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Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 113, 6 February 1937, Page 25

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(Continued from last week.) 'J’HERE was Peter, with elaborate ami quite unnecessary care, displaying his telephone about his tree. The wires and the way they were connected were no different from that of the Woopers’—but at the end was a real telephone and a real receiver. “Sh! Don’t look—pretend we haven’t seen,” Tony whispered violently, green with envy, and he started to hammer nails rapidly into the floor. “Woops!” the cry came from below, and Bob’s head appeared. “What on earth, Tony?’’ he cried, for Tony was not caring where he-drove the nails or how crooked they went in. 'Hie noise was terrific, and the telephone lay abandoned. “Tony! Shut up!” Bob yelled, clambering into the house. Tony flung down the hammer in disgust. “Don’t care!” he said defiantly. “What is the matter with you. old chap?” Bob asked curiously—has something bitten you, or has the telephone gone wrong?” “Don’t worry,” said Betty calmly, .“we’ll have a good ’phone, too. How’s the newspaper getting on, Bob?” Bob laughed. “Tom’s got everything except the news,” he said, “and he thinks we ought to make it a rule that we do something- exciting every day so that he will have something to write about.” “That’s a good idea—let’s start with a prank,” Betty put in. Bob ignored her. “Tom thinks,” he went on, “that as he would like to join in the fun, too, it would be a good idea if the paper came out once a week. What do you think?” “■Well, that suits me,” said Betty, and Tony nodded; “but we must first of all see that the house is furnished and all.” In the end a conference was held, and it was decided that they should have a rush mat for flooring. Bob was to put up shelves for plates and books, and nails for coats ami cups. “We’ll have to keep them separate.” said Betty. And then, to add more excitement to the game, they decided to get parental consent and each spend a night in the bouse. The telephone would be working, and by a bell it would connect with Bob’s room in case of emergency. They decided to draw lots for the first one to sleep there, and Betty, to her glee, came out on top. That night, trembling a little with excitement and anticipation, she made her way to the tree, settled herself comfortably on an old mattress in one corner, and prepared herself for what might come. There was a bright, moonlight sky, ijnd through the chinks where the roof and the walls joined, she could see the stars twinkling. A cow was chewing its cud in loud monotony in the field below, and somewhere a morepork called. “I feel like an explorer wailing to catch a man-eating tiger,” Betty saidto herself, but before very long she was doing the very thing explorers in tree tops should never do—fall asleep. The night was no; Imlf-linislied when footsteps eame plodding m-ross Hie Held. B'-ily awakened with a start and held her breath as they came nearer and nearer, (To be cQßtmiied.);