CHILDREN’S COLUMN

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 January 1926, Page 8

CHILDREN’S COLUMN

“KIM THE KIWI”

BY

E. NELSON HOBSON.

ILLUSTRATED BY A. H. MESSENGER.

CHAPTER XL

. • One by one the Lady Mice recovered and after learning "who Kim .was, the social evening progressed, but they were all a little suspicious of him. Samuel and he retired to the Cheese Room, and Kim had never seen so much cheese and eaten so many kinds in his life. “How.did you get here, Kim?” asked Samuel. “By the replied, but he did not tell Samuel that he had been confined to a box for nearly seven weeks. “ How ,is your Mother ?’ ’ Samuel asked. “Oh, I suppose she is quite well. She does not know I am here and thinks I am possibly still at Brusher Bros, in Wellington.” To this Samuel said, “ What if she sends old C. Gull after you —she might find out and then there would be; trouble. If you have the money send her a cable. We don’t want anyone routing round this Club. As it is we are scared of the cats in this district. ” -■' . “I,” said Kim, “made friends with two Cats on the boat, who Said round this Trap-Dodgers ’ Club was a mousing ground for the finest table mice in the world.” ' “What?” called out Samuel, “Two Cats! Do they know you came in here —-if so nobody Can leave here in safety to-night,” and his hair stood on end. . . , ‘ ‘ Calm yourself, I am not so foolish as that, ’ ’ said Kim, ‘ I have not seen them since I left the ship. I realise what Cats are to you and I am not going back to the boat again.” ■ - : “Gbod!” ,said Samuel, “and where are yoti gding to stay ?” Just then old Nestmaker came in eyeing Kim with suspicion. “That’s my father,” said Samuel. Kim looked up and as he anticipated Timothy Nestmaker was very severe. He looked at Kim with a piercing eye and said—“So you are the Kiwi! You made a false entry into the Club to-night in my name, explain it. Furthermore you have frightened the ,ladies, and upset us all —explain that. And I only accept the truth.’ ; Kim then realised what he was up against and told Mr. Nestmaker; all about leaving his home, the Brusher Brothers’ Bakery, and his trip over in/the box made by Sandy. “Humph!” said old Timothy, “it looks to me as if there is going to be trouble over you. I don’t know where you can stay. We live round the corner and there is no robin there. First of all there is to be no nonsense otherwise I’ll send you to the London Zoo. Once there my friend, you stay there, you understand?” : “Yes,” said Kim. “Yes, Sir,” said Nestmaker. “I am called ‘Sir’ when spoken -‘‘Sir—very well Sir,” replied Kim in a dickens of a fright, (thinking of the Zoo riot the ‘Sir’) Nestmaker left the room and Kim sighed a sigh of relief. “My goodness, your father is strict, Samuel* ” “Yes, he is, and you watch out for him. Do what you are told, if you have any wish other than what he says just sit and think it—don’t act it. The Zoo would put the lid on everything.”- '• “Everything —what’s everything?” . i ' “Well, replied Samuel, “with care we might get out and see a little bit of London.” •■ - ■‘ ‘ Oh,)that might be better, ’ ’ said Kim. “Yes, it might ! be worse,” said Samuel.

■ The-Nestmaker came in and said—“As your Mother was good . to Samuel in New Zealand, you can sleep in the Trap Room to-night, Kiwi; and wait for Samuel in the morning. Then he went out, before Kun had time to say yes—-er Sir. . Samuel continued: ‘ ‘ There are millions of people moving about o in London. It is all ’buses, carts in the day time and you travel in Tubes.”

. “Tubes!” said Kim, “What*sort of tubes—glass tubes. Don’t you get Hrokpn?” g

. “bfo,” replied Samuel, “tubes are railways running under the ground ill tunnels all underneath London.” “All right!” said Kim. “How was Ito know? You remember when yoi| were’in New Zealand you called a whare a wear;”. “Perhaps I did,-” said'Samuel, “however you wait till the morning, and you will be quite safe in the trap room to-night.” “I don’t think much of this trap business,” said Kim. “Why dp they trap mice and not Kiwis?” .

/‘London is London and Timaru is Timaru,” said Samuel. “-And tubes are railways and railways are tubes,” said Kim. Then he was shown his bed in the trap room, and when he saw it he was quite startled. There were traps that snapped; traps that clomped; wire traps; drowning traps; spring traps; wooden traps and traps with chains. Before he went to bed he and Samuel sat up apd ~talked over their experiences, and laughed about old Fantail. Kim then said,. “Is it possible that we can have a look round to-mor-row without getting into trouble?”

“I hope so,” replied Samuel, “after all as things are You cannot be further in trouble. I am here, you are you, this is this, and that is that.”

-'i '“Yes,” said Kim, “and those will.be those if your father has to deal with us over any trouble that may occur.” ~ ... Samuel-said“ There is a private entrance to the Club only known to. a yery few. It leads out into the yard where the motor buses stand. We will try and get on one and I will take you and show you the Bank' of England. ’ ’

. „ “The. Bank of England! I don’t want to see a-Bank. I have seen too-many Banks in the gullies in New Zealand,” said Kim.

“Those Banks! I mean the place where they keep money—-big-buildings—lots of gold and notes and people shovelling them about.”’“Shovelling—gold and notes about?” said Kim. “What a funny place London is. You call ‘railways’ ‘tubes,’ ‘Banks,’ places you keep.your inoney in—and you have traps in which to be snared.” ; . “You wait and see,” said Samuel, “I will come and see you in the morning. Then he departed. You will see in the picture what Kim’s dreams were' the first night he slept in London. - ‘ ; - ; ■" ; j (To be Continued).