GOLDEN FLOWER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19406, 14 August 1926, Page 5 (Supplement)

GOLDEN FLOWER.

(A NEW ZEALAND ROMANCE.)

CHAPTER XI.

THE SILVER STREAM OF FAIRYLAND. And ever through the midst there flows a tiny murmuring rill. . , ~ Which ripples on unceasingly, when all things else are still. A sweet. and fragant influence seems hovering in the air, . , , ~ _ , \s if all grace «nd gentleness had gathered ■ lound them lhere _ E dith M. Carman.

" There is a fairy cave, with a fairy queen, and a baby princess to the presents, down at Convoy s. It s a shilling to go in."

"Have you been?" asked* Sunshine. " Yes," nodded the girl who had spoken first. " Yesterday, Joe and Maisie and me —we all went."

" What do you think of them ? What did you get?" ' There was intense interest in the soft eves.

"Oh! They were stunning. The little girl's hair curls all over her head, just as tight as anything, and the lady's hair is so long that she can sit »on it quite easily. I got such a bosker pen-cil-case —a three-decker — and Maisie got a ball, and Joe a box of handkerchiefs. They had Charlie Chaplin on them. You going?" Sunshine shook her head regretfully. " Not to-day We are not to go to the township at all to-day." " Yah!" said a boy scornfully. "They won't go any day. Don't you tknow they're too mean ever to spend a bean?" " Oh, shut up, Harry. You aren't too fond of spending money yourself. Let them alone!" said the girl, good-naturedly. " I've, got a new dress for Christmas, a white orgaudie muslin with a blue sash. What's yours, Shirley ?" " I don't quite know what I shall wear yet," said Sunshine unhappily. " I'm so glad that you all got such nice presents from the Fairy Cave, Elsie, and I'm sure your new dress is lovely. I hope you will have a beautiful time at Christmas."

" Well, how about coming to see the circus ? It came on a special train this morning ever so early. Dan says they've

got the big tent up already, and there are five elephants, one of them only a baby one, and lots of cages.," urged the same girl, unwilling to give up. " Come on, Shirley. Be a sport. We never see anything of you except just at school. They're going to show the animals this afternoon for a shilling to all the people who don't "want to go to the show tonight. But the elephants, and some of the monkeys, and the camels and the ponies, they are outside the tent all tlie time. You can see those for nothing—and sometimes the lions and tigers roar. It's great fun. Come on!" "I'm afraid we couldn't!" repeated Sunshine, patiently, " we promised not to go down to the township—we are only going off to the bush for a long play." " Well—if you won't come, we may as well be off—but Ido wish you would coax your brother to say 'yes'.' I'm sure he wouldn't mind—and it doesn't cost anything." Sunshine shook her chestnut head regretfully.

. "I'd love to come, Elsie, but it wouldn't be any use asking. Jim was most particular about it* He doesn't think little girls and boys ought to go near circuses and things like that by themselves."

Elsie stared at the little speaker, but this was only another item to be added to an already long list of things which Jim fotbade to his little sister and brother—things that the parents of township children saw no harm in whatever. So she dismissed it from her mind, and with a cheerful good-bye, ran off down the dusty road with her compani6ns. Just for a moment Shirley's long curling lashes were down—dropped- to hide the tears which came waJling into the brave brown eyes. She longed—nobody knew how much —to run down the road with Elsie and her companions; to go and see the elephants with their huge mouths, long, curving trunks, and funny flapping ears; to watch the monkeys in their comic antics, and to thrill with delicious fear at the lion's sudden roar.

But it was forbidden, and there was Denis to think of—Denis, who was only five—and a boy—so she winked the tears hurriedly away again, and turned to him with a smile. " We'll try quite a new track through the bush to-day," she said, and he,r smife was so bright that Denis did not notice the little quiver in her voice, " We will follow the fern gully right up, and perhaps we might really find something loYely, I always had an idea there was .something worth looking for up there. We'll go to-day, and find out what it is." " P'raps a real fairy!" suggested Denis brilliantly, " Or p'raps a lion that has 'scaped from the circus.'* "I'd rather find a fairy!" Sunshine laughed. " wouldn't it be lovply if we could ?"

"I'm hungry!"-announced Denis suddenly. "let's see. what she lias given us for lunch.",

Sunshine peeped into the newspaper parcel which she had put into her school-bag for convenience in carrying. " Pour big thick pieces of bread arid dripping, and two of bread and butter each," she Announced, "and a little packet of salt that I put in myself, because the water-cress is lovely now in

(COPYMGUT.)

BY DULCE CARMAN. (Mrs. D. Drummond)

the creek that runs down the ferngully. That's all—no! There is another paper packet here —oh, Denis—look ! one each of those lovely scones she had just baked for Jim's lunch. How nice of her."

" I'm hungry," repeated the small youth doggedlv, " can't I have something to eat?"

" Oh yes. dear—of course you can. She has given us such a feast to-day. Have a slice of breatl and dripping now, and keep tile really nice things until lunch-time. 1 know you don't like it, but you can pretend it is something else, jelly, or fruit-salad, or ice-cream—or—-sausages." "Oh, Sunshine! Don't mention sausages to me!" " Why not? I thought you loved them so!" " Sausages make my hair grey." Well—you would not look very nice with grey hair yet, so pretend it is fruitsalad—with lots and lots of whipped cream—and strawberries in it, too," Deeper and deeper into the bush went the children, and their spirits rose as soon as the cool shadows fell around them, They did not (follow along the banks of the Kiwi as usual, but turned away from all beaten tracks to where a small stream tinkled' cheerfully over its stony bed, as it wound like a thread of silver through a gully of magnificent ferns.Here the stately nikau palms grew in great profusion, and the graceful fronds of the black mamaku tree-ferns were flung wide on the scented air.

On the banks of the little creek, the maiden-hair grew in a luxuriant carpet of softest green, and here and there the Prince of Wales' feathers raised their dark-green crests beyond the cream and gold and crimson ferns that carpeted the slopes on either side. The wineberries were covered with their sprays of blossom —those wonderful little bunches that are all colours from white and cream, and palest pink, to deepest crimson. The koninis hung their .wild fuchsia bells over the creek, to gaze at their reflection in the,silver thread of water, and the white-star-creeper whitened the fallen tree trunks.

"Isn't it lovely?" breathed Sunshine, "Oh, look, Denis! There is a wild pigeon going to have a drink." The children stood motionless, watching with bated breath, whilo the bird splashed happily in the cooling stream, then flew away with a musical whirr of flashing wings. And after him came tiny, tame, inquisitive fantails, flitting curiously from bough to bough, bright, beady eyes fixed upon these strange invaders of their solitudes. Of all the bush-birds, fantails are the tamest.

" There must be a bee-tree somewhere," Denis said. " Just listen to the bees, look what a lot of them there are. And listen to that crash. I'm sure it's one of the lions from the circus."

" Oh, no, Denis. Don't let's play jungle to-day. It was probably ai wild pig; but it wasn't anywhere near here, so there is no need to feel frightened. It ""was 'way off over there, and we are going further away from there every minute."

She gazed up thfe fern gully with a dreamy, wistful look in her brown eyes. "I don't feel a bit like a jungle game today!' she said after a pause, "I think this is different to all other days somehow. I just know it is. And you know I am often right about things like that. Jungles games are all right back there in the bush."

"But this is the bush," objected the small boy. practically. ." Oh, yes! Of course! But I mean just the'plain bush with trees and vines and things, not all these lovely ferns. We have never come up this Way before, and so wo didn't know that it could possibly be so lovely. 1 The creek is a darling wee thing, too. Look at' that tiny waterfall., It is the silver stream of Fairyland only we never knew it before. Perhaps we shall find a real fairy if we keep on walking long .enoiigh." " Yon have to be awful good before a fairy lets you see it !" objected Denis. " Well, so you have! I'm sure.yoU have been good for a long time!" declared Shirley warmly.' V » "I don't believe we can get much further up the gully," Denis said, i" Look how awf'ly steep tne sides are, and that great high log wall straignt m Jront. We niust be miles away from home, now, but I don't think we shall ever get over that wall. P'raps there is nothing there," brilliantly, " P'raps it is the end of New Zealand, and there is l nothing but sea over the other side. 1 "

"Oh! If it only was!" sighed Sunshine longingly. it bo gorgeous if the real' sea was over there, Denis? Not tho play kind of sea, but the really, truly wet kind that curls round your toes, and has sand and shells and seaweed, tho kind you have a bucket and spade for. I haven't been to tho sea since I quite a tiny girl." " I've never been at all!" said Denis in an aggrieved tone of self-pity.

" No, dear, I know. But Jim is going to take us as soon as jever he has enough money; he told mo one day."

"Well, I wish: he would hurry up and get it!" declared the small boy mutinously, " I want to see tne sea.' Sunshine was standing looking up at the high-piled structure of logs in front of her.

" They might fall so!" she said doubtfully, " but J think they have been put so by somebody to* keep something out, or in. lam sure we could cilmb over it though. I'll help you a Jot, Denis, and there are heaps of "little pieces sticking out that we can put our feet on. / I mean to see over the top, now we have come so far as this, even if we can't get down the other side."

She ran up close to the high wall, and examined it closely. It certainly appeared at first sight as though the trees had fallen with their branches interlaced, forming a solid natural barrier across a place where the gully narrowed to almost a gorge, and the walls rose very steeply indeed. But if you looked quite closely, you could see where here and there a cunning stake had been driven in, and an odd branch or two added to strengthen the weak spots of the strange wall. Denis stood quite still while his sister made her examination, with his scratched brown hands thrust deep into the pockets of his brief knickers, and his sturdy legs far apart. His grev eyes watched his sister's movements with great interest and implicit faith. From far up the gully, beyond the wall, came a mighty splash. "The sea!" JJenis said, "I knew it was the sea over there. That might have been a whale."

" The Taniwha, more likely," laughed Sunshine. " I feel so curious that I've simply v got to get over now, Denis. Don't you feel like that too ?" Denis nodded solemnlv.

" I think we could manage to get up just,here," Sunshine said. "I'll go first, and give you a pull up as wo go. You watch just exactly where I put iny feet, and then put yours in the same places. Don't forget." It took some time, for the footholds svere few and far between, and Denis had only short legs, hut at last Shirley gave a final pull and drew hirn up beside her on to the top log of all. Both of them were panting, and both had casualties to show. Denis had a skinned knee that smarted horribly, and Sunshine was no more fortunate, for her forehead was adorned with a most interesting- green and purple bruise. Denis had a huge, jagged rent in one shirt sleeve, and Shirley u triangular tear in the kkirt of her dress. But a light of intense satisfaction, as of some great achievement, shone in both the grey eyes and the brown, as they gave one exultant look at each ether before turning to look into the promised land beyond the wail. . , A moment they sazed in stricken si ence then Shirley's voice sounded in bitterest disappointment. , "All that climb—for notn.ng at a.!.

She did not really know what she had expected to see, but it was certainly not the sight that met her eyes—for beyond the wall there was nothing but a continuation of the steep-sided gully, with its silver thread of water, and even that was lost to sight a short distance ahead in a dense, hanging tangle of vines and undergrowth.

Shirley sat down on the top log and gazed disgustedly up to where the tiny creek rippled out of sight with a little diamond-flash to show that an errant sunbeam had* succeeded in stealing down through this interlacing branches, far overhead, to kiss the cool, clear water. But Denis grasped her arm so suddenly and strongly that she almost overbalanced and fell from her precarious perch. "Sunshine—oil, look!" His voice was no more than an awed and shaky whisper. "It is Fairyland after all. Look! Only we didn't go qnito far enough. There's a real fair v."

His sister followed the direction of his pointing linger and gave quite a loud gasp of excitement. Just in front of the hanging curtain of vines, staring straight up to where the strange boy ami girl were sitting on top of tho high log wall, was the daintiest little figure the" children had ever seen.

A tiny girl, perhaps four summers old, with short, tossing, black curls and the loveliest black eyes Sunshine had over dreamed of. Her dress, too, was wonderful—the filmiest of net, and lace medallions, and streamers of delicate ribbons of most exquisite pastel shades—Shirley's brown eyes drank m every detail thirstily, aijd did not for a moment realise that every item and inch of the tiny maid's attire was suited to a birthday party, or a dance, or anything rather than to the clutching twigs and vines and creepers of the New Zealand bush. "Isn't she lovely?" breathed Sunshino ecstatically. "I wonder if she really is a fairy? I don't see any wings." "I don't suppose she uses her wings much in the bush," decided practical Denis. "If she did, she would be sure to get them ripped about with ail the lawyer thorns and things. Wings would be difticult to darn, 1 should think." "They are mended with spider silk and dyed with the rainbow colours," said Sunshine absently. "Oh, do you think we ought to speak to her ? Or would it maku her just vanish away? I told you we should find something worth while if wo came up itlie fern gully. Why didn't we come ever so long ago?"

But just here the tiny girl settled Matters for herself by clapping her hands together—little soft, dimpled hazels that Sunshine thought were perfect—and running eagerly forward. In a moment or two she was standing at the foot of the high log wall, gazing up at the two children who were staring breathlessly down at her. ' ,

"As> you fairies?" demanded the .sweet, childish treble,."or are you real?" "I'm Sunshine," admitted the little girl shyly, "and this is my brother Denis. Ha is quite it nice little boy." The tiny maid executed a fantastic little dance on the mossy ground. "Then you are fairies!" she said delightedly. "I don't think real little boys and girls could ever manage to get right away up there, anyway. But Sunshine is a fairy naine. I'm a fairy, too, you know. I'm Dawn." ; "Oh, what a lovely name!" exclaimed Sunshine half-enviously. , "Where do you come from ? You can't live here."

The small maid laughed gleefully. "Come and see," she said. "They call it Arcadia where I live. Oh, wo will have such a lsvely time. There's nobody there but Bride (she is my nurse, you know, and she used to be mummy's, too, long ago), and there is our Dream Princess—who is my mother. Tlje Hawk is out to-, day."

"And is the Hawk a bird ■" asked Denis bluntly. "Not the kind that kills our .chickens! ? Mo and Sunshine had some little buby ones. They were as fluffy as anything, and a beastly old hawk caroo and stole them. Is yours like that ? I've not muoh use for hawks."

Dawn shook her black cuvls with much decision.

"Oh! My Hawk isii't a bird hawk at all. He loves baby chickens, but ho would never kill them, Ho is the loveliest man in all the woHd. He is all tho daddy I've get. Bride says ha is, and then she always sighs and shakos hef head as if something was wrong. But nothing is >. ever' wrong where the Hawk is. Mother • and me love him such a lot." " They mightn't like us coming!" hesitated {Sunshine, longing, yet not daring, to slip down to the ground and; follow wherever this little wonder-child might lead. »

"Oil.! They wouldn't mind at all. I can always do what I' like, and you havo been ssnt straight from Fairyland to play with nfe. I wanted someone to plav with. Come on down, boy. I like you!"' Denis waited for no further invitation, but slid and scrambled earthward, leaving yet another large piece of trouser-leg upon a spiky projection. Nothing loth, Sunshine iiollowed him. , , \

" She asked us to come !" she murmured in her brother's ear. "If anyone doesn't like it we can always say we ara sorry, and go home again." "Oil! We'll stick it- out!" decided Denis easily. "Go ahead, little girl. Wo are coming!"

CHAPTER XII. , -- THE DAWN FAIRY. Mountain lilies shine Far up against tho snow. And the ralas twine On wooded olopes below. T.tala s.nd clematis Sweet as bush may hold; While honey-loving wild birds kisis The kowhai s cupa of gold. ' j : ; ■ —Mary Colborne-Vecl. " This is where I live!", said the Dawn Fairy proudly. " This is where Rosemary has hor garden." Suwhine gazed round her with mystified eyes. The little stranger-maiden had led them straight up to the curtaim of hanging vines that seemed to forbid all further penetration of the fern gully. It was here that she made the foregoing remark, and Sunshine glanced hastily round on all sides, failing to see anything more than she had done hitherto.

" Who is Rosemary ?" she asked curiously, "I don't see any garden." 1 " Rosemary is ray mother—the Dream Princess. The Hawk says that ' Rosemary' means remembrance, and • that mother can't remember, and that is why everyotfe has to he good where mother is. She dreams a lot, but she cannot remember," _ /■ - , Denis and Sunshine looked at each other. It seemed as though there were very few mothers anywhere who had not got something wrong with them. Their own had gone away" to live with God when Denis was only a tiny little boy. , Flower's was an invalid, who was chained to a dull and uninteresting sofa all through the long golden days—even this fairy mother of Dawn's could not remember. Always! they were lovely—these mothersSunshine thought, with a great rush of tenderness at her heart. It did not seem fair that they should not ho on even terms with all the rest of the world.

" We will be very good where she is!" she promised passionately. " Denis is nearly always good, although he is a hoy, and I will remind him if he begins to forget." The tiny girl who had come so mysteriously out of nowhere put out her hand, and' drew aside the thick tangle of vines. It disclosed a dark passage where they could just squeeze through one at a time. " 1 cuilv just found this out! she said, wiili a. silverv little' laugh. ? " You go fi-st Sunshine, 'cause you re visitors. It isn't far-arid you will como o»:t m Rosemary's garden. The Hawk says it used to 'be lhe forpst be f or ®- (she managed the big word w.th exceedins caie) " now !t is Arcadia sim* Rosemary turned it into a garden." One bv one the children pushed their wav tiirough the narrow passage, heedless of the scratching twigs arid clustering spiders that anvwhere else, at any othew time would have made Sunshine sick with ' horror. Then they stepped out suddenly into the full blaze of sunshine—in Arcadia. (To bs continued d»i!v.)