OUR SHORT STORY The New Master's Secret

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21404, 21 February 1935, Page 7 (Supplement)

OUR SHORT STORY The New Master's Secret

The door of the room occupied bv Form IV. B. at the Manawai High School burst open. There was an expectant hush, as there always .is when a new master is entering his form room for the first time, especially at the beginning of the school year. Next moment, we saw the gowned figure of our new master, Mr Gondling. His new black gown contrasted with his light grey suit. He had a boyish face, humorous mouth, which was turned up at the corners, black hair, and watery blue eyes behind big, black-rimmed spectacles. Instantly, the silence was shattered by something which seemed to be half a cough and half a laugh. It came from the front desk occupied by Tiny Tanning, the biggest fellow in the form, who believed that the boys in the front desk were overlooked by the master, who invariably concentrated on the chaps in the back rows. The noise made by Tiny developed into a rumbling gurgle. A deep silence followed. The new master's face hardened in a flash. The blue eyes blazed, and the forehead contracted in a frown, but the tightlv closed mouth remained turned up at the corners. Mr Gondling looked really comical. One part of his face was forbidding; the other expressed amusement. It was too much for mere boys. As if by a given signal, the form burst into a roar of laughter. Mr Gondling's face relaxed involuntarily and he joined in the uproar. I think at that moment, all of us, with two exceptions, voted him a thorough sport and a master who would bo the most popular in the school. The two exceptions were Tiny Tanning and Lingy Dullen. During the morning interval, Tiny told us why. "The chap's a crook," Tiny declared, as he manoeuvred his body into a comfortable position at the roots of the plane tree away from Ihe fierce February sun. "He's mixed up with some funny-busi-ness on Long Island." Long Island was a long, narrow sandbank about a mile from the shore, and a mile or two up the coast. It was covered with big tufts of marram grass, which grew on the hillocks and the many hollows. At a few points, rocky pinnacles jutted out from the sand, the rocks forming caves. The place was not often visited because of the dangerous quicksands, which, fortunately, are not frequently met with in New Zealand. "I was out there on Saturday afternoon with Lingy," Tiny went on. "We landed at the south end of the island where there are no quicksands, and we had been prowling round all afternoon. Up on the northern end we saw a dinghy drawn up on the beach. We wondered who would be fool enough to'land thero, because that's where the quicksands are. Lucky for him, it was high tide, and the quicksands were covered." "Lucky for who?" chorused half a dozen of us, forgetting our grammar. "Don't be impatient," Tiny retorted. "Lingy and I began to look about us to try and find the person or persons who had left the boat

(By V. B. Murray)

there. Suddenly I saw a man come out of the big cave under the rocks close by. He looked about quickly " " 'Furtively' is the word," interrupted Lindy, who was an ardent reader of detective stories. "All right," Tiny resumed. "Anyway, he looked about as if he didn't want to be seen. Then, he spotted us, and ducked back. We thought his behaviour queer, and decided to watch. After a while, the chap came out again, still looking about as if • —" "I told you to use 'furtively," Lingy interrupted. "We saw him quite plainly," Tiny proceeded, ignoring the interruption. "He was Mr Gondling; let's call him Goggles for short. Of course, I didn't know who he was

then, but when he walked in the door this morning T nearly choked with surprise. I had to turn the choke into a cough. "By the time Goggles got into the dinghy and rowed away," Tiny went on, "the sun was getting low,and wc only had our bathing togs on. So we decided to return yesterday to explore the cave." '"And what did you find yesterday?" asked Teddy Lidden, who, like Lingy, read a lot of detective stories, and thought he was a budding Sherlock Holmes. "Silly melon!" Tiny retorted. , "It was too rough yesterday to go out, but we're going this afternoon. This chap might be the burglar who broke' into the jeweller's on Wednesday night and who opened the theatre strongroom on Friday night and got away with the cash. We're going to have a look round after school." "Then, I'm coming, too," cried Teddy Lidden. "You'll have to bring your own canoe," Lingy said. "Tiny fills mine, and leaves me to crowd into the bow."

It was remarkable how many boys in the form, had boats. It was a big fleet which paddled out of the river into the-Pacific Ocean after school. ■> The news of the new master's suspicious appearance on the island after the recent burglaries had travelled like lightning through Not only Form IV.B turned put, but the new fellows of the third and the big sixth formers as well added their craft to make a motley armada. There were canoes of all colours and sizes, dinghies, and even an outboard motor-boat. Little crowds of curious people watched in wonderment. We must have looked like a Maori war fleet, but for our modern canoes, for most of us in our bathing togs were bare to the waist, showing backs which had been well browned during the holidays. The fleet moved slowly, the outboard motor running rings round us, making waves and causing concern among the heavily-laden craft. I was in Teddy Lidden's canoe. It was built for two, but carried four. Eventually we reached the island and beached the fleet at the southern end. Tiny took charge. No-

body disputed his leadership, for he was big enough to hold his own with any of the sixth formers. .The crowd followed Tiny. We took the seaward side of the island, in case Goggles should row out from the mainland. Teddy was ordered to scout ahead, in case Goggles was already there. We swept on like an army of savages over hills and through hollows. Suddenly Teddy stopped at the top of a sand ridge, ducked his head, and slithered back into Tiny's arms. - "Goggles!" he exclaimed, pointing over the ridge. "Tried to beat us to it. Must have motored out to the bay opposite, and then rowed across from there." Tiny sigrtalled for silence, then went to the top of the ridge himself, and peered through the tufts of marram grass. "Gosh!" Tiny exclaimed. "Goggles is stuck in the quicksand. Come" on, you fellows." We swept over the top of the sandhill and down to the beach. The tide was out just sufficiently far to uncover the edge of the quicksands, and our new master

had stepped right on to a bad spot. His dinghy was just out 0? reach. He was attired merely in khaki shirt and shorts, and be floundered about up to his knees, sinking further and further down at every movement. "Stay still! Quicksands!" roared Tiny, feeling important at being able to give orders to a master. Mr Gondling remained still, hi* blue eyes blinking in wonderment behind his spectacles. We rernaifled sjill, too, and'gazed at Mr Gondling. Tiny looked about him. From one side of the rock near us grew a few tall stems of manuka. He ran up to them, pulled one down, and broke it off. With this, Tiny rejoined >us, and walked out towards tne water as far as he dared go m safety, then began to feel his way warily. "Form a chain!" Tiny called, turning to us. We lined up, joining hands. Tiny, holding the hand o£ the bo? at the end of the human chain, gradually crept closer to Mr Gondling, who had now sunk to his thighs. Soon,' the sand under Twfs t eet began to give way beneath nun, and he stopped. He was }ust apia to reach Mr Gondling with me manuka stick. Mr Gondlul| clutched it. Slowly he was pulleo out of danger, and was soon anio?* the crowd on the beach, thanKing us and asking us why we were present in such large numbers. Tiny and Lingy looked away. Mr Gondling eyed them j» smile broadening on his boyisn "Now I know where I baye see* you two before," he said. "I dunn recognise you this morning in your school clothes. When I saw you CO the island on Saturday, you were in your bathing togs." . For a moment no one SP°** Teddy Lidden interrupted tne silence. He came running from tne direction of the cave, burst into tne group, and shouted: „ "We're all wrong, chaps. ir» only rabbits." ~ a j Apparently he had not reaUsea Mr Gondling's presence. When ne suddenly saw the master, hejstoppea short, and looked sheepish, iw inevitable upward curve was sou on the corners of Mr Gondhng| mouth, which soon opened into » laugh. . , „ «,. "Now I begin to understand, ne said. "Tanning and Dullen bebevea that I was the burglar and nau hidden the loot in the cave. I nave hidden something, but, as Liaaeu says, it is only rabbits, a few An goras and Chinchillas." InAV «d He paused a moment, and iookcu round the mystified faces. .« - "I did not arrive in town unm Saturday afternoon," he controue*, "The Department of Agriculture was closed and the stock m«Pf*£ was not at home, so there wasi no body to give me a permit to Keep the rabbits. Also, I had no place prepared to keep them in. J- °£ not wish to run the risk of prose cution. It would not do for a rnMter at the High School to be finejTtor keeping rabbits without > !«» I was told of this barren island, so I hid them here until I couMffj up matters with the Department w Agriculture. T got the permit to day, and I am here to collect W rabbits." ~ w,.«« 'Tra glad our detectives &UW dered." said Tiny, with a PiaP grimace at Lingy and Teddy. We all laughed, including » r Gondline. ' Mr Mv first impression that "' Gondline would become the nios' popular master in the school proveu correct.