The Weta Kids.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20426, 30 November 1929, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Weta Kids.

By C. M. LAMBERT. 15, Seafield View Itoad, Grafton.

Willie Weta was crying with toothache. You know what toothache is, bjit you don't know what a Weta toothache"is. It's bad enough when one of your back teeth jumps; but Willie had to endure far more than that. Just imagine that all your teeth were in one, and that orie was almost a quarter of the length o! your body! Well, that was Willie's trouble. His jaw and teeth were all one. No wonder he cried and cried and cried. His mother ticked agitatedly, for it was no use having it pulled out, for that would mean leaving Willie only half a head. A Maori-bug, resting oij a bit of bark, said: " That's civilisation for you. The good old tough matai and manuka that' the old people used to> burrow in kept their jaws fit. Now you must be like everypne else, and make your houses in old posts and willow trees. Willow trees!", he repeated, and spat in disgust.

Mrs. Weta bopped a yard further away and held her nose in a most unladylike fashion.

" Baori-bugs have do banners," she said very nasally, owing to her previous action.

"Wow!" interjected Willie dismally. " Toor little taipo!" said his mother.

No, she wasn't' swearing. " Taipo" is a term of endearment in the Weta family. In fact, in the South Island, lots of people call them taipos—

" You run along, dear," she continued, " and play hop-scotch with the boys nest door. . Then you'll forget the pain." Williis was an obedient child, so, holding his jaw with his two front hands, and concealing two of his mother's cream cakes with his two middle hands, he took a flying leap and landed on the nest-door front porch. " Let's go to the beach," he cried, "and play tunnels injhe' tutu bushes." Tottio and 'lim rushed out, .eager to join in the fun, and on their way to the beach they collected three more friends —Ella, James and Ronnie. Soon they found several dead tutu stems, through which they crawlcdg in pursuit of each other, hopping quickly from one stick to another, The fun was the fun of tutu, as Ronnie cried; but in tho middlo of it all Lottie ticked. In a moment all ceased hopping, for this was tho danger siggal, and, sure enough, three human beingS%ud a dog were approaching, carrying bags and a billy. , Willie, James and Ronnie raised their hind legs threateningly, ready to die rather than run; but Ella said: "Don't be silly. Those are only women, and all

you've got to do is to hop suddenly ou to their necks. They -will yell and yell. It is good fun." "But I/ottie was wise.

"No," she said.' "Let's all hide in this hollow tutu stick, and wait till they have spread oat their lunch. Then Willie and James can hop on to the women's necks, and while they are yelling and yelling, the rest of us will carry ofl all the eatables we can carry."

Now, one of these women—the one that owned the dog Pat—was a sports- , woman. She also knew all the things that naughty little boys and girls usually do, because she had some of her own at home. Also, she knew what naughty little wetas did, too. So she said to Pat: " Pat, let's show Mrs. Bain and Mrs. Lane how we hunt taipos." Pat shouted " Righto!" in a loud voice that startled the little wetas so much that they nearly fell out of the tutu stick.

Then Pat's mistress seized the tutu stick, broke it off close to the rdot, and placed one end in the fire, which the women had kindled. " Watch," she said. "Woof!" cried Pat.

Tho Weta kids lay trembling, but presently one end of' their shelter began to get hot, so they crawled along toward tho other end. Then smoke rolled into the stick. They coughed. They choked. Thoy cried in their panic, and, led by Willie, who was in the end, they hopped forth, one after the other, from the far end of the stick, followed by a puff of smoke.

Half dazed, they hopped all over the beach, while Pat barked violently and endeavoured to ratch them. At least, he made a pretence of doing so, but ,1 suspect he was just as chary of biting ft weta as his mistress was. of being bitten by one! Bo the Weta kids at last managed to get into the bush, and, with very shaky bounds, they hopped honte to their mothers. f Willie told bis mother all about it, and she said: " Well, anyway, it's cured your toothache." And -the old Maori-bug said: " Time was when a woman would faint when she saw me, but these days von really don't know. Only last week on# actually picked me up by a feeler, and carried me out of the house. I still hare neuritis in that feeler!"