The "Why?” Twins

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 220, 13 June 1936, Page 27

The "Why?” Twins

An original story by Margaret Ryan (11)« Tongarho. Consternation reigned in the little pa, for visitors, tourists from the small pakeha town a short distance away, had visited the Maoris habitation, P’ a >* ll K havoc among it. At least, two of the holiday-makers had. I* or I eter and Paul were nMurally mischievous nine-year-olds. They were generally ® "Why?” twins by their friends and relatives. It can be guessed bj then title that they had a liabit of asking questions. . . , The members of the tribe were therefore exceedingly dismayed when the said meddlesome twins arrived on the scene. They broke down teiices. exposing e unfortunate natives to the ravages ot any beast. 1 hey climbed on to the loots of the whares, usually falling through the thin thatch And above all. they aske questions as they always did. Often, very often, the was “Whv' not even think of replies, so silly were the queries. Everything was Whj . Whv‘> Why'’*” i T't set the brown-skinned people thinking. Some of them had never stopped to think whv thev always had tiny wooden food-houses, or why their woodwork was carved They had accepted things like that as age-old traditions that must k The climax came, however, on the day when Peter and Paul invaded the sacred tapu field That dav, also, a precious greenstone tiki, the property of the chief Jas missed from its stknd in the treasure-house . Of course, the rested upon the “Why?” twins. Their first words on being told this weie. “Why does the suspicion rest upon us! Now an important English official was expected to vimt ’ >e Pa that aftor-noon-the very afternoon the tiki was stolen. In honour oi t e oftima svis it a flimsy structure, with the word ."Welcome” written in golden Maon letteis, was minnoi’tpfl bv a lyacksvound of native creepers and lea\es. ' Of eourae, the twins had to look at the frail arrangement. J’S to fight over something, until they came to blows. Dining the fie ice struggle which followed, their heavy little bodies crashed ‘'’S Down it all fell. A hundred gasps came from, a hundred Maou mouths. But this time their horrified exclamations were not dn'ected on the luck ess two. 1 oi. tumbling out of the creepers and branches cdnie the chiefs lost tiki, and out ot the debris came crawling two ruffled, diminutive figures. General Gordon Lang's luxurious black limousine drew up nt the pa o ates. Stepping out of the car. the general stood and listened to the queer sounds which. eanUfrom inside the palisade of the pa. He knew that the occupants ot the whares, just visible through the wooden railings, were expecting linn. “Perhaps ” he thought, “this is their way ot welcoming visitors! As lie cainc nearer, however, he could see them bending over an unfortunate young warrior who was obviously their unhappy captive. His captors thing—even heedless of two small boys at their brown elbows; two small bojs asking an endless number of questions all beginning with why. . A few moments the general and his retinue stood gazing with amiLCinent on the mass of brown bodies, Peter end Paul saw the “Whr'ara'you here, father?” they inquired with a note of surprise in their voices. A line of Maoris scramblecbto their feet, assuming great dignity on seeing the gorgeously-dressed, smiling gentlemen standing in front oi them. The spokesman of the tribe then explained ‘l>eirstT a i>se behaviour General Lang being relieved to hoar that the cries and ejaculations were: not pait of a welcoming ceremony. "But what are my two sons doing here?’ he asked at leng He laughed when he heard the list of mischievous deeds they had succeeded in performing. At once he offered to repair any damage they had done. “Whv is that man tied up?”, asked the twins. This tine thev were heeded, although it was a shamefaced speaker who told the twins’ father of the lost tiki, incidentally apologising for having accused bis rangatira’s son who admitted the stealing of his father’s nronei'tv After he was taken in custody. General Lang, his sons, and thenhosts and hostesses conducted the former over the pa. only being interrupted by Hw questions of tlm “Why?” twins. When at last the visit was over, the General turned to his sons and su'd. “Come, boys, we must leave now. “Why?” questioned the exasperating pan.