Two Sixth-formers

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 84, 5 October 1940, Page 19

Two Sixth-formers

"T SAY, Margaret, have you seen Jeanette anywhere? Miss Thomson wants her about that extra maths, she was supposed to do." Margaret Ludlow paused in the act of washing her hands as Pam Gardner and Marion Carlyle slapped her soundly between the shoulder-blades. "Jeanette? Oh, there's a full basketball practice and she's most likely demonstrating the Highland Fling in her efforts to reach the ball," Margaret laughed. .Then, "Oh, no, she's not. There she is, climbing in the window.

Jeanette, my child, what would Miss Thomson say if she saw you?" Jeanette shrugged her shoulders and .sat on the lid of her desk, puffing and laughing. Jeanette was always laughing. She, Pam, and Marion and Margaret were Sixthformers and prefects of Clifton House. Now, she gathered up her beloved science books and made off' down the corridor with her friends. "Listen, you three," she said, as they left the schqol,. '<As it's Saturday tomorrow, I, wondered if you would come for a picnic with me to Ludovic Heath. My brother Victor —you know, the one who is in the Navy—said he'd come, and Mummy would pack us a nice picnic basket. You could bring those snaps that you wanted to show Vie, Pam. Do come!" "Why, that's a spiffing idea! I'll come," cried Marion. "We all will, I know." ■ " . ]

(Written for the Ring? by

The others eagerly accepted and arranged to meet the following morning. Punctually at 10.30 on the Saturday morning, the four girls and Jeanette's brother, Victor, set off for Ludovic Heath, a distance of about four miles. When they reached a satisfactory spot, the girls left the picnic basket with Victor, who was determined to "have a snooze" leaning against a tree, to explore. , Jeanette and Margaret decided to walk across the heath to the cliffs and from there on to the beach, and left companions by them- I selves. Jeanette led the way through the undergrowth, singing as she went. Suddenly, Margaret saw Jeanette actually disappearing before her eyes. With a startled cry, she dropped on her knees in front of the gaping hole that was before her. "Jeanette! Jeanette!" she called anxiously. "Are you all right?" "Yes, I'm quite all right," Jeanette's voice floated up to her, slightly muffled. "I say, Margaret. Would you be game to drop down here? It's not. very deep and there's a sort of cave where I am. I'll guide your feet." Gingerly, Margaret hung for a moment by her hands —then dropped. The place that she found herself in was a large, gloomy, damp cave, dimly lit by the daylight coming in through the space above. Along the walls was dripping moss, telling of a spring or something of the sort, outside. The rocky floor seemed to slope downwards, probably to the sea. Altogether, the place was creepy in the extreme. Jeenette was standing a short way away seeming to be peering at something, and when Margaret's eyes became accustomed to the dark Jeanette beckoned to her. Margaret cautiously walked aver not quite

"Sally Sunbeam," IS, Karori.)

knowing what to expect, then drew back with a cry of horror. "Jeanette! What on earth have you there?" ' • "It's a skeleton. Most likely of a Maori, I think. And Margaret, just look herel There's a pile of Maori tools. Axes and things." Jeanette sounded thrilled- 'And there's a little greenstone tiki round what I thinks the neck of the skeleton. Well, you don't look very excited, Margaret." "I'm not," said Margaret, frankly. "Oof. This place gives me the creeps. Let's go up and ask Victor to carry these things 4 up and. . . . Why, what's the matter, Jeanette?", For Jeanette had paled and looked not a little frightened. "What a silly ass I am," she ejaculated, with a shaky laugh. "How on j earth can we get up at all? That edge is at least three feet above our

heads, and i never thought ot getting up again. I shouldn't have let you come down at all." "Do you think you could jump and reach the edge, Jeanette? You know you're the best jumper in the sixth," suggested Margaret.

"It's far too high up," said Jean- . ette decidedly. "No, the only thing >to do is to find another way out—peri haps down on to the beach. And il that fails, we must shout, and perhaps Pam or Marion might hear us. But first, let's explore down here. Very carefully, the two Sixth-form-ers made their way across the sloping' floor of : the cave, Margaret leading > the way, for, as she pointed but, she had no intention of dropping into any more pits,, interesting-.or not! \ Instead of widening, as they both; expected, the cavity^ was obviously becoming narrower and darker. Suddenly Jeanette gave- a shout of joy, for, there before them was daylight, coming from between a crack in the two solid rock walls- on either side quite big enough- for Margaret at any rate to squeeze through, though Jeanette would have a tight fit if she attempted it, as she was a good deal bigger than her friend. At last, ho^ ever, the pair had- succeeded in the difficult feat, and were standing together on the beach, where they found themselves thinking:of the best way to; return to Victor and the lunch-basket. 1 After several attempts at finding i their way, Jeanette found herself on - the original track which had led ~to the caVe, arid she led the way back to the spot where,- to -Margaret's extreme, surprise, there was Victor, still sound asleep, while'Pam and Marion, were spreading the^picnic cloth on thai ground. Victor, on being rudely awakened from his doze/ was very interested i» Jeanette's story; and after a , welldeserved lunch, he took Pam and Marion to investigate, bringing up tha tools and tiki; >The tiki Jeanette took for a keepsake :Xas Margaret declared she wouldn't'touch it after it had been on a skeleton), while -the tools and axes were sent to' a museum. Although Jeanette told the world in general that "she' wasn't a scrap afraid," she admitted .to her own circle of friends that she-had felt a bit funny when she thought she would have ta spend the night in a "skeleton-infested cave."