MUSHROOMS!

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 120, 22 May 1937, Page 7 (Supplement)

MUSHROOMS!

(ByR.L)

two more clays of holiday' \J to go,' , said Gerry regretfully, as he heaped a wheaten roll high with home-made butter and honey. "Yes,"' replied his brother David, "and we haven't sent mum those mushrooms we promised her." "Never mind." said Gerry, '"we've still two mornings left in which to collect them. We can take them home with us when we go." "I'd advise you to "get up very early," interrupted Uncle Peter, who had been listening to their conversation. "Why?" asked David. "Because," replied Uncle Peter, "there is keen competition around these parts for mushrooms."' So, before going to bed that night, Gerry and David carried in a large wooden box from the storeroom and carefully lined it with white paper. Uncle Peter was very amused. "Do you think that box will be large enough?" he asked. "Oh, yes," replied Gerry gravely. "It will hold a couple of bucket fills." "But your mother can't eat a couple of bucketfuls, even if you do gather that many," teased Uncle Peter. "Mum doesn't want to eat them all," explained David. "She wants to make mushroom ketchup with them." "You know,' , explained Gerry; "to eat with cold meat."' "Yes, I know,"' laughed Uncle Peter. At six o'clock the next morning the lads left the farmhouse, each carrying a large pail. "Uncle said the old bull paddock's the best place," said David. So in the direction of the old bull paddock they went. On their way they noticed a few snowy mushrooms snuggling low in the dew-drenched grass. "It's hardly worth while bothering with them," remarked Gerry casually. So the little snowy mushrooms were left to stretch upward and outward in the warmth of the morning film. On reaching their destination David and Gerry were dumbfounded to see the O'B.-ien lade from the village, climbing over the stile at the far end of the paddock, taking with them large tin billies heaped high with mushrooms. "Hi!" called David angrily. "Those are our mushrooms." "(Jarn," replied John O'Brien, poking a cheeky, freckled face through a hole in the hedge, "Finders keeps, loosers weeps." "I've a jolly good mind to punch his nose." said Peter wrathfully. But while he was thinking it over the O'Brien bovs 'clambered into a

waiting car and were driven down the road toward the village. j Uncle Peter laughed heartily when the hoys told him their tale of woe. "I warned you to be early," he said. ! "Yes." replied Gerry, "but we 1 weren't quite early enough." "Xever mind."' said David, "we'll I know better next time."

So at "> o'clock the next morning the boys once again visited the bull paddock, and were richly rewarded for their efforts. Dozens of mushrooms had sprung "P during the night. They were grouped in fairy rings and intimate little clumps all over the paddock.

The lads picked and picked and picked, until there was not one mushroom left. David's bucket was full, but Kerry's not quite. "I must fill my bucket." #>aid Gerry, jrazinjj anxiously around. "Yes.' , replied David. "We must not miss the halfcrown mule promised us if we filled both the pails to the top." At that moment Oerry spied a patch of white over by Farmer Browne's haystack in the next paddock.

"There's some." he cried excitedly. "They'll just fill my bucket."

"Well leave the buckets here."euggested David. "We can carry the mushrooms back in our shirts."

On reaching the haystack the lads were disgusted to discover that the mushrooms were toadstools.

"We'll have to look elsewhere," said Gerry disgustedly.

At that moment the sounds of stamping and loud grunte of satisfaction wore wafted on the air from the direction of the hull paddock. "Our mushrooms.*' gasped Gerry, and they hoth raced for the fence. But they were too late. The pigs had crawled under the wires, knocked over the huckets and were eating the mushrooms with relish. And the mushrooms they had not eaten were crushed and trampled underfoot. Gerry and David looked at one another in disgust. "I don't know how ever we are going to face Uncle Peter," wailed Gerry. "And that's good-bye to our halfcrown, too," answered David glumly. However, they did tell Uncle Peter and it wasn't jrood-bye to the halfcrown. After laughing heartily he presented David with a brand new shiny one and with eyes twinkling like stars said. "Buy some mushrooms for your mother with this on the way home." The next evening the lade gazed searchingly into the fruiterer's window at the top of their road. "There'e eome." said Gerry, pointing to a small chip of shrivelled mushrooms at the, back of the window., "Look at the price," gasped David. "Surely they can't be half-a-crown a pound." "We'll go and ask." said Gerry, walking into the shop.

"No, there's no mistake, little gentleman," said the fruiterer. "They're verv scarce this season."

David turned the halfcrown over and over in his haud.

"It'd buy a footy bladder," whispered (Jerry, noticing his hesitation

But David shook his head. "We'll take a pound.' , he said, thrusting the half crown across the counter. The fruiterer weighed out the mushrooms and passed them to David. It was such a pathetic-looking little lirown paper bagful that David hesita: i-d in picking it up. '"Do you mind if I chanjre my mind?" he asked, looking disgustedly at his purchase. "So." said the fruiterer, quite abruptly. "Well. I'll have that larjre cabbage for eight pence."' said David pointing: to a nearby hinful of vegetable*. '"But. Dave." protested Kerry, "dad's got dozens and dozens of cabbages in the garden."' "I don't car?." said David. "It's the principle of the thins —mushrooms half a -crown a pound —ridiculous. Look at all you can get in the country for nothing."

"We didn't manage to got many, , ' said florrv sadlv.

"Oh. forget it." said David impatiently. "Mum's a sport, she'll understand. Here give .us a hand with this suit cae-e and don't tilt the cream or you'll spill it."

So laden with a suitcase, a sugar hag half full of apple*, a jar of cream and the bulky cabbage wrapped in layers and layers of newspaper the "boys staggered homeward. Well they knew that, mushrooms or no inu*hrooms, mum would be there to greet them with her cheery smile and would have their favourite knock-out puddjng for tea as a surprise in honour of their homecoming.