A Letter From Alice . . .

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 28 August 1942, Page 3

A Letter From Alice . . .

WHITE KAIIBIT DISCOVERS TREASURE Dear Boys and Gills, — White Rabbit came racing into Alice’s office yesterday, with a very “exciting and good newsy” look on his face. “What do you think, Alice? I had a funny dream last night—no. it wasn’t because of those pickled lettuce leaves I had for dinner. I dreamt I found a groat big box of treasure deep in Hie Palace garden in Wonderland.” He stopped impressively. Alice looked up expectantly. “Go on. White Rabbit. I’m dying to hear more,” she said. “Wait a minute. Yes. here it is. I was so frightened I’d forget the exact place that I wrote it down as soon as I woke up. Now listen: ‘Between the two chestnut trees at the very end of the Palace garden, and just under the old blackbird's nest on one of the branches.’ ‘Wliat about it?” While Rabbit was so excited that he jumped over the waste paper backet twice before he looked at Alice. She was quite caught up with his enthusiasm, and with a hurried bustle of papers into a neat pile, she had her coat on ready to leave for Wonderland. All the way there White Rabbit had a tense look about him, while Alice kept asking —to a deaf ear—“ Have you got everything? What about a spade? Oh, of course, you keep them in

your tool slied next door to the Palace. Will the Queen of Hearts nnnd our digging in lier property? No, I don’t suppose she will.” And so on until they actually arrived at White Rabbit's house. “Now hurry up, Alice. Whyever do you women always have to titivate and fuss before you do any work. DO hurry,” were his Impatient remarks while Alice pulled on her gardening gloves and settled a scarf round stray pieces of hair. At last they were ready, and w ith great carefulness climbed over the fence dividing White Rabbit’s vegetable garden from the Palace garden. A scratchy peer through the shrub*, told them that no one was looking, and all was well. White Rabbit nearly went silly with excitement when he found the oil bird’s nest on the chestnut tree, and in no time both workers were silently digging away. “I say,” breathed White Rabbit. “I think I felt something! I did! Oh, Alice, LOOK!” And there it was —a tin chest lying in the ground just as pirates used to find treasure. The two discoverers looked at each other without a saying a word, and then still without saying a word they both bent down and lifted the chest up. As White Rabbit had dreamt of the treasure. Alice let him open it, and what a thrill when they had the lid off! There were gold and silver vases and all kinds of ornaments—proper treasure, belonging to the finders. They were both talking together, and deriding what to do with it, when there was a loud shout, and there was the Queen herself looking at them. “Whatever are you doing?” she asked. WhatEVER are you two doing?” White Rabbit stood up. “I dreamt I would find some buried treasure under these trees, and Alice and I have just discovered it. We’ll let you have a share if you like—seeing it’s your property we found it in.” he explained. But tlie Queen burst into laughter. “A share of it,” she repeated. “Do you know what you’ve been doing? In that chest is all tlie Palace gold and silver, hidden there specially till the war is over and in ease a bomb falls on the Palace. The poor King spent hours last week burying it, and now he’ll have to do it all over again.” You should have seen White Rabbit’s face, boys and girls, but the Queen was very nice and invited them both to dinner—with some of her very special tarts for pudding, so White Rabbit's dream was of some use after all. Are you having good holidays, members? Do write and tell us all about them please. With much love from your friend. ALICE.