NATALIE ENJOYS HARVEST TIME

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22004, 30 January 1937, Page 4 (Supplement)

NATALIE ENJOYS HARVEST TIME

I am so glad I live in the country, as we have great fun at harvest time. We take the lunches out to the paddocks for the men, and mother puts some in for us, so we have ours in the paddock, too. Then we have a ride on the dray or try to put up the stooks. I also like to watch the mill threshing the wheat and the men sewing up the bags. —NATALIE GILCHRIST (aged 8), Oxford.

THE BUSH BURGLARS

At the beginning of the holidays two boys, Dick Blewitt and Rob Carpenter, decided to camp in the bush at Kaituna Valley. Arriving at the appointed place, they pitched their tent and cooked some tea over an old kerosene tin which served duty as a fire-place. When tea was over, they went to bed.

Next morning it was Dick’s turn to cook, so he fried some bacon and an egg each. He decided to make a mug of cocoa for Rob and himself. and when he had the water boiling, he started to hunt for the tin of cocoa. He hunted and hunted, but he could not find it. Suddenly he saw the cocoa upset on the ground, but the tin had vanished.

Every morning for about a week, things disappeared from the camp —lids, a spoon, some nails, a silverhandled pocket knife and, in fact, any shiny article which was left lying round. One evening, however, Rob . suggested that they should set a trap or wait up and try to catch the thief, so they decided to keep awake all that night. Rob, who had first watch, had waited only about half-an-hour

when he caught sight of the thief. He saw two pairs of bright, beady eyes peering through the undergrowth. Then suddenly a strange sound startled him. Wek-ka. and then again, “wek-ka! Suddenly a brotvn bird with a strong, hard beak came into the tiny clearing round the ramp. Then another one followed the first. They tried to pick up a large electric torch, but it was too heavy. The thieves were a- weka and ms m The “Bush Burglar” was caught redhanded, „„„ —’MATE EN-ZED, Kaituna Valley, Ataahua.

Customer: “Five pounds is too much for that dog. Shall we say half?” , Dealer: “I am sorry, but I don’t sell half-dogs.” —PATRICIA GRIMWOOD.