For the Children

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16815, 18 August 1922, Page 3

For the Children

BY BARGE TO DREAMLAND. Christopher stood by the window of his nursery, in his sleeping; suit. The house that ho lived in was in Chelsea, and below him he could see the irregular roofs of the old houses around, white in the light of the moon. He was just turning away when he saw his friend’s high chimney-pot hat crossing the window, as he strode lightly over the roofs below. •Oh, stop!” cried Chris, eagerly. “Js it time to start yet ?” _ His triencl looked up. “ Yvliy, yes. he said. “ We’re rather late.” Chris began to scramble out of the window “ Ah!’ said his friend, “ you cant «o like that. You must wear something like everyday clothes—you see, I wear my hat. We’re not in dreamland yet.” . Chris ran for his reefer coat, and in a moment more he was standing on the sill, his hand reaching out confidingly to the Man in the Chimney-Pot Hat. “ It’s a. good thing,” said tho latter “ that the roofs are so close together round here, no long jumps.” Christopher found himself hounding over the moonlit tiles. “You see,” said his friend, as they went along. “ the Early-Bed barge starts below Bridge, and that’s some way from Chelsea.” THE BARGE COMES INT SIGHT. It did not seem at all a long way no Chris before they jumped down from the last roof and made their way to the Embankment. The barge was coming. Out of the grey mist, up the gleaming tide, the great black boat moved silently ; and soon the children, crowding round the stens, were all on board, and the barge pushed off into the stream again. And then, round a bend in the river, the dream city came in sight. Its cloud-like buildings rose into the night sky from the summit of a lofty cliff, up which a winding pathway led. and round its base the shining waters rippled. Soon the pathway was covered with the climbing children. Chris was the first to enter the city that holds adventures for all, and found his ready for him. “ Keep to the left, keep to the left! said a voice at his side. Chris turned round and saw a gnome in a. green jerkin hurrying along, carrying a lantern. Ho stopped, looking lip at Chris with bright eyes. Oh. it’s you, is it?” he sold. “ Queer the wav one mrets one’s friends here so often. 1 must be off.” he added. “I’m very busy to-night, here’s been a great deal of distnrb-iu-e among the rooks in those tall l-ees over there lately, and I’ve been ent to inquire what is happening.” “ Do let me come with you,” begged hliris. “ Very well,” said the gnome, and hey set off. The elms of which the gnome had mo ken were very tall, indeed. Chris toed looking up.' Far above, he could ee the topmost branches waving i gainst the sky, and among them the ooks’ round nests. The gnome led him to a little lift that van up and lown the trunk of one of the trees: ml in another moment thev had -enc-hed th<| top. and stepped out on to i landing stage fastened to a fork hi lie branches. “ What's that?” said the gnome. A board, hanging out of n nest not

and fro in the wind. They walked oat along; 8 branch to see the notice and found written on it: “ This nest to let.” A rook put his head out of the house above. “ What has a.ll the disturbance up here been about?” inquired the gnome kindly. NO DISTURBANCE, BUT A PARTY. “ No disturbance,” said the rook. f ‘ Only, as you may see by the board, the Duke and Duchess of Rook don have given up their house, and, of course, we all gave them a farewell party. The board ought to come down, really,” he added. ‘’ The new tenants have come in,” and he disappeared into his house again. The gnome and Chris approached nearer to the nest, and. rising on % tiptoe, they looked in. Inside, a ring of fairies were dancing • The nest was lit by fireflies, and. for music, a frog with a violin was fiddling in the background. “ Ah!” whispered t-lie gnome. “We won’t disturb them. They have evidently taken this as a dancing hall.” The lights of the city twinkled below. Chris could see the barge moving. a tiny black speck, up stream. “ Thar means time to go home. I’m afraid,” said the gnome. “We must hurry back.” They took the lift again, and, as Chris at last climbed into the. barge, he saw bis friend, the gnome, standing on the city wall waving good-by, and promising to show him more wonderful things next time he came.