MIDNIGHT EXCURSION

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 148, 25 June 1938, Page 20

MIDNIGHT EXCURSION

(Original.) "Well, what about it?" 1 demand** af everyone in general "I'm game," said Paddy. i "So are we," Said the twins together (they always say things together). "That's settled then," I said, '"cos I Steve and Mick will do it if we do." "Cousinly love," chuckled Anne, the older of the twins.. So it was arranged; bed at ten, up again at twelve, get dressed, wind our top'sheets round our bodies, our towels round our; heads, no shoes (for we were to be Arabs —Arabs are much more exciting than ordinary English people). There.was the "feast" to prepare, which was a very strange collection. The clock struck twelve. Ghostly figures could be seen gliding.from all parts of the house and met—then the twins giggled. Steve did not improve the situation when he tried to stick his sheet into the mouth of Vonny, the smaller twin. Luckily Mick and Paddy appeared at this moment carrying the feast, and-beckoned us to hurry. "You goofs!"' hissed Mick eloquently. Very, very quietly we crept away from- the. house, and then we-relaxes a little, but not-entirely. We walked down the drive in silence starting' at the slightest noise, and at last reached the front gate. Here, we were quite safe; and could not be heard from the house if anyone up there was awake. In the ditch we started the party. "Afghans?' almost shouted Steve, who had a positive Weakness for them. "Oh, be quiet!" said Mick, "d'ye wsjnt to wake the whole country? If you keep on like that you will just about succeed. I say, Meg, where did you get that chocolate from?" "Ah-ha! You'd be surprised!" I teased. "I bought'in it town on Saturday, and I had forgotten' all about it till tonight."

"Look!" hissed Paddy. "What? Where? Why?" I demanded., "Scram!" muttered Anne, suiting the, action to the words. ; .

The remains : of the feast were abandoned, and we all fled down the road. I. was leading, but we were hampered by iny flowing robes, which would insist on tightning.round my legs. Suddenly there was a puffing noise and

Steve went flying by, head back and bare feet pounding on the hard metal road.' He looked so funny that I laughed and could not possibly run further, but collapsed on the road, almost bursting my sides in-trying to suppress my mirth. "Let's creep into the gorse," whispered Paddy into my ear. "It's no use going any further." So in we crept and stayed there foi a while. ,' ! "False alarm," sighed Vonny thankfully, coming up at that moment. "I vote we go back to bed. I've had enough excitement for one night." "So-ve' I," grunted Paddy., "Let's call the others.' Coast all clear," he said softly for the sound travelled rather quickly in the stillness of night.

"Well, are we going tt> carry on, or go back to bed?" Mick asked of everyone. - . "Back to bed," said everyone at once very determinedly. Thus the party ended; we thought no more of the biscuits and fruit, and our sole desire , was to get between the blankets again, for we had had a bad scare, and were getting tired. Like shadows, we stealthily glided into our respective rooms, and gave sighs Of thankfulness as we settled down in bed. I for one went straight to sleep, not to wake till my auntie called me three or four times in the morning, foi : : it was after two when our adventure ended. "DESERT GOLD" (16). Lyall Bay.