TICK, TOOK! TICK TOOK!

Otago Witness, Issue 1474, 14 February 1880, Page 22

TICK, TOOK! TICK TOOK!

—Sir P. Stdnby.

Harkeo, harkee to the clock,— " Tick, tock, tick, tock I" This tho pretty clock doth say All tha ni<;ht and nil tho day, " Tick, tock, tick, tock 1" Toll me. tell me, pretty clock,— " Tick, tock.tick, tock!"— Is this al) that you can say All tha nifrht and all the day ? And tho clock makes itis'v.t quick, '• Toek, tick, tock tick.'" -St. Nicholas. GUM TREE HOLLOW. A Tale op Australian Fairyland.

Like Ben Bolt's mill, Allan's Farm, situated on the River Torrena, had gone to decay and ruin. It was a flourishing place before the death of Peter Allen, but the farmer had been taken away, and his widow and her three children had to tight out the battle of life unaided. Tho property had been, heavily mortgaged three yeaw previously, and, what with unfavourable! seasons and tho rest of it, Widow Allan had not been able to repay either capital or interest; of the money borrowed, and the oreditorß therefore g^ve tl»« farmer's wife notica to quit

Fortunately, Mrs Allan had a brother who had gone to a ditfgiogiii Xew South W»le3, and had left behind -in charge of his sister an old hut, sad a patch, of land known a3 Gumttee Hollow. In the emergency the widow determined to occupy the place until she could find a more suitable ho mo . Tho " Hollow" consisted of about two acres of crags and stones, without sufficient srA to grow a potato thereon, and was distant from the farm about five miles.

On a warm afternoon, three days af fcor the widow had received notice to leave tho homestead, little Charley Allan, the eldest boy, aged twelva, started to tho hut at Gumtree Hollow with his mother's goods and chattels in the spring-cart. Ib had been arranged , that after delivering his load the lad should return for hia parent and his Jbrother and sistar. Oharley wss intelligent and very kind-hearted. He had noticed his mother crying bitterly, and he had foil owed her into a baok room whore hia father had died, and there putting hia little armg about her nack ho had ttied to sooth her, with many asaurancea that when he grew a man ho would work for her aad buy the place back again. Old Bob. tho pony, didn't like the road to the hut-, but rapaatodly turned to retrace his steps every half mile or so of the journey. Nevertheless Charley managed to got him there at length. Ia a rivine betwaon a natural cutting of jagged crag<? stood the old building, overshadowed by a gigantic tree whose wide open trunk, hollow as a boll, hsd often afforded shelter to straggling picnic parties. It was a grand old hoary gum, knobbed, gnarled with age, and whose spreading branches formed a cauopy ovor tlio dilapidated hut. One Iou« fork-like branch projected further ovr.r ilnn the rest, on tho extreme end of which something tab perched, swaying tho bough to and fro with an easy motive. OhariUy, thinking it w;.s a parrot, took up a stono for a ffhof: ; but he dropped the sfcouo again instantly, as a voice from tha tree uttered a shrill peal of laughter. The poor lad's firsb thought was to take to his heels and run for it ; but the voice ctilod out in a kindly tone, " Hallo, Charlie avic, how are ye, Chiriey Allan ?»

Tha boy g.az^l upwM'J in ,Vfi-zitnM\t, and beheld a weo, teenoy, tiny follow, hard!/ six incho3 liigh, s'lfcing ast.Mo tho limb. .' i >id looking down with a kiiov/iiig hoik nX him. The oreature'd dress was greon. From his

shapely shoes to his brimless hat—swallowtailed coat— breeches — stockings, all were the verdant green colour. " Who are you ?" questioned Charley, recovering fr^m his surprise. "Shure I'm au Irishman," cried the little fellow, at the same time springing to the ground. " A rale Paddy, an' l may tell you that there isn't a fay or a gnome in South Australia that I|can'fc leap or swim wid. Doze hear that, avic ?" He was such a dwatf ed miniature of a man, and appeared such an impudent swaggerer — with his chimney-pot hat on one side of his head, and his saucy turned-up nose— that Charley felt inclined to pick him up and cuff him soundly.

"What is your name?" oried the boy, making a sadden dive at the creature. " M Kombo," answered the sprite, dodging under Charley's legs. "My name is M'Kombo ; but be aisy wid ye now, and don't be aftlier trying to take a mane advantage of me." "I'd scorn to do it," replied Oharley unconsciously clinching his fists. "Who are you ; what are you ; and what do you want ?"

"Be aisy, Charley. Arrah, don't be bothering me wid too many questions," said M'Kombo. " I've tould ,ye I'm an Irishman, Capbain Bruphy imported ma to the colony in a hat box twenty years ago."

" Why, you'ro a fairy," suggested the lad, eying his strange companion askance.

" Of coorae I am," replied M'Kombo, "and I may tell you that I've been waitin' all this blessed day to see you."

"To see me?",

" Thrue for ye, Charley. lam very well acquainted wid all the bother an' trouble that's going on at the farm, and I mane to help your mother clane out of it." Poor Charley felt as if he could have hugged M'Kombo, but the sprite kept his dibtance, and said quietly —

"You haven't such things as a spade ana pick among the thiog3 in the cart 1"

Charley bad, though. Both the pick and the spado he had used many a timo at the farm, and he produced them at once ; but he looked doubtfully at M'ELombo as to what he was to do with them, or how they could be the means of assisting his mother in her difficulties. Hi i earned very business-like, however, tho way the sprite led Chat ley to tho hollow trunk of the great gum-trea and commanded him to dig withiu a certain circle he at once murked out. The goblin's promises of certain and speedy benefit gave the boy faith and energy to dig and delve away with might and main until tbero gaptd a large hole within the trunk, which revealed some of the thick rools beneath, also the top of a square tin box, such aa lawyers keep their deeds in.' The moment M'Kembo beheld sight of the box he began to caper about, the sward in antic glee.

i " Hurrah 1" he oried, throwing down his old hat. 'J There it ia my boy, safe an' sound as (on the . night I saw them murthcring scoundrels place it there twenty years ago."

Poor Charley stared at the - fairy, and wiped fche perspiration from his heated fa-jo, butt he could not comprehend what his companion meant. Acting under M'Kombo's directions, young Allan made a lever and got the box out of its bed. It did not appear large, but ifc was very heavy—so heavy that the boy could hardly move it. The thick coating of paint on it had preserved it from rust and decay, and it was fastened with an iron padlock. With one blow of his spade Charley broke open the lid, when — 10, ho saw a heap of dsrk yellow sovereigns and several parcels of B 'ink-notes within. The sij?ht made him fsiub and giddy with sur. prise aad delight, 30 that ho could not utter a word.

"Look there, now; see that," ejaculated the sprite, pointing fo tho treasure. " One eveniog, twenty years ago, three men brought that box here and hid it beneath the trunk of thia ould gum-treo ; they weou away but nuver returned /or ib. Iv timo a poor woodcutfcar built hia hut beneath the great tree, and I watched him come and go to his daily toil until he could toil no more, and they curried him forth and buried him on the river bank. Then came your Uncle George, boy, who purchased the place for ten pounds ; but had he known of the riches under hia very nose, I'll go bail he wouldn't have gone away to dig for goold."

" Why didn't you tell Uncle George about thia money ?" asked Charley. "Bekase he would have spout it recklessly, houey, that's why. Money ill-spent or -oiisapplie'l is a groat evil. Pub the box on tho cart wit the things, and return to your mother. Off wid yo, boy, afc onst."

"Won't you come with me?" pleaded Oharley. " I can't, avic, I am going to a christening at M'Faddem' in the glen. ■ Away ye go — good by," Baying which M'KotnbD vanished from his Bight.

Widow Allan was very much astonished when Charley returned and told his story, but her surprise was still greater when she saw the box of hard cash. She counted the money, which amounted to over three thousand pounds sterJiug. After which' she fastened che box again and wrobe a letter to the Manager of a "certain Bank in Sydney, and to which mo3t of the notea belonged. la due course the B^nk sent a representative to Allan's Farm, who informed the widow that tho bank had boc-n robbed of over throo thousand pounds one night in June, twenty yeara ago, aad which had never boon recovered. The Bank ageub departed with the money, but he hit the poor and houoss woman a cheque for £500— a suiti wiiiofc. not only paid off the liability upon her fai-m, but enabiod hor <o put something by for a rainy day. — Adelaide Observer.