DUSK

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 723, 24 July 1929, Page 16

DUSK

A soft, turquoise mist steals over the garden; The white roses drape their petals in heaps of drifted snow; The spraying fountain throws its clouds of silver rain High into the scented air, Only to fall again far below Into the mossy basin. The sweet, shy pansies close their sleepy eyes, And fireflies flit like living jewels about the lilac trees . . . All is silence—dimness of bird and flower— No faintest sound comes on the fragrant breeze. i —Flying Squirrel (Becky Pelham). DESIRE Today has been very lovely here. A madcap wind from the sea has been chasing clouds through a cold blue sky until now they lie huddled against the horizon, boding ill for tomorrow’s weather. The wind always seems to be brew*ing mischief these days, though now he is content with riding white sea-horses over a green, slow— moving tide. Today is one of those days that makes me feel discontented—perhaps because there is a touch of spring in the aii*. I sigh for a tramp over some tea-tree clad cliffs, then down over green hills, sloping gently to a hidden sea-cove that has groves of pines and pohutukawas. There underfoot are the brown and golden pine-needles with drifts of fragile skeleton leaves, while a fitful wdnd draws quiet music from the drowsing trees. LONE DREAMER. CONTRAST The mist creeps in through the windows like a family ghost. The moon is a yellow* lantern in the sky with a veil round it, but the street light on the corner throws a hard beam on the grassy path. Isn’t there a difference between the moonlight w*ith its soft radiance and the glare of the electric lights? It spoils the beauty of the pines having the lamp so near. FLYING CLOUD. THE HIGHEST BUILDING The highest building in the world is the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is constructed entirely of iron, and the total weight of metal used is 7,300 tons. It is 984 feet high. NOT IN THAT VILLAGE Approaching an old rustic a visitor j from town asked if any great men w*ere born in the village. “Nor, sir!” replied the old man, “only babies.”