THE BOOK OF WIRIMU

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 101, 30 May 1941, Page 47

THE BOOK OF WIRIMU

Story by

STELLA

MORICE.

with

Drawings by

JOHN

HOLMWOOD

Chapter IX. HORI’S GOLD T was Friday afternoon, and the garden lay sleeping softly in the warm spring sunshine. From the river the happy shouts of the boys floated through the air, and the trees stood hard and clear against the blue satin of the sky. Somewhere, the Pipi-pipi, that ever greedy stranger, shrilled tui-tui-tui-ti-u for his food, and Hori unbent from the last long line of kumara. Mary’s kumata would grow this time. By corry, they would. They had been planted by Hori’s magic fingers and the pipi-pipi had sung his song. The old man put away his spade and went into the whare. He came out with something bulky wrapped in a sugar bag and set off along the three miles to the store. When the pale blue sky had turned to primrose behind the dark’ patterns of the trees, Hori came home. He went to the house and handed Mrs. Waterford a parcel. "For Tony," he said. "He a fine boy." "Oh, Hori, what have you brought?-I’ll give it to Tony, he’s having his tea." And Hori went off to his whare. Tony opened his parcel. "Mary, Mary, Hori’s brought me a blue train — much better than my one at home. But I’m going to give it to Wiri-he does want a train." So when he had finished he ran over to the whare with his new blue train. "Hori, thank you for the train; it’s much better than my one at home-it’s got more carriages-it’s a beauty. But I’m going to give it to Wiri, Hori, because I’ve got my tusks to take home and lots of flax canoes." He showed Wiri how to wind the train and it ran merrily round and round the whare floor. Tiger got up with a groan and went outside, and Miu, the black-and-white one, jumped on a box and

waved her tail backwards and forwards, swish, swish -because Miu was angry. When it was too dark to see any longer, Wiri took his train and sat on the step by Hori and on the other side Tony pressed up close beside the old ried tweed coat. "Hori, could I hold your gold just once more before I go home?" Hori puffed at his pipe in silence and Tony went and felt in the treasure box. "Hori, it’s gone, your lovely gold’s gone, Hori. Wherever is it?" "He go away," said Hori. "You come home now Tony. Mary, she want you go to bed. You come again in the summer, and we go hunt more pig." When Tony climbed into bed he said, "Mary, d’you know, I think Hori bought my train with his lump of gold. You'll get it back for him, won’t you Mary? It’s his very greatest treasure; he got it for saving a gumdigger’s life." "Dear old Hori, Tony. Yes, I'll get it back, I promise I won’t forget." And Tony snuggled down happily between the sheets. Over at the whare Hori sat dreaming by the fire.... Under the stripy blankets Wiri was ‘fast asleep with Tiger at his feet. At his head, that angry cat Miu sat swishing her tail, because under her pillow, her very own pillow, lay hard and lumpy-the little blue train.