JACK AND JILL

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 94, 22 April 1933, Page 20

JACK AND JILL

(Original for the fairy Ring, by "Bobbolink," of Koro Koro.)

JACK and Jill were twins. They were twelve years old, and their uncle had asked them to spend their holidays with him. It waa just after Christmas. They took their swimming togs, and the morning after they arrived they put them on and went down to tho river. There they saw some other children ■bathing. All of a sudden one of them ■waded out too far, and couldn't get tack into his depth. Jack immediately took a plunge and pulled tho other hoy ashore. After that, all the children became very friendly, and made a league. Jack and Jill discovered that their new playmate's name was Fanshawe. One Saturday it was rather a dull daj\ so'the League decided to play hares and * hounds. It was decided that Jack and Jill would be the hounds, and the rest hares. After counting fifty, the twins set off in search of the others. Jill at once sighted footprints. She told Jack, and together they followed them. About two hundred yards further down tho little track leading into the bush there were signs of struggling. "I wonder," Jack murmured to himself, and both children were very quiet as they followed the footprints. "Hush-sh!" Jill said. "I hear Voices." Creeping behind a tree they looked down on to an old hut. "I can't gee anything, but I'm going to investigate," whispered Jack. Together they crept down, and peeped through the window. Inaida there was a single dirty, empty room, with cobwebs all over the roof. "Look," cried Jack. Just then ft trapdoor showed through Iho floor, und opened. An evil-looking head appeared, followed by another. "Come on, Jake." No. 1 said. "Leave" them kids there for a -while. It 11 do 'em good." No. 2 was- evidently a little bit scared, jjnt he seemed to try not to *how it.

"We-ell, wh-what ■ about shutting tlie trapdoor h-herc? S-somebody rn-in-might bo Tv-watching us." "Aw," growled No. 1, "I'll do tho job by myself if you'like." The twins did not know what to do, so they crept round the hut and watched the direction in which tho men went. Then they hurried into the hut and opened the trapdoor. "Anyone there?" they cried. The answer was a,few groans. There was a ladder leading down, so Jack went first, and following him, Jill. There they saw their friends, all bound up with ropes. Jack sot them free, and Tommy Fanshawe explained everything when they got outsido. He put it as briefly'as possible. "Nobody knew, but my father is making plans for an invention, and somehow or other these men have found oiit. Father is going to town today with them, and they are going to hold him up and take tho plans. Thou they will escape with them,'" ho concluded. "Very well. Come on, you chaps. Uncle showed mo a short way through the bush yesterday. See how quickly we can run, and perhaps we'll save the plans, too." Jack led the way, and soon reached the Fanshawe's house. There Mr. Fanshawc was just getting into the cart, and walking along the road were the two rogues. Tommy Fanshawe at once explained everything to his father, who went inside, put his plans away, and put some plain white paper in an envelope in his pocket. He told Tommy to ring up the police, and to tell them to come , at once. This Tommy did. Meanwhile Mr. Fanshawe set off. He was fighting with the two rogues when the police came and captured them both. The two men were imprisoned, and the plans given to the Government. They were very successful, and I must say Jack and Jill got a fair reward for their prompt action.