Ronnie's Adventures Àt St. Ives.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 153, 29 June 1940, Page 2 (Supplement)

Ronnie's Adventures Àt St. Ives.

(By Joyce Trowern. 45 Hillsborough Ed., Mount Roskill.) Down the. main street of St. Ives, a fishing village on the west coast of Cornwall came a small red-headed boy with a freckled face. If he had not seen Old Don the day before he would have been whistling, and his hands would have been in his pockets fingering the much treasured knife which Old Don had given him, but to-day even the knife had been forgotten, and he walked slowly down the street with a frown on his face. Old Don was a sea captain who spent most of his days down at the hay with his nets. He could always he seen telling stories to the children of the village who sat about on coils of • rope and watched every move that ho made with eager, smiling faces. '. The day before Ronnie had been helping him as usual and had noticed something strange about • the old man. He seemed excited' and had a twinkle in his watery blue eyes. "Is anything nice going to happen?" Ronnie asked the Captain, But Old Don only laughed and turned his face away from the" little freckled faced boy whom he had grown to love. , At last the whole story had come out. The smile faded from Ronnie's lips.

"You're going away?" gasped Ronnie, "All the way to ■London?" But Old Pon said no more and went on with hifl work. ' . ... . i..'-'■ '■'-:' That is why Ronnie was walking down the main street frowning.. . ' .j r "Jfo more stories," he muttered to himself. "He's going away this morning." He walked straight down tjie road to the hay. He had made up ; hia' mind. He had been' trying to ever ace he had got up, half an hour ago. : He would go too. So he's not heref. yejt.' I'll .just have time." So saying he ran by the fishing boats until he. came to ihe . -white : 'boat, newly painted, with the name "Corralee" in gold letters on the bow. He stepped lightly on to the gently heaving deck' and walked to 'the pile' of ropes on the far end of the deck. He climbed into the hollow made by the coils of rope and snuggled down. He had got out of bed very early that morning and walked down to the 3hip while it was still dark. Ho had stayed awake late the night - before, planning. only a small hoy, and he felt tired. His eyelids closed over his eyes but soon' after he was awakened by a shaft of bright light which fell, on his face. He stood up and looked cautiously over the rope. The sun had just risen and . the light made Ronnie blink, 30 he pulled the tarpaulin over the top of the rope and snuggled down again in the dark. . - ; ... He lay thinking for sometime '- then he heard Old Don's footsteps on the deck. He heard him hauling, up the anchor, then slowly the boat was moving briskly out to sea. . (To be continued.). -..'. .'.-