TREASURE of the STARS.

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21808, 13 June 1936, Page 6 (Supplement)

TREASURE of the STARS.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED Peter, Bill, and Bumps Murray, together with Aunt Matilda and their friend Twopence, hide in a rocket aeroplane to escape from a sailor, Pop-Eye, who is trying to steal the secret of their father’s invention. Accidentally, they start the machine, and the rocket shoots through space, and lands on a strange planet. Here, on the beach of pure gold, they meet four children, Tum-tum, Amber, Meja and Lila.

f CHAPTER 6 [ "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" At first I could hardly believe my •yes. Sandhills of gold; gold for Which the men on our earth would

have fought, struggled, and given their lives to possess. But Meja, Amber, Lila and Tum-tum danced over it as carelessly and as lightheartedly as we walked across our sandhills at home. It was perplexing. The memory of that gold, however, soon faded, as the country opened out, and strange new sights greeted us. , , , , We went up a long road, bordered by strange trees. They were much like the trees at home, but I think more beautiful, and luscious fruit was hanging on many. Once, Tumtum stopped to pluck the pear s cousin or near-relation from one beautiful golden-leafed tree. Strangely, I noticed that both blossom and fruit were hanging from the boughs, and both were unfaded. It certainly was queer. At first we passed no houses, but gradually the land grew populated. The houses we saw, however, were not houses as we knew them. Perhaps I could best describe them by saying that they were built of opaque glass. They were all colours, too, and with the sun shining on them the effect was dazzling and wonderful. It seems that we were walking into a city made of shining amber, and topaz, gold and emerald. .. ~ , , “Almost as if we’d reached Heaven,” said Bumps in a hushed voice. “Bishertotillamer,” said Amber (or it sounded like that). She pointed to one particularly beautiful home that stood in a garden of trees and flowers. We followed her up a (Trive, and then through a wideopen door, into a kind of courtyard,

where fountains played golden waters. And the floor of the courtyard was paved with pure gold! It was then that it broke upon me. This was the secret that Pop-Eye was after. It was this gold he wanted. Somehow, he had heard of this strange, beautiful planet that father and the Professor must some time have visited, and had determined to make the gold his own. The thought of Pop-Eye on this strange planet was strange. Somehow he wouldn’t fit in at all. “Wake up!” said Bill. “That’s their mother. She does seem kind." Mothers, I guess, are the same the whole universe over. Even if Amber, Tum-tum, Lila and Meja’s mother was not dressed as our mother dressed, her heart was in the same place. Somehow, she gathered Twopence into her arms, and held out a welcoming hand to Bill and me. No, two hands. They greeted one another in a double-handed way in this planet. The next few minutes were a kind of dream. Somehow or other we were ushered into big, shining rooms, and took baths in big shining golden pools. The water was just dimly warm, and refreshing. I went in feeling like a flat fish out of water, and came out all fizzy like lemonade just uncorked. The girls, too, looked fresh and clean and happy again. They brought us clean clothes, and though boys do feel a bit queer in skirts it seemed the thing in this part of the universe. And the girls looked quite nice in their neat little pants. In fact, we learned afterwards that Meja and Amber had been quite shocked to find boys

in pants and girls in skirts. It wasn’t considered quite proper in their world. It was only after we had finished a meal that consisted of strange fruits, breads, biscuits and a kind of cross between lettuce and cress, served With, queer sauce that we

“Boys do feel a bit queer in skirts’* remembered Bumps and Aunt Matilda. They would be wondering what had happened to us. It was then that we heard the noise out-

side. A great crowd of people all dressed in the fashion of our new friends was coming up the drive and in the midst of them smiling and happy as you please, but a little perplexed walked Aunt Matilda, with Bumps holding on to her hand. “I was wondering what had happened to you,” she told us, “and as I felt a bit anxious I decided to walk up the road I met some friends—they seem very kindly people here and they came along with me. But I wish we could understand one another.” Meja’s mother went forward, and welcomed Aunt Matilda, with both hands and Aunt Matilda seemed to grasp the custom at once and responded as if she had been doing a double hand shake all her life. Meanwhile, outside, someone had come running up, and in a second the crowd broke, and made for the be&ch “They’ve discovered the aeroFlane,” said Bill. He was thinking, know, just as I was thinking. Suppose they happened to damage the strange and wonderful machinery that we ourselves did not in tiie least understand, just how would we ever get back? Strange and beautiful as this world was, and kindly as the people seemed, somehow I suddenly longed for home — home and mother and dad again. Suppose we never saw them again; suppose we had to live all the rest of our lives, millions of miles—it must be millions —from those we loved. Suppose we had to become children of Mars, or Venus, or perhaps we were on the moon itself. We didn’t know. I think Bumps must have read the trouble in my face, for suddenly, too, her lips trembled, and big tears began falling down her face. And Bumps doesn’t cry easily. I saw Bill swallow, and Bumps look doleful, but Aunt Matilda seemed quite undaunted. She shut her eyes, and leaned her head on her hands. I know she was telling Meja’s mother that, just like little birdies we were wanting to go to sleep. And then, after we had been hustled off, to sleep in downy, golden beds, in a room that seemed dimly shaded glass, I knew no more for hours. I think we slept and slept and slept till we could sleep no more. And there’s no denying it that a sleep makes everything different. I wakened to see Bill smiling at me, with a big cheerful smile, and Tum-tum looking in at the door. Evidently, he wanted to take me to some new place, and show me something interesting. The girls, too, seemed rested, and Aunt Matilda and Meja’s mother were sitting together over what we would have called a cup of tea, but which wasn't tea, and trying to talk to each other. They seemed to be getting on very well, too. The sun was setting—it set just as it did in our good old earth — and this planet, bathed in its light, seemed even more wonderful than in the garish day. During our sleep the children’s father had appeared on the scene, and he now signed to us to follow him. We went down the road, and Into what seemed a town; then climbed a high tower. Here an old gentleman, with a long white beard, and eyes which seemed to see right through you and back again, greeted us. He directed our attention to a huge machine, which seemed very like our earth telescope. “Baritch,” he said (or so it sounded) and Bumps took a peep. Then