. It was daylight and he jumped out o£ bed, dressed and was on deck in record time. "Get down below before yer head leaves yer." Jim obeyed reluctantly. Clearly something was wrong. Hardly had his head disappeared below when an ear-splitting boom shook the whole ship. A far off crash followed.

A cheer rose on deck. Jim could stand it 110 longer. He crept out of the hatchway into a coil of rope where he could watch the proceedings. About two hundred yards away was another large battleship, apparently German. As he ."watched here there -w as a groat cloud of Bmoke, a boom and a low whining overhead. The Vivien replied, but with littlo result. The German thereupon gave the English ehip a broadside. One shell struck and exploded, another took tho wireless away. A feeble about "Tho flag's gone!" H . "Xow'b the tirua to act," thought Jim. . Not far from him was a flag shelf. He jumped up, grabbed the Whito Ensign, climbed lip on the bridge, jumped past the captain and began ascending the rope ladder leading up tho mast. Up, up, up, he went. Was he ever going to reach the top? A bullet whined past him, a second, a third. He dare not look down. Three more stepe, two, one. Then came the task of tying the flag on. Twice he nearly fell. Twice the flag all but blew away. She's on! Another piece of lead shaved his leg as he began descending. For th® first time he looked down. "Not far now." Oh! something hit his shoulder. He let go. Down, down ho fell. Blackness. When lie awoko someone was bending over him. "Well done, boy," that someone eaid. "What forV he asked himself. "Oh! I know." "Ach! my shoulder." He seemed to be etil'l 011 board ehip, judging by the roll. "How's Jim," said a familiar voice. "Doing well, Mr. Drayton. You can speak to him."' "My word, that was a plucky act, lad, "your future ifi made for sure."