GOLDEN FLOWER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19412, 21 August 1926, Page 5 (Supplement)

GOLDEN FLOWER.

{A HEW ZEALAND ROMANCE.)

CHAPTER XYl.'—(Continued), The next hour—spent in the leaf-brown and orange dining room, was one of pure enchantment, and at last everybody had to say regretfully that they could not possibly eat even one more strawberry fiom the fruit-salad in the costly cut-crysial bowl. And then, just as they were all thinking of returning to the garden, Bride came back into the room with a dish in her hands on which lay four tiny rolls. " I don't think we could possibly eat any more, Bride! " Rosemary said gaily, " do you think We ought to try? " " You must each eat- one of these, Bride declared with decision. _ They are fairy rolls, left by tho Christmas fairies, and they are very small." Rosemary selected ono with great care, and then Dawn took one, and Sunshine, with a suffocating sensation of intense excitement at her heart, and last of all, Denis. It- was Denis, indeed, who first bit deep into his roll. His sharp teeth crumbled away the flaky pastry ot which the roll was composed, and with a look of dumb surprise, he drew out a folded strip of paper. "What a funny roll!" lie said, "there's writing on it. Do vou think it got there by mistake ? I can't read writing. " " I can ' " declared Rosemary, " but let us see first what is in the other rolls." So all the rolls were eaten, and presently four narrow strips of paper were laid down for Rosemary 'to read. " ' When the sun shines through the puriri' on tho west side of tho garden, upon the nikau palm by the stream —' " she read first of all, " That is all the writing there is on that piece of paper. Let us see what is on the others."

She glanced hastily at the other strips, and placed them ip order. ' Take the 'children by the hand and go down the creek until you come to the clump of black mamakus where the cream rose grows. ' " " How lovely! " breathed Sunshine, "I feel so awfully excited:" Rosemary nodded aha took up another strip of paper. , " ' Lead them through the irees until you come to the bower that has been erected by the Christmas fairies.' " "What's a boAver, mummy?" demanded Dawn. "We -will go and see, dear. ' Open the gate that leads through the ferndecked walls, and find the WonderTree.' " - Shirley'3 breath was coming unevenly from sheer excitement, Denis stared unblinkingly at Rosemary with round eyes of utter amazement, Dawn danced up and down excitedly. " Well';" declared Rosemary. "So they have remembered us after all. Whatever can a Wonder-Tree be?" "Let's go now, mummy?" pleaded Dawn, Aiamo to keep still. " It wouldn't be any use," explained Sunshine, " when fairies tell you to do anything, you have to do it exactly the way they tell you to, or else you spoil the magic, and nothing happens after.all." " Wise little girl," said Rosemary, " Yes! We must wait, sweetheart mine! But the sun will be right in about two hours from now. We will go down on the creek bank and watch it, and I will tell you fairy stories, and you will find that the time will soon pass." But even with the fascination of Rosemary's fairy stories—and sho was a born story-teller—it seemecl two very long_ hours of weary watching to the waiting children, before the sun sent long shafts of golden light dov/n through the puriri branches upon the crown of a very fine nikau palm growing close to the silver stream of fairyland. Then Rosemary • rose to her feet. " Come, little fairies!" she said. "We may set forth on our journey now. The first strip says that we must wait until the light is just like - this. The second one says: 'Take the children by the hand.' Well! I have only two hands, and there are three of you. What am I to do?" she put her head on one side with, an adorable little air of indecision, then brightened again, " I will hold a hand each of Denis and Dawn!" she declared. " And Sunshiny shall take Dawn's other hand. I am sure the fairies won't! mind. They will realise that I couldn't possibly do "exactly as they tell me to. Now, that's rigiit. And we have to go down the creek until we come to the clump of black mamakus where the cream rose grows. Why! They must mean where you have vopr own wee garden, Dawn. How sweet of them." "Oh! I know where that is!" Dawn declared, and literally dragged her companions along until they stood -where a magnificent golden-hearted cream rose fiang its sprays of sweet-scented blossoms forth on the summer air from among the graceful fronds of a'group of giant treeferns. "This is Dawn's very own garden!" Rosemary said, and Sunshine's brown eyes me.t hers in a wise little smile of perfect understanding. For in the middle of this little plot of ground was a battered cake-tin, in which three china ducks floated hopelessly. There were paths of tiny pebbles from the creek, and fences of stick? and cr<v:!;oi cotton, and » very Sew flowers. Oriiy the very hardiest specimens survived Dawn's administra-

(COPYRIGHT.)

BY DULCE CABMAN. (Sirs, I), Drmnmond).

"It's lovely I" Sunshine said "Of course you would need the fences "to keep the woolly lamb in"— for a small toy lamb lav dejectedly in cms corner of the plot.

" Yes! And we planted some dust in that corner over there. Dawn said the Sandman left it when he came with his dream-bag one night. But the dreams have not come up yet." Sunshine looked at the speaker adoringly. "I think you are a perfectly wonder- 1 ml mother'," she said wistfully. " Dawn ; is the luckiest little girl I have ever seen." Rosemary stooped and kissed her swiftly. " I wonder if you know how sweet you are, Sunshine?" she said softly. "But—wonderful—no! Not anyone like me—doomed to live for ever in a world of shadows." "Let's go on!" urged Denis. "Else they'll go and think we aren't coming, or something*." "Yes! \\ e must go on. What have we got to do now ? ' Lead them through the trees until you come to the bower that has been erected by the Christmas fairies.' Well! I suppose they mean us to go straight on, as they don't say turn off anywhere," They walked in silence for a couple_ of moments, and then Dawn gave a quick little shriek of excitement. "The walls—look, Mummie ! There j never were walls there before." ; "No darling. There never were." j "'Open the gate that leads through the fern-decked walls, and find the Won- ! dor Tree'!' " quoted Rosemary softly, j "Is that a gate there? Yes—l believe it really is. Perhaps Denis will open it—he is tne only gentleman here. Then we will go on and see what a Wonder Tree is like." Denis rushed forward, only too anxious i to do anything that might hasten the climax of this unbelievable happening, and the four passed through, to stand and stare delightedly at the Wonder Tree. In the centra of the small enclosure stood a baby fir4ree, hung with what Sunshine instantly decided were the most beautiful , things she had ever seen. Skilful hands had sawn away certain of the over-arch-ing boughs far aloft, and tho golden sunlight poured straight down on to tho sparkling imitation frost and snowflakeis on the baby branches. There were all sorts of dainty devices for decorating the tree itself, bells, and birds, and dainty figures-*-novelties not seen outside the great cities. The Hawk had 'made a special journey to Auckland to choose the fittings for this Christmas tree, and the golden sunrays glittered on beads of scarlet, and amber, and purest blue —on books, and paints, hairribbons, and gaily-coloured silk handkerchiefs—on trumpets, and mouth-organs, and silk-tied boxes of chocolate. " Why—it is like the ones they have in the toy-shops in the township," Deni3 said. " Only you have to buy everything oil them." " Oh! They aren't half so sweet!" declared Sunshine, warmly. "Look at those lovely silver birds—and the frosted-blue one with the bell in its mouth. Nothing real could possibly be so beautiful as these fairy things. Are they for Dawn "Oh ! Not all of them ! Some may" be. Let's see if they have any names Rosemary walked close'up to the tree, and touched a string of cut amber heads which hung quivering in the golden light. "Oh, look!" she said, "They all have the most adorable little tickets on, like kawpies, and leaves and birds and flowers —oh! an- here is one that is just like a butterfly. Look at these lovely blood-red beads, 'For Sunshine from the Christmas fairies'."

"For me!" echoed Sunshine, in an awestruck tone, and received the beads into her trembling hands, gloating over tihe richness of tneir colouring, while Dawn danced excitedly up an down, beseeching, "See what's for me and Denis, mummy. Who are, the lovely, goldy beads for?" "For you, little Quicksilver. Here is a long string of blue beads, 'For Dawn, with love from the Christmas fairies,' and this gun—it has 'For De.nis' on it, and so has the trumpet with the green stripes." "And the lovely, goldy beads.

mummy?" 1 Rosemary lifted the exquisite strmg of carved amber, and read tlio words on the ticket which hung from the clasp. - " ' For Rosemary—from one who remembers'." " How lovely," breathed Sunshine. "Aren't they glorious? And they will suit you so periectly. Oh, I am > so happy that I don't know what to do.",' "Look at the little velvet box up there !" l)enis said, craning his neck sideways as ho gazed at the top of the tree. "What's in that ? " What's that for?" Rosemary reached up her hand, and lifted the spray of holly berries masquerading as a ticket, that was tied to the little blue box. " 'For Brid$ —from the Spirit of Christmas.' Run and .fetch her, chickens. Slue must be here when we. take her present; from the ( tree." The three children sped off excitedly, and Rosemary, left alone, stood smiling to herself, and absently fingering the carved amber beads of hor necklace. It struck her that the wind had risen considerably—quit a gale was shaking the tree-brarlches overhead, and moaning down the long aisles between the tree trunks. Even in the tiny, sheltered enclosure, the branches of. the wonder tree began to toss slightly, ringing their fairy bells, arjd calling forth new beauties of tint and colouring in the gifts upon them. Rosemary thought idly that out in the oplin almost a hurricane'must be blowing. She turned her eyes in the direction from which, the wind was coming, for above all . things • she delighted in a heavy wind, and loved nothing so much as fighting her way inch by inch in the teeth of a howling gale. As she listened, she realised that there was a roar in the air such as she had never heard before. She glanced up at the sky—it was a brazen gold-copper colour —and the sun hung like a ball of blood above a dense cloud of black, swirling smoke as Rosemary (stared at the unbelievable sight, sho coughed twice, and something stung her eyes to sudden tears. CHAPTER XVII. SMOKE-WREATHS. Because of ypur etrone faith. I kent th« track Whoso sharp-set atones my strength had well-nigh spent. I could not meet your eyes if I turuecl back™ So on I went. Aldis Dunbar. Rosemary stood petrified with fear in the little enclosure by the wonder-tree, and strove to realise just how it was possible that a world that had been a thing of placid beauty only one short Lour ago, should hsve % turned into a raging inferno in so short a, time. She had never been in the vicinity of a big bush-fire, and did not know the almost unbelievable rapidity with which it can sweep over a sun-dried country-side. She had never known what it was to go into tea, with all the world a place sun-steeped calm and beauty, and to come out, barely an hour afterwards to. " a howling hurricane of a gale, and raging fires up to the garden fence. It would have seemed impossible to her, had. she bean told it, though only too many New Zealand women could have sorrowfully testified to the truth of it. So she stood in the little clearing, while white puffs of smoke began to curl here and there -among the trees, and the roar of the fires intensified. She could hear it crackling now, and here and there along the bush-aisles she saw dry tufts catch alight and flare tip into gorgeous flame. It came into her mind tljat here, while she stood rooted to the "ground with the deadly horror of firs that always rendered' her helpless, she had four lives to save — Bride's, her own little daughter's and the two little stranger children who were her guests. Dawn—her one. adored pov ' session! Could she give way to the panifl that was overwhelming her reason, and leave them all to certain destruction? It was unthinkable. If only the Hawk had been at home. He would iuivq known just what to do, men were always bq resourceful* and Brian had always

been so wonderful at seeing ways out of a scrape. Brian! It struck her with the force of a great discovery, that she had not thought of him as Brian for many and many a long day. He had not seemed to be clearly himself to her eyes, but oddlv mixed up with somebody else. It was afl a part of the dreams that made her life so different from that of every* body else. Then, through the curious coppery glow old Bride came hastening, with the children by her side. "You sent the children for me, dearie," she said, and her keen eyes saw juafc how the paralysing fear was gripping her nursling's will. " Yes, Bride," Rosemary spoke, {onelessly, Like someone speaking in their sleep. "We found a fairy wonder tree, you_ see, and thre is a little velvet box on it addressed to you. Of course, yo" must take it off yourself, or the fairy spell will be broken." ''For me!" echoed Bride absently, while her eyes turned from the little leaping flames in the distance to the wonder tree close at hand, " there would not be anything for me!" "But there is—see? That little bos!" Bride reached up, and her trembling lingers unfastened the smail jeweller's box, and open it- slowly. On a bed of white velvet lay a brooch, an Irish tourleaved shamrock, wrought m finest New Zealand greenstone. Tears stood for a moment in the keen, frosty, blue eyes that read the message on the label. Heaven bless him!" Bride murmured, ' and give him his heart's desire!" "Bride!" Rosemary said calmly, "there are bush-fires ail round us!" " Yes, dearie," uneasily, " I am afraid there are." We had better strip everything from tho tree and lay them indoors," Rosemary continued with the same unnatural calm, " If we close all the windows and doors the house may escape, But. that we cannot wait to see!" "But, dearie," ventured the old woman, uncertain how best to deal with this-.tot-ally new and unexpected aspect of her charge, " What else -can we do but wait? Ihe tires are all raging along the way Mr. Damarel goes out, and 1 know of no other way out of the clearing. Wo are trapped here." Rosemary wrung her slender hands and moaned a little, and the frightened children crept close up to he v. Then, with a supreme effort, she roused herstlf and r-poke with authority. "We must strip "the tree" She stepped toward the little fir, and began stripping the gifts from its branches witn hasty fingers, "The fakies will understand!" she said with a strange little smile. " Here, Sunshine, dear, gather all these up in your dress and run over to the house and put them in the dining room forme, will you girlie? Alt the tickets are on them,* so we can share out by and bye, but just now there is no time. When they "are all off the tree, and safely on the dining- . room table, wo will shut the. house up, and you and Denis shall take us %ick by the way you came. We will wait in -the open country until'tho fire is past." The thick white smoke was sweeping chokingly down the long aisles of* trees now, the children's smarting qyes wero full of stinging tears, but those which filled old Bride's blue eyes came not from the smoke, but from tlio fullness of her heart as she realised that this was a different Rosemary from the one who had dreamed away the years in the little valley of enchantment. " Oh, God! Bring us out safely 1" she prayed, with unbounded faith, " Let this fire be the means of bringing it all back to my dearie. End his martyrdom, dear God, and give him his heart's desire," Everything was oft the little tree at last, and Sunshine sped away, followed more slowly by the others, and at last all was made as secure as possf&le, and they prepared to leave Arcadia to its fate. >

All through the bush the fire was raging' now. Dead limbs blazed up turned into a mass of glowing crimson .embers in-an incredibly short apace of time and crashed earthward, showering- myriad embern nnd sparltH. broadcast in their fr.ll, arid starting innumerable other little crawling flames. It was almost impossible to a'eii or speak for the heavy, choking dense, ness of the rolling smoke-wreaths.' The smoke-cloud in tlio sky by this time was visible for many miles. " We must go by the w&y you and Denis came,-dear," Rosemary said gently to Sunshine, who, was very white, ||if bravely strove to hide her terror from the two smaller ones who did not fully comprehend their danger, " Will you show us ?" ■ ■ ■ ■

Sunshine nodded dumbly. " It'a an awful long way—we'll have to go through the fires," said Denis, looking frightened, " We'd better go now." y So they all went to the narrow passage of the vino curtain, aqd squeezed through one by one, and stood before the high log-wall. The fires were up to the wall on one side of the gully, little forerunners of the leaping crimson flkmes behind. Hero and there the big wall itself was blazing. "We have got to climb oyer this!" Sunshine said doubtfully, looking from Rosemary to Bride. " There isn't anv other way that I know of—and look at the fires sweeping down the side of the gully. Oh! Do be quick! " "I will go over first!" Rosemary decided swiftly, " And you help the children up, Bride. I will take them down the otheriside, and give yon a helping hand." So, resolutely crushing down the panic that tempted her to scream and j?ush madly away in search of coolness and safety, Rosemary climbed the high logwall. Then Sunshine scrambled nimbly up after her, and dragged up Dawri, whom Bride lifted as high as possible, and lowered .her safely into her whits mother's arms—and then came Denis!

"I'm going back now!" Sunshine called down, amid the choking smok<?, "I can get up so easily! I will help Bride up, and then come up after her." She nodded cheerfully, _ and slid down of! the wall into the choking mists of the 6 ull y- . . It seemed an tftermty to the waiting Rosemary before Bride's white hair appeared over the top of the wall, but presently she stood safely beside her mistress, and all but Sunshine had escaped from the death-trap of the fern* gully. " Take the children straight away, F3ride! " commanded Rosemary, " Dema will Bhow you the way, and the fires do not seem quite so thick over thern. Every minute that wo waste adds to the danger. Don't be frightened for me. V.'e shall be qoiite all right—as soon as Sun.shine, is over the wall we will follow yon. It won't be more than a minute." "We came this way!" Denis said, eagerly; catching at Bride's hand, "Come on! f know the way!"" So, with Denis leading, and Dawn clinging closely to her hand, Bride moved away, and was instantly hidden from, view by the swirling smoke-wreaths, Rosemary watched them disappear, and then turned back to where Sunshine's brov?a head poked up above the top of the wall. " I'll be over in a minute! " the child cried reassuringly, " You don't need tn wait for' me if you would rather go on with the others. I know rnv way quit'; well!" " I wouldn't dream of leaving h«?e without you!" Rosemary declared, positively, and felt surprised herself at the new" strength and decision in : her torn*. Sunshine gave a convulsive wriggle, _ and reached out one thin little brovr. _n»vd to get a new grip. Rosemary, with a sick .sense of being absolutely useless, saw her firmly graso a burning bramJi. and fall back"'out of sight with, a wtM Scream of pain, as the agonising pang shot up her arm. Just for a moment, standing there in Hie swirling" smoke of the fep-gulh', Rmemarv fought the battle of her Ma. Vobnrlv would ever know just how hard it bid been to crush out the panic feeling that, was bnrn of soma forgotten happenW which had taken place in that part of her h'fe which was but a shadowy mvsferv. She was very near breaking, point 'when she stood by the log-wai! —iUirr fw Sunshin'- to slide down beside n 8"d herfn the, difficult ioumev that still lay between them and

satcty. lb®- continued. dfliM