FELTON'S JOKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 103, 3 May 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

FELTON'S JOKE.

A SCHOOL STORY. (By ELLERSLEY HALL.) Wilkins was a rather queer-looking chap. His hair, which was straw-col-oured, had a trick of standing up from his brow like a row of bristles, no matter how much coconut oil he used. His face always assumed a worried look, and his appetite—there is no need to say any more about that. He had one great misfortune, however. He was an orphan. When only eight years old his guardians sent him to Dr. Lake's school. That was six years ago, but to Wilkins it seemed like 60, as he had never spent a night away from the school since the day he arrived. It was rather hard on him, for while all the other fellows were away at their homes during vacation time, Wilkins had to amuse himself the best way he could. One evening, Wilkins, Allen and Felton were up in their dormitory. Wilkins was sitting up in bed reading a yarn pirates and daring deeds, and when he had finished it he started to talk about his favourite subject, buried treasure. He seemed to have buried treasure on the brain. Every time he walked along the beach he would pick up every bottle he came across. "In case," he used to say, "it contained a message from the sea." The other chaps used to rag him awfully about it, but he didn't care. He said they didn't realise what possibilities there were of finding a message that had been floating round for years. He had just commenced a, lengthy explanation regarding the time it would take for a bottle to reach the shore if dropped stt a certain latitude, ■ when he was silenced by a well-aimed pillow, and soon the occupants of dormitory one were asleep. Saturday morning dawned beautifully clear. Wilkins and Allen went for a walk along the beach, and Wilkins, as usual,' spied a bottle on the sand. "I say," he called out, as he picked it up. "There's something in it." "Yes," replied Allen, "air, most likely." "No, honest," said Wilkins. "There is a paper in it. There is writing on it, too." Then, running over to a rock, he broke the bottle and extracted abstained and crumpled piece of paper. "It's genuine," he said excitedly. ."Listen to this! 'Saucy Kate, Christmas Day, 1819. Sinking fast. Rest of crew gone. Can't hold out much longer. Must not die with secret on my conscience. Fifty paces east of Skull Rock on South Coast, then 20 paces north is a small cave. Five yards from entrance is buried chest containing spoil from Betsy Jane, sunk off Brazil. Signed, Bill Barlow.' "What will we do," psped Wilkins. "I sxippose if we find it, the' treasure •will belong to us." "Of course it will," agreed Allen. "By jove, Wilk, we always thought you were a bit crazy talking about messages from the sea, but this seems to be the genuine article. Don't tell the other fellows about it yet, eh!" Wilkins agreed that it would be best to say nothing, but to return at night and dig the chest up. Together they returned to the school, stopping at the gate to examine a proclamation which had been placed there. Allen read it aloud. It ran as follows:— " £50 reward will be paid to anyone giving information that will lead to the capture of the thief or thieves who bum-led Colonel Carey's residence on the night of the 15th inst. and Removed a quantity of valuable plates." The two boys were too excited over their own discovery to take much notice of the proclamation. dbout eleven o'clock that night Wilkins and Allen stole down the fire escape and, taking a couple of < spades and a lantern from the shed in the garden, started out on- their expedition An hour's walking brought them to the Skull Rock, and Wilkins stepped out the 50 paces to the east and then the 20 paces north. Sure enough, they found the cave. There was just enough room in it to stand upright without knockm 0 their heads. The lantern didnt give very much light, and it smoked a lot, Tviit tIiGV to dig. After ten minutes' solid work they struck something. Wilkins was so excited he couldn't speak, but commuiced to feverishly scrape out the sand. W fhev cot the chest out the lantein flickered and went out, so they diagge the chest out into the moonlvh . With their spades they prised open the lid and theJe, shining .in the moon- £ Tad his t-e inscribed on them.

For several minutes Wilkins and Allen stared at each other. ' They had found the treasure all right, but it wasn't what it should have been, according to the message in the bottle. Finally they decided to replace the'chest and inform the police. This was done, and the following days and nights the police kept watch over the cave. On the fourth night the thieves returned to divide the spoil, and were neatly captured. Doctor Lake lectured the two boys for leaving the school at night like they did, but they weren't punished. They learnt afterwards that the message found in the bottle was a hoax, just a joke played by Felton, and the finding of the chest was a lucky coincidence. Wilkins and Allen thought it almost a miracle, but as they _ received the £50 reward from the police, they didn't object to 4he trick that was played on them. And for the next six months the tuck shop did a roaring trade.