“AUNT ROBERTA’S LETTER.”

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 127, 2 May 1925, Page 9

“AUNT ROBERTA’S LETTER.”

Well, My Children,— .Tusc n -very short letter this week, as I must not take up much of our precious space. If a prize-winner does not receive the prize money within a fortnight after publication of the results of the competitions, please write to mo at once. When this corner first appeared I used to post prize money three or four days after publication of results. You all i.ncw why I extended the time to a week or ten days after publication. Au revoir, with much love, Yours Affectionately, . : -AUNT ROBERTA.” * “LITTLE BOO." CHAPTER XI. —(Continued.) “CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT.” The child’s glance roved from picture to picture on the walls of the “Fairyland Room.” She'had to twist her head right round in order to view all of them. Her eyes returned to the picture of the lovely “Dancing Lady” standing on the tips of her toes. 800 wondered idly if she were Mr Maddock’s "girl,” and why ho had never mentioned her, or why they had never seen her. It was strange 1 But then he was strange —Aunt Roberta said so—and the mere fact of his keeping secret the “Fairyland Room” was proof positive of this. Little 800 rose to look at a giant mauve vase standing in a corner. ' She measured herself against it —and the vase was head and ears taller. She returned to the armchair, and settled herself into a more comfortable position, legs and feet curled up on the seat. She was careful, first of all, to remove her shoes for fear of soiling the covering. She yawned widely like a tigress cub —and then said “Excuse me” to the “Dancing Lady.” The room slowly darkened, so that before long it was difficult to clearly discern the figure of the "Dancing Lady.” “Two tiny minutes—an’ I’ll go home,” 800 murmured drowsily. She hated the thought of home after that wonderful place. It was comforting to think, however, that she would be able to spend many long hours there, with Maud and Joan and the boys. It did not occur to 800 that Mr Maddock might be very angry with her for having discovered the secret room, and forbid lier to enter its portals again. Suddenly the “Dancing Lady” came down out of her frame and danced across the room to where 800 sat. “I was so glad when I saw you come in,” 6ho said in a pretty tinkling voice. “It’s very lonely hero—without anyone to talk to but oneself. There’s plenty of Me’s” —and she waved a little white hand at the pictures on the wall, smiling. “Yes,” agreed Little 800, “but where do you live?” “Why, here 1” said the “Dancing Lady” in a surprised way. “I haven’t any other home.”

800 felt sorry for her —then. "After all, although this is a beautiful home,” she began in her (sometimes) little wise fashion, “it must become rather tiring to be always with a lot of Me’s — and, yes, very lonely,” and she shook her head sadly. “You see, I have Aunt Roberta and Maud and Rodney and the Two J’s ” Just at that moment the “Dancing Lady twirled round so rapidly on her toes that ! Little 800 felt dizzy. She paused, in exactly tho same attitude as she stood in her picture. Then she kissed her hand to 800. “Good-bye,” she said in a small sighftig voice, “I must get back into my frame again. I hope you will come and see me nnother day.” "Certainly, I shall,” cried Little 800, as she watched the pretty “Dancing Lady ' lloat across the room, and get up into her white frame. Little 800 tried to enter into conversation with her from there, but she only kept on smiling and standing on her toes, i never saying a word, so at last Little 800 I said “Good-bye” reluctantly. She went down tile dark underground passage-way, out through the secret door (it was still standing wide open) and along to the kitchen, where Mrs Morrison was preserving giant peaches. They were 60 big that they reached from the floor tffl the ceiling, and in girth wero as a huge tree trunk. Little 800 would have liked to play a game of hido-aiul-seek around them with Mrs Morrison but Mrs Morrison gave her a big knife, and said, “Here, help mo to peel these peaches.” Bo 800 started paring—and paring, and, oh, it was hard work 1 She grew very 'tired, but when she pleaded with Mrs Morrison to let her go away, she only said—“ Help me to peel them, help me to peel them,” and started to cry loudly, wlhcti upset 800 very much. The floor ' got ’ slippery with Mrs Morrison s tearB —and then the big peach Little 800 was paring fell right on top of her. “Help, heip!” she squealed from beneath it, but all Mrs Morrison did was t° cry out in a loud voice— “ Little 800, Little 800 wako up —wakeup !” Little 800 stared with wondering, sleepy eyes into tho motherly face of Mrs Morrison. Bho was dazed with sleep. “What ’ you doing—an’ where am I ?” she muttered. Mrs Morrison lifted her gently to her feet. “It’s a good thing 1 happened to look behind tho curtains in the hall, and saw that door was open I, They’ve been looking for you everywhere—all last night —policemen—and your poor Aunt is nearly demented !” Little 800 .gazed open-mouthed at Mrs Morrison. She was wide awake now. “Policemen!” she gasped, horrified. “Yes—you’ve been lost! You’ve been hero all the time, I guess, and slept like a top till morning.” She looked clwwn at the child, shaking her head aa if it were very heavy: “1 don’t know what Mr Maddock will say when he hears about you finding your way here —I’m sure I don’t I He’ll be very angry ” she broke off, shaking her head again in a ponderods fashion. Little 800 looked round the white and mauve room and at the “Dancing Lady’, in her white frame. “I didn’t do nuthin wrong,” she muttered aggricvedly. “We must go at once,” Mrs Morrison said. And hand in hand they hurried down tho dark, cold passage. Tho meeting between Little 800 and Aunt Roberta and her brothers and sisters was most tragic—on their part. Littio Boo’s account of how she lost herself, and what she found, was most vivid and thrilling—and tho children wero keenly desirous of seeing the “Fairyland Room” for themselves. , , , Later on Rodney mad;, a wonderful discovery. It was when they wero talking over Boo’s marvellous adventure among themselves. , “By Jumbo I” ho exciaimed all at onco, throwing his hands up into the air. "I wouldn’t mind betting that tho ‘g.iost wo saw was nothing more or less than old Middy’s light ” ho gasped nearly choking in his eagerness. “800, did you notiee if the cave-room wafi fitted with o»cotric light?” , “Yes/’ she answered. There was a queer white globe, shaped liko a big pear, hanging from a cord in the middle of tho “I can see it all so clearly, Sister Nell 1 Rodney interrupted, speaking in a tense voice of restrained excitements, “is eyes shone with tho spirit of a seer. You have all noticed that ‘Maddy’ has’a habit of striding up and down a room i W ell, j

if ho were to walk backwards and forwards across the cave-room, his tall form would pass and ropass botween the light and tho window. No doubt the curtains would be drawn aside so'metimes. This would cause the light we saw coming out of the cliff to what Boo' called ‘dance.’ Presumably ol J Maddy would sit down for awhile —and then start walking up and down like a caged lion again. It’s as clear as the nose on your face 1” “Suppose you think you’d make a bonscr detective,” said John, jealous because Rodney’s perceptive powers in that instance were undoubtedly first class. It might be as well to add that Littio 800 never saw the "Fairyland Room” again—at least, not till years afterwaidß —and the curiosity of the others was never satisfied. Mrs Morrison had a secret conference with Aunt Roberta, and then the edict went forth that ’it was Mr Maddock’s earnest wish that Little 800 should forget the mysterious chamber, and all she had seen there, and lie begged that the matter should never be mentioned —at least, in his hearing. v But nothing could convince Little 800 that the “Dancing Lady-” was not flesh and blood. She thought about her and dreamed of her for weeks —and then Lhe memory of her began to fade!