THE GREEN DRAGON TEAPOT THE RESCUE "OPEN EYES" SKY GOD

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 152, 29 June 1935, Page 20

THE GREEN DRAGON TEAPOT

THE RESCUE

"OPEN EYES"

SKY GOD

THE little girl with the red-gold hair and deep brown eyes laughed up at me from the depths of a cushioned hammock, as her mother and 1 ' pored over a great album of family photographs. It was mid-afternoon in the lovely garden, where roses bloomed nearly all the year round, and just then the scented frangipanni flung its snow-white offering at our feet.' "This," said her mother, as we icame to a photograph of a bearded old man, "is Joy's grandfather. He disappeared months ago, and we've never been able to trace him. He used to wander along the river bank for hours sometimes, often taking Joy with him. x Then, one day, he went away on a ramble and never returned. A little boat that had been moored up the river disappeared, too. We searched for. days, but couldn't find any trace of him," and she smiled that sad little smile I'd noticed of late. The arrival of. afternoon tea cut the story short; in fact, quite put it out of our minds, i especially when Joy's father, of the twinkly brown eyes and merry laugh, joined us. ' No one noticed that the hammock was empty for some time, and, when I did remark about it; Joy's mother only smiled, saying that Joy often went for rambles down (teat.'.the river. So the afternoon wore on apace—sunset, twilight came, and still no. sign of Joy Her mother began to worry, her father even forgot his cheery grin, and finally, when tea. was over and Joy had not turned up, her father and mother donned coats, lit a lantern, and, Inviting me to follow, hurried out through the little gate .leading to the river.1 . . '-■.'.. ' •■. '•■..'•• ' .":':" '. :;. , For half a mile we followed the noisy stream, listening to its gurgling ecstasies with heavy hearts, and then Joy's mother gave a little cry- "Oh, Geoff," she said, and her voice shook, "the boat's gone!" Sure enough, the.little dinghy that had beeii moored there for the.past few weeks had disappeared, while tiny footprints showed up in the mud. "The same way as her grandfather went." her mother said, her voice breaking. '.. ■ ■) , ■ '■'.■■'.'..■■ . , ■ ■■;',. ;. : We took her home, and Joy's father, getting,a party of neighbours together, once more set put to follow the river downstream. But the stream was swift, and the little'boat had had a long start, so the men tramped till dawn without any success. Weary and anxious eyed they snatched a meagre breakfast, and were • off again. Joy was.r a general favourite, so her disappearance caused much consternation in the neighbourhood. The men came home at sunset, all very grave," all very silent, all worn out. "Looks as if she's gone the same way as her grandpa," said Lewis, the old gardener, shaking his head, as I gave him tea in the kitchen that night. "There's only one part of the place \Vhere we didn't seek high and low for her grandpa, and that's in Mad Harry's joint, where a fellah'd get shot on sight." I Then all at once a wild idea leapt into my brain. . Lewis waxed eloquent on the subject- of Mad Harry, and ere long 1 learned that his place was about six miles downstream, back a little distance from the river, and hidden behind a dense tangle of vines and creepers. . ' Early next morning, before any ot the men were astir, I crept out, saddled up one of the horses, and, taking a little basket of sandwiches, set off "downstream. I felt sure I was on the right track, but didn't dare tell any of the others for fear they pooh-poohed my scheme. I had never been anywhere near Mad Harry's place, but fortune seemed to follow my footsteps somehow that morning. After an hour or so of riding the bush began to thicken, and creepers and vines made it almost impassable where they seemed thickest. I tied my horse to a tree, and tried to force a way through. It was awful work, and the thorns scratched me and,tore>my clothing. I began to wonder whether I would ever find a way out, when the bush ended suddenly, and I half tumbled into a little clearing. Iti the centre of this clearing was a rough little cabin, which bore marks of habitation. The back door was open, and, remembering Lewis's warning I skirted it warily, but such caution was unnecessary: I rounded the corner, V and would have shouted for joy, for there, on the front steps, was Joy. her red-gold hair all tumbled, her eyes shining as she laughed up into an. old man's.face, the old man of the photograph. . He was very childish; but from what I could gather Mad Harry, in one of his calmer moments, had met the old man' on the river, and had taken him in and looked after him until just recently, when Harry had, as the old man put it, "gone bush." Loneliness sent Joy's grandfather to the river every day;, and there one evening, he found Joy and brought her in. He.told me where the path that led to the river was, and I left him chuckling in childish glee, as he rubbed his hands together. My heart sang for joy as I set out to find the rescue party, for had I not accomplished ma little over an hour that which many men had not been able to do an a day and a half? • . ■, JEAN CULLIFOKD U6> ..,

(Original.) Betty stood alone ; Granny's quaint little drawing-room. This was the moment she had been waiting for ever since she had read the story about an old man who had hoarded a fortune in a cracked old teapot, and it was only discovered years after his death by his little granddaughter. Granny was having her afternoon nap, and Susan, the maid, was crooning comfortably in the kitchen, while Betty was supposed to be playing with Brumble, the fat and lazy spaniel. Here was her chance. There was the china cabinet,, and right away on the top was the green, dragon teapot Betty sighed happily as she dragged a chair silently to the I cabinet, unlocked the glass door, and i mounted the chair. Alas! She could not reach. • I "Bother!" she said softly. "How can I 1 get it down? It's a cracked old thing, anyway," she said, as she took a rest. "I won't try again." But then she re-. membered how the story teapot had been very cracked. 1 ' ; Looking round the room, she saw a heavy cushion which looked very useful. Placing the cushion on the chair, she found she could reach the. spout. Very carefully she held the teapot in her arms as she jumped lightly to the ground. But somehow it slipped out of her hands .and it reached' the ground before Betty and there it lay in fragments. ' .' .' ' "Oh, I didn't drop it," she cried. "It just slipped out of my hands itself." As she picked up the pieces she; saw a piece of paper amongst the pieces of china. Forgetting about the old tea,pot, she ran to find ncr Granny. Giving her the paper, she and Susan saw faint words something like, "The clue to the treasure is hidden in a secret panel over the fireplace.*-J.ohn Holgate." ' ;'. :■.. . "Why," said Granny, "that is my grandfather's name. Now I remember when I was young my mother said something about a treasure hidden somewhere in the .house." "ALPINE VIOLET? (14). Moera. :

"The other daysl went to play with two little friends, and'while we were playing on the hills I-heard some funny noises in the distance.'■ When I'looked round I saw two animals fighting and rolling about; I walked'up towards them and crept into some trees ■to watch; 1 was surprised to-sec a cat and a rabbit. The cat had the poor

wee rabbit by the ears, and'the -rabbit was trying to get away. What a 'fright they had when I moved towards them! The rabbit got away, the cat ran after it, and both disappeared into some bushes." ■'■■■•■•■'/■■' ■

"KELPIE" (9).

When the world was very young and new there were no people living on earth—no people, that is, except Father Time, Dame Nature, and their children, who were called Seconds, Minutes, Hours,' Days, Weeks, Months, and. Years, according ■to their ages. . Now, these children were wild children, and caused their poor parents a great deal of worry; for they tumbled about al} over the world, and played football with the moon, and chased all the Centuries down to China (and locked them in), and kept their father and mother in a constant fret hurrying after them and striving to keep them in order, even neglecting their own work to do so. Therefore, very soon snowstorms happened where there should have been earthquakes, and Father Time lost his scythe, and Dame Nature lost her temper, and said: "These" children are more than flesh and blood can stand. I shall ask tha Sky Gods to send usa nurse." So sho did. But the Sky Gods took no notic« of her request; and I think they would have forgotten all about 't, bad it not been for the exceptionally bad b»« haviour of one of the Minutes. Oat evening when he thought no one wai looking he climbed to the top of Mount Kosciusko and tried to stand on hit hands without falling over. While he was up there a star with a blue sparky, edge, and a sense of humour, awakened, winking and blinking fror its long sleep; but when it saw tfilf little Minute trying to balance upside down on the tip of Mount Kosciusko he chuckled, and then he laughed; and then, most shameful and terrible to relate, he put his finger* to his nose and twiddled them hi the little Minute's upside-down face. \ The little Minute was enraged? He jumopd to his feet, snatched up a round white pebble, and threw it at the rude little star. He missed his aim, and struck a large important star in the solar plexus; and at that particular instant the High Sky God placed his august eye against thatparticular star, so that he might lookoutside the sky and see what.sort of a night it was; and all the star-dus* was knocked into his august eye by the pebble thrown by the little Minute. Sohe withdrew his eye inside the sky again, and said in an extremely terrible voice: "Who threw that stone?" And all the Not So High Sky Gods grew vex-y agitated, and said they supposed it was one of Dame Nature's terrible children, who were running wild all over the earth because they had no manners and no nurse to teach them any. "Hut and pish!" said the High Sky God irritably, "this pebble-throwing must be stopped! Send me four of: our best vireins." , So they were sent to him. • beautiful maidens, calledSnrine. Summer. Autumn, and Winter. And while the court physician was wipine the.star dust out of his eyes he said to them: "Go you nowto earth and divide evenly between yo*« the children of Dame Nature, and take care of them forever more."' And ,they came to earth and they were called, not sisters, but seasons; and the little Minute, whom Spring took in hand, became so good that he grew up into the King's Birthday, and' that was that. DOREEN BAILEY. Australia. ,

"PLEASE . . .! w "Soot." 4 Arundtl Fltts. City, would like a »«n-friend who has cigarette plaque* to axehanoe. "Black Beauty."—Writs to "Teddy's Aunt" 38 Ooaki Road, Lantdowaft, Masterton. THINK TWICE WHICH FLOWER? My first is In Pam and also in Pat, My second is tn Jack and not (v Jill. My third is in Nancy and not in Ruth, My fourth is in Frances and also in. Mavis, My fifth Is In Joy but not in Joan, My whole is a, flower. ~ "ASALENCIA" (11). Karorl. A CHARADE. Although my first nlay give you pain, "T!s valued as a treasure; My next, if Buffered to remain, Will furnish some with pleasure. ' My whole's an ornament, 'tis tiue, iThough usefulness combining. Which, probably, you have la view ' When by your fire reclining. TONGUE TWIBTERB. . A proper cup of coffee and a proper coffee-pot Five fine flyinu flsh fell fifty-five feet. JUMBLED ANIMALS. 1. Codcrloei. 2 Lffobau 3. Dplnal^p, i. Sritees. ■5. Bloeosrenb. 8.. Orcaknao. 7 Okyenm 8. E&saob. 9. Mclea 10 Meu. "BRIAR ROSE" (12). LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS. Jumbled Birds.—Sparrow, starllnf, kiwi, nightingale, chaffinch, robin, thrush, magpie lark, woodpecker. Which Country.—Samoa. Kiddle-me-ree.—Willow. Picture Puzzle.—Tongs, retort, anchor, flic, face, insect, compass Initial letter word: Traffic Hidden Sea-creature.—The sea-creafure ia the shading puzzle was an octopus. "ANSWERS FOUND BY . . -Sylvia" (16); Gladness'1 (13); "Soot" (13) j "Lily of Klllarney" (12); 'Teddy's Abut" jUS,I j "Crimson, Koaa" i! 0)»