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diff --git a/old/68225-0.txt b/old/68225-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 34938a7..0000000 --- a/old/68225-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8461 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Australian fairy tales, by Atha -Westbury - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Australian fairy tales - -Author: Atha Westbury - -Illustrator: A. J. Johnson - -Release Date: June 3, 2022 [eBook #68225] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This - file was produced from images generously made available by - The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AUSTRALIAN FAIRY TALES *** - - - - - - AUSTRALIAN FAIRY TALES. - - BY - ATHA WESTBURY. - - ILLUSTRATED BY A. J. JOHNSON. - - - LONDON: - WARD, LOCK, & CO., LIMITED, - WARWICK HOUSE, SALISBURY SQUARE, E.C. - NEW YORK AND MELBOURNE. - 1897 - - - - - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - GOLDEN CLOUD:— - CHAP. I. THE LONE ROCK 9 - ,, II. MOTHER DOT 19 - ,, III. DUSK’S STRONGHOLD 27 - ,, IV. THE RING-DOVE 34 - ,, V. GOLDEN CLOUD 42 - TWILIGHT:— - CHAP. I. BARON THIMBLE 48 - ,, II. PRINCE PICNIC 57 - ,, III. LADY LOLLYPOP 65 - TIM 73 - THREE SPARROWS 82 - KING DUNCE 91 - “I DON’T KNOW” 98 - THE BANK CAT 106 - GUMTREE HOLLOW 115 - WHISKERKISS:— - CHAP. I. THE MYSTERIOUS JOURNEY 123 - ,, II. PRINCESS GOLDEN HAIR 131 - A CROOKED SIXPENCE 139 - THE BALL IN THE DELL 148 - ELSIE 155 - THE WISHING-CAP 162 - TWO GIANTS 176 - MOTHLAND 184 - MOONLAND 197 - “SAILOR” 221 - NELLIE 228 - IN THE CLOUDS 243 - WONDERLAND 251 - BABY’S VISITORS 259 - RUBYWINGS:— - CHAP. I. THE JOURNEY 264 - ,, II. SHADOWS 271 - LIFE AND DEATH 277 - GIANTS 283 - THE KANGAROO HUNTER:— - CHAP. I. THE LOST DRESS 291 - ,, II. QUIZ 298 - ,, III. A SLEEPING BEAUTY 304 - THE LAUGHING JACKASS:— - CHAP. I. LOST IN THE BUSH 312 - ,, II. EMU ROYAL 319 - HOP-O’-MY-THUMB 325 - A MAGIC WHISTLE 334 - “COCKY”:— - CHAP. I. THE MAGIC HUT 342 - ,, II. BROWN EYES 350 - - - - - - - - -LIST OF FULL-PAGE AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - “THE GLOBE SLOWLY SPLIT IN TWAIN” Frontispiece - PAGE - “OUR HERO WENT SPRAWLING HEADLONG OVER HIM” 20 - “AT THE SIGHT OF HER THE ASS BEGAN TO BRAY LOUDLY” 37 - “‘SHAVE, OR HAIR CUT, SIR?’ ASKED THE BARBER” 51 - “A TALL, HANDSOME YOUNG MAN, ROBED IN A SUPERB HUNTING - COSTUME” 71 - “GET UP, TOBY THE GROWLER, AND FOLLOW ME” 83 - “SPEEDING AWAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS SWIFT AS THE WIND” 93 - “A JACK-IN-THE-BOX ... CAME AND REVILED HIM” 102 - “‘HURRAH!’ HE CRIED, TOSSING UP HIS HAT” 119 - “SEATED BENEATH A CANOPY OF ROSES” 134 - “‘PRAY TAKE OUT THOSE HORRID LONG SPIKES’” 157 - “THE FAIRIES FLED IN GREAT HASTE” 165 - “BOTH HE AND THE DOG WERE ENVELOPED IN A DEEP MIST” 180 - “HE WAS BORNE ALONG SO SWIFTLY THAT HE NEARLY LOST HIS - SENSES” 199 - “HE WAS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER THE MONSTER WAS LEAPING OR - FLYING” 209 - “‘WHY, SURELY, YOU’RE NOT THE MAN IN THE MOON?’” 219 - “THE LOVELY BEING TOOK NELLIE BY THE HAND” 233 - “IT WAS A GRAND BALLOON” 245 - “THE MONSTER ... ADVANCED WITH A LARGE STONE” 255 - “THE OLD MAN BENT LOW BEFORE THE ICE MONARCH” 266 - “‘I AM QUEEN OF THE BUTTERFLIES,’ SHE REPLIED” 268 - “‘WHAT KIND OF BIRD ARE YOU?’” 295 - “‘YOU CAN’T BE OUR JACK?’” 315 - “‘THOU ART VERY STRONG FOR SO SMALL A MAN’” 329 - “ITS EYES WERE DREADFUL TOP BEHOLD, AS IT CAME SLOWLY OUT - OF THE WATER.” 352 - - - - - - - - -AUSTRALIAN FAIRY TALES. - - -GOLDEN CLOUD. - -A CHRISTMAS STORY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE LONE ROCK. - -Australia! Hast thou no enchanted castles within thy vast domain? Is -there not one gallant youth, ready armed to do battle for the fair -ones, sleeping ’neath the spell of wicked genii? - -Come, youngsters, draw up your chairs. Come, mothers, ye who live your -romantic girlhood o’er again in that of your children. Form up, -gentlemen, fathers, hard men of the world, whose brows are wrinkled -with care and worry, take rank in rear of your fair helpmates. -Merchant, lock thy safe, close thy ledgers; horny-handed sons of toil, -throw aside your implements of trade; gather near. I am going to draw -aside the magic curtain which hides the great continent, marked on our -map UNKNOWN. Turn down the lights—our magic lantern is quite ready. Hey -presto! Look! - -Why, what is this? The heart of a deep mine! A gold mine, with all its -dim and rugged corridors, its tunnels and windings, lighted only by a -dull taper here and there. There is no one at work, for it is Christmas -Eve. Yet the underground region is not altogether untenanted. One man -whose duty it is to watch the place, until relieved on the morrow, lies -coiled up asleep in one of the long drives. He is a young man, not -tall, but strongly made, and with limbs like another Hercules. On -account of his great strength and a certain good temper combined, his -mates call him, Samson the Nugget. - -For what length of time the Nugget slumbered on this good Christmas Eve -will never be known. Certain it is that he suddenly opened his eyes and -beheld one of the biggest, and withal one of the ugliest, hulking -fellows he had ever seen standing over him. The Nugget was a brave -youth, but fear began to take possession of him as he looked at the -intruder—a giant in stature, with a huge, flat head upon his shoulder, -and a mouth as large, and about the shape of the newspaper receiver at -the General Post Office. He carried a lamp in his hand, but there was a -queer sheen from his eyes, which illumined the cavern with a fiery -glow. His dress was a brown russet, his hat, sugar-loaf in shape, and -he carried a sapling for a cudgel. - -“Get up, Samson the Nugget, and follow me,” said he in a brief, gruff -tone. - -“Who are you?” cried our hero, rising to his feet, and seizing a heavy -iron drill. - -“I am the strongest man in Golden Cloud, and my name is Grapple,” -rejoined the other grimly. “Will you come?” - -“Where?” said the Nugget. “There is no way out of this mine except by -the cage up the shaft.” - -“That’s all you know about it,” returned Grapple, with a grim laugh. -“If I find a way, have you courage to follow?” - -The Nugget felt inclined to refuse point blank, but curiosity being -strong within him, he bowed an assent. - -Grapple, without a word, turned on his heel and led the way further -down the dark recesses of the tunnel. Our hero followed. Of one thing -the miner felt certain—that the end of the drive would effectually bar -the progress of his unwelcome visitor. Strange to relate, such was not -the case. - -The narrow passage appeared to extend and widen out before their -advance, until it took the shape of a long railway tunnel, from which -the pair emerged at length into the bright beams of day. The transit -from what seemed to be the bowels of a high mountain range to a -landscape fairer and more beautiful than our hero had ever seen, filled -his mind with wonder. His companion, now that daylight was upon him, -did not seem such an ugly customer after all. He was certainly a huge, -grotesque-looking personage, but there wasn’t a bit of malice in -anything he said or did. - -Our hero’s amazement was so great, that it was some considerable time -before he found words wherewith to address his companion. - -“What country is this?” he asked, turning to Grapple. - -“This is Golden Cloud.” - -“Golden Cloud! I never heard of such a place. Why did you bring me -here?” - -“Because I wanted a companion on my travels,” rejoined the other. “I -heard you were a very strong man, and I determined to fetch you out of -that dismal mine, so that you might enjoy your Christmas holidays with -me.” - -“Oh, indeed! very considerate on your part, my friend, but what if I -return to the mine?” said the Nugget. - -“You can’t—not without my aid,” responded Grapple. “Now don’t be a -fool. I’m going on a sort of excursion into the interior, and I want a -companion. We shall not be long away, and I promise to lead you safely -back to the place from whence you came as soon as we return.” - -The Nugget reflected. He felt a strong desire to see something of this -most charming country. Besides, he saw that this strange creature had -uttered the truth. He could not possibly find his way back to the mine -alone. - -Here it must be remarked that, although our hero was only a miner, he -possessed both intelligence and culture, not usually found in men of -his class. He had read much, and had a longing for the romantic, and in -short, in less time than it takes to write this sentence, Samson the -Nugget had resolved to go on a holiday tour with his quaint companion. - -It is needless to describe their journey for the first two days; -suffice it that the route lay through the tangled maze of a pathless -forest of noble trees, where branches intertwining overhead formed a -leafy canopy for many miles. On the third day Grapple and his companion -emerged upon a wide, extensive plain. Towering in the distance, like a -pyramid, they observed a gigantic rock standing out above the level -expanse around. The sun, gleaming upon its peaks and spires, gave it a -weird, fantastic look, as if some great magician of the olden time had -bade it rise with the lifting of his wand. As far as the vision reached -along the line of the horizon, the plain seemed ringed in by the -magnificent bushland through which they had come. Nearer, however, -there was a broad river flowing its slow way round the lone cliff; the -sheen of its waves forming a massive girdle, which flashed back the -sun’s rays a thousandfold. - -The evening was drawing nigh as the Nugget and Grapple approached the -lofty crag, and they determined to pass the night beneath its -sheltering base. For this purpose they crossed a ford on the river, and -ascended a wide slope of rich, green sward, softer than velvet, and -entered an enclosed space, which had evidently been a most lovely -garden at one time. To the gaze of our hero it appeared nothing but a -mass of weeds and ragged, bare shrubs, under which a whole multitude of -kangaroos, emus, wallabies, wild goats, and native bears were gathered -in wild confusion. - -The Nugget was filled with amazement as he beheld these animals. Their -number was countless, and the tameness with which they submitted to be -fondled was more extraordinary still. Indeed, they never moved as the -two men strode through their ranks, no more than if they had been so -many posts wanting life and movement. The astonishment of our hero was -in no way diminished as they reached the western face of the supposed -rock. Here they saw a broad flight of steps leading towards a ponderous -gateway. The gate stood wide open, and on either side, mounted on -pillars of granite, were the carved figures of two gigantic black -fellows, each leaning on a spear. Grapple and his companion entered the -portal, and found themselves in a lofty corridor, supported by massive -columns of polished masonry. To the right and left of them, as they -advanced, splendid apartments, vast in their dimensions, and -upholstered with costly furniture, met their gaze. It was not the -magnitude of the place, nor the fine things therein, which filled them -with such speechless amazement, but the wonderful statuary they saw. -These figures were in every room, and were so life-like in their -dimensions and appearance, that the Nugget was fain to believe that -they were flesh and blood. Ladies and gentlemen were represented quite -naturally, and in various places and functions. Yonder a group were -seated round the banquet in the act of eating. There another group, -mostly ladies, gossipping and laughing. Some had been chiselled -walking, some kneeling, others hissing, many reading. The same view met -the travellers from one end of this strange mansion to the other. -Nothing could seem more substantial, more real, than these beautiful -models, attired as they were in robes of gorgeous hue and texture, but -foreign and altogether unfamiliar to our hero, who often touched them -with his hand. Twenty times he addressed them, but not one answered. -They were only images, nothing more. Body, limbs, robes—all were cold -and hard as stone to the touch. - -Their curiosity appeased, our hero and his companion selected a small -but comfortable apartment wherein to pass the night. They had killed a -kangaroo the previous day, from the remains of which they dined; then -they retired, and both were soon fast asleep. - -The Nugget had scarcely closed his eyes, however, ere he was roused by -the application of a hard whack on the drum of his left ear. - -Now it chanced that Grapple lay on that side of the Nugget and judging -hastily, as people are apt to do under similar conditions, our hero -sprang up, and began to pound his bedfellow soundly. - -“Hold! stop! What is this all about?” cried poor Grapple. - -“Did you not give me a blow?” demanded the Nugget fiercely. - -“I? Certainly not.” - -“Oh, indeed! I suppose the man in the moon did it. There are only two -of us here, sir,” cried the Nugget. - -“I’ll swear I did not do it. Your blows awakened me.” - -“Humph! It is very strange,” cried they, and they grumbled at each -other until they fell asleep again. - -Not long did the pair enjoy repose. This time Grapple started up with a -yell of agony. - -“Coward!” he cried, and without further warning he fell upon the Nugget -and tried to choke him. We have said that Samson was a powerful fellow. -Exerting the full force of his muscles, he overpowered his adversary, -and briefly demanded an explanation. - -“Wretched, false friend! what have I done that you should stab me with -your knife?” cried Grapple, with a groan. - -The young miner burst out in a hearty guffaw. - -“Look here, my friend,” he replied quickly, “I think both of us have -been the dupes of some rascally enemies hereabout. I receive a thump on -the ear, you a wound in the leg, when both of us are sound asleep. Mum! -Let us to slumber again. Daylight will be here anon; in the meantime, I -will keep watch to discover our lurking foe.” - -Grapple assented. Having bound up his leg the travellers lay down again -as if nothing had happened. - -The Nugget, however, slept like a cat, otherwise he would not have seen -the most withered, and, at the same time, most repulsive-looking -individual in the world stealing noiselessly out on tip-toe from behind -one of the statues in the corridor. The day was breaking, and every -object could be clearly distinguished. Watching the intruder, our hero -saw he was a dwarf, and a very ugly one. The body of the wee monster -was like an ale keg, from which protruded short, sturdy limbs. His -hands were dreadfully large, the skin knobbed and gnarled like the bark -of a tree. A head, the counterpart of a Christmas pudding with a slice -cut out for a mouth, a parsnip for a nose, and a pair of agates for -eyes, and you have a rough photograph of the wretch that now advanced -as stealthily as a shadow toward our hero and his companion. - -As he drew near the prostrate pair he stooped over the Nugget to -inflict a blow on his head. Our hero bounded up and tried to catch his -foe. Vain effort. With the agility and quickness of a professional -wrestler, the dwarf upset the astonished digger as if he had been no -more than a schoolboy; then, fleeing along the corridor, he cleared the -steps of the gate at one bound and ran swiftly across the garden -towards the river. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -MOTHER DOT. - -Samson the Nugget was taken “all aback,” as the sailors say, at the -unexpected attack of his wee but nimble opponent. Yet, before the dwarf -had time to reach the garden wall, our hero was up and pursued his foe. -Like a kangaroo when the hunters are in full cry, the little man -bounded down the slope leading to the river, over the stream, and away -across the open space, with prodigious leaps rather than with the -stride of a runner. Tally-ho! A stern chase is a long chase, but in -this case the adage could not be applied, inasmuch as our hero was -sound in wind and limb, and, moreover, he was a sturdy pedestrian. - -He soon gained upon his antagonist, when the latter, ready and fertile -in devices, adopted tactics which gave him an advantage, and enabled -him to over-reach his pursuer. They were on the edge of the bushland -which bordered the plain, and the dwarf, slacking speed, suffered -Samson to approach within arm’s length, when, turning suddenly, he cast -himself flat down, whereupon our hero went sprawling headlong over him. -Laughing triumphantly, the dwarf sprang to his feet, and jumped off -again in the cover of the bush. - -As the miner recovered himself and resumed the pursuit, he observed the -chase unexpectedly disappear from view behind a tuft of coarse grass -and weeds growing at the base of a gigantic blood-tree. Thinking the -antic sprite was forming another trap, the young miner approached the -spot cautiously. It was lucky he did so, for in parting the rubbish -aside he discovered a wide, deep hole, about the dimensions of an -ordinary well. There were neither steps nor ladder down this gaping -pit, whose bottom lay far beneath the ken of Samson the Nugget, who -stood gazing down the dim void, wondering if the little monster had -vanished down it by some potent agency only known to himself. Watching -and waiting, Samson satisfied himself that the dwarf had certainly gone -down the hole, and he determined to follow him. - -With this object in view, our hero marked the spot and retraced his way -to the rock. Grapple still slept soundly. Not wishing to disturb him, -the Nugget proceeded to the rear of the premises, where he found a long -stout rope. With it he returned to the well. Having securely fastened -one end of the rope to the tree, he threw the remainder down the chasm, -and then began to descend hand over hand. It cannot be denied that this -was a dangerous undertaking, but the Nugget, being a digger, and not -lacking in pluck, the cost was not considered. From the first moment -our hero had set eyes on the little monster it had somehow come to him -that the sprite was in some mysterious manner connected with all the -ruin and wreck he had seen at the rock. - -Clinging firmly to the rope, the Nugget descended until he reached the -end of it. Looking far down he beheld the same dark void, apparently -bottomless. While he swayed to and fro like a toy at the end of a -string, his pendant body thumped against something that sounded dull -and hollow, and he saw he had burst open a secret door in the wall. -Planting his foot firmly on the threshold of the aperture, the -adventurer let go the rope and found himself in a low, arched cavern. -The extremity brought him face to face with a bright landscape, varying -both in hue and shade from the region he had just quitted. Right before -him a tiny cascade of pure spring water spurted from the breast of the -cliff on which he stood, and meandered its course through a belt of -trees so quiet and silent that our hero felt appalled at its stillness. -There was a broad, well-worn pathway down into the dell, and the Nugget -made his way thither. As he walked smartly along, looking right and -left of him, he espied a very ancient dame seated upon a bundle of -firewood she had evidently gathered. By her side were two large baskets -of wild fruit. - -“Good-morrow, ma’am,” cried the miner, courteously lifting his hat. -“Pray have you seen a very ugly little man pass this way?” - -“My son, all men are lovely in my eyes,” replied the crone, and she -looked at him with eyes that gleamed like the orbs of a cat in the -darkness. “Do you know, I’m right glad you came this way. You look -strong. Will you carry my parcels for me?” - -“Certainly I will,” replied the Nugget cheerfully. “Where do you live?” - -“My hut stands on the range yonder, on the other side of this bush. -Dear me, how tired I am to be sure!” - -How her cat’s eyes glowed as she looked at him! The Nugget did not see -nor heed anything about the old woman; his whole thoughts were centred -on the capture of his foe. - -“Come, madam,” said he, “one good turn deserves another. Tell me where -I may find the fellow I seek, and I’ll carry your goods and yourself on -top of them.” - -“Oh, good youth, haste is a bad master. If you seek for Dusk in haste, -you’ll never find him.” - -“Dusk! Who’s Dusk, mother?” - -“The dwarf you came to find,” she answered quickly. “Beware, he’s a -cunning sprite.” - -The Nugget laughed. “I should only like the opportunity to measure -weapons with the cowardly little imp,” he said. “Have you seen him?” - -“Yes; he passed this way not an hour ago,” she answered. - -“Thank you, dame. I’m off!” exclaimed our hero, hastily preparing to -follow. - -“Nay, good sir, you promised to carry my things,” responded the dame. - -“Bother your things! I’ll return and carry them when I’ve caught Mr. -Dusk.” - -“You will have trouble for nothing if you try it,” she replied, her -eyes glowing like coals of fire. “Fulfil your promise to me and I will -help you.” - -“Agreed,” cried our hero. “Make haste, good dame. Place the sticks upon -my back and the baskets on my arms. That’s it. Now come along.” - -Samson the Nugget, strong and powerful as he undoubtedly was, pulled a -wry face as the load was put upon his person. The bundle of firewood -seemed as heavy to him as so many bars of solid gold, while the baskets -appeared to have been suddenly freighted with ingots of lead, the -weight of which almost took away his breath. Nevertheless, our hero, -nothing daunted, made an effort, and proceeded onward with his burden. -Now, so long as the Nugget trod on level ground he managed pretty well, -but when he came to the range and began its ascent, with the loose -stones rolling from under his feet at every step, the man’s immense -muscular strength began to fail. Drops of perspiration stood upon his -face and ran down his back, now hot, now cold. - -“My good woman!” he cried, “I can go no farther till I have rested.” - -“Rested!” repeated the hag in scornful accents. “Hear the boaster. This -is the man in search of Dusk, the strong. Hear him! He would attack the -all-powerful genii; and yet, forsooth, he cannot carry what an old -woman like me has so often borne up hill and down dale. Faugh!” - -The Nugget put up his back like a vicious mule, and attempted to get -rid of his load; but the sticks and the baskets clung to him as if -these articles had grown there. - -“Will you go on, sir?” cried the crone, with a mocking laugh. - -The Nugget answered not; but with a vigorous effort tried to rid -himself of the encumbrance. Vain task; his efforts only wearied him. -Moreover, the hag made matters worse by jumping up upon the bundle of -sticks; and though lean and withered as she certainly appeared, our -hero felt her additional weight to be more than that of the stoutest -wench of his acquaintance. To kick against the pricks was useless. So -Samson, like a wise fellow, staggered on as he best could to the end of -his journey. Arrived at the hut, the dame became kindness itself. She -placed food and drink of the choicest kind before him, and when he had -refreshed himself, said,— - -“Young man, your task has been a severe one, but the reward I shall -bestow will be all the greater on that account. For over twenty years -no one has ever been found who could carry my parcels for me until -to-day.” - -“I don’t care to go shopping with you again in a hurry,” muttered the -Nugget, stretching out his tired limbs. - -“I have neither money nor property to give you,” she continued; “but my -gift shall be more valuable to you than both combined. Behold! This is -the horn of an enchanted ram. The animal was bred by my great -grandsire, the King of Moonshine, and the relic has been handed down to -me. Take it, my son, and let me caution you to use its wonderful power -wisely. With that in your possession, Dusk, the griffin, cannot escape -you. For whatever you may wish for this relic shall supply.” - -With these words Mother Dot placed in the young man’s hand a small, -curled horn, highly polished, and on which were engraven three figures, -and some words, in a language he did not understand, written beneath -them. The Nugget thanked the old lady for her gift, and having -sufficiently refreshed and rested himself, he set forward in search of -Dusk, the dwarf. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -DUSK’S STRONGHOLD. - -To say that our hero felt satisfied with the treatment he had received -at the hands of Mother Dot would be to state an untruth. He was not -satisfied. He had a latent suspicion that the hag was in some way or -other leagued with his enemy. Under these circumstances he therefore -thrust her gift into his pocket, and went in search of the ugly dwarf. -For hours he wandered about without seeing a vestige of any living -thing. He began to feel tired and hungry, and darkness was approaching -fast. What should he do? Try and find his way back again to where he -had left Grapple? No, the giant would only laugh at him. - -He suddenly bethought him to try the old woman’s gift. She had said -that whatever he might wish for should be gratified. His first and -dearest wish was to find the whereabouts of the dwarf. So he put the -relic to the test. Swift and potent indeed was the effect. Scarcely had -the desire taken shape in his mind ere his eyes beheld a massive -structure about the distance of a mile right ahead of him. The building -was surrounded by a high wall, and looked more like a gaol than -anything else. - -As he drew near, the young miner observed a strong iron door in the -wall, at which he began to knock. - -“Who’s there? What want you here?” resounded from a hoarse voice -belonging to an enormous head and face, which at that moment protruded -itself over the battlement. - -“Does the dwarf they call Dusk reside here?” demanded our hero. - -“He does, but he’s not at home. Go away, you mite, before I come and -crush your bones together.” - -“Try,” responded the Nugget. “As for the dwarf, I believe the rascal is -here, and I mean to enter and satisfy myself on that point.” - -“Begone, you wretched ant—you insect!” roared the monster passionately. - -“A fig for your bluster, you bundle of ugliness,” responded our hero. - -The face disappeared as suddenly as the policeman in the puppet show, -and immediately the iron door opened wide, disclosing a -horrible-looking fellow, several feet taller than Grapple, and armed -with a well-seasoned sapling about the dimensions of a verandah post. - -“Now, you flea, you miserable son-in-law of a blow-fly, what have you -to say before I smash you up?” cried the giant, purple with rage. - -Without answer, Samson sprang through the open doorway. As he did so, -the monster aimed a crushing blow at his head. Ducking like an otter, -Nugget avoided the ponderous bludgeon, which fell upon the door and -tore it from its hinges. Quick as the swoop of a hawk, he seized a -fragment of iron and dealt his gigantic antagonist an awkward whack -full upon his stomach, which tumbled him down, as if he had been shot, -and there he lay quite helpless. - -The Nugget, without troubling about his adversary, entered the -building; but he had not advanced beyond the porch before another and -more formidable foe confronted him. Strongly built, and as sturdy as -the trunk of an old oak, monster number two appeared neither man nor -fish, but a strange combination of both. It had eyes and mouth like a -fish, and as many legs and arms as an octopus, each member being armed -at the extremities with spikes as sharp as steel. - -“What seekest thou?” it bellowed forth, with the lungs of a bull. - -“I seek the antic sprite, Dusk,” replied the undaunted Samson. - -“Poor, mean earthworm, knowest thou not that the mighty Dusk is lord -and master here in Twilight?” - -“Pray conduct me to his lordship.” - -“Hence! at once, or I’ll roast you like a crab,” said the man-fish. - -“Stuff! You’ll find me tough eating,” replied the Nugget, at the same -time drawing forth the ram’s horn, and changing it into a light, handy -sword. - -The monster grinned in disdain. Stretching forth his long arms, he -tried to clutch our hero, but the Nugget cleverly avoided him. Then -began a fierce combat between them. Here and there, up and down, with -ringing blows, the duel became very exciting and sanguinary, till the -man-fish, losing his temper and his breath together, received the coup -de grâce, and was hurled headlong down the terrace steps. - -All further opposition seemed at an end with the death of the second -monster, and our hero wended his way into the interior of the mansion. -As he proceeded, he found the place was not at all so gloomy as might -be expected from an outside view of it. Indeed, he discovered it was a -large building, and furnished in excellent taste. The walls of the -various apartments were hung with silk and velvet of chaste pattern and -hue. Couches and chairs richly carved, with marble tables decked with -choicest flowers and fruits, were reflected in mirrors on the walls, -which were more elaborate than those of old Venice. Parrots of the -gayest plumage, rare birds in golden cages, soft, sparkling fountains, -and a delicious perfume of flowers, all made up a magnificent whole -that was worthy the dwelling-place of a king. - -With hasty steps our hero wandered through many rooms, hoping to -discover the dwarf. His wandering brought him to a grand staircase, the -steps of which were covered with Cashmere velvet, bordered with satin -flowers. A bronze stand, curiously ornamented, supported a large globe -of white crystal at the head of the stairway. The Nugget could not help -pausing to admire this beautiful piece of workmanship. The crystal ball -was so dazzling bright that it made his eyes ache to look upon it. - -“What a strange ball!” he said, shading his sight with his hand, and -approaching close to it. “How large it is! It seems large enough to -hold that rascal Dusk. What if he should be hiding here? Perhaps it is -solid. Humph! I’ll try it. Ball, crystal ball, if thou art hollow, by -my ram’s horn, I command thee! Open!” - -Before the words had left his lips the globe slowly split in twain; -while from within there rose before his wondering sight—not the ugly -sprite—but the graceful form of a lovely young maiden. - -Never in the life of this poor digger, either in his waking sense or in -dreams, had he seen any woman so enchantingly lovely. In olden times -men were blessed with visions of the angels, and they essayed to -picture what they had seen. Yet how crude the forms of Cherubim and -Seraphim both on canvas and on page to the glorious reality! - -If Samson the Nugget had been gifted with the descriptive powers of the -world-renowned war correspondent, I’m afraid the twenty-six letters in -our alphabet would not have been sufficient to convey any idea of the -beauty of this damsel upon whom he gazed. Her complexion was like that -delicate tint we see upon the pearl shell, and her hair shone like -burnished gold. - -“Who art thou, fair lady?” cried the Australian youth, gallantly -advancing with outstretched hands to assist her from the pedestal -whereon she had been imprisoned. - -“Alas!” she answered, weeping, “I am the daughter of King Golden Cloud, -and my name is Silverhaze. Because I would not consent to become the -wife of a wicked dwarf, named Dusk, he stole me from my home, and -conveying me here, enclosed me in yon crystal globe.” - -No ring-dove cooing for its mate had softer, sweeter voice than -Princess Silverhaze. Our hero led her down the stairway and placed her -on a couch by the window. Seating himself at her feet he briefly -explained to her the part he had taken in search of their common foe. - -“Where is Golden Cloud, your home?” he said. “I swear I will not rest -until I have placed you safe again in the arms of your kith and kin.” - -“Thou art a brave youth,” answered the Princess, looking down at him -with eyes that sparkled gratitude. “If thou canst indeed take me from -this horrid place, my father will load thee with honours, and poor -Silverhaze will love thee always.” - -Ah me! Who shall write the Nugget’s answer? Who shall detail his -confusion, his stammerings, his schoolboy blushes? Not I, my young -friends. Wise old Atha knows full well how near the Love God dangles to -yourselves—how near ye are to the reality without the ideal being -stamped on this page to point the way. - -In considerably less time than it takes to pen these lines, the -Princess had decided to trust her fortunes to the pluck and gallantry -of her young champion. But in the midst of their plans they were -unexpectedly confronted by their deadly enemy—Dusk—armed to the teeth. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE RING-DOVE. - -Fairyland can produce nothing so wonderful as the facility with which -sundry mortals can extend their faces. To smile widely is the fashion -with us nowadays, and it is very wonderful indeed to note the various -methods of its accomplishment. If the human face be a mask (and who -shall say it is not?) then what maskers promenade our streets with -their masks set smiling—as one would set a watch or a clock! Bowing and -smirking is the latest humbug, and even the mere soulless puppets, born -of men’s brains, must smack of it, else they are voted untrue to life -and nature. - -There was a set smile on the ugly face of Dusk, the dwarf, as he bowed -to Silverhaze and our hero; but the sprite had not been educated in a -mortal school. He lacked polish. Malignity shone in his eyes and in -every corner of his wicked mouth. - -“Don’t move, I pray,” he said slowly; “my slaves are entirely at your -service. Why don’t you summon them to do your bidding? Ho, ho, ho!” And -his mocking laugh rang through the vaulted passages like a bugle-call. - -Poor Silverhaze began to tremble, and clung to the Nugget for support, -while the youth in his turn tried his utmost to calm her fears. - -The dwarf eyed them with a sinister look. “Very charming for my fay,” -he ejaculated, rubbing his bony hands together. “Very loving and -tender, oh, my doves. What tender morsels you’ll make for mince-pies! -My cook, Pancake Parecheese, will be delighted with you. He, he, hi!” -He turned about as he spoke, and clapped his hands together as a -signal. Almost immediately the room became filled with armed monsters. - -“Ha!” cried Dusk in mocking sarcasm. “You break into my house, kill my -servants, and rob me of my coveted prize. Slaves, take this man away -and boil him down.” - -It was a dreadful order. To cook a man like a leg of mutton or a shin -of beef! Good heavens! it was awful. But the dwarf, powerful as he was, -little dreamed of the amazing influence of the ram’s horn. By its -potent force our hero set the whole army of monsters by the ears, who -fell foul of and slew each other. Not satisfied with this, they set -fire to the mansion, where, amidst the conflagration, those who were -not slain perished in the flames. - -At the beginning of the fray our hero seized the dwarf, and -transforming him into a donkey, placed the King’s daughter on his back, -and retraced his steps to Mother Dot’s hut on the cliff. The dame came -out at their approach, and at the sight of her the ass began to bray -loudly. - -“Thou wicked sprite!” she cried, shaking her staff over him. “Thou -camest to me in sore need, and I gave thee power. How hast thou used my -gift? Why, to evil. Beast thou art, and a beast thou shalt remain for -evermore.” - -The donkey drew back his long ears, and kicked spitefully, for fully -five minutes, at the decree. Meanwhile, Mother Dot took the young -Princess and her companion into the hut, and placed refreshment before -them. It was amusing to see the attention the Nugget bestowed upon the -fair young creature by his side, and to note the tell-tale blushes -which ever and anon suffused her face as their eyes or their hands -chanced to meet. Even the old crone, who wasn’t looking their way, -nodded her ancient head, muttered, and chuckled in a wise way, as if -she had known it all beforehand. - -The meal ended, Silverhaze approached the dame and whispered, “Dear -Mother Dot, who is this gallant youth who has delivered me from the -wicked dwarf?” - -“Ah, he will tell you soon, my pearl,” she answered with a leer; -“meantime, he’s called the Knight of the Ram’s Horn.” - -Presently the Nugget drew near the old woman, and plucking her by the -sleeve, said, “Dame, canst tell what I am to do with this gentle -maiden?” - -“Yes, my son. Thou hast conquered the evil Dusk, therefore to thee -shall be the proud service of restoring Princess Silverhaze to her -home.” - -“Where is her home, good dame?” - -“Thou hast seen it,” answered the old woman. “That rock on the plain is -the palace of King Golden Cloud. This damsel is the King’s only child.” - -“Whew!” cried Samson, taking off his hat. “Why, mother, the place is a -wretched ruin.” - -“So it is, and there stands the spoiler,” replied the crone, pointing -to the ass. “Dusk the dwarf coveted the Pearl of Golden Cloud for his -wife, and when she denied him, the base wretch stole her from thence, -and to hide the deed, he committed a greater one, as people generally -do who begin to do evil. By the dwarf’s enchantments, the King, Queen, -ladies, nobles, courtiers, and every soul within the palace were -transformed into the likeness of stone images. The guards who attempted -to rescue the King’s daughter were changed into a horde of wild animals -on the spot, while the matchless garden, the wonder and beauty of a -kingdom, became a wide waste.” - -“What a wicked monster!” cried our hero indignantly. - -“Ah! my son; but thanks to thy strong back and unfaltering courage the -spell is broken, and his power is gone for ever. If thou hadst failed -with the burden I gave thee, then would Silverhaze be still confined -within the crystal globe.” - -“I am very glad to have rescued the lady,” he replied; “but, mother, I -could not have accomplished it without your aid. Even now I am at a -loss how to proceed.” - -The old dame looked at him, and began to chuckle. - -“Marry! art not thou the Knight of the Ram’s Horn? Ha! ha! hi! hi!” - -So tickled did she appear at this somewhat ambiguous question that she -laughed till the building trembled to its foundation, and she no sooner -recovered from one guffaw than she went off into another, until it -ended in a severe fit of coughing. - -Samson the Nugget was rather surprised at the old lady’s merriment. -There really seemed nothing to laugh at. How was he to find the way to -that subterraneous passage by which he had come? And, moreover, -supposing he found it, how was he to convey the Princess up the steep -sides of the black chasm? - -The whole thing had been feasible enough if the ram’s horn had still -remained in his possession, but the relic had mysteriously gone from -him the moment he re-entered the old woman’s hut. - -After many futile attempts at choking, Mother Dot recovered -sufficiently to say,— - -“Sir Knight, be not troubled concerning the maiden. I will find means -to send ye both to Golden Cloud.” - -“But, dame, I repeat the place is a ruin.” - -“Tut! To thee it seemeth so,” she answered shortly. “I will undo the -spell cast upon it, and thou shalt see it in all its former -magnificence. The statues shall rouse them from their long sleep and -give ye welcome. I have said it.” - -The dame hobbled to a pretty cage, and took therefrom a beautiful -ring-dove which perched tamely on her finger and began to coo. Bending -her mouth towards its beak she whispered a few words, and the dove flew -away and was lost to sight in a moment. - -“Come, Sir Knight; come, Princess. You must now set forth on your -journey to Golden Cloud,” continued Mother Dot. “We will all mount upon -the back of the ass, who shall bear us to Moonshine, after which you -will have no difficulty in reaching your destination.” - -The miserable donkey gave forth a loud bray of dissent at the undue -weight placed upon him, but a few sound thumps, administered with the -old lady’s crutch, soon quieted him. The dark night had fallen round -them ere they reached the frontier which divides Golden Cloud from -Work-a-Day. - -At this point Dame Dot dismounted, and, taking leave of the Princess -and her companion, said,— - -“We part here, for I cannot cross this line. Remember me to His Majesty -and the Queen. Farewell!” - -The crone vanished, together with the ass, and left the King’s daughter -and her champion standing on the threshold of two worlds—the known and -unknown. - -On this borderland they beheld on one side a dim, imperfect light, out -of which came voices filled with groans and sobs. The air trembled with -countless sighs, upborne from millions of aching hearts; but the rush -and the roar, and the hurry-skurry of tumult and bustle swallowed up -the sounds. The other side gleamed soft and clear, with roseate -shadows. There was no cry of pain, no wail of despair there. - -“This is our way,” the Princess said, and they left the obscure -reflection behind them and went onward into the light. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -GOLDEN CLOUD. - -Away beyond the sound of tears the mortal and his companion wandered. -In the distance shone the glinting crest of a winding river, and as -they drew near it the King’s daughter clapped her hands together in -rapture. “Look, look!” she said. “This is Golden Cloud. It is my home.” - -“Golden Cloud! Where?” The wondering gaze of the Australian youth -turned east, west, south, and north. According to the landmarks in many -places, this was certainly the river over which he had chased the -dwarf; but lo! how changed. Could yonder towering edifice, bristling -with lofty towers and domes, be that gloomy rock where he had left his -companion, Grapple, asleep? - -Peaks and turrets glittered under the soft light, sending untold rays -aslant terrace and fountain, and upon the bright forms of dame and -cavalier promenading to and fro. - -Could this far-stretching vista be that bare plain over which he had -passed? This with its gleaming cascades whose ripplings rivalled the -lullaby of the bulbul? This with its leafy arches, and long, winding -avenues, looped with clustering vines, whose stems were bent ’neath -fruited gems? What bowers of green, bedecked with diamond drops and -pearls of May dew! - -Down where the stream flowed, the firmament, with its clustering hosts -of stars, was mirrored on the liquid floor; while o’er the intervening -space there floated sounds that might have ravished the senses even of -a German Jew. - -Cadence of bird and insect never fell before so soft and dulcet upon -heaven-tuned ears. From its hundred windows the palace of King Golden -Cloud beamed forth with light and beauty to welcome back its lost -daughter. Welcome from bud and blossom, ringed with fire-flies, and -whose ever-changing shimmer flashes a rainbow-hued light to guide their -steps. - -Glorious Golden Cloud! Many of us poor, fading weeds of sorrow would -fain climb thy hill-top, if but to rest our weary souls for one brief -moment in thy quiet groves. Oh! what sordid slaves are we who worship -at those iron gates, whose recompense are wrinkled brows and silvered -hair. Great Fetish of the world, the flesh, and the devil, I bow the -knee to thee no more. Day by day I hear the cry of groaning thousands, -that struggle for a bare existence around thy temple, calling to thee -in vain. In vain they call, and vain thy power to help them. Oh thou -cold and doubly-cursed humbug of the teeming world. - -Standing there amidst the circle of things pure and beautiful, the -Knight of the Ram’s Horn beheld the approach of a pretty ring-dove -towards them, with a grand barge of state following across the river. -The boat drew up almost at their feet, and Silverhaze cried out, “See, -this is the King’s Chamberlain, Sir Bumble Bee Popgun.” - -As the damsel spoke, an aged figure ascended from the boat, and doffing -his jewelled hat, bent low before her. “The King of Golden Cloud hath -mourned for his Pearl—his child,” he said in mellifluous accents. - -Princess Silverhaze smiled, and stooping, whispered something in his -ear, then entered the barge on the arm of her doughty knight. - -Over the stream they went and up the hill at the farther side, which -presented overhead a leafy arcade, where myriads of glow-worms infused -a coloured sheen athwart the brilliant uniforms of the King’s Guards -who walled the way up to the very gates of the palace. A great -concourse of nobles thronged the entrance to the royal residence and -cheered the Princess as she passed round on the arm of our hero. Sir -Bumble Bee led the way through throngs of bowing lackeys to the King’s -chamber—a large hall of state—where, seated on a magnificent dais, our -hero beheld the King and Queen of Golden Cloud waiting to embrace their -daughter. The chamber was thronged with ladies and gentlemen. The -former wore purple robes, with blue and white mantles, which floated -about with the faintest breath. Many who stood in the presence of the -Queen had robes like silver, and each had a brilliant star fixed in her -hair. The Nugget noticed these were most beautiful women, their -complexions seeming to take the brilliancy from the light by which they -were surrounded. The young Knight of the Ram’s Horn saw all this at a -glance, for he had an eye for the beautiful, but his vision could not -take in half the things that were around him. - -For some considerable time he appeared to have been forgotten, so great -was the excitement on the return of the Princess. But when the stir had -somewhat subsided, the King’s daughter briefly detailed the exploits of -our hero; how he had not only rescued her from the hands of the wicked -dwarf Dusk, but that he by his courage had restored the kingdom of -Golden Cloud. - -More than we have space to detail, Silverhaze said in our hero’s -favour, and he was led forward to the throne, where the Queen embraced -him and seated him on her footstool. The King, not to be outdone on -this occasion, made a speech in praise of courage generally, and of the -courage displayed by the Nugget in particular. This oration lasted some -six hours and a quarter, and occupied about twenty-seven columns in the -Shadow Land Observer. - -The return of Silverhaze and the restoration of Golden Cloud caused -universal rejoicing throughout the land. His Majesty was so well -pleased with Nugget that he conferred upon him the Order of the Moon -and the rank of Prince, and to crown all, said he should marry Princess -Silverhaze. And they were married. - -Ah, me! Wonderful, amazingly wonderful, the rank and splendour of that -wedding-day! But it was over at last, and the lovers were left alone to -enjoy their billing and cooing together. - - - -“Come, Samson, wake up, man. Are you going to sleep all Christmas Day?” -cried a gruff voice. And the Nugget, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, -saw that he was still in the drive of the gold mine, with his relieving -mate standing over him. - -The poor fellow—HAD ONLY DREAMED. - - - - - - - - -TWILIGHT. - - -CHAPTER I. - -BARON THIMBLE. - -A winter night, with a thick fog rising above the Sandridge marshes, -and spreading itself over the city of Melbourne. People released from -toil were hurrying home to tea and a pleasant fireside. Others, who -neither toil nor spin, and had no home or fireside, glided slowly and -noiselessly through the mist like ghosts, or stood shivering before the -damp window-panes or lit-up shops and dining-rooms, feasting their -hungry eyes on the good things within. - -Business in the city was very dull, and money very scarce. Money is -scarce at all times with a great many mortals, I am aware, but the -present depression was felt everywhere throughout the colony. - -Tom Brock, the barber, standing in his little shop at the corner of -Gertrude Street Fitzroy, felt the hardness of the times as keenly as -any member of the community, inasmuch as Tom had a large family of -growing children to provide for, and customers had been anything but -numerous of late. Indeed, the poor shaver was beginning to think that -the primeval fashion of suffering the hair and beard to grow in wild -luxuriance on the heads and faces of his race had become the order of -the day, and from henceforth he could exclaim with Shakespeare’s -gallant Moor—“Othello’s occupation’s gone.” - -On this winter night the barber was alone in his shop, busy stropping -his razors for want of more lucrative employment. Like most of his -craft, Tom Brock was a great talker. It was part and parcel of his -stock-in-trade; and, by the way, it is wonderful to note upon what a -variety of subjects barbers can talk. Our hero was no exception to the -rule in this respect. Having no one in the place to engage in -conversation, he ceased stropping, and gazing into the large mirror -opposite, addressed himself to what he saw there with charming irony in -his tone. - -“You’re a handsome fellow, Tom Brock, a very pretty fellow indeed. Only -I’m afraid looks won’t go for much in this case. Here you are from -eight o’clock this morning, and you’ve almost earned one and sixpence, -according to the multiplication table. Just fancy this grand sum of -eighteen pence per diem, sir, for the maintenance of eleven -persons—father, mother, and nine young Brocks, whose appetites this -cold weather are something to astonish Soyer the Frenchman. Don’t smile -at me, sir; I’m in no humour for jesting. Humph! how foolish to try and -quarrel with one’s shadow! Yet I’ve known men do that, before -to-night.” - -He settled himself down with a sigh in the easy chair, and crossed his -legs one over the other. “I wonder if the portrait and the -superscription of Her Majesty the Queen is still upon the coinage of -this realm?” continued the barber, speaking at the image in the mirror. -“It’s such a time since I handled a golden coin that, upon my life, I -almost forget what they are like; perhaps that is the reason why I feel -such an uncontrollable desire to look upon one at this moment. Nay, not -one, but several—in short, several hundreds. Pooh, what rubbish you’re -talking, Tom Brock, you penniless rascal!” - -The poor barber smiled at the idea of the thing, and the fellow in the -mirror smiled in company. “Ready cash is a very handy thing to have at -one’s command, especially when it is urgently needed, as in my case,” -said Tom, looking sternly at his reflection. “I’ve often heard fellows -sneer at money, and call it strange names; yet I’ve noted that these -same revilers were always mighty eager to gather it in when they have -had an opportunity. Moreover, I——” - -Brock the barber paused suddenly in his soliloquy; for he beheld within -the radius of the looking-glass another form besides the reflection of -himself. A little man, with a peculiar cast of face and features, stood -behind the chair, with his arms akimbo, and his old-looking head on one -side, listening greedily to the barber’s utterances. - -“Good-evening, sir,” said Tom, starting to his feet. “Cold night?” - -The little man only grinned like a monkey in reply. - -“Shave, or hair cut, sir?” asked the barber, rubbing his lean hands -with professional expectancy. - -“Shave?” echoed the customer in a voice like a croaking raven. “Do I -look as if I wanted shaving? No man shall take me by the nose, and I -know you can’t shave without doing that.” - -“No offence, sir. Shall I cut your hair?” - -“Yes, Tom Brock. Cut it short, very short.” And the wee fellow chuckled -heartily as he divested himself of a cloak, in which he had been -wrapped from head to heel, and seated himself in the chair before the -mirror. The new-comer, although very small for his age, was quite cool -and self-possessed. He gave all manner of directions respecting the -mode in which he required his hair trimmed, made faces at the glass, -and laughed at the grimaces reflected there. - -Tom Brock had had many queer customers during the twelve years he had -been in business, but he had never seen such a quaint, small mite of a -man as this one before him. In fixing the wrapper about his shoulders -Tom could scarcely repress an exclamation of surprise at the colour and -texture of his companion’s apparel. Of what material were they -composed—cloth, tweed, silk, cotton? No; mortal warp or weft never -manufactured such fabrics. Some other agency—subtle and mysterious as -many unexplained things we see around us—had perchance woven these -articles. For in this lower world there are cloaks much less -substantial than a fairy’s jerkin—cloaks for which Dr. Johnson and his -followers have been unable to find a name, but which are indispensable -to many of us in our daily lives. - -Had the barber been less engaged in taking stock of the manner and -appearance of his strange customer, he might have discovered at once -that to shorten this fellow’s hair was an utter impossibility, for as -fast as the keen scissors severed the long, yellow locks the particles -became instantly attached again. The barber’s eyes were too intent -watching the grimaces in the mirror to observe the startling fact. - -“Been long in the colony, sir?” insinuated he, by way of opening a -conversation. - -The wee man chuckled mightily, and narrowly escaped having a portion of -his ear severed by the barber’s sharp scissors. - -“I know the colony, Tom Brock,” he replied. “No one better. Ha, ha!” - -The hairdresser was staggered, but he came again to the charge. - -“Beautiful hair, yours, sir, fine and soft as silk. It doesn’t seem to -be much shorter, after all I’ve cut off.” - -“Cut it short, Tom. Ho, ho, ho!” - -“Very dull times, sir,” said Tom, not relishing his customer’s -disagreeable laugh. - -“It’s very dull indeed for you, Tom Brock,” answered the wee man, with -a knowing leer. - -“Why for me, sir?” - -“Because the lease of your shop expires next Monday, Tom, and you -haven’t a penny saved to renew it. That’s why,” responded the customer -quietly. - -Some people when they are astonished can be tumbled over with a -feather, but it would have taken a blow from a large stick to have -knocked our hero down. He appeared rooted to the boards, and his eyes -and mouth opened considerably. - -“Very good, sir. You’re a wizard. Perhaps you have no objection to tell -me what I had for dinner to-day!” ejaculated Tom, when he found the use -of his tongue. - -“Not in the least. You hadn’t anything, my friend. Your mind was not -upon eating to-day, but rather the consideration of where boots for the -children are to come from—a bonnet for Mrs. B. likewise, the cash for -your business, eh? Care has taken away your appetite, Tom. Ha, ha! I -know. No one knows better than Thimble. That’s me.” - -The comb and scissors fell from the barber’s hand to the floor. - -“Want to know anything else, Tom Brock?” asked the visitor. - -“Nothing more, thank ye,” replied the barber in a bewildered tone. - -“Listen to me, then.” And the little fellow faced about in the chair. -“I am Baron Thimble, of Faydell Twilight. Ours is a vast kingdom in the -centre of Australia, of which very little is known by man. The -Anglo-Saxon has penetrated into every corner of the known globe, and -thrust his inquisitive nose into the socket of the North Pole, but he -has never set foot in the land of Twilight. Now I need your services, -Tom Brock, and if you will promise to go with me, I will reward you -handsomely.” - -“Twilight,” repeated Brock thoughtfully. “I never heard mention of such -a country before.” - -“I trow not,” replied Baron Thimble, smiling. “Nevertheless, it is a -great realm, whose people have often visited these cities, reared on -the sea border. Thou art poor, and in need, and faith, I repeat, I have -need of thee.” - -“How long will you require me?” - -“For just one moon. No more.” - -“And the reward?” inquired Tom eagerly. - -“Two hundred golden coins.” - -“Thank you, I am at your service. Stop! Is Twilight far away, Baron -Thimble?” - -“Yes, but our conveyance will be swift and safe. Thou wilt go?” - -“With the greatest pleasure, sir.” - -“Enough! Here are one hundred sovereigns in part payment of my -promise.” And the Twilight nobleman drew forth a heavy purse and -counted the money into the barber’s palm. “Go home at once and bank the -money with thy wife; then meet me afterwards on the right bank of the -river Yarra, beyond the Lunatic Asylum. You understand?” - -And the Baron, chuckling to himself, folded his poncho about his -person, and strode out at the doorway. - -Tom Brock could hardly believe but that the whole affair had been a -joke. There lay the money, though. That was real enough. And he felt it -was no joke to have it in his possession. So he packed up his shaving -appliances in a bag, closed his shop, and went home to his better half. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -PRINCE PICNIC. - -The inhabitants of Twilight have a more facile means of transition than -the sons of men. While we have our steamboats, railways, telegraphs, -and all other nurslings of science as our slaves, the races of the dim -region can command the services of the powerful Air King Fancy. Swifter -is he than the Wind, and stronger than the fabled Griffin of the -Ancients. He can accommodate any number and all manner of travellers at -a moment’s notice. - -Baron Thimble, standing by the Yarra bank, invoked the rapid harbinger -to his aid, and when Tom Brock the barber joined him there, they were -fully prepared to start on their voyage. - -“Humbug-loo-boo! Tictoleroo! Pish-bosh! Fudge!” cried the son of -Twilight, and they were off. The electrical current, girdling the -storm-tossed waters, where ships are broken and engulfed, could not -outpace the conveyance of the fairy and the barber. The most elegant -saloon could not afford more comfort than those trance-stuffed cushions -upon which they reclined and gazed out upon the newly brightened -landscape. - -Then the fairy man spoke and unfolded his mission. - -“I am the Baron Thimble. Know, O mortal, that the wise Prince Picnic is -Ruler and Governor of Twilight. The Prince hath a beautiful daughter -named Bi-ba-be-bi, which in the language of the country implies the -Lady Lollypop. Twelve months ago, while the Prince was hunting in the -Leap Frog Mountains, he was made prisoner by a huge, powerful chief of -the Baboon country, named Gorilla, who demanded the Prince’s daughter -in marriage, as ransom. My master consented to the terms, but begged -that Gorilla would not press his suit for the space of one year and a -day, so that Bi-ba-be-bi might be prepared for the ceremony. The -monster agreed. And now, the time specified having elapsed, the horrid -creature has crossed the mountains to demand his bride.” - -The voice of Baron Thimble trembled with emotion as he continued: -“Prince Picnic is full of sorrow, for he cannot think of suffering his -lovely daughter to mate with such a monster as Gorilla. Bribes have -been offered, gold and silver and gems, besides a large tract of -territory known as Shadowsflit, bordering on our country, but the -monster will have nothing in lieu of the lady.” - -“Why don’t you call out the volunteers, and drive the beast back into -the mountains?” inquired the barber. - -“Ah, there lies the difficulty,” answered Thimble. “The Governor of -Twilight has never broken his word to man or monster, and he will not -go from it in this instance. The nobles and churchmen have tried to -persuade him that, under the circumstances, he is not bound to redeem -his word with Gorilla; but he will not listen to our advice, and I’m -afraid the lovely girl, Lady Lollypop, will be sacrificed.” - -“What is the Baboon chief like?” asked the barber. - -“Tall as a giant, and as strong as a dozen giants combined,” replied -his companion. “The Prince quartered him in the summer palace, and the -rogue has almost torn it down piecemeal. He has eaten up the shrubs and -flowers, and destroyed every animal within his reach.” - -“Has Lady Lollypop seen her affianced husband?” - -“No; poor Bi-ba-be-bi remains as yet in blissful ignorance of the fact, -yet to-morrow the whole matter must be made known to her, except——” and -the Baron paused, and looked fixedly at Tom Brock. - -“Except what?” said the barber. - -“Except you aid us,” rejoined the fairy. “We held a Council -yesterday—Gaboon, the Prince’s jester, being President. The Chairman, -who understands the manners, customs, and language of Gorilla-land, -stated that this monster was not in his opinion a real native Gorilla, -inasmuch as the beings of the Baboon regions had only four toes, -whereas the visitor had five; further, in conversing with the intended -husband of the fair Bi-ba-be-bi, he had discovered that the creature -spoke the language of the country with a strong foreign accent—these, -together with other matters he did not wish at that meeting to -particularise, induced him (the Chairman) to conclude that the monster -was other than what he appeared, and that the only way to test the -truth or otherwise of his suggestion, with reference to the unwelcome -guest, would be to engage a smart barber to shave the Gorilla from head -to heel. I need scarcely add that the proposition of the President was -unanimously agreed to. And here you are!” - -Wee Baron Thimble chuckled and rubbed his hands together until the -joints cracked again. - -“Why, you surely didn’t engage me to shave a Gorilla?” cried the poor -barber in astonishment. - -“I certainly did, Tom Brock.” - -“What! All over—body and all?” inquired he, with starting eyeballs. - -“Body, head and feet, Tom. Wherever there is a hair you must cut it -off,” replied Thimble. - -“Well, I’ve often heard of a pig being shaved, but never a Gorilla. -What do you want to shave the beast for, eh?” - -The Baron remained thoughtful for a moment ere he replied. “It will be -a sure test to prove whether this monster is really the chief of the -Baboon realm or not,” he said. “If he is not, so much the better for -Lollypop, and if he is the real Simon Pure, his enormous strength will -depart with his heavy coat. He will become docile, and we can then -dress him as becomes the bridegroom of a Princess. That is the opinion -of Gaboon.” - -“Bother Gaboon!” cried the barber. “I only wish the President of the -Council had to shave the creature, that’s all.” - -“There are no barbers in Twilight,” answered Thimble; “else I had not -come to thee; besides, thou hast received thy reward.” - -“This monster may kill me,” replied Tom. - -“True. Then again he may not. Come, man, whatever thou may’st value -thyself at shall be paid to thee when thy task is ended. Great results -hang upon thy skill and on the keen edge of thy tools. Although shaving -is unknown here, there is a potent influence about it amongst thy race, -whether it may be upon their faces or upon their consciences. Here we -are at the mansion of Prince Picnic.” - -A charming edifice rises to view, nestling its gables and turrets -’midst clouds of richest foliage, upon whose glistening tops rest every -shade of green, with brown and russet and yet a colour of amber -between, encircling the wave like hills in the distance. Kingdom of -Twilight! how I love thee! Not as a stranger do I enter thy gates. I -have been here before, long, long ago, when the years were young and -full of promise for me; when she was by my side who was too frail, too -good for earth. Here we have lingered silently, side by side, while the -nightingale warbled forth its soft notes in love for the rose, and the -roses gave forth their fragrance until the air became an essence of -perfume. Oh, sweet bird of Twilight, thy song yet fills the air, but -silent and cold the fond heart that beat in unison with thy sweet -music. Will she listen for thy singing when the twilight gathers its -shadows o’er her lowly grave on the hillside? Oh, nightingale! oh, -twilight memories! Ye preach to my yearning soul more eloquently than -words of man. Patience, love, hope, are borne to me upon your voice, -and fall gently as the breath of mercy and forgiveness upon the -quickened sense, that sees revealed for one brief moment a glimpse of -Paradise and its forms of unperishable glory. - -The approach of the two travellers was observed by the captain of the -guard at the palace gates, who immediately sent a message to the -Prince; whereupon, as soon as they arrived they were ushered into the -presence of the Ruler of Twilight, who received the Baron and the -barber very graciously. Refreshments were ordered to be set before -them, and when Tom had satisfied the cravings of hunger, Prince Picnic -asked him many questions respecting his journey, and desired to inspect -the articles in the bag. While Prince Picnic was engaged with the -razors and lather box, our hero had time to have a good look at him. He -appeared much smaller than the Baron, and a trifle older looking, yet -the Prince was still what many ladies would term a handsome fellow. His -white pointed beard was very long and strongly scented, yet his eyes -were as keen as a hawk, and his step as supple and light as a boy of -fifteen. If Tom Brock had wondered at the richness and texture of Baron -Thimble’s clothing, he wondered still more at the magnificence of -Prince Picnic’s dressing-gown, and also at the lavish display of pure -gold in everything he saw about the room. In fact, the barber had yet -to learn that the country was one vast gold mine, which in the absence -of other metals was employed for everything in common use. - -It was time to retire to rest when the Prince broke up the audience. - -The Baron conducted Tom to an elegant sleeping apartment. “The Gorilla -has found his way here,” he said at parting. “The beast has selected -the sward of the lawn in preference to a bed. Remember, your task must -be finished before the assembling of the Court to-morrow. Sleep well. -Good-night.” - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -LADY LOLLYPOP. - -The barber was honoured with a perfumed bath ere he retired to rest, -which caused him to sleep soundly until daylight began to peep through -the windows of his chamber. His slumbers would have been prolonged had -it not been for a feeling of sudden pain across the bridge of his nose. -He awoke hastily, and beheld the form of a very ancient dame standing -by his bedside. That puppet, known as the spouse of Mr. Punch, was the -only creature that our hero could liken her to, as she bent her thin -profile over him and held up her skinny hand in token of silence and -attention. Fixing her keen eyes upon Tom, she chanted, rather than -spoke, the following incantation:— - - - “Draw a circle round the beast - When he sleeps in peaceful rest; - If strong thy arm and keen thy blade - So thy task is easy made. - Shave the monster, head and toe, - Round him fold this robe of snow; - Then lead him forth towards the Throne. - Fe-fi-fum, my charm is done.” - - -Ere the last words were well out of her mouth the old dame vanished -like a puff of smoke—when or how Tom Brock had no idea whatever. He -rubbed his eyes, and was under the impression that the whole thing was -an illusion, until his glance rested upon a square white wrapper lying -at the foot of the bed. He sprang up immediately, and found a soft -cloak large enough to robe a giant. There was no fancy about that, at -any rate. He dressed himself hastily, at the same time attempting to -repeat the utterances of his strange visitor:— - - - “‘Draw a circle round the beast - When he sleeps in peaceful rest.’ - - -Very good,” he muttered quickly; “there may be a charm in these words -that I cannot conceive. I have a very dangerous task before me, and -I’ll try it. Luckily this is just the time of day to catch Mr. Gorilla -asleep. What’s the next line?— - - - “‘If strong thy arm and keen thy blade - So thy task is easy made.’ - - -Humph! I can answer for the razors. They’re sharp enough to cut the -throat of my ugly customer, if he tries any of his tricks. Then:— - - - “‘Shave the monster, head and toe, - Round him fold this robe of snow.’ - - -“All right so far. After which I’m to lead him into the reception-hall -before Prince Picnic. Just so. Now to set about it.” - -The barber prepared his razors and lather, and taking the white robe on -his arm he went out along the broad corridor towards the garden. Within -a small grass plot encircled by tall trees Tom discovered the Gorilla -fast asleep. With noiseless footsteps our hero formed a wide ring round -the sleeping monster with his fingers, and then stepped within the -charmed circle and approached his subject. Strange to relate, the -Gorilla never stirred—not even when Tom, with the taste of a genuine -artist, began operations upon his capacious chin. Nature seemed hushed -while the barber performed his business. Above, below, and around a -deep stillness reigned, save for the scraping, grating sound of Tom -Brock’s blade. - -Meanwhile Prince Picnic held a grand council of state in the -magnificent reception-hall of his palace. Previously an edict had gone -forth which summoned the rank, beauty, and fashion of the land to -witness the marriage of Lady Lollypop and Gorilla. And here they were -assembled for the imposing event, which should unite the Beauty and the -Beast. - -Ah, me! Who shall attempt to describe the splendour of that gathering? -The Ruler of Twilight was seated on a throne of pure gold, which had -been oxidized to every shade of colour, and wrought in the most -beautiful mosaic imaginable. At her father’s side reclined the -Bi-ba-be-bi, receiving the homage of the young nobles and the -long-bearded functionaries of state. The walls and ceiling of the -throne chamber were entirely covered with wide sheets of burnished gold -to reflect as mirrors. On each side of the dais there extended rank -upon rank of high-born dames and courtiers robed in stuffs of silk and -gold, embroidered with flowers so as to present the most perfect -imitations of nature. - -Soothingly soft, sweetly, lovingly soft, were the dulcet tones of the -choir of fairy musicians, hidden from view—now ebbing, now flowing in -tender gushes of melody. Down the sides of the lofty pillared hall a -bright band of dancing fays, each as lovely as a child’s dream, -advanced and retired, crossed and interlaced in a whirling maze of -shifting light, which defeated the eye in following their quick and -graceful evolutions. Amongst that fair galaxy of beauty, Bi-ba-be-bi -stood out peerless in her loveliness. Round the soft cushions on which -she reclined were gathered her four handmaids, See-Saw, Hide and Seek, -Marjory Daw, and Down-Dilly. - -Behind the throne stood Ride-a-cock-horse, the prime minister, Gaboon, -the jester, and the high officials of the kingdom. At a sign from Baron -Thimble the music ceased and the dancers dispersed. Then Prince Picnic -rose, and said briefly,— - -“People of Twilight, I have called you together to witness the marriage -of our daughter, the Lady Lollypop. I am aware that this Court had -decided that our dear and lamented nephew Prince Pippin should have -been her husband; but the gallant youth perished three years ago on -those self-same Leap Frog Mountains where I and my retinue were -captured by Gorilla. The chief of Gorilla-land is now here to claim the -bond I gave him for our release.” - -A deep hush had fallen o’er the vast crowd as the Prince paused. - -“Prince Pippin was a handsome youth and a gallant gentleman,” whispered -See-Saw. - -“True, and our lady loved him well,” replied Down-Dilly. - -The daughter of Prince Picnic heard the whispering, and sighed audibly. - -“Ay, but the young Prince is dead. Hush!” - -“Dames and nobles,” continued His Highness mournfully, “we have given -our sacred word that this monster shall marry Bi-ba-be-bi. Therefore we -cannot depart from that pledge in the smallest particular. What, ho -there! Let the bridegroom come forth and claim his bride.” - -As the Ruler of Twilight uttered the words, every eye was directed -towards the great folding doors at the farther end of the audience -chamber, which were instantly drawn apart, and Tom Brock entered, -leading the tall figure of his patient, muffled from head to feet in -the white cloak. - -Poor Lady Lollypop uttered a stifled shriek of fear as her gaze fell -upon the muffled form of her intended lord and master. - -The barber advanced with his companion to the foot of the throne, and -there halted for a moment, then retired behind the throng of courtiers, -leaving the closely covered monster standing alone. - -“Art thou still resolved to have the Pearl of Twilight for thy wife?” -asked Ride-a-cock-horse in a loud voice. - -The mantled figure trembled visibly, but held his peace. - -“Let the chief of Gorilla-land show himself, if he is not afraid,” -cried Gaboon, advancing from out of the ring of nobles by which he was -surrounded. Swifter than the electrical fire athwart a thunder-cloud -the folding mantle vanished from that form, and revealed—not the -hateful beast, but a tall, handsome young man, robed in a superb -hunting costume of the country. The gaze of Bi-ba-be-bi had no sooner -rested upon him than she sprang from the midst of her ladies with a -glad cry of recognition, and cast herself upon his bosom. “Prince -Pippin! Cousin! My own dear love, you are not dead!” - -Dead, not at all. Twilight is a region of enchantment, dear readers. -Dame Trot, the witch of the Leap Frog Ranges, had fallen across the -young Prince while hunting in the mountains, and had changed him into a -Gorilla. Such he had remained and had taken his uncle prisoner. When -the news, however, of the marriage between Lady Lollypop and the -supposed monster reached the old magician she relented of her -wickedness by appearing at the bedside of the barber and speaking the -words which annulled the charm. - -There was great rejoicing at the court of Prince Picnic over the event; -but the gladness and the display were increased a hundredfold when the -cousins were married. - -Tom Brock, loaded with substantial presents, returned home to his wife -and family, and brought a piece of the wedding-cake for the former, -which quite dissipated any lurking jealousy there might have been in -her mind respecting his absence. - -The little corner shop knows our friend the barber no more. His -residence is now in the aristocratic suburb of Toorak—a magnificent -mansion known as “Faydell,” and for which he may thank Bi-ba-be-bi and -her royal husband Prince Pippin. - - - - - - - - -TIM. - - -The sinking sun cast a soft amber-tinted radiance over the little -township of Wentworth, New South Wales, as a little boy, weary and -footsore with travel, knocked at a farmer’s door about two miles beyond -the settlement. - -A kind, motherly woman who answered the knock stared with astonishment -at the juvenile tramp, who blurted out in a faint voice, “If you -please, ma’am, will you give me a drink of water? I’m so hungry, I -really don’t know where I shall sleep to-night.” - -The good lady laughed heartily at the little fellow’s quaint request. -She took him into the house, and led him into a back room, where a -great fat man was seated at tea. - -“Who is this, wife?” said he in a surly tone, looking at our hero. - -“Only a poor boy begging some food, Mark; that’s all,” answered his -wife meekly. - -“I didn’t beg, ma’am, please,” said the boy quickly. - -“Oh, you didn’t beg?” rejoined the farmer in the same gruff voice. “Git -down on that stool now.” - -“I came a very long way, sir, and I——” began the boy. - -“Silence! Wife, take his bundle; pull off his old shoes; let him be -washed; then give him his tea.” The voice lost nothing of its coarse -disagreeable ring as it gave the curt order, but the man’s eyes looked -kindly at the little wanderer. “What is your name?” still gruffly. - -“Tim, sir, please.” - -“Tim what? Hav’n’t you another name?” - -“No, sir. Nuggety Joe never called me anything else than Tim.” - -“And who is Nuggety Joe?” asked the farmer. - -The boy played nervously with the edge of his tattered jacket for a -moment, and then replied in a voice broken and unsteady with emotion, -“Please, sir, father and Joe were mates on the diggings at Forbes. When -the great dam broke and flooded the creek, and drowned father, mother, -and little sister Jessie, Joe took care of me, and was a father to -me—he was—until he took the fever, and died, and then I——” The child’s -quavering voice gave way to a fit of bitter wailing. - -“Stop that!” cried the farmer, putting his handkerchief to his nose, -and making that organ sound like a French horn—“stop it at once. I’ll -have no snivelling here.” - -But poor Tim sobbed on; and notwithstanding all the womanly sympathy of -the farmer’s wife, she could not stay the torrent. Not yet in his -“teens,” the brave lad walked over two hundred miles, suffering hunger -and pain with the courage of a Spartan; but he had no courage to put -back the tears that swelled upwards at the remembrance of that rude, -unlettered, dead digger, who had loved him, and had taken him to his -bosom for Christ’s sake, and who had now gone to receive his reward. - -All things have an end, so the fountain of Tim’s eyes became dry again -ere the tea was over. Before the lad was sent to bed, the farmer said, -“Look here, boy, I think I can give you something to do on my farm. -Mind, I’ll set you a task the first thing in the morning; if you -perform it to my satisfaction, and you likewise prove yourself an -honest, trustworthy youngster, why, you shall never want a home or a -friend while Mark Wilson lives. Now, wife, put him to bed.” - -The good dame led Tim to a small attic bedroom, which contained, -amongst other things, a beautiful parrot in a stout wire cage. - -“Cockie” had evidently been enjoying a nap, for he shook himself at -sight of the intruders, and sent forth from his bill a volley of -strange sounds, in true imitation of a person just aroused from -slumber. Mrs. Wilson kissed our hero and retired, but she had hardly -closed the door before the bird began to flap his wings and crow like a -rooster. - -“A funny parrot,” muttered Tim. “I wonder if it can talk?” - -“Of course it can,” answered Cockie, eyeing him through the bars of the -cage. The lad rubbed his eyes, and stared at the bird in the cage for -fully three minutes without speaking a word, so great was his -consternation. “Don’t stare, Tim; it’s very rude to stare,” continued -the bird gravely. “People in this colony have a bad habit of staring -you out of countenance, I am sorry to say.” - -“Why, you can talk like a man,” cried the boy in his astonishment. - -“Certainly; much better than some men, I trust. Pray come here and -scratch me, Tim,” cried the parrot coaxingly. - -Little Tim obeyed very cautiously, and in fear and trembling. - -“That is delightful,” said Cockie. - -“It’s wonderful,” muttered poor Tim. - -“What is wonderful, sir? Can’t parrots talk?” - -“Some of them can, but not like you.” - -“Oh! but I’m not a parrot, I’m a fairy.” - -“A fairy?” cried the boy, agape with wonder. “Are you really?” - -“Truly I am. One of the Lake George fairies. Xanthine, our Queen, -turned me into a parrot, five years ago, through her foolish jealousy, -and here I’ve been caged up ever since with this great beak upon my -face, which quite disfigures me.” - -“What a shame! Can’t you get back again to your friend at Lake George?” -cried the boy. - -“Yes, for Queen Xanthine is dead, and I can now return in safety, if -you will help me,” replied the bird. - -“Me! how can I help you?” answered little Tim. - -“I will tell you” rejoined the elfin. “You must know, boy, that every -one of us could help each other if we would. The rich can help the -poor, and the poor the wealthy; yea, even the smallest can render -assistance to the strong and powerful, as was the case with the lion -and the mouse. Now, I can prove how I can render you a service. Judge. -Didn’t the master say he would set you a task in the morning?” - -“He did,” replied Tim in wonder. - -“Very well. The task is to milk a bad-tempered, touchy old cow called -‘Peggy.’ The beast, who is a splendid milker, is the torment and plague -of the farmer’s life. She has kicked him until he is afraid to approach -her, and every one, man, woman, and boy, who attempts to milk Peggy is -sure to be upset. It has proved useless to tie her by the leg and the -tail—the wicked rogue would find a way of defeating her enemies before -the milking was ended.” - -“Are you sure that I shall have to try to milk Peggy in the morning?” -inquired Tim. - -“Quite certain,” replied the elfin. - -“Then I—I think I had better go away now, at once, before the morning, -don’t you?” said the lad ruefully. - -“No, I don’t, because I can tell you how to overcome the antics of this -refractory cow.” - -“How?” - -“I will tell you upon one condition,” replied the fairy parrot, rubbing -its beak reflectively. - -“What condition?” asked Tim. - -“That you set me free as soon as you have completed your task -to-morrow.” - -“It’s a bargain,” replied little Tim readily. “I can easily get the -farmer another parrot—a real bird, you know—and then there will be no -harm done.” - -“Very good. Now listen. On the gable of this house there grows a -creeper with a pale blue flower. In the morning, when they call you, go -and gather a small wreath of this plant, and when the wicked cow is -bailed up ready for milking, place the vine around her horns, and you -may take the word of an Australian fairy that Peggy will stand as quiet -as a mouse until you have drained her teats as dry as a corn cob.” - -“Lor! how simple!” replied Tim. - -“All knowledge is simple, boy, when you once acquire it. You’ll not -forget my instructions?” - -“No, I thank you. I shall remember.” - -“Kiss Cockie, then, say your prayers like a good boy, and go to bed. -Good-night.” - -Tim wished to ask the fairy bird a hundred questions, but after it had -said good-night it would not utter another word, so the boy went to bed -and fell asleep. - -The sun was up before him in the morning. Yet Tim managed to get down -into the garden and cut a slender tendril from the creeper, which he -formed into a small hoop, just as the farmer’s voice was heard calling -him. - -Twenty cows had to be milked every morning at the farm, and Tim heard a -great deal of shouting and bellowing, and clanking of milk-cans, which -proceeded from a yard at hand, enclosed with a high fence and into -which the cattle had been driven. - -The farmer led our hero into the enclosure, and pointing to where the -ill-tempered short-horn stood, with her head in the bail, said briefly, -“Sit down and milk that cow.” - -The boy went up to Peggy, who gave a loud bellow at sight of him. He -placed the vine around her horns, then sat down to his task. Mark -Wilson stood ready to pick the boy up in case the cow knocked him over; -but the beast never moved until the boy had drawn every drop of milk -from her teats. The good farmer was filled with amazement, and cried -out, “Twenty-five boys and ten men have all tried to milk Peggy, and -not one of them has succeeded but you. Therefore, from this moment, I -will adopt you as my son, Tim, and you shall marry my little girl Amy, -by-and-by, and I will leave you the farm as a wedding present.” And the -farmer kept his word. - -When Tim went upstairs to set the parrot free, he found the bird -transformed into a beautiful wee lady, whom he politely lifted out of -the cage. She thanked him, and made him a graceful curtsey as she -vanished out of the window. - - - - - - - - -THREE SPARROWS. - - -Toby Grumbleton worked with his uncle down in one of the deepest mines -in Ballarat. If you had searched the whole district in that gold -hunting region, you couldn’t have found a more selfish, lazy, and -disobedient boy than Toby. In consequence of his surly and complaining -disposition his companions had bestowed upon him the nickname of “Toby -the Growler,” and he well deserved the title; for a greater snivelling, -discontented youth never existed. - -One day, while at work in the mine, Toby was ordered to gather together -all the blunt tools and send them up to the surface to be sharpened. As -usual, Toby began to grumble, whereupon his uncle gave him a good -thrashing, and the “Growler” ran off into one of the usual drives or -passages of the mine to indulge in a sulking fit. Of the many dark and -wide caverns underground, none in the whole pit was so large and so -gloomy and dismal as the one in which “Toby the Growler” had taken -refuge, yet the boy had not been there long before he became aware of a -strange yellow-coloured glow lighting up the drive. Looking up, he -beheld a little old dwarf, with a lamp in his hand, standing over him. -Such a plain, ugly-looking creature Toby had never seen before, though -there are any number of queer-looking fellows at Ballarat. The intruder -was small, not nearly so tall as Toby, but his head was a rasper, and -appeared as if it had belonged to several ancient individuals in -succession, the eyes very red, and omitting a fiery glow. He was -attired in a suit of brown russet, with a long sugar-loaf hat, and a -crutch staff. - -“Get up, Toby the Growler, and follow me,” cried the dwarf in a brief -tone, and looking at him with those horrid eyes. Toby felt inclined to -disobey, but his heart sank within him at sight of the creature, and he -therefore followed, grumbling as he went, and wondering where the ugly -little humpback would lead him. Of one thing the boy was certain—that -the end of the subterranean passage would effectually bar the progress -of the unwelcome visitor; but the dim cave seemed to extend and open -out before them as they proceeded, until it took the shape of a long -railway tunnel, from which they at length emerged into the bright open -sunlight, beaming down upon a landscape fairer than a child’s dream. -The sudden transit from what appeared to be the bowels of a great high -mountain to the noonday light almost blinded our friend Toby; but the -dwarf touched him with his staff, and lo! the boy beheld a charming -country teeming with life and beauty. Here were soft grassy spots, -shaded by trees bending with ripe and golden-hued fruit; yonder a range -of hills clothed with richest verdure, and at the feet of which a broad -lake gleamed like a burnished shield. There were swans on the lake, and -birds of bright plumage on the trees and in the air, and birds -everywhere around. - -“What place is this, sir?” cried Toby in amazement. - -“This is the land of the three sparrows,” answered the dwarf with a -smile. “Look there; that little white building is the home of ‘Test,’ -the eldest of the three; yonder by the water is the palace of ‘Try,’ -while on the hills over there you can see the castle of ‘Cure,’ the -youngest.” - -“Are they real sparrows, sir?” asked Toby. - -“No, boy, only in form. They are Australian elves. Every twenty years -the great body of elfins in this country transform three of their -number into the shape of sparrows, to govern this land, and also for -other purposes, of which you may judge for yourself.” Saying which, the -dwarf caught the Growler in his arms, and in an instant they were -standing by the white palace on the lake. All the windows and doors -were wide open, so the dwarf entered with his companion and conducted -him to a large room where Test sat perched on the back of an armchair. -He seemed a well-feathered, plump old bird and wore spectacles. - -“Ah, Grip, my trusty messenger,” he cried, “I see you have returned -with the Growler; take him hence and test him in the usual way.” - -“Very well, your Excellency,” and the dwarf bent low in obeisance and -retired. He led Toby away into a large empty hall, and standing him up -beside the door, said, “Toby, Toby, shut your eyes and see what Fate -will send you.” The Growler closed his eyes, when the voice of the -dwarf was again heard. “Toby, Toby, open your eyes and see what Fate -has sent you.” - -The boy opened his eyes and beheld the most magnificent apartment it is -possible to conceive. Tables with marble tops, inlaid with gold, were -loaded with choice fruits and lollies, and by some enchantment the -boy’s ragged clothes were changed to a gorgeous suit of crimson velvet, -bordered with pearls, and several servants stood at hand ready to do -his bidding. - -“Ah, this is as it should be!” cried the delighted Toby. “I shall never -grumble again if I am to live like this. Here are guns to shoot with; -dogs to hunt with; horses to ride, and plenty of fishing in the lake. -Ah! I shall be thoroughly satisfied now.” And the Growler set about -enjoying himself. - -But alas! for human resolves. The fruit made Toby ill; one of the -horses threw him and hurt his leg; he nearly shot himself with his gun; -and was all but drowned in the lake while fishing; and so he began to -complain worse than before. But the moment he did so, the splendid -scene vanished from before him in the twinkling of an eye, and he -discovered himself in the bare and empty room again, with only his -dirty rags, and the dwarf standing grinning beside him. - -“Come along with me, Toby the Growler,” cried the old fellow in a -mocking tone; and before the boy could refuse he was borne away to the -palace of Try. This old and venerable sparrow was deep in the pages of -the Observer when Grip entered with Toby. - -“Whom have we here?” he inquired, addressing the dwarf. - -“Please, your Worship, this is a mortal who has been tested by your -Worship’s brother, and has failed,” answered Grip. - -“What is his special defect?” - -“Grumbling, your Worship.” - -“Humph! a common quality among mortals, more especially with farmers -and boys. Try him without delay.” - -With the quickness of a shifting scene in a magic-lantern Toby was -transferred to a cottage in a lonely valley, occupied by an old lady -and gentleman, who welcomed him as if he had been their own son, and -procured for him all that he could desire. The whole day was one round -of pleasure and enjoyment, and the boy expressed himself grateful and -satisfied with his position. One simple act he had to perform in return -for all this kindness, and that was to draw seven buckets of water from -a well every morning, for the use of the cottage. Yet Toby the Growler, -unmindful of past experience, began to grumble again, and once more he -found himself by the lake with the dwarf at his elbow. - -“For the last time, come with me, Toby the Growler,” he cried in a -terrible voice, while his red flaming eyes shot out flashes like fire. -The boy felt utterly powerless to resist, and swift as a streak of -lightning he was carried to the gloomy abode of Cure, the youngest of -the three sparrows. The castle was as dark as a dungeon, but the guide -found his way within to the reception-hall, where Cure, in regal -feathers, sat surrounded by a guard of crows bearing torches. - -“Who is this?” inquired the youngest sparrow sternly. - -“A grumbling boy, your Highness.” - -“Let him be cured. Take him away.” - -The words were scarcely spoken ere poor Toby found himself instantly -transformed into a donkey with long ears. He was on a hard, hilly road, -dragging a heavy dray after him loaded with firewood. At first the lad -felt somewhat doubtful respecting the sudden transformation, but a -smart thump across his buttock soon convinced him he was no longer an -idle boy, but a beast of burden, with a cruel youth for his master, who -beat and bruised him unmercifully with a thick stick. Oh! the long and -weary hours he had to toil, while the miserable food he had to eat made -him weep, and wet the winkers with his tears. He thought of his uncle -and his home, and all the many kindnesses he had received, and had -repaid with complaints and grumblings, and he vowed earnestly, and with -true penitence, that if ever he got back again to the mine and to his -kind relative, he would avoid complaining for the rest of his life. - -With this firm resolve came another sudden shifting in the magic scene. -So sudden was it that Toby rubbed his eyes, and found himself in that -self-same narrow drive in the mine at Ballarat, with his uncle shaking -him by the collar, and telling him that it was time to go to the -surface. - -Toby is a man now, and is married and has several children; and if one -of these begins to grumble, he does not forget to remind them of the -Three Sparrows. - - - - - - - - -KING DUNCE. - - -Only a careless, stupid boy perched on a high stool within the -schoolroom, trying to learn his lesson, long after his companions had -been dismissed to their several homes. Only the biggest dunce at -Slate-em’s Academy, who wouldn’t try, like other boys, to master his -tasks—not because he hadn’t the ability to do so, but because he wanted -to be a King. Yes, dear readers, Noel Biffin, son of Jack Biffin, the -tin-smith, wanted to be a King. Nothing less would satisfy him. No, not -even the rank of Duke or Prince; so, instead of minding his lessons, -young Biffin drew Kings on his slate and in his copy-book, and was -therefore compelled to ride the wooden horse after school hours. - -It was a very beautiful evening, with a grand sunset glow flooding -Slate-em’s Academy, and wrapping the Dunce round and round as with an -amber-coloured mantle, orange tinted. The old usher, nodding in his -chair, was quite unconscious of the halo which played round and about -his bald, venerable head, and made him appear for one brief moment like -one of the Apostles. The good, patient old man was tired with the heat, -and weary with the incessant chatter of the boys, and so he dozed in -comfort, and saw not the wee, shapely creature who entered at the -window and approached the boy as he stood upon the stool and bent the -knee before him. Although small, the stranger was very handsome, and -decked from head to heel in bright, glittering armour, with a crimson -plume adorning his helmet. - -“May it please your gracious Majesty,” he said, doffing his helmet, “my -name is Popgun—Sir Guy Fawkes Popgun, Knight—one of your Majesty’s -subjects from the realm of Shadowland.” The Dunce nearly fell from the -stool in amazement at the strange words. He looked towards the still -sleeping master, and from him to the armour-clad Knight at his feet, -and replied in a low tone, “Hush! Don’t speak so loud. I haven’t learnt -my lesson yet; if he wakens he’ll thrash me. Now, what do you want?” - -“Pardon, your liege,” rejoined the Knight respectfully, “I am sent as -ambassador from the good people of Shadowland to inform your Majesty -that you have been unanimously elected monarch of our wide and spacious -dominions, and I beg that it may please you to allow me to conduct you -thither without delay.” - -“A King! Am I really a King after all?” cried Biffin, jumping from the -stool. - -“Every inch a King, your Majesty,” replied Sir Guy Fawkes Popgun, -replacing his headpiece. “Will your liege follow me?” - -“Stop, where is Shadowland?” inquired the boy. - -“On the borders of Fancy, where dwell my kindred, the Australian elves. -Fairyland will have none but a mortal to reign over her. Come, your -Majesty.” And with a dignified bearing the Elfin Knight strode past the -slumbering usher, and led the newly-elected Majesty of Elfland out at -the door, which opened at their approach. Beyond the school, out on the -open play-ground, stood two fine-looking emus, splendidly caparisoned, -and ready for a journey; and before young Biffin knew what he was about -he and his companion were mounted thereon, and were speeding away -across the country as swift as the wind. Small townships, hills and -valleys, tracts of gloomy forests, and broad lakes appeared before -them, and disappeared behind them again, before the boy could say “Jack -Robinson.” Indeed, poor Biffin hadn’t breath to say anything, they -proceeded so swiftly. At length they came to a large sandy desert on -the confines of which rose a chain of lofty mountains. After crossing -the desert these mountains looked so steep and high that further -progress appeared at an end, but the Knight went to a cave close by and -brought forth a pair of flying horses, which flew upward with them in a -moment and landed them far away on the other side in safety—and this -was Shadowland of the Elfins. What poet’s brain, teeming with strange -wild fancies, could give expression to such a scene of loveliness as -Noel the Dunce saw here? What travel-stained worshipper of Nature, -traversing the girdle of the globe, ever feasted his eyes on a more -glorious prospect? Not at Rome, filled as it is with monuments of man; -nor at Athens, where Paul found the tablet inscribed, “To the Unknown -God”; or on that Ionian Isle, where the inspired John wrote “The -Revelation.” Beautiful and sacred are all three to view, but I have -feasted my soul on scenes equally grand and sublime in this new land -where the Universal Spirit of “Our Father” seemed to rest, and attract -the uplifted eyes and the inmost thoughts of the Soul to the Invisible -Presence. - -The flying steeds alighted in a ravine shut in by walls of fantastic -rocks, peaked and turreted like the gable of some old feudal castle. -Here a mounted escort, composed of the potent and mighty of the empire, -awaited their coming, and led the King upwards to a grassy platform, -shaded by a patch of hoary trees, where a throne built of wild-flowers -had been erected for his reception. The site commanded a fine view of -the surrounding country, and the elected monarch beheld with -satisfaction thousands and thousands of his subjects assembled on the -plains below to do him homage, and whose cheers and shouts rang far and -wide when he ascended the throne to read the proclamation. - -From time to time, for generations past, the Elfin Kings had to read -their own proclamations, but when young Biffin received the paper from -the hands of the Prime Minister his heart sank within him. His progress -at school had been so slow that he was unable to read print fluently. -How, then, was he to master the contents of the closely-written -parchment in his hand? At that moment he would have given all his toys -at home, even to his crop-eared pony, to have been able to read -writing; but he couldn’t read or spell, nor make anything better than a -pot-hook. - -“May it please your Majesty to read the proclamation to the people?” -whispered Sir Guy Fawkes Popgun in the King’s ear. - -“I—I cannot read,” replied his Majesty, trembling with shame and -vexation. - -“Cannot read!” repeated the courtiers, looking at each other. “Surely -your Majesty is jesting.” - -“Indeed, gentlemen, I’m afraid I’m a dunce,” replied Biffin sheepishly. - -“A dunce, who cannot read, and yet has the silly presumption to be a -King!” shouted the fairy populace in a mocking tone. “Hurrah for King -Dunce! Long live King Dunce!” - -And such is the uncertainty of popular favour in Elfland, that the vast -assembly, who but a moment before had exhibited such hearty tokens of -good-will, began to hoot and clamour in derision. They pulled the -monarch from his throne, stripped him of his robes of state, and -carried him to a rocky peak, where they doffed his crown and replaced -it with a wreath of straw; while their shouts—“Long live King Dunce! -Hurrah for King Dunce!”—once more rent the air. - -In all his troubles at home, and his canings and disappointments with -his lessons at school, our hero never felt so humbled and crestfallen -in his life before. He would have given anything to be enabled to read -and write well. And this wish would have been easily gratified, had he -but paid a little attention to his books while at the Academy; but he -hadn’t done so, and the result was his downfall from the proud position -he had so long coveted. - -What availed his regrets now, when he was led away a prisoner, and -placed in a dark cave, guarded by seven monsters, whose bodies were -covered with long feathers, and who had heads like monkeys? It availed -nothing that they set him hard lessons day and night, beat him with -rods, until he was bruised all over, and suffered such pain that he -made his escape from the cave. But the monsters were after him across -the country, over hill and dale, until he came to the top of the high -mountain which overlooked the desert, and the monsters being close -behind, there was nothing left for him in his last extremity but to -leap for his life and liberty. - -And Noel Biffin did leap; but instead of being dashed to pieces, the -Dunce came down from his perch on the stool to the floor of the -schoolroom, the noise of which roused the usher from his nap, who gave -the stupid boy a dose of cane pie and sent him home. - - - - - - - - -“I DON’T KNOW.” - - -Our little hero lived in a very pretty cottage on the hills. He was -fond of reading, and his parents, who could well afford it, indulged -the boy to his heart’s content with interesting books. - -By his schoolmates this lad was known by the nickname of “Careless -Harry,” because he was so untidy and negligent in his habits. Out of -all the expensive books that had been purchased for him there wasn’t -one that had a decent cover. Indeed, some of them had their backs -completely broken with ill-usage, while others hadn’t a back at all. -Besides being careless and forgetful the boy had still another fault. -If his mother asked him a question, the answer was sure to be, “I don’t -know.” - -“Where’s your hat, Harry?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“What have you done with your ball?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“Child, however did you tear your clothing in that frightful manner?” - -“I am sure I don’t know.” - -His room was littered with his books, toys, and playthings. There stood -the rocking-horse with his tail pulled out. Here, flat on its back, lay -his sister’s big doll, its poor face dreadfully disfigured by Harry’s -mischievous fingers. His mother was very much displeased with him, and -had sent him to bed, promising to take severe measures with him if she -ever heard “I don’t know” from his lips again. - -Harry was very frightened. He did not wish to vex his mother, or to act -unkindly towards his sister, and so, resolving to be more careful in -the future, he covered his head over with the bedclothes and fell fast -asleep. - -But Harry’s carelessness had raised the ire of others besides his -mother and sister, and they were determined to punish him. - -It is all very well to treat books, dolls, drums, rocking-horses, and -other playthings as if they had no life in them, but careless boys may -do that once too often. So it appeared in this case. Harry was no -sooner asleep than these ill-fated creatures held a great discussion -with reference to his cruelty. - -“I’ll not stand this any longer,” cried Robinson Crusoe, stepping from -the boy’s bookshelf. “I’m getting an old man, and I won’t be insulted -by having my only covering torn from my back by this young rogue. There -he is covered up quite snug, while I am standing here shivering in my -shirt.” - -“And I,” responded little Red Riding Hood, “would gladly see him -punished. He has thrown so much soapy water over me I feel as if I’d -been shipwrecked in the washing-tub.” - -“And I,” echoed the Drum, “owe him a grudge, not so much for the hard -thumps he has bestowed on my person, as for his disgraceful treatment -of yonder fair lady, whose dear nose he has completely put out of -joint. That lady doll is my relation. We were born in the same place, -were sent out in the same ship to Australia, and have occupied the same -shop, until purchased and brought here to be cuffed and ill-treated by -this boy. Gentlemen, I mean to avenge the lady.” - -Now the ice was broken, accusations came so fast and thick against the -unlucky culprit that it was quite impossible to make them all out. -Fishing rods, minus line or hook, bats without handles, balls and tops, -which danced like mad around the bed—the hubbub became so great the -wonder is the whole house was not roused by his accusers. - -The noise, however, woke Harry, who sat bolt upright in bed, and gazed -with a bewildered stare at the queer crowd surrounding him. He was too -much alarmed to speak, but one glance showed him Robinson Crusoe, clad -in nothing but his fly-leaves, standing at his bedside, with many -others, who in the dim light he could not recognise. - -“Place him on my back, friends, and I’ll gallop away to—‘I don’t -know,’” cried out the tailless Rocking-horse in a terrible voice; and -the words were no sooner uttered than poor Harry was quickly -blindfolded, dragged from his bed, and placed astride the horse, who -instantly galloped out into the cold night with him. - -The pace at which the steed travelled was a caution. Harry had once -accompanied his father to Gawler by rail, but the speed of the train -was like travelling on a bullock dray in comparison to the flying pace -of that beast without a tail. How he held on to its back is a positive -wonder. All he saw was the clear starlit sky above his head, rocking -and rolling about like the waves at the Semaphore on a windy day. His -poor feet ached with the cold, for his only covering was his -night-gown, and his legs felt as though they didn’t belong to him. At -length, just as he was beginning to feel faint and giddy from -exhaustion, the Rocking-horse stopped, and the bandage was removed from -his eyes. Ah! what a sight he beheld. There was the Drum he had broken -strutting about on legs like a human being, who came up to Harry with a -haughty swagger, and said, “Boy, why did you break my head?” - -And then a Hoop came, and demanded, “why he was thrown aside in the -lumber-room?” and a black Jack-in-the-box, whose scanty locks had been -wantonly torn from his scalp, came and reviled him; and, lastly, his -late victim, the poor doll, made its appearance in a winding sheet, and -began to reproach him for his cruelty. - -The unfortunate boy seated himself on the ground and burst into tears, -but the more he wept the more his tormentors jeered at him; and really -the Drum and Robinson Crusoe seemed to incite the others to insult him; -therefore was our poor Harry very miserable indeed. Growing tired of -playing with him, or afraid of the cold wind, perhaps, his strange -companions at last took their departure, and Harry was left alone. - -Such companionship had been bad enough, but solitude was worse. He -started up, and shouted with all his might, “Is there anybody about?” -“I don’t know,” sighed the wind. “Which is the way home?” shouted -Harry. “I don’t know,” chuckled the laughing jackass. “Where’s my -mother?” screamed the boy. “I don’t know,” exclaimed a ’possum and a -kangaroo together. Too frightened to speak any more, Harry groped his -way along in the darkness. As day dawned he came to a very high hill, -and here he saw his tormentors having some rare fun. The Doll had -mounted the Rocking-horse, which was galloping round and round as they -do in a circus. While the Drum beat time, old Robinson Crusoe was -waltzing with the Lady of the Lake; and Jack the Giant-killer played -leap-frog with Mother Hubbard, Red Riding Hood and Little Jack Horner. -Their merriment grew more fast and furious every moment, but the -instant they espied our hero it ceased, and a deep silence fell upon -them all. - -“Ladies and gentlemen,” cried a Pop-gun, breaking the silence, “you are -aware we have refrained from doing injury to this cruel boy, through -the mediation of the ‘Old Woman who lived in a Shoe.’ We left him in -peace to make his way home, and instead of doing so he has wantonly -broken in upon our secret revelry, and so has forfeited all claim to -our clemency. What shall we do with him?” - -“Pitch him headlong from the cliff,” replied the Drum in a deep voice. - -“It shall be done,” responded a chorus of voices. - -Poor Harry, who had not spoken hitherto, now found his voice. “No, no! -Spare me, good gentlemen; spare me!” he cried. - -They only mocked him for his pains. “Hearken to him pleading for mercy! -Careless Harry! cruel Harry!” and amidst much noise and confusion the -young mortal was carried to the apex of the steep, tall cliff, and -pushed over into the yawning gulf below. - -Poor Harry, half mad with terror, uttered a series of piercing shrieks -as he felt himself falling—falling through the air—and called aloud for -his mother to help him. Conceive his joy when he found himself in her -arms, and heard her well-known voice reassuring him. - -“You are safe, my boy, quite safe. What has frightened you?” - -“Oh, mother! I have been taken away in the night.” - -“Taken away! Where?” - -“To—to—‘I don’t know.’” - -The mother smiled to herself as she left the room, and “Careless Harry” -went out to see if the rocking-horse and the others had returned home. - - - - - - - - -THE BANK CAT. - - -Because “Tent-Peg” on the Bogan isn’t on the map of Australia, it must -not be inferred that the little township does not exist. Indeed, any -old colonist who knows his way about will tell you that the place is in -the sister colony, and consists of one public-house, a blacksmith’s -shop, a store, a church (about the shape and size of a haystack), and a -small branch bank. - -The latter building presented nothing of the polish and artistic -finish, or the magnificence of many of our metropolitan banks, but it -was one of the most snug and cosy institutions in the whole country, -within its walls. No doubt Toney Buck, the messenger, was of the same -opinion, as he sat dozing before a warm coal fire, this severe winter -night, with no other company than a large black cat, of the male -gender, for his companion. - -Toney Buck was an orphan, aged twelve years, or thereabouts, and acted -in the dual rôle of servant to the manager and messenger to the bank. -The boy slept on the premises, and the manager having gone to visit a -neighbouring squatter, his servant had been ordered to sit up until he -returned. There Toney sat in the manager’s armchair, bowing and nodding -to the fire, as if it had been some great fetish to whom he was paying -homage. Toney was a very practical lad. Nothing fanciful or dreamy ever -bothered Toney. Had the boy been otherwise, I’m afraid he wouldn’t have -had anything to do with the bank, because his employers were anything -but poets or visionaries, as some of my borrowing friends can testify. -However, be this as it may, every time our hero opened his heavy -eyelids after each jerk forward, he encountered the round, black, -winking orbs of Tabby fixed full upon his face, with a strange -expression stamped thereon. Indeed, more than once Toney felt certain -that the cat actually laughed at him, and when discovered in the act, -instantly attempted to compose its features and wink at the fire in a -knowing way. It is not a very easy task for a sleepy boy, who feels as -if his eyelids were freighted with four-pound weights, to rouse himself -and his waking faculties all in a moment, but Toney managed to sit bolt -upright after a time and to stare at his companion. Toney fancied he -could stare. So he could without a doubt; but the cat could and did -stare harder than Toney. Its eyes never moved, in their fixed look, -from his face, yet he could see their colour change from black to pale -sea-green, and from green to grey, and then turn flaming red as the -fire. Toney feeling uncomfortable, removed his chair farther back, -muttering, “Oh, bother the cat!” - -“Whirr. You’re another,” replied a voice instantly. - -The messenger was in the act of sitting down again, but he gave a jump -as if a snake had bitten him. He looked first at Tabby, and then at the -fire bewildered, and said, “Who spoke?” - -“I did,” replied the cat. - -“Good gracious! Are you sure now?” inquired Toney, with the scales—or -the weights, rather—fallen from his eyeballs. - -“I did say ‘You’re another’; and so you are. If you bother me I’ll -bother you!” replied Tabby, whisking his long tail. - -“Oh, my! I never knew cats could talk, although I’ve heard their voices -sometimes, of a night, to some tune.” - -“None of your sneers, Toney,” interrupted Tabby quickly. “There are -more wonderful things in Australia than a talking cat, and some noises -to which our midnight concerts are as sweet music in comparison. Listen -to me. The bank will be robbed this very night. There!” - -“Talking cat—the bank robbed. I—I hope I’m awake,” cried Toney, tugging -at his unkempt hair in astonishment. - -“I hope you are, for there are those coming who will soon arouse you,” -replied the cat, jumping on the back of a chair, and erecting his back -in the form of a rainbow. “Hark! that noise is worse than our -caterwauling. Hear them forcing in the door of the front office.” - -As the cat spoke there came upon their ears first a low grating noise, -then followed a sound as if the heavy door of the bank had been -wrenched off its hinges. “Lord help us! It’s the bushrangers, and -master’s away. Oh! what shall I do?” and the poor boy began to cry -bitterly. - -“Stop crying. Wait and see!” Tabby hadn’t time to say more, ere three -men, with masks upon their faces, and armed with revolvers, rushed into -the room. - -“Hallo! only a boy here. Where’s the manager?” inquired one of the -robbers, grasping Toney. - -“He isn’t here, sir.” - -“Come, none o’ that,” cried the man gruffly. “Tell us where he is, or -I’ll shove you a-top of that fire.” - -Toney looked at the fire, and then at the bushranger, and began to cry -afresh. - -“Where’s the manager?” - -“Gone to Mr. Hilton’s, the station on the river.” - -“Are you certain?” - -“Yes, as certain as that you will be hanged.” - -The man let go his hold of Toney instantly, and stared first at the cat -and then at the messenger, as if he was puzzled as to which had -answered him. He appeared to decide in favour of the boy, for he said -hoarsely, “No cheek, my fine kiddie, or I’ll roast you like a chicken. -Bring the keys of the safe, quick.” - -“Master has them in his pocket, sir.” - -The robber swore a frightful oath, then held converse with his -companions in an undertone. After which they produced a cord, and -having tied the lad hand and foot, left him in the room with the cat, -locked the door on the outside, and proceeded to ransack the bank. - -Poor Toney! What could he do against three armed men? The manager, his -master, had been very good to him. He was father and mother and brother -and sister all in one. What would he say when he returned and found the -place robbed—the money gone? Hadn’t he entrusted all the gold, and -notes, and papers—worth thousands and thousands of pounds—into his -(Toney’s) custody, and here were villains breaking open these sacred -coffers with hammer and crowbar in ruthless plunder! In his trouble, he -almost wished the bushrangers would come in and roast him as they had -promised to do. Even that would be preferable to facing his kind -master. - -“Toney. Hi, Toney!” The boy jumped. He had forgotten all about the cat. - -“You were always kind to me, Toney, and I’m going to help you now.” - -“How can a cat help anybody?” replied poor Toney. - -“Ah! but I wasn’t always a cat, Toney.” - -“Oh, bother; I suppose you mean when you were a little kitten,” -muttered the boy. - -“No, I don’t, Toney Buck. I never was a kitten. I mean when I was a -happy fairy in Elfland, before I was changed into a cat for being cruel -and selfish.” - -“Snooks!” answered Toney sceptically. - -“Who?” - -“Snooks! It won’t do, you know. There ain’t no fairies, nor moonland, -and such nonsense.” - -“Supposing my shape were to change again, here under your very nose; -would you believe what you saw?” - -“Rather! but you can’t do it, puss.” - -“Can’t I? You shall see,” replied Tabby. “Say: ‘Sevle naila rtsua’ very -slowly. Now!” - -“‘Sevle naila rtsua,’” cried the boy in a brisk tone; but he had no -sooner uttered the words than the black cat vanished into thin air, and -in its place he beheld a wee, thin, elderly gentleman dressed in -hunting costume, seated astride the back of the chair, who bowed very -politely and lifted his hat to the astonished messenger. - -“Well I never!” cried Toney. “Who are you, pray?” - -“‘Sevle naila rtsua!’” replied the little man, laughing. - -“What is ‘Sevle naila rtsua’?” demanded the boy. - -“Read the letters backwards and join the first two syllables together.” - -“Ah! A-u-s-t-r-a-l-i-a-n—E-l-v-e-s—Australian Elves, eh?” - -“That’s it, Toney; I’m proud to be one of them, my boy. Now I’ll show -you how a cat can help you out of this scrape,” answered the wee man, -with a smile only to be seen on the face of a fairy. “I’m going out at -that broken pane in the window there, straight to Dick Holmes’ stable, -take out the steeplechaser ‘Nightwind,’ ride as fast as he can go to -the junction, return with half-a-dozen troopers by a short cut, and -secure these ruffians red-handed with their booty. - -“Hurrah!” cried Toney in his enthusiasm. - -“Hush, boy. Not so loud,” said the elfin; “they may hear you. I must -away on my errand quickly; yet mind, Toney, if you don’t see the bank -cat here again, I’m always to be found on the banks of the Bogan. Keep -good heart. Good-bye.” - -With a hop, skip, and a jump the wee man was through the broken pane -and astride the horse “Nightwind” before the boy could realise that he -was alone. - -Meanwhile the strong-room of the bank resounded with the heavy blows -dealt by the robbers upon the solid doors of the iron safe, which for a -long time withstood their utmost attempts to break it open. Poor Toney -sat in fear and trembling, and counted the minutes as they fled by, -listening to the noises without, and wondering if the little elfin man -would really do what he promised. It seemed hardly possible that he -could sit a horse at all, much less guide the crack steeplechaser -“Nightwind” across country on a dark night. Nevertheless, the confident -tone of the fairy before he jumped out at the window reassured him, and -hope began to gather in Toney the messenger. - -Alas! that hope was dispelled the next moment by a loud shout from the -bushrangers, which proclaimed that the safe had yielded. Had the -robbers been less intent upon the bags of gold and silver which met -their gaze, it is probable they would have seen the half-dozen -police-troopers who entered, carbine in hand, and surrounded them. When -the ruffians did see them, however, it was too late to resist, and they -were taken away out into the darkened night, some of them never to see -the light of the sun again as free men. - -At the trial of the bushrangers the police couldn’t swear who gave the -information about the bank, and I believe it remains a mystery to this -day. - - - - - - - - -GUMTREE HOLLOW. - - -Like “Ben Bolt’s” mill, Allan’s farm, situated by the River Torrens, -had gone to decay and ruin. It was a flourishing place before the death -of Peter Allan, but the farmer had been taken away, and his widow and -her three children had to fight out the battle of life unaided. The -property had been heavily mortgaged three years previously, and, what -with unfavourable seasons and other misfortunes, the widow Allan had -not been able to repay principal or interest of the money borrowed, and -the creditors therefore gave the farmer’s wife notice to quit. - -Fortunately, Mrs. Allan had a brother who had gone to some diggings in -New South Wales, and had left in charge of his sister an old hut and a -patch of land known as Gumtree Hollow. In the emergency the widow -determined to occupy the place until she could find a more suitable -home. The Hollow consisted of about two acres of crags and stones, -without sufficient soil to grow a potato in, and was distant from the -farm about five miles. - -On a warm afternoon, three days after the widow had received notice to -leave the homestead, little Charlie Allan, the eldest boy, aged twelve, -started to the hut at Gumtree Hollow with his mother’s goods and -chattels in the spring-cart. It had been arranged that after delivering -his load the lad should return for his parent and his brother and -sister. Charlie was intelligent and very kind-hearted. He had noticed -his mother crying bitterly, and he had followed her into a back room -where his father had died, and there putting his little arms about her -neck he had tried to soothe her with many assurances that when he -became a man he would work for her and buy the place back again. - -Old Bob, the pony, didn’t like the road to the hut, but repeatedly -turned to retrace his steps every half-mile or so of the journey. -Nevertheless, Charlie managed to get him there at last. - -In a ravine between a natural cutting of jagged crags stood the old -building, overshadowed by a gigantic tree whose wide-open trunk, hollow -as a bell, had often afforded shelter to straggling picnic parties. It -was a grand, old, hoary gum, knobbed and gnarled with age, and whose -spreading branches formed a canopy over the dilapidated hut. One long, -fork-like branch projected farther over than the rest, on the extreme -end of which something perched, swaying the bough to and fro with an -easy motion. Charlie, thinking it was a parrot, took up a stone for a -shot; but he dropped the stone again instantly, as a voice from the -tree uttered a shrill peal of laughter. - -The poor lad’s first thought was to take to his heels and run for it; -but the voice called out in a kindly tone, “Hallo! Charlie ’avic, how -are ye, Charlie Allan?” - -The boy gazed upward in amazement, and beheld a wee, teeny, queer -fellow, hardly six inches high, sitting astride the branch, and gazing -down with a knowing look at him. The creature’s dress was green; from -his shapely shoes to his brimless hat, swallow-tailed coat, breeches, -stockings, all were the verdant green colour. - -“Who are you?” questioned Charlie, recovering from his surprise. - -“Shure I’m an Irishman,” cried the little fellow, at the same time -springing to the ground. “A rale paddy, an’ I may tell you that there -isn’t a fay or a gnome in South Australia that I can’t leap or swim -wid; do’s thee hear that, ’avic?” - -He was such a dwarfed miniature of a man, and appeared such an impudent -swaggerer—with his chimney-pot hat on one side of his head, and his -saucy turned-up nose—that Charlie felt inclined to pick him up and cuff -him soundly. - -“What is your name?” asked the boy, making a sudden dive at the -creature. - -“McKombo,” answered the sprite, dodging under Charlie’s legs. “My name -is McKombo; but be aisy wid ye now, an’ don’t be after trying to take a -mane advantage of me.” - -“I’d scorn to do it,” said Charlie, unconsciously clenching his fists. -“Who are you; what are you; and what do you want?” - -“Be aisy, Charlie. Arrah’, don’t be botherin’ me wid too many -questions,” said McKombo. “I’ve tould ye I’m an Irishman. Captain -Brophy imported me to the colony in a hat-box twenty years ago.” - -“Why, you’re a fairy,” suggested the lad, eyeing his strange companion -askance. - -“Of course I am,” replied McKombo, “and I may tell you I’ve been -waiting all this blessed day to see you.” - -“To see me?” - -“Thrue for ye, Charlie. I am very well acquainted wid all the bother -an’ trouble that’s going on at the farm, an’ I mane to help your mother -clane out of it.” - -Poor Charlie felt as if he could have hugged McKombo, but the sprite -kept his distance and said quietly, “You haven’t such a thing as a -spade and a pick among the things in the cart?” - -Charlie had, though. Both the pick and the spade he had used many a -time at the farm, and he produced them at once; but he looked -doubtfully at McKombo as to what he was to do with them or how they -could be the means of assisting his mother in her difficulties. It -seemed very business-like, however, the way the sprite led Charlie to -the hollow trunk of the great gum-tree, and commanded him to dig within -a certain circle he at once marked out. The goblin’s promises of -certain and speedy benefit gave the boy faith and energy to dig and -delve away with might and main until there gaped a large hole within -the trunk, which revealed some of the thick roots beneath, also the top -of a square tin box, such as lawyers keep their deeds in. The moment -McKombo caught sight of the box he began to caper about the sward in -antic glee. - -“Hurrah!” he cried, tossing up his hat. “There it is, me boy, safe an’ -sound, as on the night I saw them murthering scoundrels place it there -twenty years ago.” - -Poor Charlie stared at the fairy, and wiped the perspiration from his -heated face, but he could not comprehend what his companion meant. -Acting under McKombo’s directions, young Allan made a lever and got the -box out of its bed. It did not appear large, but it was very heavy—so -heavy that the boy could hardly lift it; the thick coating of paint on -it had preserved it from rusting and decay, and it was fastened with an -iron padlock. With one blow of his spade Charlie broke open the lid, -when—lo! he saw a heap of dark yellow sovereigns and several parcels of -bank-notes within. The sight made him faint and giddy with surprise and -delight, so that he could not utter a word. - -“Look there, now. See that,” ejaculated the sprite, pointing to the -treasure. “One evening, twenty years ago, three men brought that box -here and hid it beneath the trunk of this old gum-tree; they went away, -but never returned for it. In time a poor woodcutter built his hut -beneath the great tree, and I watched him come and go to his daily -toil, until he could toil no more and they carried him forth and buried -him on the river-bank. Then came your Uncle George, my boy, who -purchased the place for ten pounds; but had he known of the riches -under his very nose, I’ll go bail he wouldn’t have gone away to dig for -gold.” - -“Why didn’t you tell Uncle George about this money?” asked Charlie. - -“Bekase he would have spent it recklessly, honey, that’s why. Money -ill-spent or misapplied is a great evil. Put the box on the cart wid -the things, and return to your mother. Off wid ye, boy, at onst.” - -“Won’t you come with me?” pleaded Charlie. - -“I can’t, ’avic, I’m going to a christening at McFadden’s in the Glen. -Away ye go. Good-bye.” Saying which, McKombo vanished from his sight. - -Widow Allan was very much astonished when Charlie returned and told his -story, but her surprise was still greater when she saw the box of hard -cash. She counted the money, which amounted to over three thousand -pounds sterling; after which she fastened the box again, and wrote a -letter to the manager of a certain bank in Sydney, and to which most of -the notes belonged. - -In due course the bank sent a representative to Allan’s farm, who -informed the widow that the bank had been robbed of over three thousand -pounds one night in June twenty years ago, and which had never been -recovered. The bank agent departed with the money, but he left the poor -but honest widow a cheque for £500—a sum which not only paid off the -liability upon her farm, but enabled her to put something by for a -rainy day and for Charlie when he came of age. - - - - - - - - -WHISKERKISS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE MYSTERIOUS JOURNEY. - -In the heart of the far Australian wild—away from traces of -civilisation, and beyond the hope of help, a brave youth, faint with -travel and with hunger, reclines completely exhausted by the bank of a -broad river. He is the last of a band of nine who have attempted to -explore the central portion of our vast continent, where on the Atlas -we read, written right across the great blank, Unexplored. All his -companions have perished of want and thirst, and Roland Trent, although -he has reached water, and has quenched his burning thirst, feels that -he also must follow his comrades ere long. He is very weak and so -fatigued that he cannot stand; but he can see the flowing stream and -the sunlit landscape, which anon becomes o’erclouded in his vicinity by -the shadow of some moving object between him and the river. What could -it be? - -The explorer looked up in wonder, and beheld a small and very ugly old -man standing and grinning at him. The creature was most outrageously -grotesque in form—having, by some freak of nature, the body of a child -with the head of a giant. No one, not even Mr. Punch, could boast a -finer hump than protruded from between the shoulders of the intruder. -From out a circular hole in his jerkin the hump rose bare, behind the -big round skull, like a sugar loaf. He had small eyes, but they were -infinitely more terrible than all his other deformity put together; at -one moment they glowed with a phosphorescent sheen, which changed again -to a vivid purple light, and from that to diamond flashes, without the -closing of an eyelid. - -“Ho! Ho! Who is more powerful than fire, stronger then the wind, and -deeper than the streams? Whiskerkiss—I am he.” - -The voice of the old fellow was dreadful, and echoed with a sullen roar -like the growl of a lion, “I am Whiskerkiss, King of the Mountain -Barrier, and Lord of Birds and Beasts. Who art thou?” - -The lips of the fainting youth answered, “An unfortunate explorer.” - -“Ha! Ha!” laughed the grim sprite in mimicry. “Thou puny mortal! Thou -an explorer! Why, thy poor breath is nearly spent, ere thou hast -reached the threshold of the great Unknown. Ho! Ho!” - -Roland Trent shuddered. - -“Wouldst thou see the wonders of this vast division of the globe? Come -with Whiskerkiss, and he will show thee fertile lands, great lakes, and -powerful nations in this unexplored interior. Come! here is my boat, -and Starmoon, my slave, lashes the stream impatiently.” - -As the dwarf spoke, he lifted Roland in his arms and placed him in a -skiff upon the river, which immediately shot along the watery way with -the speed of an express train. It was some time before Roland Trent -recovered from the half unconscious state in which he had been conveyed -to the boat; by-and-by, however, his vision became more clear, and he -saw a sight he had never seen before. The skiff was nothing but a frail -canoe, at the stern of which stood Whiskerkiss steering; but in front, -a great, strange fish was harnessed to the bow, and plunging through -the stream with immense velocity. - -No pearl diver ever encountered such a quaint-looking denizen of the -deep, as Starmoon the goblin fish of Whiskerkiss. It was in shape like -an alligator, only its legs were as those of a grasshopper, which it -used in place of fins while swimming. Fully twenty feet in length, it -had a body as thick as a bullock, and a long spike projecting out of -the top of its head. The face of the monster was hideous to behold—the -rolling eyes, dreadful mouth, filled with a row of sharp, glistening -teeth, and above all, it appeared to jibber, and make faces at our -hero, as he looked at it in its swift course. - -And now the river widened into a deep black gulf, and the shore receded -from their gaze; not a ripple broke over the sullen surface, for the -waters were like thick oil. Dark objects, in rapid motion, darted along -like dolphins, and played leap-frog over the skiff. Roland Trent put -his hand over the side; to his astonishment the water felt quite hot. -He dipped a little up in the hollow of his palm, and tasted it. Pah! It -was not salt, nor fresh, but worse than either, as it instantly -produced a horrible nauseous feeling in him akin to stupor. - -Onward went Starmoon at increased speed, urged by his master -Whiskerkiss, until Roland beheld a great mountain range in the -distance, which they rapidly approached. Abrupt and perpendicular, the -summit of these high hills was lost in the clouds. The canoe sped -onwards, and it seemed as if the frail barque would be dashed to atoms -against their rugged sides. Daylight faded away as they drew near, and -a distant roaring noise shook the sluggish waters. Were they hurrying -to some fatal mäelstrom, or going headlong into some tremendous cavity -in the bowels of the mountains? Roland’s spirit quailed within him at -the thought. In the dim twilight, he saw the boat had entered an -enormous cavern, where a dense wall of black rock, or rather boulders, -were piled in wild disorder one above the other, and terminating in a -flat roof of the same description. - -“Ho, ho! I am Whiskerkiss, King of Woods and Stream,” and the voice of -the steersman awoke the slumbering echoes of the dreary place with ten -thousand vibrations. - -“Who sails through rocks and hills, and guides the torrent in its -course? I, Whiskerkiss. Ho! Starmoon. Ho! my slave, delve, delve!” - -Gradually the darkness became more opaque around them. Roland cast -himself down at the bottom of the canoe, and awaited his fate. He -closed his eyes in horror at the vision of that dread abyss. - -The time passed on, and still the same ghastly darkness prevailed. Our -hero knew not whether it was night or day, or how many hours had passed -since they had entered that dreadful passage under the mountain. From a -sort of torpor into which he had fallen Roland was at length aroused by -a touch on his cheek. It was not the touch which animated him so -quickly, but the intensely pleasing sensation which it caused. Like -that warm, thrilling emotion caused by the infusion of laughing gas, -Roland felt a vigorous glow pervade his whole frame in an instant. He -opened his eyes, but the bright rush of the noon-day light which burst -unexpectedly upon his sight completely blinded him. - -He shaded his eyes at first, until he should become accustomed to the -glare. When at length he looked up, lo! where were Starmoon and -Whiskerkiss, and the black unclean waters of the murky cavern below the -mountains? Gone! With his hearing more acute, his sight much keener, -and with every other faculty braced and quickened, the explorer found -himself the occupant of a beautiful boat canopied with gold and silver -network of rare design and workmanship. The sides and bottom of the -skiff were inlaid with mother-of-pearl, while a large outspread fan, at -the stern, of the same material, gave the resemblance of a gorgeous -peacock floating on a silver stream. A dozen creatures, dazzlingly -fair, and dressed superbly, propelled the boat with ivory paddles; -while one who appeared robed in roseate splendour stood at his side, -and pointed out to him a glorious country. - -Yonder shone an immense valley, shut in by Alpine hills, of a deep, -rich green, spangled with flowers. Birds of every hue and shade flitted -from tree to tree, and filled the air with melody. At the foot of the -hills a clear lake sparkled in the sunlight, and beyond the lake rose -the towers, peaks, and domes of a beautiful city of white marble, which -flashed back the sun’s rays in a million shafts of different coloured -lights. The magnificence of this scene grew each moment yet more -glowing and brilliant as Roland Trent gazed. Soon there smote upon his -ear most ravishing sounds—sounds that seemed as the tinkle of silver -bells, mingled with the soft murmurs of the Æolian harp. To his -astonishment Roland discovered the melody proceeded from his -companions, who were conversing with each other, and in his own -language. Next to the gratification of finding himself in such an -enchanting region, the explorer was delighted to find these people -could understand and converse with him. - -“Gentlemen,” said he, bowing politely, “will you have the goodness to -tell me what country this is I now gaze upon for the first time?” - -The rowers ceased rowing at the sound of his voice, and the nearest to -him answered,— - -“O! adored mortal, we are thy slaves. This is the kingdom of Bo-Peep, -and is called Dreamland. No feet of soul-lit mortal hath ever trodden -our soil before. Hail to thee! immortal one!” - -“Are you the King of this fair land?” inquired our hero. - -“Nay, I am but his Majesty’s messenger—my name is Pop-Corn. What shall -we call thee?” - -“Roland, the Explorer.” - -“Welcome, then, to our shores. Thou shalt see Bo-Peep and his daughter -Princess Golden Hair.” - -The rowers resumed their paddles, and the fairy boat shot down the -shining stream into the lovely sheen of the lake by the marble city. - -Moments in Dreamland are as days with us. Therefore it will take a week -of our time to prepare the charming Princess Golden Hair to receive our -hero. Next Saturday the bold explorer shall be ushered into her -presence at the Court of Bo-Peep. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -PRINCESS GOLDEN HAIR. - -The metropolis of Dreamland presented a most glorious spectacle of -magnificence and beauty to the wondering eyes of Roland Trent, as the -fairy boat glided into the lake near the city. Beneath a fine marble -colonnade, supported by pillars of jasper, he beheld a crowd of people, -composed chiefly of Ministers of State and the nobles of the King, -standing ready to give him welcome, while beyond these dignitaries a -great square was filled with his Majesty’s Guards, armed cap-à-pié in -silver armour, and surrounded by lithe, gay figures, who flitted to and -fro like gorgeous butterflies in the sunlight. - -The Australian youth was amazed at the dazzling beauty of the ladies, -who gathered round him as he landed, with loud cries. Some of them even -went so far out of the rule of good breeding and etiquette in their -reception as to embrace and almost smother him with kisses. But there -are no Mrs. Grundys in Elfland, and so the dames enjoyed themselves -with the freedom and the innocence of children. With waving banners and -bands of music, which sounded to his ears like so many tinkling musical -boxes, our hero was escorted by a troop of silver-clad Guards to the -palace of Bo-Peep. Grander than anything that ever entered the mind of -that famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren, rose the glittering domes -and lofty peaks of the fairy King’s palace. Through a labyrinth of -budding roses perfuming the air around; by gold and silver fountains in -full play, and whose soft cadence fell upon the ear like angels’ -whispers; beneath a natural arch of mighty trees, every one of which -held a thronged choir of winged choristers warbling forth a jubilee; -and onward, amid glories and beauties unknown to the hosts of the -waking world, into the presence of Bo-Peep. No comparison in this -sea-bordered city would help to convey the faintest conception of the -pomp and splendour of the King’s reception-hall. Nature and Art had -here combined, and the blended effect was sublime. Not the array of -nobles nor the throng of superbly dressed ladies, through whom he -passed, nay, not even the throne itself, ablaze with jewels and -precious stones, which circled in the elfin monarch as the ring of a -magic lantern, had any attraction for the young stranger. His eyes had -fallen upon a young creature of enchanting loveliness at the King’s -side, and he had become spellbound thereby. - -Poet or painter never dreamed of such a vision of beauty. Not the -sunset glow had a richer tint than the long glossy hair of Bo-Peep’s -only daughter. She was named “Princess Golden Hair”; and well did she -merit the name, for it was the most glorious golden hair that mortal -eye had ever seen. So Roland Trent thought as he was led forward and -seated by her side. - -Here where the laws of Nature (as we recognise them) are altered and -suspended, the Princess and the mortal wanderer became enamoured of -each other instantly. - -Oh! the power, the irresistible charm of love! How it glowed in the -eyes of Princess Golden Hair, and made the bewitching face yet more -charming! Like the clear notes of a flute, only infinitely softer and -more thrilling, her voice came upon his ears: “Welcome, oh, my -Prince—lord of my being!—welcome to Dreamland!” - -What mattered the cheers of the people and the great speech from the -fairy King, and the grand banquet that followed—what mattered the -thousand surprises and the wonderful things that encountered him at -every turn? There was no fascination like the lovely Princess. - -Glorious light and sunshine reigned here eternally. Roland watched in -vain for the approach of eve and darkness; but gloom came not. It was -one never-ceasing day. - -By order of Bo-Peep, our hero was attired in rich robes softer than -silken velvet, which emitted a rose-coloured glow, mingled with a -delicious perfume, that by some mysterious power gave him a keener zest -for pleasure and enjoyment. Go where he would, the King’s daughter was -ever at his side. - -What bliss to be with her on the bright lake, seated beneath a canopy -of roses in the royal barge; what sensations he felt with his head -pillowed on her lap, and her snow-white fingers toying with his curls! - -“The sun never fades in this enchanting valley?” he asked. - -“No,” she replied softly. “The great light is our life. Dulness is -destruction in Dreamland. We are only creatures of an hour, that is -all.” - -Oh, what witchery in the low, thrilling voice! Creatures of an hour, -forsooth. Take care, Princess Golden hair! Take care. - -“Your people are very beautiful, my Princess; but thou art fairer than -a summer dream,” he responded gaily. - -“Flatterer, I and my people are but as dreams,” she answered, smiling. -“All thou see’st here of brightness and splendour are merely passing -visions, nothing more.” - -“Thou art more real and enchanting, dear Rosebud, than any dream that -has haunted me.” - -“Nay, adored stranger, mock me not,” said Golden Hair. “I am as the -wind, which fills our sail—here, there, then gone for ever. Life with -me is but a breath. But thou—thou wilt live when the wind and the vast -sun, which giveth our race life and motion, are fled for ever.” - -“Dear Princess,” and he caught her hand within his own, looking into -her eyes the while, “Love is not a breath, a sunbeam. It is mightier -than the wind, and more powerful than the combined forces of sea and -air. Didst thou ever love, sweet maiden?” - -What soft diffused light, glinting from the rich window of some ancient -cathedral, ever shed such a rosy glow as was seen for one brief instant -upon her face? - -“Oh, Love has come with thee from beyond the Western Mountain,” she -answered quietly. - -“And thou hast felt its presence?” - -“Ay, in thee. Yet thou hast brought a demon with thee also,” she -replied. - -“The sprite Whiskerkiss; of course, I remember.” - -“Nay, not Whiskerkiss; but a gnome a thousand times more terrible than -the monster of the Barrier.” - -“And what is that, Princess?” - -“Pain,” replied Golden Hair. - -“What! has Pain never entered into this realm?” he inquired with -amazement. - -“Never.” - -“Wonderful!” he ejaculated. “Had my charming Princess ever the -toothache?” - -The ringing laugh which burst from her lips was like the carol of a -canary on a June morning. - -“Nor the whooping-cough or—or the measles?” he added, smiling at her -excessive merriment. - -“Stop, stop!” she cried, looking at him with a wilful light in her -large eyes, that held him as a spell. “The words thou hast uttered are -unknown to me, even as Pain was unknown to me ere I saw thee.” - -A cloud fell over his handsome face at her words, which did not escape -Golden Hair, for she added quickly, “Lord of my life, Love and Pain are -twinborn, and go hand-in-hand, but the one is so beautiful that it -destroys even while it creates the other. Thou seemest to me all love. -Tell me, are all thy race like thee?” - -“Fair Princess,” he replied gravely, “beyond the Mountain Barrier from -whence I came the people are as varied as the hues on yonder peak. Some -there are who feel not love. Many suffer pain willingly in the service -of a powerful world-god called Money. Amid the many fetishes who are -honoured and exalted, none are more esteemed than this. At his word -mighty empires rise in the wilderness, oceans are bridged, space -changed into a willing slave.” - -“Money is a mighty demon,” answered Princess Golden Hair. - -“Yes, lady,” continued Roland. “Money is mighty, but ere now he has -lent his power to an evil spirit called Hate, who going broadcast among -the races of men has incited them to gather together and destroy each -other without cause.” - -“Hate is a monster, uglier than Pain,” replied the fairy. - -“Ay, and he is invariably assisted by three other wicked powers known -as Murder, Slander, and Malice.” - -“Poor lost people!” cried the gentle Princess. “Is there no good genii -to do battle with these wicked ones?” - -“Oh yes; the renowned champion Sympathy has unfurled his banner to meet -the hosts of evil in the world; and by-and-by the people who have -groaned groans from their birth shall live as serene and peaceful as -the shadows on this lake. And now, sweet love, I would fain close my -eyes in repose, under the melody of thy lute.” - -Sweetly fell the cadence over the still waters. Goldenly shone the -domes and peaks of the marble palaces, as Roland Trent dreamed. - -Shall we wake him out of his glorious vision? Nay; let him slumber on. -He will open his eyes soon enough upon the realities of this sober -empire at the Antipodes. - - - - - - - - -A CROOKED SIXPENCE. - - -Patter, patter, splash, splash, drip, drip, fell the rain on the -housetops, down the waterspouts, and along the narrow streets of the -New South Wales capital. A dismal evening to be abroad; the fierce wind -playing antic tricks with the people returning home from work, by -driving the rain full in their faces, turning their umbrellas inside -out, and compelling many to seek temporary shelter beneath verandahs -and the projecting gables of high buildings. - -The tempest of wind and rain didn’t appear to trouble a small, -dirty-looking urchin who had taken up his quarters in a sheltered nook -at the corner of one of the main thoroughfares of the city, and where -he crouched, watching the vehicles, with their gleaming lamps, dash -onward through the mud and wet. The poor child’s clothes would have -suited a warmer temperature than the keen wind and rain; but he -indulged in an occasional short run beneath the portico to keep his -blood in circulation. It was while taking his trot to and fro that the -boy’s attention was attracted by the stoppage of an omnibus, which drew -close up to the curb to allow an old gentleman to alight therefrom. He -was a portly old fellow, buttoned up in a portly overcoat, and he -carried a portly umbrella. The boy noted this by the light of the gas -lamp as the passenger went by him, and he also noted a small dark -object lying on the wet pavement, not a yard away, that was not there -before. - -“Hallo! What’s this? A pocket-book with money in it. That gentleman who -passed has lost it. Hi, sir, hi!” And away ran the urchin in pursuit of -the elderly gentleman. The little fellow overtook him, after a good -chase against the pelting rain, which soaked his thin garments through -and through. “I say, sir, hi!” - -“Be off, boy! I never give to beggars,” said the old gentleman, turning -round upon the lad briskly. - -“I ain’t a beggar,” answered the little fellow with spirit. “I ran -after you to know if yer lost anything just now.” - -“Lost! lost! not a——I say, by Jove! you—you don’t mean to——why, if it -is not gone, and I would not lose it for——” - -The actions of the portly gentleman were somewhat singular. He first -passed his hand hastily over the breast of his buttoned-up coat, then -he threw down his open umbrella on the pavement—which the wind carried -away in a moment—tore open his clothing violently, and dived into the -recesses of a capacious inner pocket. Then he began a frenzied sort of -war-dance in front of the boy. “I had it in my hand not ten minutes -since,” he cried excitedly; “and I can swear to it before the Mayor and -all the J. P.’s in the colony. Mark that.” - -“Mark what, sir?” - -“Why, I have told you—haven’t I? My pocket-book, full of——Ah! I see you -have found it, my good, honest lad,” he went on, altering his tone, and -recovering his composure as the child held out the bloated purse to its -owner. “Full of documents, boy; of no use to anybody but me. Thank you -for restoring it.” - -He snatched at the recovered treasure, and hastily unfastened the clasp -to see if any of its contents had been disturbed, revealing to the -youth some of the documents, which appeared marvellously like -bank-notes, and a good many of them. - -“It’s all right, my little man. Stop! What is your name?” - -“Eddy Wilkinson, sir.” - -“Eddy Wilkinson, eh? Where d’ye live, boy? Where’s your father and -mother?” - -“Father’s dead; and we live in Baker’s Court, Redfern,” answered Eddy, -turning to depart. - -“Stay one moment. I like to encourage honesty. Honesty is the best -policy, eh?” cried the old gentleman, fumbling in his vest pocket. -“Here is sixpence for you, and to-morrow, if you call at the office of -Balam Bros., Woolbrokers, York Street, I will consider about a further -reward. Now run off home out of the wet.” - -“It’s very mean of him, so it is, only to give me sixpence for finding -such a lot of money,” muttered Eddy, as he trotted homeward through the -storm. “Well, well, I must not grumble; sixpences are sixpences these -’ere times—so mother says. But what a thin, battered old coin it is!” -he cried, holding it up beneath the glare of a gas lamp. “I believe -it’s a bad one!” and the boy closed his sharp teeth on it the next -moment. - -“Oh dear! Oh!” shrieked a voice, which seemed to issue out of Eddy’s -own mouth. The poor child dropped the coin instantly, and ran for his -life; but he soon recovered from his surprise, and returned to where -the sixpence lay on the shining flag in the full light of the street -lamp. - -“Surely it wasn’t you who cried out just now?” said Eddy, -apostrophising it. - -“Yes, it was, and you have hurt me very much, biting me in such a -savage way,” replied the crooked sixpence reprovingly. “Here have I -been rudely tossed and hustled from pouch to pocket, and hand to hand, -to try and serve you, and you show your gratitude by saying I’m bad. -For shame, Eddy Wilkinson.” - -“Indeed, I’m very sorry, ma’am,” rejoined Eddy, astonished and -trembling all over at the strange incident. - -“I’m not of the feminine gender, Eddy. Don’t call me ‘ma’am,’ please.” - -“Very well, sir,” apologised the boy. - -“That’s worse; I’m not a gentleman.” - -“What are you, then?” asked the lad, in an impatient tone. - -“Neither one nor the other, yet I’m a little of both. If you turn me on -this side, I’m a man; roll me over, and I’m a woman. Still I’m -incongruous, and only a sixpence,” replied the coin. - -“You’re very thin, and worn, and of no earthly use to anybody, I -think,” said Eddy boldly, “except the banks, who are taking worn-out -customers like you.” - -“I shall prove very useful to you, Eddy, so don’t insult me. On me, -thin as I am, you will build a stupendous fortune.” - -“Oh, let us be joyful!” cried Eddy, shaking the rain from his rags. - -“And when you grow to be a man, and are elected Mayor of this city,” -added the sixpence, “you will wear me on your watchchain as a relic, to -remind you of your first advanced step in life.” - -“You old humbug! I’ve a good mind to pick you up and spend you at the -confectioner’s over the way,” answered Eddy, laughing. - -“They won’t have smooth money there,” rejoined the coin. “Take my -advice, and put me in your pocket out of the wet. As you said just now, -I’m very thin, and I can’t stand the rain.” - -“What shall I do with you then?” - -“Put me by in that old teapot in the cupboard at home until you get -another of my race to keep me company,” answered the voice of the -crooked sixpence earnestly. “Remember, boy, a penny saved is a penny -gained, for it is by such small beginnings that people have amassed -fortunes to benefit humanity, and by saving pennies and sixpences, -little boys who have no fathers to work for them have been enabled to -assist their widowed mothers and to make their home comfortable and -happy.” - -“That is quite true. I’m sure, I often wish I could keep my mother, who -is always working,” answered the child in a sad tone. - -“Your wish will be gratified, Eddy, if you only take my advice,” said -the voice, in the same resolute accent. “You are ten years old, and you -ought to begin to earn money. The gentleman whose purse you restored -wants an office boy. When he sees you to-morrow he will employ you, -because the prompt manner in which you returned his pocket-book has -made a good impression on him. Be careful to maintain and strengthen -that effort by being trustworthy, honest, and truthful; above all, -never forget the old teapot in the cupboard, where I shall be ready to -welcome every new-comer placed therein.” - -“I’m so glad I’m going to work to help mother, and I’ll not forget what -you have said to me,” replied the boy. - -“I am fully aware of it, Eddy Wilkinson,” responded the voice modestly. -“I have seen a great deal of human nature in my travels, and I have -noted that people—both old and young—rarely forget what I say to them. -You must know that I never came out of the Mint. I was born of a good -old fairy family on the Queensland border. From my childhood I hated -Money, and was constantly railing against it and its evil influences, -until our chief, Fen, transformed me into a sixpence as a penalty for -my abuse of Mammon. In less than a month I went from the dainty purse -of the Governor’s lady to the dirty fob of a sweep. Once I was the only -coin in the pocket of a poor solitary swagman travelling in the bush, -who was attacked by a robber and foully murdered; but had you seen the -murderer’s face after rifling my master’s pouch, and to find only me, -you would have said, as I did, that crime brings its own punishment. -Again, a very proud man dropped me on the pavement, and disdaining to -stoop for me, there I lay for hours trampled by the crowd passing up -and down. A poor, despairing, wretch, without a home, without a -friend—without even the smallest means of procuring a meal—hurried with -feverish haste through the by-ways of this great city, to end his life -and his misery in the river; but he discovered me in his path. Weary -and faint with long fasting, I supplied him with food and a night’s -lodging. With the return of day came other thoughts and fresh resolves, -and so the man was saved the awful act of self-destruction, and lived -to bless the old crooked sixpence.” - -And so did little Eddy Wilkinson, my dear children. The firm of “Balam -Brothers & Wilkinson” is one of the most sound and thriving concerns in -the colonies. The junior partner has just been elected to the civic -chair of Sydney, and when he dies he intends to bequeath the crooked -sixpence to the Museum. - - - - - - - - -THE BALL IN THE DELL. - - -Tottie Maybush, of Melgrove on the hills, was never known to tell an -untruth. Yet little kind-hearted Tottie could not be certain whether -she had fallen asleep and dreamed all about the fairies’ ball, or the -spirits of the dell had carried her off bodily to their annual -festival. On one of our beautiful Australian midsummer nights, the -dark-blue sky, and the earth beneath it, illumined by a full, radiant -moon, Tottie was seated under a large fig-tree in the garden, playing -with Sultan, the retriever puppy. The child’s parents had gone to visit -a neighbour; therefore there was no one at home save Jane, the servant, -who had promised Tottie that she might remain up till they returned. - -No one can say—not even Tottie herself—how it was she came to leave her -seat and the puppy, and stroll all alone down the long walk beyond the -orchard, until she emerged upon a sloping lawn that dipped with an easy -fall to the edge of the river. The round, full moon overhead cast thin -streaks and broad bars of soft light athwart the branches of the tall -trees, which formed triangles, circles, and crosses, about the sombre -trunks, and lay like scraps of burnished steel about her path. Out on -the mossy bank the moon’s focus seemed to rest on one great patch of -light, whereon stood a group of small, slender, puny creatures, drawn -up in two lines, like a regiment of soldiers on parade. Tiny and -insignificant as they appeared, Tottie could not help observing their -costumes, which were both elegant and superb. Every rich and varied -flower in the botanical world of the Southern Hemisphere had lent its -bloom and beauty to adorn their persons, while beyond their ranks, on -the placid bosom of the river, sat six large, white swans, attached to -the car of state, which glowed and sparkled under the beams of the moon -like a mass of sapphires. - -The moment Tottie appeared, the King of the fairies stepped forth and -addressed her,— - -“Mortal, you are invited to our Jubilee in the dell. Xylophagus, my -Queen, has sent her barge of state, together with this gallant escort, -to convey you thither. Fear not to come with us; we are your friends -and your slaves for the hour. Gentlemen, let your royal barge -approach.” - -The elfin monarch waved his hand, when instantly there arose upon the -air a choral melody from the fairy boat, far surpassing the song of -birds. No warbling bulbul, no melting note of dulcimer floating o’er -the waters at still midnight, ever ravished the senses, or soothed with -tones so liquid soft, as the strains which fell upon the ears of Tottie -Maybush as she was borne aboard by the elves. They placed her on a -couch of softest down, fringed by a border of wild rose leaves, and two -lovely fairy ladies fanned her with perfumed fans, which not only -warded off the mosquitoes, but lulled Tottie into a passive state, -wherein she was utterly powerless to move or act, yet which left her -sense of hearing and observation free and unfettered. What engines made -of mortal hands could propel a boat so swiftly and noiselessly as those -proud, vigorous swans, who glided onward down the river with the elfin -barque and its freight as if the whole thing had been no heavier than a -gossamer? What mortal ears could conceive from out the world of sound -such enchanting harmony? It was the silvery lullaby of Fairyland, that -our Australian sprites might chant to some fretful changeling they had -adopted and sought to hush to sleep. - -And now the view opens upon a magnificent glade, with here and there a -huge eucalyptus standing out in bold relief like a grim giant on guard. -Here the elfin King and his grotesque retinue land, and escort their -mortal guest across the velvet sward and through a grove of trees, -which terminates in a deep dell—the scene of the fairy ball. - -Upon a verdant, natural carpet, softer than velvet pile, stood two -lines of young trees, from the roots of which the vines of the purple -sarsaparilla had shot upward along the trunks and amongst the branches, -and there bending with a graceful slope had met and entwined, and so -had formed a long trellis-work roof, where the moon beamed through in -twice ten thousand rays into the gallery beneath. - -The elfin King conducted Tottie into this primeval hall, where Queen -Xylophagus was seated with her ladies on a bank of wild violets. The -child was quite bewildered at the wildly odd scene that met her gaze. -The gallery was hung round with myriads of glow-worms and fire-flies, -which illumined the place with a soft, subdued light, and shed a -sparkling sheen on the parti-coloured robes of the gay creatures which -moved to and fro about her. Here, as in the higher world of mortals, -the ladies fanned and flirted, while the gentlemen flattered and were -smilingly attentive; but there was no lurking devil behind it all with -the elves. They, at least, were genuine. - -“Approach, O mortal, and kiss my hand,” cried the fairy Queen, rising -and saluting Tottie. “In this dell thou shalt be fed on honeyed words. -We will deck thee with jewels brought from hidden caves and gathered in -bowers of green, where loop the clustered vines. Pure pearls of may-dew -shall adorn thy fair young brow like summer’s fruited gems, ripe and -mellow.” - -Tottie tried to thank her Majesty. - -“These are my ladies,” continued the Queen, pointing to several lovely -fays beside her. “Moppet, stand forth. This is our lady of the robes, -who supplies a new dress for our person every morning.” - -A fair, wee creature rose from her seat and kissed Tottie. - -“Moth and Poppy, two of my daughters, who are about to be -married—Poppy, the youngest, to Prince Cornflower, and her sister, to -the celebrated Grimalkin of the Hills,” said her Majesty, introducing -the members of the household. “Those three ladies in purple, who are -teasing that old gentleman with the crutch, are Gloze, Geneva, and -Moss, the King’s first cousins—old maiden ladies who have never been -married, and who delight in annoying the bachelors.” - -Perhaps it was fortunate for poor Tottie Maybush that a great noise at -the other end of the gallery interrupted the Queen, otherwise she would -probably have been smothered by the warm-hearted beings presented to -her. The commotion was caused by the arrival of several ambassadors -from the vast realm of Nature. Here advanced the representative of the -Forest with stately dignity; then followed the Wind, whose tread shook -the roof of the ball-room; and after him came a long procession of -birds. The eagle headed one column, the wild turkey another, after -which came parrots and plovers, quails, snipe, and magpies, while the -jolliest of them all—the great kingfisher—brought up the rear. Round -and round the hall they trooped until the whole host found suitable -perches among the thick foliage of the trees, where they gazed down in -wonder upon the throng beneath. - -Amid a deep silence which had fallen upon the place the elfin King rose -to his feet, and in a sharp, clear, piping tone, said, “We are all -assembled; let the dance begin.” - -Suddenly the throng of birds struck up a wild medley of song, whereupon -the fairies, bounding to their feet, began a fantastic dance around the -grotto. Such a quick, changing whirl of steps and leaps and varied -motions it would be difficult to conceive. Circles here, confusion -there, up and down in mazes, until, the feathered band piping higher -and wilder, the eye was unable to follow the labyrinth of gay creatures -in their mad career. “The witches at Benevento” were as nothing -compared to the furious freaks and vagaries of the elves; but in the -midst of it all there was heard the booming of a bell, and—like -enchantment—darkness and quiet fell upon the sylvan festivity in the -twinkling of an eye. - -“Tottie! Miss Tottie, do get up and come to bed!” cried Jane. “Your pa -and ma have returned home!” - - - - - - - - -ELSIE. - - -If you were to search the whole of Australia you could not find a more -beautiful place than “Hawthorne,” the residence of little Elsie Barton -Elsie’s father was a merchant with plenty of money. He therefore -erected a large house, a little way in the country, away from the dust -and noise of the city. The building stood on a lofty hill, surrounded -by trees and a lovely garden, with a broad river flowing down below -among crags and thick foliage, and where the water seemed like a great -mirror fixed in an emerald frame. Little Elsie loved music, and was -always ready every morning to begin her music lessons without being -scolded and driven to them, as some disobedient and naughty girls and -boys are. It was a bright morning, and Elsie raised up the window to -admit the fresh breeze and the sunshine, and then sat down to the -piano. She had scarcely touched the keys, however, when she was -startled at hearing some one pronounce her name. The voice which Elsie -heard calling her was not a gruff or a rough voice by any means, -neither was it shrill or disagreeable in its tone; yet it was decidedly -unlike any other voice she had ever heard before. It seemed more like -the tinkling of a tiny silver bell than anything else, save that the -utterance was clear and decided, and sent a thrill, half of fear, half -of surprise, through the frame of the listener. - -“Elsie—Elsie Barton!” repeated the voice. - -Elsie turned about quickly, and stood amazed to observe upon the -toilet-table near the window the tiniest and most grotesque creature in -the world. The form was that of an old woman. Such a wee, graceful old -lady, with a lithe, slight figure, no higher than the bottle of perfume -near her. She was attired in a purple robe, green baize shoes, and a -shining cloak of the same colour, with a hood attached, but which she -had thrown back, disclosing her yellow hair. She supported herself with -a crutch stick, about the size of a wax match. - -“Well, my dear, you are no doubt astonished at seeing me?” said the old -lady, leaning on her staff, and looking at Elsie with a smile. “Pray -take out those horrid long spikes you call pins from the pincushion, -and I will sit down and rest myself, for I am really tired.” - -There was nothing at all repulsive in the manner or the aspect of this -strange visitor. So little Elsie, overcoming her wonder and amazement, -prepared the pincushion and seated the old lady thereon, then inquired -in a respectful tone how she came into the room. - -“Through the window, of course, my dear,” answered the creature, -smiling. “We fairies come and go at divers times and seasons, and -exactly how and when we please.” - -“Are you a fairy—a real fairy?” cried Elsie, approaching and gazing -with deep interest on the little lady before her. - -“Certainly, child. Couldn’t you see that? We Australian elves are not -so tall as our kindred over the ocean, but we are fairies -notwithstanding.” - -“I—I have read of the fairies,” said Elsie shyly, “but I have never -seen any of them before.” - -“Oh, my dear, it’s a great favour for any mortal to see us. It is only -good children who have the privilege. Do you know why I came here this -morning?” said the old lady, fanning herself with a rose-leaf. - -“No. Pray tell me.” - -“A poor little boy, who has been dreadfully hurt, and who lives in the -little hut near the quarry, sent me to you,” replied the fairy. - -“Is it little Harry, the widow’s boy?” - -“The same, my dear.” - -“I will go this moment,” she replied; and running down the stairs, -Elsie took her sun-bonnet from the rack in the hall, and joined the -elfin in the garden. Without speaking another word the fairy led the -way down the hill, and away along the sunny banks of the river, and -onward to a secluded dell, where Nature had exhausted the skill of -simplicity. The earth undulating into tiny hillocks, was clothed with a -tender verdure as soft and green as moss. The deep blue waters rolled -by with a hushed ripple, that was more soothing than silence, and a -blueness that rivalled the deep azure of the skies. On one side rose -great masses of rugged rocks, and these and all the trees around were -draped with great masses of clematis. From the roots of these there -crept along the ground the beautiful vines of the purple sarsaparilla, -and the grass all around was gemmed with wild violets and the blossoms -of a delicately pencilled little wild orchid. The scent of the clematis -made the air heavy with perfume, and the song of birds came with added -music from the other side of the stream. - -In this pleasant spot were gathered together a troop of elves—little, -transparent people, dressed in scarlet, and blue, and amber, others in -white, shining robes, and with green jewels and wreaths decking their -golden curls. - -Elsie Barton stood spellbound with amazement at the wonderful sight -before her. Many a time she had strolled through the lovely dell -previously, but she had never met either fay or sprite. While she stood -with mouth agape, the old lady fairy whispered in her ear and led the -child away out of the glen and over the river, where the blue smoke -from the cottage wherein lay the sick boy could be seen ascending in a -thin, spiral column up toward heaven, as if bridging the void between -the suffering child and the ministering angels of God. - -Within sight of the hut, the fairy halted, and seating herself upon a -mushroom, said in a sweet, piping tone: “I cannot venture farther, -Elsie. We elves are but the emblem of good thoughts and benevolent -deeds. Whoever thinks least of self can see us palpably everywhere, -because we are beneficence personified. Wherever there may be an act of -kindness to be done, we seek out the kindly disposed to do it; but it -is death to us to look upon any other mortals, save the humane and -kindly hearted. Bend down, my dear, so that I may kiss you. Now, -good-bye,” and the tiny lady vanished in a moment. - -It was a very rude dwelling built of slabs, and almost devoid of -furniture, and little Elsie Barton’s eyes filled with tears as she -entered it and beheld on a bed, in one corner of the room, a boy about -her own age, lying pale and ill. The poor lad had been obliged to work -in a quarry, to help his widowed mother and his two little brothers, -and a large stone had fallen down and had crushed one of his legs -dreadfully. The brave child was sinking fast for want of generous diet -and such nourishment as the widow was unable to procure for him, and so -the fairy had brought kind-hearted little Elsie Barton to visit him; -and Elsie helped the widow to make the sick-room more light and cosy, -then went home and told her mother about the sick boy; and Mrs. Barton, -after filling a basket with nice food, returned with Elsie to the -cottage. - -And every day for weeks Elsie Barton carried her basket of flowers and -fruit, and choice morsels of dainty food for the little sufferer, until -the lad grew well and strong again; and sometimes, sitting in the small -country church on Sundays, the quarry boy sees her in the family pew -listening with upturned face to the preacher, while through the stained -windows gleam broad bars of rich and gorgeous light, which float about -her as a gossamer, and surround the gentle face as with a glory tint. - - - - - - - - -THE WISHING-CAP. - - -CHAPTER I. - -A fair-haired, freckled boy was Johnny Grudge. He was the grandson of -old Grudge the wood-carter, who occupied a hut on a Government grant -some few miles out of Sydney. Johnny’s father and mother were both dead -and buried, therefore the boy lived with his grandfather, and assisted -the old man in his business. - -As our hero journeyed to the market with his wood, he often met young -Master Woolcrop riding by on his milk-white pony, with a tall groom -following on a fine charger, standing I don’t know how many hands high; -and I am sorry to say our little hero grew very envious; for, be it -known, young Woolcrop’s father was one of the richest men in New South -Wales, while Johnny’s grandfather had not enough cash to purchase a set -of harness for the old mare. - -“Why was I not born to have a white pony and a servant following me?” -grumbled the youth, lashing the bushes with his whip in a savage way. -“I’m quite as good as he is, and bigger and stronger. Who is he to ride -while I have to walk in the dust and heat? Ah, I wish—but what’s the -use of wishing, I should like to know? I’m always wishing for something -or other, and I never get what I wish for. Now if I could only come -across the elves that grandad talks about, I’d ask them for a -wishing-cap. Then I could have all I want.” And there Johnny paused and -fell into a reverie, which lasted until he reached the wood market with -his team. - -Often during the long winter nights the old wood-cutter had talked to -his grandson of the fairies, the good little people, light as the -thistledown, and beautiful as innocence, dwelling in the bell flowers, -drinking the dew for nectar, and happy, ay, as happy as the moonlight -night was long. Not far from the hut there were several mossy ridges -where, it was said, the elves danced at night and made merry. - -The boy had wished to see them. How high were they? About as tall as a -sugar-stick? Why, he had an idea that it would be quite easy to capture -a whole army of them, and take them home as securely as blackfish out -of the creek. - -Returning home, Johnny again met the son of Sir Anthony Woolcrop with a -little lady by his side, mounted on a cream-coloured pony. And the -little wood-carter agreed within himself that it was a shame, and -resolved to seek out the fairies that very night. - -So, in not the very best of tempers, and the very lowest of spirits, -our hero went out to the moss ridges to seek the wishing-cap. He lay -down on the soft green carpet, and kept very quiet until he heard the -great clock at the post-office boom twelve; then he heard a rustic and -a bustle, and voices—not so loud as the buzz of a blue-bottle, and -laughter scarcely so distinct as the chirp-chirp of a canary; but he -knew it was the elves, and his heart went thump! thump! - -Presently he ventured to look round him. The moon was shining—as it -only can shine in Australia—and by its light he saw the gayest company -of miniature beings you can possibly imagine dancing merrily. Time -would fail to tell you how beautiful they all were, how gaily dressed, -how courteous to each other, and how graceful in every motion. Johnny -rubbed his hands and fancied he was dreaming; he stretched out his hand -and ran it into a lot of prickles, and that quite convinced him he was -wide awake. The pain caused him to cry out, and instantly the ball -became a rout. The fairies fled in great haste, some hiding themselves -in the cracks and fissures of the ridges, some burying themselves under -the fallen leaves, all escaping save one, and he got his feet entangled -in a large ant-hole, and could do nothing but wriggle and cry out. - -Johnny Grudge rose to his feet, and hastened to the rescue; yet when he -beheld the wee creature our hero stood quite still and did not attempt -to help him. - -“Pray assist me out of this nasty hole; the ants are beginning to bite -me,” quoth the fairy. - -“Certainly I will,” cried Johnny; “but if I help you I want you to give -me something in return.” - -“What will you have?” said the little fay. “Speak quickly, and get me -out of this horrible web.” - -“I should like the wishing-cap,” replied our hero boldly. - -“The wishing-cap? Silly boy! Why do you ask such a boon?” - -“Because I want to be as well off as young Bertie Woolcrop, who rides -on a white pony with a groom following him,” answered Johnny. - -“Tush!” responded the fairy. “You are much better as you are.” - -“Am I?” said the boy in a gruff tone. “If you say that you know nothing -about it, and you may stop in that hole until the ants sting you to -death, before I’ll help you, now! Why should he have a pony, and a -servant, and a little girl to ride with him and to keep him company, -while I——” - -“You are a strong, healthy little boy, without a care,” interrupted the -entrapped elfin. - -“I am worn with care and with hard work,” answered the youngster. “My -grandfather is cross; the damper is tough, and not too much of it; my -clothes are worn, and my boots are gaping at the toes; the old mare is -lazy, and firewood cheap. Come, what will you do for me?” - -“If I gave you the wishing-cap, what would you do?” inquired the fay. - -“I’d change places with the boy who rides the white pony,” he answered -readily. - -“Very well. Be it so. Lift me out of the hole.” - -When Johnny Grudge raised the elfin from his awkward position, the -creature commanded him to lie down on the moss and close his eyes. Our -hero obeyed, and strange to relate, in a twinkling, the moonlight, -grassy dell, fairy, all faded away, and he was sleeping on a soft, rich -couch. He awoke with a start, and looked round him in surprise. The -grey light of the morning was stealing into the room, and he saw that -the apartment was handsomely furnished. A clock struck five. - -At that moment the door opened, and a man in a striped jacket came in, -and wished him “Good-morning.” He was rather astonished when the man -lifted him out of bed, took off his night clothes, and plunged him into -a cold bath. It was in vain Johnny gasped, and spluttered, and -protested that he didn’t like it, and was not used to it. The man only -shook his head very gravely, and went on plunging him till he was -satisfied; then he rubbed him dry with a rough towel. After this he -helped him to dress, and poor little Grudge never had so much trouble -before. It occupied nearly an hour, and when it was over there was a -tap at the door, and a message to say that Mr. Cramwell was expecting -Master Bertrand in the study. - -“Who is he?” inquired Johnny. - -“Your tutor, sir, of course.” - -“What does he want with me?” - -“To prepare you for the day’s exercises,” replied the servant, with a -stare. - -“Oh! I can get exercise enough without him,” cried the boy. “Just you -give me a piece of fresh damper and some tea, and then I’m off down to -the creek to look for the old mare.” - -The man in the striped jacket held up his hands in dismay. He assured -our hero the thing was impossible, and without further parley led him -out of the room and down a broad, winding, carpeted stair, on which -beautiful busts of ladies and gentlemen stood staring at him in wonder -to see him there, and appearing as if they were about to call out to -the whole household and proclaim that he was only Johnny Grudge the -wood-carter. - -Down at the bottom of the stairway there stood a very prim old lady in -cap and apron, and looking as cold and stiff as the statues up above. -Our hero, not altogether liking the severe look upon her face, -attempted to push by in haste; but the dame bade the man return with -“Master Bertie,” and the mandate being obeyed, she turned upon the -youth, and inquired if he had left his manners behind him. - -“Say, ‘Good-morning, Aunt Dora,’” whispered the servant in his ear, and -the boy having complied, he was conducted into a chamber with more -books in it than Johnny supposed could ever have been written or -printed in the world. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -The tutor was a stern-looking gentleman in a suit of sombre tweed. He -bade our hero, “Good-morning,” and then began to scold him for being -late; there were Latin, English, and mathematical exercises to be gone -through, and they would occupy much time. With a failing heart Johnny -Grudge took up his book and looked at the page. Strangely enough to -himself he could read it, and when Mr. Cramwell questioned him about it -he could repeat it; but it made his head ache, and he felt sick and -weary. - -“If you please, may I have a little milk?” he asked; “or a little tea -and jam——” - -“Certainly not,” interrupted the tutor. “It is time, however, that you -took your tonic.” - -In answer to Mr. Cramwell’s summons, the man in the striped jacket -appeared with a wineglassful of—oh, such nasty stuff! and Johnny was -obliged to take it, every drop. Feeling very much the worse for his -draught, the poor boy went on with his lessons till half-past seven, -when his tutor in a terrible, frigid manner said, “Master Bertrand, it -is the hour for your constitutional promenade.” - -Johnny Grudge at first thought he was going to have a dose of something -more nasty than had been given him before, but he soon learned that he -was to accompany his teacher for a stroll in the gardens, and for this -he was very glad; they were very beautiful—such beds of flowers, round, -diamond, heart, and all sort of shapes, screened from the sun by grand, -tall trees, whose leafy luxuriance formed natural groves where the -birds perched and sang, to the soft music of a large fountain which -splashed and flashed in millions of tiny jets. - -Johnny’s first impulse was to dash off at a run when he found himself -in the sunshine, but he was sharply rebuked by Mr. Cramwell for his -“unpardonable vulgarity,” and forced to walk as solemnly as a mute at a -funeral. - -When the breakfast bell began to ring our little hero took courage at -the thoughts of the wonderfully nice things there would be to eat. -Visions of cold wild-duck, ham, pie, eggs, salmon, and jam, flitted -before him; but, alas! he was wofully mistaken. All these things and -more were on the table; but not for him. He had a bowl of bread and -milk and nothing else, on account of his weak digestion. After -breakfast there were more hard, dry lessons, accompanied by much severe -rebuke, which made the time very dreary indeed. There was a French -master, and a dancing master, and a fencing master, who hurt poor -Johnny very much, because he couldn’t keep his right elbow in a line -with his wrist during the exercise. Ere dinner-time came our hero’s -head was ready to crack: it seemed to him to be made up of plates of -red-hot iron welded together with boiling lead. Dinner! Only one -dish—roast mutton, a piece of stale bread and a glass of water! Oh, how -the young wood-cutter yearned for a slice of damper, mounted with a -hunk of corned beef and an onion! - -After dinner came the music master, and several other masters, and -after that the white pony. But by this time Johnny was so sick and -tired he begged hard that he might be allowed to go to bed. Mr. -Cramwell would not hear of it. So the boy mounted the white pony he had -coveted, saw a little girl, as weary as himself, on a cream-coloured -pony, was escorted by the tall groom in livery astride a high steed, -and felt most miserable. - -As the lad rode on the highway where he was wont to journey with the -old mare and dray, he saw his own very self, whistling and cracking his -whip, and looking as happy as ever boy looked who had the sense to be -contented with health and strength. What would he not have given to -jump oft the pony’s back and be himself again! Oh, but he couldn’t do -that! He had longed for the “wishing-cap,” and now he had it he must -wear it! - -As he rode onward he began to grumble and mutter as he had done before: -“Why should I be shut up in a big house, and made to do this, that, and -the other? Oh, I wish——” - -He was going to wish that he was at home again with his grandfather; -but he held his peace, and rode on with the little lady. - -Returning to the mansion he was ushered into a state-room, where a lot -of gentlemen in white waistcoats were eating fruit and drinking wine. - -He had to stop there for about half an hour without speaking a word, -and was regaled with one small bunch of grapes. At the end of that time -he was taken away by the tutor, in whose presence he partook of a cup -of milk and water with a piece of dry toast. Then he was sent to bed, -as miserable as a bandicoot. In his sleep the fairy came to him once -more. - -“Mortal child,” he cried in his ears, “are you satisfied with the -change in your life?” - -“No, no, good fairy,” replied the sleeper faintly. “Take back the -wishing-cap—let me be my own self again. Do, do!” - -“Reflect, Johnny Grudge. You will have to work again, and wear poor -clothing.” - -“I don’t mind that now,” replied Johnny. - -“And drive the old mare to market in the heat and dust,” continued the -elfin. - -“Send me back to grandfather and the old mare,” he cried pleadingly, -“and you shall see I will never grumble again.” - -“Are you sure?” - -“Please try me, good fay.” - -“But what about the white pony?” - -“Bother the pony! I don’t want it.” - -“And the tall groom?” - -“He is a cruel fellow, and I never want to see him again, nor Mr. -Cramwell either. Let me be myself again, dear fay! dear, kind fairy! -Pray take me home again to good old grandad,” and the poor dreamer -began to sob in his sleep. - -“Enough,” responded the wee spirit in a kind tone. “The wishing-cap I -will take again, and you shall return to your home and to your daily -toil. Yet remember, boy, you shall resume your place here the moment -you begin to grow dissatisfied. Let this lesson cure you of envy. -People who ride white ponies, the same as those who ride in carriages, -are no more exempt from care, toil, denial, and suffering than -yourself. Learn contentment. It is a rare jewel, and better than fine -clothing and white ponies. Ta-ta, Johnny.” - -Poor little envious boy! The bitter disappointment he felt at finding -out the truth of the old adage, “All that glitters is not gold,” was -very keen in his heart. Yet the lesson had done him good, by showing -him that we should be very miserable if we only had everything we -wished for. - -When the boy woke he found himself in his own poor crib within the hut; -but Johnny felt very glad he was there. He rather surprised his -grandfather by the willing manner in which he began to prepare for -breakfast. And then he started off to look for the old mare. How -light-hearted and free he felt, as he bounded away, a hop, skip, and a -jump over the dewy grass, where the sun’s beams glinted as on a sea of -gems! - -The old horse felt amazed at the way Johnny caressed her and rubbed his -cheek athwart her Roman nose. And indeed the boy felt as much amazed as -any of them, and vowed to himself never to be discontented again; and -Johnny Grudge kept his word. - - - - - - - - -TWO GIANTS. - - -The Blue Mountains of our neighbour New South Wales, are, it has been -said, the metropolis of Elfland. On those grand cliffs are caves where -grim giants lie in wait ready to be summoned by the fathers and mothers -of naughty, disobedient children. Away down in the cool dells the -fairies hold their councils and their balls, and many a merry frolic -have they when the ghosts are asleep and snoring. - -I am going to tell you about giants in this story—about two giants, one -called Fog, and the other named Duty, and when the tale is finished, -you shall tell me which of the giants you like best. - -In one of the most lonesome valleys among the mountains lived Harry -Podder, a little boy whose father was a poor selector. The selector, -his wife, and their only child, were quite alone in their solitude; the -dell which they occupied was shut in by high, rugged cliffs, upon whose -steep sides grew dwarfed gum-trees, whose outstretched limbs appeared -like the expanded wings of gigantic birds of prey, ready to swoop down -upon the frail bark-dwelling beneath. Wild, weird, and fantastic was -the scene. Here there was no school for Harry to go to, nor neighbours’ -children for him to play with. The mother would take him out among the -peaks and turrets, and teach him from the open page of Nature around -them, until the mind of the lad became almost as strange and wild as -his surroundings. - -Many a wondrous tale did the fond parent invent as to what the torrent -cried in its rushing, headlong course down the mountain side; and what -the trees said, as they bent and whispered one to the other in the -breeze; and where the clouds were going, and why the thick mists came -to kill the flowers and enfold the highest spurs as with a winding -sheet. Thus they were a poor but a very happy family. - -But a dreadful winter came, which laid the selector on a bed of -sickness, and he was very ill indeed. “Harry, my little son,” said his -mother, “you must go to Ridgeford for the doctor.” - -Ridgeford, the nearest township, was four miles distant, over a rough -track across the hills, where lived the only medical man on the range. -The boy hung his head, and she had to repeat her injunction. - -“Ridgeford, mother! I can’t go. I’m afraid.” - -“Afraid, Harry? Afraid of what?” - -“Of the giants, mother.” - -“Giants, boy? Why, there are no such beings as giants.” - -“Oh, mother, but there is. Did you not show me the Giant Fog, that -haunts our valley? Why, you and I have watched him take all kind of -shapes to hide the sheep from us. He it was who led father into the -river, and caused poor old ‘Possum’ here to fall from the cliff.” - -“Possum” was a large kangaroo hound, who looked up into his young -master’s face as his name was mentioned, and then began to frisk about -him. - -The mother appeared puzzled for a moment, and then said quietly,— - -“Yes, I remember Giant Fog; but, Harry, I know a giant far more -powerful than he. Go to the settlement for the doctor, and I will give -you a letter to my giant, and he will surely help you even if Fog were -to meet you on the way.” - -So the mother took a sheet of paper and printed on it in large letters -such as Harry could read, “Duty.” - -Then she wrapped up the boy as warmly as she could, gave him a note for -the doctor, and pinned the message to her giant on his breast. That -done, she called “Possum,” the kangaroo hound, and bade him accompany -his master. - -Little Harry and the dog started off on their errand, while the woman -attended to her sick husband. Towards afternoon a thick fog settled on -the mountains, and the mother was heard to mutter, “Giant Fog will -overtake my poor child, I fear.” - -Many times did she go to the windows and look forth in the hope of -seeing him and his faithful companion descending the cliff, but each -time she was disappointed. - -And where was our hero all this time? Such a road as that poor boy had -to travel few little boys have ever seen, much less had to traverse -alone. - -Harry thought little of the road; he walked along bravely, quite proud -of his journey, and, above all, his message to the Giant Duty. As he -and Possum climbed the hill-side and looked down on many a rugged -slope, he almost laughed and said, “I wonder if there are really such -things as giants in the mountains after all?” - -Arrived at the township the boy gave the letter to the doctor, who -ordered some dinner for Harry, then started him and the dog homeward. - -“I hope Giant Fog won’t catch us here, Possum,” cried the youngster, as -he mounted the steep crags above Ridgeford in safety. But the words -were hardly out of his mouth when both he and the dog were enveloped in -a deep mist, whirling and eddying round, till the child was quite giddy -and terrified. He put his hand to his breast, pressed the talisman his -mother had given him, and cried out, “Duty!” Strange, Giant Fog seemed -to clear out of the way for a moment, and they stumbled onward down the -crest of the mountain; but it soon became evident to Harry that all -shadow of the path was lost. Still the brave boy pursued his way, and -when his spirits flagged and the dog whined he cried out, “Duty, -Possum, Duty!” - -At length they emerged out upon a ledge of ridges with deep ravines -intervening. Below the fog looked inky black. - -Our hero paused, and Possum rubbed himself against him and looked up -whimpering in his face. “Never mind, old boy,” said Harry. “Even if -this is the very castle of Giant Fog, we have Duty with us. On, Possum, -on.” - -The kangaroo hound drew back. The boy pressed forward, and in a moment -he felt he was falling rapidly through the air. - -How long poor Harry lay at the base of those cruel crags he could not -say, but when he recovered consciousness the dog’s cold nose was -against his cheek. When he attempted to rise from the ground he found -one of his little arms hung useless at his side and sharp pains darted -through every limb. The tears started to his eyes, for he was but a -little fellow. - -“Giant Fog has done us a bad turn, Possum; yet Giant Duty will help us -all right,” he muttered, and fell back with a groan of pain. - -The dark night fell o’er the mountains. Patiently the mother waited and -watched for the return of her son. In her anxiety she was about to -issue forth in quest of him when the doctor made his appearance. - -“Where is Harry?” he inquired eagerly. - -“Not come back yet.” - -“No, I made all haste to overtake him, but the fog is so thick I have -missed him on the way.” - -While they were talking Possum dashed into the house, and without more -ado began to tug at the dress of the woman with might and main, and -with whines and barkings asked as plain as dog could ask for them to -follow him. - -The woman understood the mute appeal. Accompanied by the doctor they -hastened after Possum, who led them over spurs and ridges to where lay -his insensible boy-master. - -Tenderly did the kind doctor lift the exhausted child, skilfully did he -treat him, and faithfully did the mother nurse and tend him; but for -weeks it was doubtful who was to have the victory—the good or the bad -giant. - -But at last one day Harry opened his eyes and said, “Mother, I hope the -doctor came and made father well again?” - -“Yes, my darling, the doctor has cured father.” - -“I’m so glad, mother. Giant Fog was very cruel, but Giant Duty brought -me home to you in spite of him; so if the doctor has made father well, -it’s all right. Ah! Possum. Here, Possum, old boy!” - - - - - - - - -MOTHLAND. - - -CHAPTER I. - -Take your places. Turn down the lights. We are going to open our magic -lantern once more. Ho Presto! Here we are in Victoria. - -Picture to yourself a plainly furnished room in a farmhouse on the -banks of the Murray River. Besides the ordinary tables, chairs, -pictures, and other things you will observe a clock on the mantel-shelf -over the fireplace. Now this clock is going to form the pivot upon -which our story turns. - -The door of this apartment was gently opened, and two children—a boy -and a girl—entered. They had just stolen away unknown to the nurse, and -had come here to amuse themselves. There was, however, very little in -that room to amuse them. Neither hoop nor ball nor doll was here; but -there was the clock ticking away like a cricket who had lost its -mother. They say that curiosity is much stronger in the female, be it -child or adult, than in the male portion of humanity, so the little -girl drew a chair to the fireplace, and on the top of it she placed a -stool, and then both the children mounted and stood face to face with -the clock. - -They examined the polished wooden case, and the marble base, the -figures and the painted scroll work which adorned its face, then the -minute-hand which they could see moving, and listened to the “Tick, -tick, tick,” which seemed to come from some voice within it. -“Tick-tick,” cried the clock, and still as the little boy looked and -listened it went on without stopping, “Tick, tick, tick.” - -“What can it be?” said the little girl. “Where can the noise come from, -Teddy?” - -“Oh!” answered Teddy, “it comes from the wee fellow inside there; can’t -you see him moving his arm about, eh, Lily?” - -Lily looked and discovered a door. “It comes from here,” she said. “I -should like to open it and let the old man out.” - -“No, no,” cried Teddy, “we must not. Papa would be angry. Come away -back again to nurse.” But Lily poked about with her fingers, -unknowingly touched a spring, and the door flew open. - -There they saw a wonderful sight. There were wheels moving round and -round, and the inside shone like gold, and there was a long piece of -steel hanging down like a tail, which moved from side to side, and the -timepiece said louder than ever, “Tick, tick, tick.” - -Lily put in her finger and touched the golden inside, and still the -clock ticked on. Then she touched the pendulum, and though the clock -paused for a moment as if to take breath, it went on again fresher than -ever, “Tick, tick, tick.” - -But at last she happened to poke her finger between the spokes of the -little wheel, and the timepiece stopped. Lily thought it would tick -again in a minute, but she was disappointed. She touched the pendulum, -she touched the wheel, she touched every part; yet all to no purpose. -And then the boy, Teddy, tried his hand in vain. The clock wouldn’t say -“Tick, tick” any more. - -What was to be done? - -They were very much frightened. They closed the clock door as quickly -as possible, got down from the chair, put the things all tidy, and left -the room. - -Nothing more occurred till breakfast-time next morning, when the father -called out suddenly, “Why, the clock has stopped!” and when he examined -it he found the mainspring was broken. - -“Somebody has been playing with the clock. Did you touch it, Teddy?” - -“No, I never,” answered the boy. - -“Was it you, Lily?” - -Now, Lily was not in the habit of being untruthful; but she was -frightened and replied, “No.” - -“One of you must have done it yesterday. Jane saw you coming out of the -room,” continued the father. - -By dint of questioning, Lily and Teddy at length acknowledged they had -been in the room, and then the boy said Lily had touched the timepiece, -and then the girl said so had Teddy; but which of them it was that had -really broken the spring their father could not discover. - -“Very well, my children,” he said. “If you will not tell me who broke -the clock, you will be punished some day.” And the father spoke truly. - -In that part of the Murray district where Lily and Teddy lived there -dwelt a small native race of people called “Moths.” This diminutive -tribe lived alone by themselves in a grand shaded valley by the -river-bank. They used to be seen very often by the settlers and bushmen -riding home late on moonlight nights. Indeed, many travellers had -stated they had seen them dancing on the green, making merry, courting, -laughing, etc., while others vouched to having spoken to the creatures. -Be that as it may, the Moths were there in the valley by the river, and -had been there long before Teddy and Lily’s grandfather first took up -the splendid selection adjacent. - -The wee people had taken an interest in the fortunes of the different -families round about for many years, always patronising and favouring -good boys and girls, and always punishing the bad ones in some form or -other. - -Just below the bush paddock where the valley dips down to the water -could be seen a circle of emerald green, on which the Moths assembled -every night when the moon shone. It was not often crossed by the feet -of mortals; but any one passing that way by daylight might observe -small round rings here and there, much greener than the grass around. -These were Moth circles. - -Here the Moths sat in little circles on raised benches made of grass -blades, whilst others danced before them in the middle of the ring to -music played on flutes made from the backbones of locusts. - -On the night after the clock had been broken the Moths met to hold a -great council. The whole race assembled on this occasion. There was the -King wearing a golden crown of flowers, and the Queen decked with -diamonds of dew, and all the Princes and Princesses in robes of mingled -green and blue. When the council were assembled the monarch spoke thus: - -“People of Mothland, you all know what an interest we take in the -family near our valley, and especially in little Lily and Teddy. Now I -grieve to tell you these children have been very naughty. Indeed, one -of them has told a deliberate falsehood, a sin we hate and abhor beyond -all things. The boy is not so guilty as his sister; it was not he, -certainly, who spoilt the clock, but still he went up on the chair and -looked at it; and he ought to have told this like a brave boy, instead -of holding his tongue like a coward. But Lily has told a decided lie, -and she must be punished. What shall we do to her?” - -“Carry her away from her home, and put Scarlet Mantle in her place,” -said the Queen of the Moths. - -“It shall be done,” replied the King. - -That night when Lily was sleeping soundly in her soft, pleasant bed, -the King of the Moths, accompanied by some of the strongest men in his -tribe, carried her away into the valley of Mothland, and they -substituted Scarlet Mantle in her stead. - -Jane, the nurse, took her accustomed peep into the child’s bedroom, ere -retiring for the night, and was somewhat astonished to observe that her -charge appeared thinner and smaller and sharper than usual. - -“I suppose it’s only my fancy,” cried the girl, so, kissing the -supposed child, she went her way, and left the Moth snugly coiled in -little Lily’s bed. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -The morning following the night on which the Moths took Lily away -dawned brightly. The farmer and his wife fancied somehow that their -little girl looked rather pale and thin; the mother thought poor Lily -was ill; the father thought she was sorry for saying she didn’t break -the clock. But the Moths are very clever people, and of course had -contrived to make Scarlet Mantle look as like Lily as possible. So she -took up the child’s place in the house, and ate bread and butter, -pudding, lollies, wore the girl’s new clothes, and was much happier -than she had ever been in Mothland. One or two little things Scarlet -Mantle could not entirely forget; still, on the whole, she managed to -conduct herself as a civilised human child should. - -But where was Lily? She was away in the dells with the Moths, and very -unhappy. Firstly, she was very tired; secondly, she was hungry; and -thirdly, she was made ridiculous. These things were most tantalising, -and she was ready to cry her eyes out. No wonder she was tired, because -instead of going to bed at seven o’clock, and sleeping soundly every -night, she had to go out on the circles and dance till the moon set. -She was cold, too, for in place of her warm frocks she had nothing in -the world but Scarlet Mantle’s old clothes, made of rose-leaves and -gossamer. She might well be hungry also, for the Moths gave her nothing -but dew and locusts for food. Still there was one thing more dreadful -than all these put together. For some reason or other Lily’s tongue had -begun to grow very long. - -Yes, it was not painful, but exceedingly ugly, as you may imagine. -Little by little it increased and grew longer, until she was obliged to -tie it round her neck to keep it out of her way, and the Moths were -always laughing about it, which made our little girl very melancholy. - -The Queen of the Moths was a very motherly person, and Lily soon made -friends with her. - -“Your Majesty,” she said one day, “I am very miserable. Indeed, I think -I shall die if I am kept here much longer.” - -“What is amiss, my child?” inquired the Queen. - -“Why am I detained here?” replied Lily. “And why have I so little to -eat and drink?” - -“My dear child, you know the reason,” answered the Queen. “You told a -wicked falsehood, and you are paying the penalty for it now.” - -“Ah! your Majesty, it wouldn’t be so bad if I could only get rid of my -long tongue,” pleaded Lily. “Dear Queen, please can’t you rid me of my -ugly tongue?” - -“No, child, I cannot, but you can rid yourself of it.” - -“How? Oh, please tell me.” - -The Queen of the Moths sighed. - -“There is only one way,” she answered. “Your tongue is disfigured, -because it hath offended. If you wish to get rid of it, you must -acknowledge your fault and confess the lie you told.” - -Poor Lily! Like many other children of a larger growth, she was -stubborn, and did not like this plan of getting rid of her trouble. -Anything rather than saying: “I broke the clock.” - -So the child went on among the Moths, suffering cold and hunger, -midnight dancing, and the big tongue. - -But little Lily loved her father and mother, and did not like to be -away from them for ever. She began to steal away from the valley, and -go to her own home. Often she stood looking in at the window, and saw -her father and mother and Teddy sitting with Scarlet Mantle; and the -tears would start to her eyes, and run down her cheeks, and she would -cry out in her grief, “Oh! I do so wish I was sitting on my own stool -again.” - -One night she was standing by the window particularly unhappy, and in a -very penitent mood. Had she but the opportunity, she determined to -confess her fault. There sat her father in the full flare of the lamp, -thinking he had Lily by his side. There was Teddy with his toys, and -while the little outcast was gazing, Jane, the nurse, entered with the -tea-tray; cups and saucers began to rattle, and her brother and Scarlet -Mantle gathered round the table. Oh, to be shut out from all this -comfort, and the smiles and caresses of her parents! At length, -something led her father to rise from his seat and look out into the -darkness beyond. He opened the window and stepped out upon the -verandah. In a moment a tiny hand was thrust into his own, and a timid, -hesitating voice was heard to say,— - -“I—I am—so—sorry. I—broke—the clock.” - -“You! Who are you?” cried the father in astonishment. - -“I’m Lily, father,” she cried out, with a great sob. - -“Lily! Why, Lily is in the dining-room with mamma.” - -“No; I am Lily, your own naughty little girl, and—I broke the clock. -There!” she sobbed aloud. “The Moths took me away because I told you a -falsehood, and they only gave me old faded rose-leaves to wear, and the -legs of locusts to eat, and made me drink dew out of the cups of the -flowers; and see what a great, long, ugly tongue they have given me for -telling that story.” - -The trilling voice sounded very remorseful, and the little hand clung -nervously to the father, who immediately led the little one into the -dining-room. - -The first thing on which the eyes of the man rested was the vacant seat -of Scarlet Mantle. - -“Hallo! Where’s the other one?” he cried. - -“The other one?” repeated his wife. “What other one, dear?” - -“The—the child, Lily,” replied the astonished pater. - -The good woman laughed, and answered, “There she is, at your side,” - -“Nonsense; this little lady says she has just come from Mothland, and -that she is our Lily whom the Moths stole because she told a falsehood -over the breaking of the clock. Surely there aren’t two Lilys?” and the -farmer looked beneath the sofa, under the table, and even up the -chimney; but Scarlet Mantle, the moment she saw Lily enter the room, -vanished through the window, and of course was not to be found. - -“Well, this is a queer go, wife.” - -“Most extraordinary,” responded the mother, gazing with a doubtful look -upon the real Lily, who stood quietly looking from one to the other. - -“Oh, this is Sis,” exclaimed Teddy. “There’s the bump on the nose which -I made with my ball last week. You’re Lily, who smashed the clock, -aren’t you?” he asked, looking up in her face. - -“Indeed, Teddy dear, I’m your little sister, and it was I who broke the -clock, and the Moths took me away, and gave me this big, frightful -tongue, because I said I didn’t. You see here——” - -And she put up her hand to her mouth, but lo! the ugly member had -vanished. How glad she felt that it was gone! The mere effort to do -right had brought its own reward. And as she repeated again, more -earnestly, “I broke the clock, and I want you to forgive me,” her -father saw she was really his own little girl, and giving her a hearty -kiss of forgiveness, seated her in her own accustomed place at table, -and they were very happy once more. - -That night Lily slept soundly in her own room, in her own cosy bed, and -she thought it much better than dancing till she was tired round the -Moth circles by the river-bank. - -And so thought the Scarlet Mantle! - - - - - - - - -MOONLAND. - - -CHAPTER I. - -Some of our relatives on the other side of the globe will be astonished -to learn that the way to the Moon has been discovered by an unfortunate -member of the literati of Australia. - -The greatest thinkers of the day have scouted the idea as nothing but -moonshine, when spoken to about the practicability of the discovery. -But it must be borne in mind that the same laws of Nature which guide -and rule the Mother Country are somewhat erratic here at the Antipodes, -inasmuch as we are all upside down—standing on our heads, in fact. -Therefore we are prepared for marvels. In a land where there are -animals who stand on their tails, and fight with all four feet at once; -where the young leap out of and into their parents’ stomachs at -will—there being a strange bag in that quarter for the purpose of -humouring the antics of the juveniles, just like the hole in the bow of -a timber ship; where there are creatures that appear neither flesh nor -fowl—who swim in ponds like a duck, have a duck’s bill, who lay eggs, -yet have feet and hair like a beast; in a land where the leaves on the -trees grow edgeways to the sun, and the trees themselves shoot -downwards, surely it is no great wonder that we have found a passage to -the great luminary of night, and had the pleasure of shaking hands and -likewise supping with the disobedient man who gathered sticks on -Sunday. - -The scientific world will never feel half the surprise anent our new -discovery as that which fell upon the old shepherd when he found -himself surrounded and made a prisoner. He had left his sheep in charge -of the only companion he had in these regions—viz., his dog. Within a -sheltered nook on one of the fairest and most luxuriant slopes of the -mysterious Blue Mountains, Patch, the half-bred dingo, held watch and -ward over his charge while his master wandered down the rugged side of -the cliff in search of gold. Here the sun was almost hid behind the -broad awning of gigantic trees, whose immense trunks, gnarled and hoary -with age, stood like mammoth sentinels to guard the dim glen below. The -lonely herdsman had often descended to that spot before unmolested, but -now from every mound and hollow there peered the grotesque faces of the -Mountain Sprites, watching his every movement, until with a sudden rush -they pounced upon him and held him fast. For a time he struggled -manfully to free himself. It was quite useless. The genii of the Blue -Mountains are a powerful people, not to be trifled with, as the -shepherd soon discovered. He was lifted bodily up, and borne along so -swiftly that he nearly lost his senses. The route of his captors lay in -a downward direction—never upward. And it appeared as if the dusky -ravines which they traversed led right away from the upper world into -the region of eternal night. - -“Dear friends, good people, where are you taking me?” cried the poor -fellow in an affrighted tone. - -“Bis, bus, silence, mortal!” replied an ancient gnome authoritatively. -“Your destination is not on the Earth, but the Moon.” - -“Good gracious!” ejaculated the poor shepherd, with starting eyeballs. - -“Bus, peace,” rejoined the brownie in a whisper. “The voice of man hath -never disturbed these solitudes since the creation.” - -“Gentlemen, pray let me go!” - -“Art thou not going, thou dissatisfied mortal? Be silent.” - -“It is all up with me,” groaned the unfortunate captive. - -“Nay, verily, it will be all down with thee,” answered the sprite. -“Behold!” - -As the fairy spoke they emerged into a dismal spot, in the midst of -which gaped a wide, black pit; at the mouth of the chasm the shepherd -beheld the forms of two beings in shape like the fabled vampires, who -clapped their tremendous wings in ecstasy at sight of him. - -“Who is this?” they cried. - -And the fairies answered, “A visitor for Moonland.” - -“No, no, I’m not going to the Moon,” replied the trembling shepherd. - -The horrid vampires laughed in exultation at his misery, and the sound -shook the walls of the solid cliffs around. “Hear me, Dusk, and thou, -Lunar,” said the gnome, addressing the winged monsters. “This fellow -hath had the impudence to invade our sacred precincts, and attempted to -release some of our dreaded foes, the ‘Gold Nuggets’ whom we have made -prisoners. What shall we do with the rascal?” - -“Send him to the Moon,” they cried with one voice. - -“Mercy, gentlemen, mercy.” - -“Fiddlesticks! To Moonland with him,” answered the sprite. “There is -lots of room for him to fossick there. Eh, Lunar?” - -Over that terrible void, near where they held him, our hero observed a -strange object floating with a gentle, oscillating motion, as a feather -floats in space. In appearance, it was like a gigantic umbrella -inverted, with a hole cut in the centre. To the ends of the ribs cords -of gossamer were fastened which stretched upward to a car in the shape -of a star, the points expanded like huge wings. The nature of this -material, or by what process this curious vehicle had been -manufactured, the unfortunate shepherd had neither power nor leisure at -that moment to examine, for the ancient fay had no sooner spoken than -Dusk and his companion seized hold of him, like a pair of vultures, and -flew upward with him in the car of the parachute. - -“Good-bye, Lunar, let me know when you arrive,” cried some of the -fairies. - -“Slide a message down a moonbeam,” responded others. - -“Or a rainbow, or the tail of a comet.” And while the mountain sprites -stood and jeered, the quaint machine suddenly shot down the empty space -with the velocity of a cannon-ball. - -Who shall describe the sensation of the poor mortal, as he felt himself -falling—falling down—down, a blind mass, through the darkened air? -Those who have fallen, or have leaped even from a moderate height, can -have no conception of the frenzied terror that took possession of him -for a moment. Yet it was only for a moment. Strange to say, he did not -lose his presence of mind, and his fear left him as suddenly as it had -fallen upon him. From a bewildering chaos of thought in the captive’s -mind curiosity became paramount to all else. Amid the murky blackness -around and about there was very little to examine, but the shepherd -thrust his head through the gossamer network of the machine and gazed -below. Far, far away in the profound depths beneath them, he saw a vast -disc of soft light which threw its rays upward, and enabled him to -discern that the abyss through which they were descending appeared like -a hollow cone, the neck of which began in the mountain, and like an -eddying circle in the water, gradually became wider and wider as they -advanced. - -The progress of the parachute was so swift that they rapidly emerged -into the focus of the light—the wide mouth of the cone receding to a -faint, dark circle on the pale horizon in the space of a few seconds. -It was astounding how wondrous soft and beautiful the shimmering glow -of light in this new region burst upon the mortal’s vision. He had -witnessed many lovely changes from the lofty peaks of the New South -Wales Alps, but Dame Nature had never presented herself to his eyes in -such a garb before. Not the glaring, hot, dazzling rays of the summer -sun here, but rather a gentle, subdued, dreamy refulgence, without the -ghost of a shadow or shade of variation upon anything. - -Above, below, one universal, pale, liquid glimmer, devoid of vapour. -Distant mountains, peaked and gabled like an iceberg, appeared to view, -and hills and valleys, with deep ruts and chasms, forming an -amphitheatre of vast dimensions, became more clear to the sight every -moment. Everything seemed mixed up and confounded by the uniformity of -colour. Rocks, valleys, and streams presented a weird and wonderful -aspect under new conditions where, like Hoffmann’s shadowless man, -every object was lighted up on all sides, equally, in the absence of a -central point. Scorched and charred and burnt, there was not a sign of -a tree or a shrub on the face of the whole landscape. Scoriæ and dross -and pumice-stone—nothing else, save the waters that lay bathed in -luminous silvery grey. - -From the vast panorama our hero turned his eyes upon his companions, -the vampires. They had cast the netting of the car aside. - -“Prepare thyself, mortal,” cried Lunar in a terrible voice. - -“Prepare myself, for what?” - -“For a header into the sea yonder beneath us,” answered the vampire -coolly. - -“Good heavens! Gentlemen, you really don’t think I can dive from this -great height! I shall be dashed to mincemeat,” responded the shepherd, -in a tone of consternation. - -The monsters only laughed at him, and repeated their command. - -“Descend a little lower, good Lunar. Do, gentle Dusk,” he pleaded. - -“We can’t. This is Moonland. Not enough gravity here,” they replied. - -“Moonland! Mercy on me! And shall I have to leave my old bones in the -Moon?” cried he in despair. - -“Plenty of ’em here—loads. Valleys full, as you’ll find. Come, jump!” - -“I won’t!” cried the shepherd in a savage tone. Whereupon the monsters -caught him with their claws, and threw him headlong from the car. - -The fall was frightful to contemplate, and I’m afraid it will be -necessary to allow the poor fellow seven days to recover his -equilibrium. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -If the unhappy mortal had been capable of thinking at the moment he was -hurled from the car by the vampires, it is more than probable that his -mind would have presented the picture of a terrible and instantaneous -death. Strange to relate, instead of the rushing, headlong plunge -downward, to be anticipated under the conditions, our hero found -himself gently floating in space with the buoyancy of one of the -feathered tribe. The dread and fear of death were lost, or rather -swallowed up in a nameless terror, at the unnatural position in which -he was placed. Yet there was no mystery in it. According to a -well-known law, the weight of bodies diminishes as they descend from -the outside of the Earth. It is at the surface of the globe where -weight is most sensibly felt, and it is just possible that, had we -accompanied the shepherd through the thick crust of the terrestrial -sphere, we should have soon discovered, as he did, that beyond, at the -other side, there is little or no gravity at all. Hence his peculiar -position. Indeed, it was most fortunate that the old man chanced to -have several nuggets of gold in his pockets at the time, otherwise, I’m -afraid he would have been suspended in mid-air like Mohammed’s coffin. -As it happened, gold turned the scale, even in Moonland, and enabled -the adventurous mortal to descend in a horizontal rather than a -vertical course to the shores of the Moon. - -Within his vision below lay a vast expanse of water; the rugged coast -bordered with majestic hills, torn by earthquakes, and blasted and -ravaged by volcanic fires. The waves broke on this shore with a dull, -hollow noise against the cliffs. Some of these, dividing the coast with -their sharp spurs, formed capes and promontories, fantastic in form and -worn by the ceaseless action of the surf. It was like a continuous -cosmical phenomenon, filling a basin of sufficient extent to contain an -inland sea, and walled by enormous mountains with the irregular shores -of Earth, but desert, and fearfully wild. - -If the eyes of the shepherd were able to range afar over this sea, it -was because the shadowless light brought to view every detail of it. -The expanse above him was a sky of huge plains of cloud, pale yellow in -colour, and drifting with rapidity athwart the firmament, where -appeared dark circles, rings and cones, in lieu of stars. Everything -that he could liken to aught on this globe seemed changed by some -potent power into opposite extremes. Downward, slowly but surely, -without the faculty to change his course either to the right or to the -left, the mortal at length plunged into the water. He was a capital -swimmer, and had no fear of being drowned. Imagine his dismay, however, -when he found himself sinking to the bottom like a crowbar, in spite of -his vigorous efforts to keep afloat. In vain he struck out and -struggled desperately to rise to the surface by use of legs and arms. -Vain and useless. Down he went, plumbing the depths below, until he -touched the bottom; then, to his surprise, he rebounded back again like -a cork, but only to go down again as speedily as before. - -The poor fellow had been pertinaciously holding his breath, as is -customary when bathing in terrestrial streams; and therefore when he -could no longer resist the unconquerable will of nature to draw breath, -judge of the consternation which laid hold of him, when, instead of the -choking gasp of suffocation anticipated, he found little difficulty in -respiration! In fact, that vast sheet was not water at all, such as he -knew it, but a subtle fluid, half way between a liquid and a gas, -which, though heavier than air, was yet so much lighter than water that -it was impossible for him to float in it. - -These discoveries come to him in quick succession, and created within -his mind the most unspeakable astonishment. By degrees, and after many -attempts, he found that he could walk along the bed of this strange sea -with comparative ease. Accordingly he straightway reached the shore and -sat down on the cliffs to rest. Wonder upon wonder had crowded so fast -and thick upon the bewildered mind of our traveller that his thoughts -were in a whirl. Yet another surprise was in store for him, for as he -extended his vision over the landscape he beheld a gigantic creature -approaching with prodigious bounds and flying leaps. In his utter -amazement he believed one of the rugged hills had been suddenly endowed -with life, and was hurrying on to crush him. Never before had the eyes -of breathing mortal rested on such a mammoth of human outline. No, nor -upon anything with such power of movement. He was not certain whether -the monster was leaping or flying, but he was quite positive as to its -extraordinary swiftness. - -In his terror the shepherd fled—when lo! he found that he too was -endowed with this singular force of locomotion. It is surprising how -fear lends a man wings. The terrestrial one didn’t need anything of the -kind, though. Incredible the springs and leaps he made over the high -peaks, across chasms and cliffs, and along the steep mountain-sides; -wonderful the feeling which changed from dread to exuberant delight and -ecstasy, and again to terror, as the mighty voice of the pursuer came -upon his ears like a peal of thunder. - -“Halt! Stop! Who art thou?” - -Had he been then and there endowed with wings, the old shepherd felt -that he could not escape from the owner of that voice. All he could do -was to cast himself flat on his face and await his doom in silence. - -“Shall Greencheese utter his command twice? Who art thou?” repeated the -mammoth. - -“Mercy, your Highness. I am only old Bob, the shepherd of the Blue -Mountains, New South Wales.” - -“Old Bob! Blue Mountains! Ha! Fuddle-fum. Well?” - -“Some fairies got hold of me t’other day, and bundles me down here, on -a sort of humberellar, your Worship; that’s all I knows about it,” -cried the mortal in a despairing tone. - -“Fairies! Mum! I know the rogues,” responded the creature quickly. -“Many a summer’s night I have watched their freaks and gambols among -secluded nooks and dells hidden away from mortal ken. Many a long hour -we have held converse together, in the silent ravines and woods, when -all the human mites of the Australian world were locked in sleep. Go -on!” - -“I knows noffin’ more, sir, only that I shouldn’t like to leave my old -body here!” cried Bob. - -“Ha! Buncham! Fi-pho—fiddle-faddlem! Thou shalt live.” - -“Thanks, your Highness.” And the shepherd lifted his eyes and gazed -upon his companion. The Colossus at Rhodes, towering high above the -lofty gables of the aged city, was but a pigmy in comparison. Ancient, -hoary Sphinx of the Egyptians, standing for countless years on the -shores of Father Nile, would have seemed a thing of yesterday beside -it. Nay, that primitive marvel, the figure of wood discovered in Joppa, -aged five thousand years, could reckon itself an infant in proximity to -this lunarian. - -Save the round, full, Chinese-like face, with its accompanying -tremendous mouth, and the faint outline of the human form, there was -nothing further to assist description of the creature except that he -was high and bulky beyond conception, and quite as transparent as a -lighted lantern. The face wasn’t at all unpleasant. It beamed with such -a broad, friendly, yet withal humorous, expression as it gazed down -upon Bob, that the mortal found courage to address it. - -“Please, who be you, sir?” - -“Me? I’m the Man in the Moon, of course,” replied the creature, -smiling. - -“Eh! Why, dash my old jumper, if I didn’t think as I’d seen your -countenance before!” answered the old herdsman with animation. “I can -tell yer, as ye comes out pretty strong sometimes on them ’ere -mountains t’other side of Sydney. Why, I’ve yarded many a thousand -sheep, and you’ve been a-looking at me all the while, eh?” - -The Man in the Moon nodded. - -“Ah, and I’ll bet you knows my old dog, Patch?” - -Another nod in the affirmative. - -“Brayvo! old boy. Why, we’re old chums. Shake hands.” - -“We never shake hands in the Moon, Bob; but I’ll embrace you,” cried -the lunarian, smiling; and suiting the action to the word, he suddenly -enveloped the mortal in such a broad beam of refulgence that the old -fellow appeared as if cased in polished armour. - -In accordance with the etiquette of Moonland, it would be rude to -disturb their tête-à-tête before next Saturday. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -“The presumptuous beings on earth have the impudence to tell their -children that the Moon is made of green cheese,” quoth the mammoth. - -“Indeed, sir, but that is very true,” answered Bob. “When I was a boy I -believed it was only a big cheese, and I can safely say that when I’ve -seen it in the water, up at Bathurst, where we lived, I’ve been silly -enough to wade into the water arter it, thinking to take it home and -have my supper off it.” - -“Ah, it’s rare fun to watch the moon-rakers try to grasp my shadow, -Bob.” - -“I believe you, sir. Lord, how you must laugh in your sleeve at ’em! -Your Moonship must look down upon many a strange sight,” said the -shepherd reflectively. - -The Man in the Moon smiled widely. “Humph! I look upon all kindred of -the terrestrial world,” he answered gravely. “I am but the pale -reflection of the great luminary, the Sun, whose slave I am. When he -fadeth from the surface of the globe, I borrow his beams and become the -watchman of the night. The mighty human beings, and the lowly; rich and -poor; the sinful and the good, are all beneath my vision. I watch the -murderer crawling with stealthy feet towards his victim, and I note the -robber lying in wait to plunder; I haunt the gloom where guilt and -misery lie huddled together in rags. Wickedness in high places cannot -escape me. Over the deep sleep of toiling millions my beams hold watch -and ward, kissing the rosy lips of innocence, where yet lingers the -soft breath of prayer. Hovering o’er the sighing maiden and the -restless miser, weaving fancies which fill the poet’s brain with -unutterable poesy, and with such shapes as live only in dreams of age -and infancy, and vanish with the light of morn. Cuddlephum! -Bobberish—Baa-lamb! Bo!” - -“Just so,” said Bob, opening wide his eyes at the strange words. “I -begs to say that French wasn’t taught at the school I went to. -Howsoever, I’m quite willing to dine with you, if that’s what you mean. -I’m beginning to feel pereshious hungry, I can tell yer.” - -“Hungry! Base mortal, there is no such word known here,” echoed the -monster. - -“Good heavens! No eating!” cried Bob, aghast. - -“None.” - -“Scissors! I’m afraid visitors from Australia won’t overrun Moonland, -if that’s the case.” - -“Peace! Follow me, and thou shalt taste nectar, which shall banish the -cravings of thy vulgar race.” - -The Man in the Moon bounded away over the pumice-stone crags like a -gigantic kangaroo, followed by Bob. Chaos and desolation were -everywhere visible around them. Sad indeed and supremely melancholy -looked the place. Mountains riven asunder; vast ravines and valleys -choked with bleached bones of monsters unknown to men; immense plains, -scattered thickly with the fossil remnants of ages; mingled dust and -huge mounds of bony fragments of animal and reptile, which a thousand -Cuviers could never have reconstructed. Up the rugged zigzags with -tremendous leaps, echoless, shadowless, and across the dust, silent to -their footfall, went the lunarian and the mortal. - -“This is a dreary place, sir,” muttered the latter, almost breathless -in his haste. - -“Peace, or perchance the forms of these dead monsters will rise to -rebuke thee!” answered his companion solemnly. “Here, where thou art -standing, these enormous animals of the first period lived and roved at -will. The human mind cannot conceive their colossal proportions, for -they were extinct many ages before the advent of man.” - -The shepherd followed his conductor in silence, wondering if it were -possible that these mighty dead could take shape again and swallow him -at one snap. Jonah had been bolted by a whale, but the skeletons of -these creatures appeared large enough to engulf a hundred whales a day, -and twice that number of Jonahs into the bargain. - -Bob was almost ready to sink down amid the Golgotha when the Man in the -Moon halted before a very high mountain. Making a sign to his companion -to follow, he quickly disappeared from view. At first it seemed as if -the mammoth had vanished within the mountain, but the mortal saw an -opening at the base which he entered. What a study for a geologist! In -the dim ages of the past, when the satellite of our Earth seethed and -boiled as a vast crater, the solid intestines of this cone, yielding to -some great power below it, had been riven in twain, leaving an -unmeasurable grotto of winding galleries. Toiling along in the wake of -the lunarian, the captive trod on a broad aisle, on each side of which -rose a series of arches succeeding each other, like the noble arcades -of some Gothic cathedral. Obelisk-like massive pillars stood out from -the rent wall like mighty sentinels guarding the wreck. Had our hero -been a mineralogist, armed with his hammer, his steel pointer, his -magnetic needles, and his blow pipe, what a fund of information he -might have gleaned here to place before the spectacles of professors -and philosophers! Nay, had he but possessed the faintest idea of the -science of building, what patterns, what studies around and above him, -for every form of the art to hereafter confound architects of the -nineteenth century! - -Poor Bob was neither a mineralogist nor an architect, so he passed by -these things without a second glance, and entered a vaulted chamber, -upon whose round, jagged dome rested the whole weight of the mountain; -the dented projections and the sharp points on wall and roof spun into -an endless network of lines and seams, luminous as all things here -seemed to be, and changing colour from silver-grey to deep crimson. - -Wonder had lost its functions for Bob the shepherd, otherwise he would -have stood aghast at the strange forms moving to and fro within this -chamber; round in shape, and taller than giants of long ago, with arms -and legs evidently telescoped at the joints, so that they could -lengthen or shorten them at will, and each shedding their quota of -refulgence to illuminate the scene. Monster glow-worms, gigantic -fire-flies, with the trickery of monkeys, and the strength of bears, -seized the shrinking man, and rose with him to the dome, which opened -instantly and engulfed them. Amidst a circle of light, which changed -quicker than the sparkles of a diamond, the poor shepherd found he was -being borne upward and hemmed in by a ring of these natives of the -Moon—upward and yet upward, without will to pause or stop, the mad -whirlwind of light ever changing, red, blue, grey, yellow, white, -azure, and the legion gathering in increased numbers every moment round -him until the climax came, and the crater, that had been silent for -countless ages, once more opened its ponderous jaws, casting him forth -as a rocket, where—amidst fiery rings and bars, and blazing stars of -light—he fell down, down, down into darkness and oblivion! - - - -“I say, mate, how far is it to the Blue Mountains Inn?” - -Old Bob, the shepherd, rubbed his eyes and looked up at the questioner. -He was a stout, thick-set fellow, with a heavy swag on his back, and a -black billy-can in his hand. - -The man had to repeat his query ere the herdsman found speech. - -“Why, surely, you’re not the Man in the Moon, eh?” asked Bob, with a -wild stare. - -The swagman stepped backward a pace or two, and regarded our hero with -more attention. - -“Man in the Moon!” he repeated. “Why, the old fellow’s gone off his -head.” - -“Where’s the others with the long legs and arms?” and the shepherd -shuddered. - -“He’s cranky, sure enough,” muttered the traveller audibly. “The coves -as you were asking arter are all gone,” he said aloud. “You get up on -your pins, or they’ll be back again Here’s a bob; come now, hook it, or -they’ll have you,” saying which the swagman went on his way. - -Our hero raised himself into a sitting posture. Before him lay the -verdant slopes and ridges of the mountain, bathed in sunlight. Yonder -his sheep fed peacefully, watched by the faithful Patch. Then the old -man raised his vision higher than the earth and thanked Heaven that he -was still safe and sound on terra firma. - - - - - - - - -“SAILOR.” - - -That great painter of animals, Sir Edwin Landseer, never sketched a -nobler specimen of the canine race than the big, black, curly -Newfoundland dog, Sailor, the hero of our story. He was a fine, -faithful dog, and almost as large as a young foal, and every bit as -frisky and as harmless, save when teased by naughty boys. If you tried -ever so hard you couldn’t hide anything from Sailor. You might fasten -him in a room and then attempt to conceal a ball, or a piece of wood, -in the garden or the stables, but the moment you set him free Sailor -would hunt the object out and return with it in his mouth. Besides -being sagacious, the faithful brute could dive and swim like a fish; -that is why he received such a suitable name. - -Captain Hauser, of the barque South Australian, had brought him from -India when but a puppy, but now the worthy captain had settled down -ashore with his two boys at Anchordale on the River Murray, and the dog -had become almost one of the family circle. - -On a very hot afternoon, and when the New Year was scarcely a score of -days old, Bertie Hauser and his cousin, Tom Blake, took it into their -heads to have a row down the river. Anchordale was a pleasant cottage -situated on the bank of the Murray, with a tiny skiff fastened to a -stout post at the end of the orchard. - -Bertie was only eight years of age, and Tom one year older; but the -boat being so small and light they managed to get afloat and paddled -away in high glee down the river. The dog, Sailor, was the only one who -had seen them depart, and he, with wagging tail and out-hanging tongue, -had begged, as only dumb animals can, to accompany them on their trip; -but Tom Blake said the boat would be swamped with such a cargo, and so -the lads had departed without him. Now, although Sailor was dumb, he -wasn’t blind. Neither was the poor brute wanting in instinct. Many a -day he had acted as a substitute for a pony for little Bertie, and had -even suffered the child to put a string into his mouth for a bridle, -and had trotted or cantered and walked up and down the lawn according -to the whim of his infantile rider. Indeed, Sailor was a kind old dog, -and probably thought it his duty to guard the person of his young -master, on land or on the water. - -Perhaps this instinct prompted the Newfoundland to crawl cat-like -through the dense scrub on the bank of the river and keep the skiff in -view. Be that as it may, the dog never lost sight of them for a moment. -He saw Tom Blake guide the boat into a wide part of the stream, and -where the banks were very high and almost as steep as the gable of a -house. - -“Oh, Bertie, here’s the place for a bathe. Are you game?” asked Tom, -rocking the boat. - -Bertie assented. They found a little cove, where they landed, and made -fast the skiff; then ascending the high bank they began to prepare for -the water. Both boys had been taught to swim—as all boys should be—but -Bertie and his cousin had been warned not to bathe down the river, -because there were places teeming with snags and dangerous -undercurrents. Tom and his companion had forgotten all about the -caution. The water at this spot appears very dark and still and cool, -with the shadows of the overhanging trees upon it, and the drooping -branches of the willows laving to and fro on its bosom with a dreamy -sound. - -“What a frightful jump!” cried Bertie, approaching the brink timidly, -and looking over at the river beneath. “It’s a high leap, Tom; hadn’t -we better go a little farther down?” - -“Not at all,” responds Tom, swinging his arms about above his head. “I -like a good header; you stand there and watch me dive.” - -Bertie stands aside and watches him. Tom retires several paces, starts -forward with a short, quick run, and springs headforemost from the -cliff into the river. For a moment the waters bubble and widen out in -circling eddies over the broad expanse. Bertie Hauser stands looking -down trying to trace the white, shapely form of his cousin cleaving -through the dark stream, expecting to see him rise to the surface -twenty yards away from where he plunged in. But many seconds go by, and -Tom Blake rises not, and poor Bertie, in an agony of suspense, calls to -him to “come up at once, or he will be drownded,” as if the treacherous -element would part its substance and carry his weak voice below, to its -holes and caves, where his companion is struggling for his little life. - -“Tom, Tom, dear cousin Tom,” cries the child on the bank, as the truth -begins to dawn upon him that Tom is drowning. “Oh! what shall I do to -help him? What shall I do?” When lo! old Sailor comes bounding towards -him with a joyous bark. The boy clutches his favourite by the ears and -draws him forward to the brink of the river, where, pointing down to -the water, he urges on the dog with voice and gesture. “Ho, Sailor, -fetch him out, old fellow, go on—bring him out.” - -Sailor needs no second bidding. Before Bertie has the words out of his -mouth, the dog comprehends the whole business, and leaps into the water -and disappears. How anxiously the child watches for his re-appearance! -At a spot half way up the stream, he observes the water begin to whirl -and eddy and bubble upward, as being disturbed by a great commotion -beneath; and here Sailor rises to the surface, and blows the water from -his snout, like a whale; but the dog is alone. There is no sign of poor -Tom Blake. Little Bertie becomes sick and faint with terror, but the -boy does not lose his presence of mind. He has every confidence in the -Newfoundland’s strength and courage. - -“Ho, Sailor, fetch him out, old boy, bring him out.” - -Downward plunges the gallant dog again, while his young master, naked -as he is, rushes down to the skiff, jumps in, and pushes into -midstream, running athwart the dog, as he rises once more. This time -Sailor has something in his mouth, but the boat knocking against him -causes him to let go. Yet he dives after it, and appears again in a -moment with the drowning boy. Sailor has clutched him firmly by the -hair of the head, and the dog’s great red eyes are all aflame as he -buoys up the insensible child and paddles the water with ponderous -strokes and lands him safe upon the bank. - -What avail little Bertie’s terms of endearment and the affectionate -appeals he makes to his still, silent cousin? Tom Blake is deaf. And -although Bertie may make a hundred promises of bats and guns and ponies -poor Tom cannot hear him. - -It is fortunate that two men with swags upon their backs are passing at -the time, who carry the unfortunate youth into the sunlight, and rub -his body vigorously with their hands until the vitality that was almost -extinct begins to revive again within him. - -When Tom had partly recovered and could speak, he told his uncle, the -captain, that when he dived he struck his head against a snag, which -rendered him insensible, and no doubt in that state he was being -carried away by the current when the dog found him. - -And poor Tom was grateful for the service, for when he was quite well -he bought the Newfoundland a grand collar, and had the following -inscription engraven on it:— - - - “Sailor, - - “Rescued Tom Anson Blake from drowning on the - 18th January, 187-, at Anchordale, River Murray.” - - - - - - - - -NELLIE. - - -CHAPTER I. - -Rain, rain—nothing but rain on this Christmas Eve, in the New South -Wales metropolis. Although it was in the heat of summer the wind from -the coast blew keenly through the almost deserted streets, and caused -the fine mist-like wet to penetrate the stoutest overcoat. It was such -weather that no one who had a roof over his head would care to be out -in. But there was one wearily toiling from street to street, beneath -the protection of the verandahs—a delicate-looking girl. With one hand -she was trying to wrap her scanty rags round her wasted body, and in -the other she held a half-dozen boxes of wax matches. Her face was -worn, and pinched, and dirty, but it was a very beautiful, patient, -little face; her hair, too, would have been a bright golden in natural -hue, save that it was shaggy and dirty also. It was to little purpose -that she offered her matches to the passers-by, who were few and far -between on this wet evening—they were all too anxious to get home out -of the rain. From the brightly lighted streets the little wanderer -crossed Hyde Park, and wended her way slowly up Oxford Street, and from -thence to the left, along the Bay Road, where dwell the wealthy and the -great. Why she had left the shops and all the busy part of the city for -the wide, bleak road, dotted with high, massive houses standing out -dark and cold in the falling rain, the poor child could not tell. -Impelled by some strange fascination, she had quitted her usual haunts, -and taken the opposite direction leading from her wretched home. -Although it was getting late, and past the time when she should have -returned, she had no thought of going home. Her memory was full of -faint, indistinct thoughts, whether dreams or faraway realities, who -shall say? She wondered why she had rambled so far from the city; but -she also felt she must go on. Her ragged dress was soaked with rain and -the keen wind was cruel and cutting, yet the poor little thing did not -feel the rain or the wind; on the contrary, she felt as if she was on -fire, save now and then there would pass a cold feeling all over her, -which caused a shivering fit. The match girl was well aware that she -would be beaten when she returned to her wretched dwelling, yet, -strange to say, she felt perfectly happy as she wandered farther away -from it. - -Half way up the Bay Road there came over the little waif a feeling of -dizziness, accompanied by a feeling of thirst, and again that burning -sensation which again changed into a cold shiver, as she stood there. -Close at hand there was a friendly porch belonging to a grand mansion, -so the child crept into it, out of the wind and rain, and crouched -down. No sooner had she done so than all her light-heartedness appeared -to leave her, and she burst into tears. It was very strange that -directly the little match vendor began to cry she heard a confusion of -sounds around her—wild, mocking laughter, and shouts, and stamping of -feet, and strange lights were dancing before her eyes. The stones on -which she was lying seemed to be heaving and tossing, and she felt very -frightened just for a moment, and then she fell fast asleep. - -These sounds still went on in her slumber, but they gradually got -softer and softer, and sweeter and more subdued, until they changed -into the most lovely music. And the little outcast thought she was -standing in the midst of a very beautiful garden, and somehow it -appeared to her that she had known it all a long time ago. The rain and -wind and the murky clouds had passed away, and it was glorious, sunny -day; the flowers were in full bloom. Voices of birds and insects filled -the balmy air, and gay coloured butterflies flitted here and there. -While she was standing, wondering that all these strange things should -seem so familiar to her, a handsome boy, with golden curls, approached, -and exclaimed,— - -“Oh, dear sister Nellie, come and play. Why did you go away and stay -away so long?” - -The dreamer looked up; she appeared to know the happy face quite well, -and she assured him in a voice, that was not like her old thin, weak -voice, but soft and clear, which seemed like a voice that had belonged -to her a long, long time ago,— - -“Indeed, I don’t know where I have been, Frank; nor why I went away. Is -it a long time since?” she asked timidly. - -“Such a long time, sister.” - -“I am here at last, Frank; and I will never go away again. Come, let us -play in the garden.” And then she took his hand, and they walked on -together amongst the flowers, while the thousand voices round about -gave gladsome welcome. All the old miserable life of the beggar child -seemed to fade quickly away here, leaving nothing save the feeling that -she had always been accustomed to the grand objects by which she found -herself surrounded. - -“Suppose we have a game of hide and seek?” suggested Frank. - -“That will be very nice; but who shall hide first?” - -They had a little consultation about that very important matter, when -it was decided that Nellie should hide first. It was most peculiar that -the name Nellie came quite natural to the dreamer, though she had been -called Maggie, Meg, and sometimes Peggy as long as she could remember. - -So Nellie went to hide, and she hid behind a rosebush, and there she -found a great hole in the ground big enough for her to creep into. Ere -she had settled herself, Nellie found that the hole led to a dark -passage, with a soft light glimmering at the end of it. Still -wondering, she went towards the light. Passing along through several -archways, the child emerged into a splendid cavern, lit up with many -coloured, sparkling lights from thousands of precious stones, with -which the sides and roof of the place were studded. While she was -standing awe-struck with amazement at this magnificent place, she heard -by her side a flutter of light wings, and turning, saw hovering over -her a beautiful little creature with long hair, which glittered like -woven sunbeams. The form was rose-hued in colour, and from its -shoulders sprang green wings, sheeny and lustrous as the throat of a -humming-bird. - -“Come!” warbled the being, and the voice was dreamy and sweet, like the -“coo” of a stock dove. “Come, and I will show you something wonderful.” - -And the lovely being took Nellie by the hand, and led the child through -a cleft in the rock to another room which was lined, roof, walls, and -floor, with soft green moss. All round the room were hung beautiful -garlands adorned with diamonds. Some fairly blazed again with gems, -others contained only a few, fixed here and there, while fairy-like -forms flitted to and fro continually, bearing in their hands more gems, -which they fixed into the garlands. The dreamer was very much surprised -at what she beheld. - -“Where do they get all those diamonds to put into the garlands?” she -inquired of her companion. - -“The diamonds,” answered her conductor, “are the tears of sorrow shed -by the unhappy people in the world; for always while they are weeping -there are unseen watchers ready waiting to receive their tears and -convey them here.” - -“And what are those very large gems, that shine so brightly in the -middle of the finished garlands?” - -“Those are tears of joy; no garland can be finished without them.” - -The child wandered round the chamber, and saw that almost all the -wreaths had some tears of joy and some of sorrow; but she came at last -to one that was quite full of tears of sorrow and in it no tears of joy -at all, while on it was a name, “Peggy the Beggar.” - -Scarcely had her eyes fallen upon the name than she awoke; awoke, and -beheld bending over her a lady with a lovely face; but she looked proud -and stern, and the little wanderer instinctively shrank away from her -and crouched closer to the wall. - -“How very tiresome that this wretched child should choose my porch, of -all places, to creep into for shelter,” cried the lady, in a cold, -unfeeling tone. “Yet I cannot turn the unfortunate thing away on such a -night as this. It’s a poor Christmas indeed for the poor child,” she -added, in a more tender way. “Here, Smith, take up this little beggar -and carry her to the kitchen, give her something to eat, and tell Jane -to put some dry things on her.” - -A tall servant came forward and lifted the ragged bundle of humanity in -his arms as tenderly as a mother would have done. The man had just such -another little girl at home, and his heart yearned with sympathy for -the outcast as he bore her along the great hall of the house. Certainly -the place was strange to the child; but as in her dream she seemed to -remember everything, so now it appeared to her that the objects upon -which she gazed had been familiar to her a long, long time ago, and her -dream came back to her so vividly that she cried out aloud, “Oh, Frank! -Frank! Dear brother, where are you hiding? Do come to me. Come to -sister Nellie. I am not playing now.” - -The stern lady had followed her servant with his living burden; but -when that cry reached her she stopped short, and grasped at the wall -for support. What sudden spasm caused the beautiful, haughty face to -grow instantly pale, and the tall form to bend trembling down as if -struck with palsy? - -“Oh, Frank, come to sister Nellie. Dear brother, come.” - -With a wild, hysterical sob the stately figure bowed lower yet, and -pressed her arms upon her throbbing bosom as if each of the little -outcast’s words had been cruel dagger-thrusts that were piercing her -through and through. - -Coldness, pride, the vigorous will, that moulds martyrs and devils -alike, was strong within the woman, yet the combination of all three -had no power against that weak out-cry—“Come to sister Nellie, Frank!” - -Ere the low, faint wail had died out, the proud lady had snatched the -poor child to her bosom, and covering the hot, unwashed face with -passionate kisses, cried aloud,— - -“I—I had a darling Nellie once, and a golden-haired boy also, whom we -called Frank, but they were buds that faded here to bloom in heaven. -And now their dear voices will never fall upon my ears again. Alas! -Alas!” - -Then like all else she had seen in this place, it seemed to the child -that the face of the beautiful lady was not altogether strange to her. -The very caress was like the endearing embrace of a mother, whose heart -had longed and yearned for her lost ones, and the poor little outcast -wondered how it all could be, until she lost all consciousness and -began to dream again. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -It was a long and troubled dream. Days and weeks appeared to pass away -in which the little sleeper could remember nothing clearly. At one time -the beautiful lady would appear to be bending fondly over her, and then -the face would change suddenly to that of a wretched hag, whom she had -known and called mother, in the miserable home she had within the slums -of the city. From this place came terrible voices in her ears, and -terrible things struggling round the bed. Flames of fire darted and -danced in her poor, weary eyes; but through all this she beheld the -fairy of the cavern appear again, holding in his hand the wreath -whereon was written her name. He held it towards her gleaming with -diamond tear-drops. How she struggled to reach it! The more she tried -the weaker she became, but it seemed to her that there was an invisible -arm round her for her to rest upon, and though faint and weary, her -failing footsteps ever got nearer and nearer the precious circlet. Then -followed an interval of soft, soothing quiet, and the eyes of our -heroine opened drowsily upon the waking world again. She felt very -weak, but somehow very happy. She was lying on a clean, white bed in a -comfortable room, which appeared as if she had seen it before somewhere -in her dreams. As the child raised her weary eyelids her gaze rested -upon the prostrate form of the lady kneeling by her bedside, with her -face hidden in the bedclothes, sobbing. The poor wanderer felt sorry -that one who had been so kind to her should weep in trouble, and -raising her little warm hand, she laid it on the beautiful head of the -kneeler, and uttered the familiar word, “Mamma.” - -The little sufferer knew not why that tender word rose to her lips -before any other; she only knew that the affectionate term was in her -heart and mind—that was all. - -At the sound the grand lady raised her head, and kissed the child again -and again with maternal fondness, her lips murmuring the while, “My own -darling child. My Nellie, whom I thought had departed from me for ever. -Heaven has been good to me.” - -Then for the first time the little match vendor shed tears of joy. -Sleep came to her again, from which she was aroused by the sound of -voices talking in whispers close to the bed. - -“I am so sorry to have disobeyed you, ma’am, but you must forgive me, -and let me stay and nurse my own little pet,” cried a girl’s voice in -pleading accents. “When they told me at home that the stolen child had -come home again to you, I couldn’t keep away. I know it’s all along of -my carelessness that she was took away. Yet I loved the deary and was -compelled to come, although you must hate the very sight of me.” - -“Hush, nurse, hush!” replied the lady’s voice sadly. “I am so glad you -have come. Since I lost my Nellie, and Frank died, and my dear husband -perished at sea, I have been a friendless, lonely, and unhappy woman. -Now my lost darling has been restored to me again the world will not -seem so bleak and weary. You shall stay and help me nurse my stolen -baby into health again.” - -It seemed very strange to the child, as she lay back in the bed, to -learn the early history of her own life; how she had been stolen away -when she was only a wee toddler; how her brother, just one year older -than herself, had pined and died for his sister; how the poor mother, -with all her grand and fashionable friends, had felt herself deserted, -and had hardened her heart against all good influences, until the cry -of the frightened little outcast had reached and softened it. - -There were long, weary watchings by the couch of the sufferer, filled -with anxiety and suspense. For the mother who had found her lost one -had a vague dread haunting her that her darling might be snatched -ruthlessly from her a second time, and by a foe more terrible than a -kidnapper. The child’s sleep was filled with dreams of angels. They -carried her again and again to that rocky chamber where hung the -garlands; and each time she found her own all ablaze with tears of joy, -and nearly finished. - -On one occasion she stretched forth her hand to take it, but the fairy -came up to her and said,— - -“Not yet, my dear; you shall wear it very soon.” - -The child related these dreams to her mother, who answered nothing, but -fell down upon her knees and prayed that the garland should not be -completed yet awhile. - -Nellie could not understand all this, but one night she felt very weak -and cold. Her mother was seated by the bedside gazing with greedy eyes -at the poor, worn, pinched-up little face. There were others in the -room, but the patient now saw only her mother. - -“Dear mamma!” - -“What is it, my darling?” - -“I have seen the garlands again. Mine is finished at last.” - -The face of the lady grew very pale. She hid her weeping eyes and -muttered,— - -“A little while longer, only a little while.” - -“I know what the garland means now, mamma; I am going to die,” - -“Oh no! my dear, long lost pet, not yet, not yet. I cannot spare you, -now you have come back to me. Stay with me a little while—just a little -while. You are so very dear to me.” - -Who shall say what agony of supplication in that low wail of entreaty? -Who shall fathom its intensity? - -“But you will come too, mamma?” said the weak voice, now grown very -weak and feeble. “You have cried so much, your garland must be nearly -ready.” - -A great sob, which shook the tall, shapely figure like a reed, was the -only answer. She raised her head at length, and the eyes of mother and -child met. - -“Oh, when I get there, I’ll prepare your garland, mamma,” came the -faint voice, almost in a whisper now. - -For a moment there was a wild light in the poor mother’s eyes. The -words appeared to stir some old memory in her heart. She looked into -the peaceful face of her dying child, and the voice became more calm -and steady. - -“It is very hard to part, my darling, very hard; but I will try to bear -it all, so that tears of joy may mingle with tears of sorrow in my -wreath of immortality.” - -The words fell on an ear that heard them not. There was a look on the -child’s face that caused the mother to rush forward and throw her arms -about the poor weak clay, as if to stay the departing spirit in its -flight. - -“Oh, mamma! there is little brother Frank with my garland. See! he is -beckoning to me.” - -And then the weary little head fell forward on the mother’s shoulder, -and the tired spirit entered into rest. - - - - - - - - -IN THE CLOUDS. - - -They came to the boy one night when he was abed, and said they would -take him with them in their fairy balloon. - -Willie Fenton told his father and mother that he had seen the elfins, -and what they had promised him, but they only laughed at him and told -him he had been dreaming. - -Our hero wasn’t to be convinced that it was only a dream. Hadn’t he -seen them—three fairy creatures no higher than his top—enter his -bedroom through the keyhole, and seat themselves on his pillow, and -begin talking about the glorious sights to be seen in the clouds? - -If Willie Fenton had been born up in a balloon his youthful fancy could -not have been imbued with a greater passion for the sport. Indeed, -since he was a child of four or five years old our youthful aeronaut -had blown soap bubbles, and had watched them soar away in the sun, -glistening with all the hues of the rainbow, and his dreams at night -and aspirations by day had been to emulate those daring spirits who -surpassed the mighty eagle in his flight into the bright blue sky above -the clouds. - -Willie’s home, situated on Mount Pleasant, was in the vicinity of many -a romantic spot calculated to favour the elves in their adventure, and -one fine morning, as the lad was returning from a neighbouring farm, he -espied his three nocturnal visitors seated under a large gum-tree -awaiting him. Willie recognised them in a moment, and doffing his cap -said, “Good-morning, gentlemen.” - -The fairies rose and saluted him, and answered that they were quite -ready to fulfil their promises. Our hero thanked them for their -kindness, and at the same time expressed himself quite ready to -accompany them. Whereupon the three elves conducted him in silence -along a narrow ravine which opened out on a still, quiet glen on the -banks of the river. Fastened securely between two huge trees, Willie -beheld a great, pear-shaped thing, swaying to and fro with the motion -of the breeze, and at which the elves pointed and said, “Behold, our -cloud car.” - -Yes, it was a grand balloon, already inflated and with a cage attached, -bordered with wild roses and creepers, that reached from the apex of -the monster down to the car beneath, which hung suspended, like a -flower-pot in a balcony. How it surged and struggled desperately with -the wind, as if it were endowed with life, and wished to escape from -fastenings that held it, and soar upward! And how frail it appeared, as -Willie approached and examined it! Was it made of cloth? No, too fine -for cloth. Cotton? Nay, it was too soft for cotton, or silk either. Yet -the whole fabric seemed no weightier than a gossamer. The fairies -smiled at the boy’s curiosity, and invited him to enter the car. Our -little hero had no sooner complied than the elfins seated themselves at -his side. And one of them, who had a bright diadem glittering upon his -breast, stood up and waved his hand as a signal, when instantly the -balloon shot aloft with inconceivable velocity. - -The young mortal closed his eyes and held his breath for one brief -moment; but when he looked forth, the earth appeared to be miraculously -vanishing from his sight. Although the ascent was fearfully rapid, the -motion of the balloon was quite imperceptible. The morning was bright -and sunny, the sky a deep, Prussian blue, and as the boy craned his -neck over the cage and gazed below, what a glorious sight met his view. -There stretched beneath him were the golden valleys of his birthplace, -with hundreds of farms dotting the landscape, and no bigger than a -child’s toy. From his elevated position the houses were as so many -dots, and the people in the fields as tiny ants. The flowing Torrens, -that had seemed so broad and deep, appeared as a silver thread, and the -high cliffs and hills were on a level with the dull round earth. Willie -Fenton felt not the least alarm; on the contrary, his courage rose with -the balloon, as it sped upward to the sky. The elfin with the diadem -threw out some pieces of paper, which seemed to drop like stones. This, -however, was not so, but only the effect of the terrible rate at which -they were travelling. Higher, higher, still higher. Now they -disappeared from view, in a thick vapour forming the white clouds, -which looked so light and fleecy from earth. The balloon did not remain -long in these, but quickly rose into a clear atmosphere beyond. And -here the scene changed to one splendid in the extreme. Above them -nothing but the big round sun, and the deep azure of the heavens. -Beneath no dingy earth, dim and gloomy, but a brilliant sea of -sparkling cloud, rose tinted, dancing and flashing in the sun’s rays. -The cloud completely hid everything below, and lay beneath like a huge, -rolling billow, the top of which flashed back the sunlight till our -hero almost fancied it was a wave of driven snow spangled with -diamonds. How long Willie might have remained in his rapt trance of -wonder it is hard to say, but he was aroused by a feeling of cold, and -a difficulty in breathing. - -“Our mortal friend will find it very chilly up here,” said Pippin, who -wore the diadem, answering the boy’s unspoken words. - -“It has grown very cold indeed, gentlemen,” rejoined Willie, his teeth -chattering as he spoke. - -“Ha, ha! Listen to him, Needle; hear him, Bobbin; he’s beginning to -cry out already!” cried Pippin to his companions. “Cold, eh? Well, we -have a cure for cold, and for frost and snow—whole mountains of it. Eh, -Needle?” As Pippin spoke, he unrolled a parcel which had been lying -unnoticed at the bottom of the car, and produced a cloak made of the -same material as the balloon. Without more ado they enveloped Willie -from head to heel in the garment, with just sufficient space left clear -about his eyes so that he could see, the rest of him being completely -covered. In a few moments he began to breathe more freely, and the -rarity of the air made no impression upon him at all. - -“You feel all right now, Willie Fenton?” questioned Bobbin. Willie -mumbled, and nodded his head in the affirmative. - -“Let us mount higher then, my brethren. Excelsior!” exclaimed Pippin of -the diadem. “Bold indeed the mortal who first conceived and carried out -the idea of making the unstable element water subservient to his -genius, as witness the ships that come and go on the bosom of the -ocean; but it is left to us, the elves of Australia, to curb the air -and make it do our bidding. Higher and higher go we, to show this -mortal the wonders of the upper world.” - -Upward still, beyond the cloud which breaks for a moment and gives them -a glimpse of the sea, and the coast-line away to the westward seeming -no broader than a single thread. And now the cold became intense, but -the fairies and their companion felt it not, for their gaze was fixed -upon a sight that no emperor or king had ever seen—and perchance never -would. If all the diamonds in that rich valley visited by Sinbad the -Sailor, also all the gems which Aladdin’s lamp could have procured, and -all that ever have been seen in the world had been pressed into the -service—they would have failed utterly in producing one tithe of the -strange sight Willie now saw. The whole dome of the balloon was covered -as it were in a diamond mantle. A shower of glittering gems was falling -in all directions, apparently coming from the blue void above, and -sprinkling down, with a fluttering motion like that of butterflies, and -then disappearing in the vast abyss below. - -Lost in amazement at this marvellous vision, the boy frees one of his -hands, and reaches to catch one of the heavenly gems; but he discovers -the diamond shower is in reality only thin sheets of newly-formed ice. - -The elves laugh at him and the look of wonder on his face. And Pippin -explains in a grave tone, “Boy, we have entered a region where some -watery vapour hath been, which the cold hath turned into ice, and now -being heavier than the atmosphere falls fluttering to the earth. -Towards the earth, I say, since I know well it will never reach it, -because before it can do so it will encounter a warmer region, when the -ice will again become water and the water vapour. Do you understand?” - -“Oh yes. It’s the vapour which makes the clouds, isn’t it?” answered -Willie. - -“Just so,” replied the elfin. “And now having fulfilled our promise, we -will descend again to old mother earth.” - -Like a streak of light the fairy balloon shot downward through the -glittering, diamond shower, through the mist and cloud, until the -bright landscape appeared in view. The elfins, Pippin, Needle, and -Bobbin, landed Willie safely by the river-bank, and the boy reached -home just in time for dinner. - - - -The three elves still haunt that dell by the Torrens, so if any of my -readers are anxious for a trip in the fairy balloon, I have no doubt -Messrs. Pippin & Co. will be only too glad to oblige them—that is, if -they are at home. - - - - - - - - -WONDERLAND. - - -Mount with me, my little friends, upon the wings of fancy. Don’t be -alarmed—the conveyance is perfectly safe, and warranted free from -accidents. Hi, Presto! Here we stand upon the famous Blue Mountains of -our neighbour, whose glens, dells, and deep ravines are haunted by -creatures beautiful beyond conception, and grotesque, and stranger than -any painter dreamed of. Yonder, on the mountain-side, the western train -is seen puffing its way along the gigantic “zigzag,” like a huge -serpent, and whose hot breath takes weird shapes before it is lost in -the blue haze above it. Beneath, on that natural terrace of rock, -stands the humble hut of the charcoal-burner, whose single window -overlooks a deep valley of monster trees—fallen and half-buried amongst -great blocks of stone and rank vegetation. - -But who is that woman who is wringing her hands, and calling and -weeping by turns, as she runs to and fro among the chaos of undergrowth -and the ledges around? It is the wife of the charcoal-burner, and she -calls for her two children, who have wandered away and become lost in -this wild region. It was early morn when they strolled forth to -play—Edith and Winnie, both little toddlers, and quite helpless—yet the -sun is on the rim of the horizon and they cannot be found. - -“Coo-ee, coo-ee!—Winnie—Edie, my darlings, where are you? Oh, where are -you?” cries the poor mother; and her voice grows faint and weary as she -calls to the echoing cliffs about. She becomes aware that some one is -answering her as she is about to retrace her steps to the hut. The -voice is far off at first, but it becomes gradually nearer and nearer, -until a rough mountain goat with long horns presents itself before her. - -“I am here. What do you want with me?” it said, bowing itself before -her. - -It was a beautiful animal, with a soft, white, silky fleece, and large, -kind-looking eyes, while its voice sounded so full of sympathy that the -suffering mother answered readily,— - -“Oh, sir! I have lost my two children; pray tell me, have you seen -them?” - -“I have seen them,” answered the goat. “And if you have sufficient -courage to follow my advice they shall soon be restored to you. I am -the guardian sprite of this glen, which my race have occupied since the -Flood. Here on this mountain are two kingdoms; the one on the surface -called Love; the other, beneath the surface, termed Hate. We are ever -at war with each other; therefore, I am here to serve you. Learn, O -mortal, that Croak and Gloom, of the lower world, have stolen your -children, and they have hid them within the bowels of the mountains.” - -“Then they are dead, and I shall never see them more,” replied the -woman, falling on her knees and weeping bitterly. - -“I have said they shall be restored to you again,” replied the goat -quickly. “My power is far mightier than the whole nation of Hate -combined. Have you faith that I can help you?” - -“Yes,” she answered, “because Love is stronger than Hate.” - -“Good. Extend your hand and pluck a tuft of hair from my right side, -roll it in your fingers, then twist it round your finger above your -wedding-ring.” - -The charcoal-burner’s wife did as the goat desired her, but she had -scarcely finished before the animal vanished from her sight, and she -felt herself bodily lifted up, and borne away over the deep ravine, and -across over-hanging cliffs and the tops of tall trees, and away down -into a yawning chasm, which seemed like a deep and bottomless well. -Down, down, she went swiftly, yet with an easy, sliding motion that was -not at all unpleasant, while she felt no fear, save for the fate of her -little ones. She had a feeling of a powerful presence being near and -about her—extending from the finger on which was twisted the goat’s -hair round and round her person, and beneath her feet, like the strong -net-work of a balloon. Even when the void grew dim and black, a strange -glow, emanating from the ring, lit up the darkness and revealed to her -wondering eyes many earth-bound treasures. Here gleamed thick seams of -coal, and there slabs of tin and copper ores, and beyond these shone -white masses of stone, like marble, with thick veins of gold therein, -which sparkled athwart the woman’s eyes, and made her almost forget her -children, so great became her desire to possess some of it While she -cogitated she suddenly became conscious that she was upon her feet, -standing before a large cavern gate, guarded by a tall griffin, who -cried out the moment he espied her, “Who dare enter into the realm of -Hate?” - -And the woman answered quickly, “Love. Love dares everything, because, -being pure, it is fearless. I have come to demand my children.” - -The monster laughed at her, and advanced with a large stone to dash out -her brains; but the white goat, transformed now into a handsome youth, -with a sharp, gleaming sword in his hand, advanced boldly to the -rescue, and soon defeated the grim warder, took his keys without more -ado, and opening several doors, led his companion through a labyrinth -of caves until they reached a second gate guarded like the first, the -warder having the body of an ass and the head of a wolf. “Who knocks at -the gates of Hate?” he said fiercely. - -“Love,” answered the valiant fairy, waving his sword. - -“Love isn’t wanted here,” replied the monster. “Begone! Or I will kill -you both.” Whereupon he opened the gate and advanced towards them; but -the elfin engaged him at once, and so great was his power that he -overturned the creature in a moment. - -“Now, Malice, I have thee,” cried the brave sprite sternly. “Yield up -thy keys and get thee hence, and hide thyself, together with Envy, at -the outer gate, for if I find you here on my return I will slay you -both.” - -Malice gave up his keys and ran howling along the rocky caverns of the -place; while Love, the elfin, led the woman onward through a catacomb -of dismal vapour, which ended in a series of arched chambers, draped -and festooned with sheets of solid gold. The horrid creatures who -inhabited the place were hideous and frightful to behold. Some had two -heads, others were without legs or arms; many crawled like snakes, and -not a few presented the appearance of being half man and half beast. -These monsters fled in all directions at the sight of Love, and so he -passed onward unmolested until he came to Cavernous Hall—the palace of -Croak and Gloom—and here he found the two great chiefs of Hate with the -children, Winnie and Edith. The hall was filled with the rank and -fashion of the nation to see the wonderful mortals of the upper world; -and into their midst walked Love and the woman hand-in-hand. - -“Who are these strange people?” cried the terrible voice of Gloom, -grasping the little ones in his arms, for they had uttered a glad cry -at sight of their mother. - -“My children! Oh, give me my children!” pleaded the woman. - -“Mortal, how came you here?” inquired the grim Croak. - -“It was I who guided her hither,” answered the elfin. - -“Then thou shalt die,” exclaimed the vast throng, as with one voice. - -“Not all your hosts of this dim region nor your power can destroy me. -Dash me to pieces against the rugged walls of your palace, burn me to -ashes, and scatter them to the vapours, still I shall rise up stronger, -in some other form to give you battle. Give the woman her little ones.” - -“Beware! Let the race of this mortal give us back our stolen treasures. -They have invaded our domain, and have rifled it of some of its richest -treasures. Through soil and rock and granite they have delved down, -down into this under world, until we could hear the ring of their -tools. And we have seen them change our dim regions into a wilderness.” - -While Croak uttered these words the elfin glided swiftly forward, -seized the children, and placing them safely in the mother’s arms, -cried hurriedly, “Begone; run to the outer gate, and my power shall -bear you company and carry you swiftly to the upper air. Quick!” - -And the woman, pressing her babes tightly to her throbbing bosom, fled -away, and rising through the mists which obscure the lower world, -regained the hut on the cliff; while Love battled with the legions of -Hate, and battles with them still—ay! and will battle with them to the -end of time. - - - - - - - - -BABY’S VISITORS. - - -Open the window, wide. How serene and peaceful it is out yonder, where -the stars gleam and sparkle—some faint and small as a diamond speck, -others large, clear, and dazzling, as the eyes of angels gazing through -the dim void earthward to that little room where Baby sleeps the sleep -of death. It may have been the shadowing of that radiance, attendant on -the sinless ones, whom we call angels, which had cast athwart the -infant’s features a sheen of glory, and changed them into the seeming -of a sleeping cherub, or perchance the immortal glow that shimmered, -widening and circling as it fell, was but the forerunner of that -celestial band who bridge space and suffer little children to go unto -Him! - -See the mother kneeling beside her dead babe, her slender frame -convulsed with agony. Not a tear, not a sob, that breaks forth for her -lost darling but freights its newly awakened soul and holds it backward -from the angels. How can it soar while the kindred spirit below wails -its absence, and every moan shouts, trumpet tongued, “Come back! Come -back!” - -“It was my world,” she says, “my whole world, and it has gone from me -like a vision. Alas! Common things live on; earth’s mighty heart still -throbs! Creation lifts its voice in sea and air, and in the world’s -great mart. Music, life, and motion are everywhere, save in my babe.” - -Alas! for thee, fond mother, whose vision mounts no higher than the -baby’s cot. Alas! for thee! - -Frail, yet beautiful, were the creatures who entered at the open -window. Softly as kindly thoughts that gathered round the infant -sleeper in wonder, and laid a ring of flowers about it, until they -formed a rosy cradle. And then, as the sighing wind or those more -delicate strains heard in dreams, the voices of the elfins rose upon -the stillness of the night like silver bells. - -Solemn was their chant, and weird and fanciful, which anon changed to -lighter vein and measure. The mourner heard the sounds, and wondered as -the cadence rose and fell upon her grief-dulled ears, but the singers -were invisible to her. - - - “Nurslings of the summer air - Buzz, buzz, here, there. - So we! quaint and gay, - Antic gambol, - Gnome and Fay. - - “Whispering to the smiling moon, - Trill, trill, ‘Come soon.’ - So we! quaint and gay, - Antic gambol, - Gnome and Fay. - - “As the breezes come and go. - Hum, hum. Just so. - So we! quaint and gay, - Antic gambol, - Gnome and Fay.” - - -As a single drop of water contains things with life and being, which -cannot be seen with the naked eye, so in space dwell the creatures of -the imagination, both wise and beautiful, being full of love and -sympathy for mankind and goodwill towards women and young children. -Show me a selfish, disobedient boy, or a naughty girl, who ever saw a -fairy. You can’t. I defy you to produce one. But many a bright youth -and pretty maiden, who love truth and obedience better than play or -lollies, can testify that the lovely persons who came to them in dreams -were the same who now stood round the cradle of the dead baby. - -How these wee people had loved it, and had kept watch and ward over it, -ever since they had espied it in its basket cradle downstairs! Fresh -from the mysterious star-world, of which they knew nothing, they had -marvelled at it, and had crowed and cooed and sung to it, until it had -begun to know them, and answer after its fashion, and laugh, and shake -its fat, dimpled fists and crow too. - -How they had watched it when it slept, and filled its tiny brain with -innocent visions pure as the setting sun! How they had caused their -magic to mantle its slumber, and the little rosebud mouth to open out -in smiles! How silent and still now! No smile parts the pale lips. Not -all the witchcraft in Fairyland, nor all the songs sung by sprite or -fay to fretful babyhood, can lift but even one slender hair from those -drooping eyelids which shroud the dim, blue eyes. - -“Baby’s dead,” said one, and “Dead, dead, dead,” repeated all the elfin -circle. - -“Let us bear it hence unto the open glade. The bright beams of the -morning sun will bring back its look of gladness, and we shall hear its -voice again.” - -“Ay, bear it hence,” replied the chorus. - -Cradled in the wild flowers they had spread around it, the elfins -carried off their silent burden, and laid it gently within a scented -grove, and as the glorious morn broke forth to life and gladness, the -birds gathered together in the fairy haunt and sang a requiem. - -Up rose the sun and filled the dell with golden splendour. Its shining -beams spread through the foliage in amber-coloured radiance, and played -about the fair head of the dead baby until the creatures around shrank -back in awe at the sight; but the sun brought no light to its eyes, nor -smile to its lips. And so they carried the infant back again within its -little room, and departed wondering. - -Oh, weeping mother, whose bitter tears have drenched thy baby’s winding -sheet, had’st thou faith even as a grain of mustard seed in the Master, -thou couldst see above thee, beyond that cold, dead clay, the forms of -angels bearing thy little one to eternal rest. - -Oh, ye parents, shall I preach to you, as well as to your children? Ye -who, when your daily task is done, sit brooding o’er the loss of some -fondly remembered child, now sleeping its long sleep in death, take -heart if ye have loved it; then it is not dead, but lives again within -you. Love cannot die, for it is as immortal as the soul. Like Jacob’s -ladder, it is the broad pathway from Paradise to earth, by which our -little ones come back to us in visions and in dreams to give us -assurance of the tender care of God. - - - - - - - - -RUBYWINGS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE JOURNEY. - -Come with me for an hour, out of the hard, stony by-ways and hot, dusty -thoroughfares of this work-a-day city. - -Mount behind me on the broad wings of this carrier-bird, which most men -have, yet which no mortal hath ever seen! Sit close and fear not, for -our pillion is soft and easy, the steed safe. Now mount and away! - - - “Where silvery songs of bird and bee, - Of leaf and lake and stream, - Round us hum and flit and flee - While we linger silently - In our noon-tide dream.” - - -Nothing but ice! Walls of it, peaks, spires, towers, grottoes, floors. -Ice everywhere! It is of all manner of delicate hues—pale green and -blue; and where the edges catch the sun it shines even brighter than -the glitter of a thousand clustering diamonds. This is Silverhaze, the -border of Fairyland. The King of Silverhaze stood at the ice-bound -portal of his kingdom, when he observed the approach of a very old man. -The gait of the mortal wayfarer was slow and feeble, and he often -paused to rest ere he reached the gates where stood the monarch. - -“Who lives here, Spirit?” he asked of the Frost King. - -“I,” responded the tall, bearded form, in a sweet voice which sounded -like a song heard a long way off. - -“Where is Fairyland, and how am I to get there?” inquired the old -gentleman in a faint tone. - -“You are standing on the boundary line of the region you seek,” -answered the King; “this is the wall encircling the land of the -Australian Elves, O mortal!” - -“What a thick rampart of ice!” exclaimed the old man, curiously -inspecting the great white barrier. - -“True,” answered the Frost King. “This wall is made from the dew and -rain of Earth that are not delicate enough to moisten the tender grass -of Elfland. I catch the mists as they wreathe themselves upward, and -divide them; that which has touched and been tainted with the under -world I build up into these icy walls; that which is pure as the -morning cloud floats on into the country where you are going.” - -“Thank you; may I wander onward?” - -“Ay! Few come here to break my repose. I live here alone. Continue your -journey onwards towards Moonrise, and you will see all you want.” - -“Shall I see everything, O King Frost?” - -“Nay, that will depend on yourself. If you can fling away from you -every thought that is not fit for the pure mind of an innocent child, -then shall you behold wonders.” - -“Alas! great King, I am afraid I cannot do that. Who can, who can? In -my youth I never heard of this glorious Fairyland. Childhood, young -manhood, mature age, were all spent by me in getting and hoarding -money; and now the time is drawing near when I must depart; but ere I -go I want to view the silver mosses and green slopes of these regions.” - -The old man bent low before the Ice Monarch, whose cold blue eyes -changed to flashing steel. - -“I can help you,” he answered. “Come here, and let me touch your -forehead. If you wish it in your heart, I will draw from you your -memories and thoughts, and send you a child into Fairyland. Your past -will lie here for you in my ice cave, a burden or a blessing, for you -to resume as you go out.” - -“How, a burden or a blessing?” asked the mortal. - -“That again will depend on yourself; according to what you see in your -travels will your past seem to you on your return.” - -“But you said I should see all.” - -“You will have the power of seeing all, yet you will only see that -which you care to look upon.” As the Frost King spoke, he advanced and -touched the mortal’s brow with his finger. While he did so there glided -beneath the old man’s feet a silver cloud-car, which instantly -enveloped him and carried him away from the ice-clad border with the -swiftness of a sea-gull. Amazement grew upon him as he felt himself -borne away and no visible thing in view. Then remembering what the -Spirit had said, he exclaimed aloud, “Can I not see what is about me?” - -The words were hardly uttered when he perceived that he was the -occupant of a gorgeous conveyance drawn by a team of butterflies, with -a lovely child seated therein driving them. Wonderful indeed the -delicate tints and shades which the moonbeams had woven in her robes. -Still more wondrous the blended purity and beauty of her face. -Exquisitely, deliciously soft and musical the voice that addressed him -in accents like the soft south wind, wooing the trees at summer’s -eventide. - -“Welcome, Sir Mortal. Welcome to Elfland.” - -“Dear child, art thou a fairy?” he cried in surprise. - -“Yes! My name is Rubywings,” she answered, with a beaming smile. - -“Rubywings,” he repeated. “It is a delightful name, my child; but why -do they call thee Rubywings?” - -“Because I am Queen of the Butterflies,” she replied; “and because I am -also the messenger of Peace and Charity to the good of the Earth. -Invisible to all else of mortal birth am I. Peace! Let us onward.” - -Brilliantly flashed the wings of the butterflies as they wafted the -cloud-car, light and joyous as the golden orioles that flew before -them. Here they fluttered among curious rocks of veined and marbled -stone, here and there soft mosses, which grew in little clumps, some in -scales, like trays on which stood silver cups for the fays to drink out -of. Then ferns peeped out with their long tresses that blew backwards -and forwards in the wind. A trickle of water began to flow from a deep -cranny, and tall plants blossomed along its course. Suddenly they came -upon a wide, beautiful plain, robed with such lovely, silk-like grass, -only to be found in these regions. Here tall palms tossed their -feathery heads, while creepers, bearing flowers, streaked with gold and -brown, climbed about their trunks. - -Still onward, with but a passing glimpse at the emerald carpet beneath, -until they reached a fine lagoon, in the midst of which an island -appeared to view, so fair and beautiful that the rest of the landscape -turned bleak and barren by comparison. Over this wondrous place -Rubywings guided the cloud-car. Landing where a mossy bank sloped -gently to the water, the fairy led her companion into such a charming -garden that a burst of rapture broke from his lips at sight of it. The -most refined imagination of mortal man never conceived such a world of -rare beauty. No seasons came and went here, the flowers bloomed -eternally. Like a jewelled crown encircling the brows of a queen, so a -vast ring of pale blossoms surrounded this bower of loveliness—primrose, -with her beseeching face, shy snowdrop, loving violet, with her whisper -of summer, glad hyacinth, ringing a peal of bells, whose faint tinkle -came upon the mortal’s ears, like subdued melody. - -Rubywings pointed out a soft couch of ferns, bordered with lilies, and -said,— - -“Rest thee here awhile, O mortal. Sleep, dream, bewilder thyself. When -thou wakest, thine eyes shall open upon the ministering spirits of -Nature, which I go to bring around thee. - - - “‘Bi baby bunting, - I am going hunting - For the shadows as they fly, - For the winds to waft them by; - Bi baby bunting!’” - - -Ere her childish song had ended Rubywings vanished, and the mortal fell -asleep. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -SHADOWS. - -The old mortal, whom the fays had christened Ready Money, slept soundly -in that island garden into which he had been guided by Rubywings. And -as he slumbered, behold the Fairy Queen approached with a golden wand -in her hand. She stood over him and gently waved the wand to and fro, -when lo! the flowers around and about instantly assumed the shape of -frolicsome sprites who formed themselves into a vast ring about him. -Again Rubywings lifted her enchanted staff, and the trees receded -backwards in the distance as so many drifting clouds athwart the -horizon. And waving her wand for the third time, a sudden darkness -shrouded the island save where the man reposed. - -Round that clear, circular space, bordered by the crowded ranks of the -elves, there shone a brilliant, steady, silvery light, brighter than -the sun and softer than a moonbeam. - -Rubywings stooped and whispered in the sleeper’s ear. And as she did -so, the magic ring widened and widened out, until at length it appeared -to encompass the whole landscape. The beautiful light increased -simultaneously with the wonderful expansion of the garden, thereby -adding a tenfold beauty to every object upon which it rested. - -“Behold, mortal, this is the valley of the shadows. First lift thine -eyes,” cried the fairy. - -Ready Money obeyed, and saw much clearer than with his waking sight. -Into the shimmering ring there glided the Monarch of the Shadows. He -was not at all black or gloomy. Not in the least—his manners were soft -and engaging, and his robe was decorated with all kinds of delicate -tints, brown and silver-grey, and violet shaded with faint blue and -azure. All the fays bowed down reverently before him, because they knew -he was the greatest Shadow in the land. Painters loved him and made -charming pictures of him, and poets sang of him and wrote songs in his -praise, and yet neither painter nor poet could tell how great, how -magnificent and glorious he was. - -Troop by troop, rank and column, the Shadows came out of the ravines, -valleys and dells, and from the clefts in the hill sides, and from -amongst the rocks, and approached the King in due order and gave an -account of their several missions. - -Some told how they had spent their time in sick rooms, where people lay -tossing in pain, and how they had rested the eyes of many a weary -sufferer, and shielded them from the glaring light, and how sometimes -they had gathered thickly round them and lulled them into health-giving -sleep. Others spoke of travellers far from home, who, longing to see -their wives and children or friends once more, had been comforted by -the Shadows, who took upon themselves the dear home figures and the -scenes of home. - -The mortal listened eagerly to every word uttered by these ministers of -Nature. Hitherto he had believed that Beam and Shadow alike had no -life, any more than the particles of dust beneath his feet, and were -just as useless. What sick couch had he visited? What heart comforted? -What good accomplished for the benefit of his kindred? Why, the very -Shadows, dim and soulless as they were, had done more good than he had -done, and Ready Money trembled as the thought came home to him. One -grand fellow bent his tall form before the Shadow King and said that -when the summer sun waxed hot and fierce over the Australian Continent -he cast himself across the fiery pathway of the burning rays, thereby -refreshing many a broiling citizen, and making cool and restful shade -beneath tree and hill, and giving beauty to field and stream, by -throwing lovely, translucent shadows over them, and so bringing out to -full perfection the form and colour of all created things. - -Then there advanced Shadows of a gloomier, darker hue. Drooping, -careworn, and sorrow-laden, they had come from the houses of the very -poor, from courts of justice, from prison cells where criminals sat in -silence and despair. Many had come from homes where there was no love -of parents; where wives and husbands were at strife; where fierce -words, and cruel blows, and hard usage were the rule of daily death in -life. Others had just left places of business, where men, who ought to -know better, toiled year after year to increase their wealth, striving -after gold, lying and cheating for it, holding it tightly when they had -it, and shuddering as the time drew near when they must go hence and -leave it all to others. - -If these Shadows, fresh from counting-houses and cobweb-covered -chambers, wherein sat men faded and wan, as the colourless walls around -them, if they had been the Shadow only of this listening mortal, they -could hardly have presented a more realistic picture of his life in the -past than they did in their report of others. - -Lying there powerless, there came upon him a strong desire to get back -amongst his fellow-men if it were only for one short month—nay, but -only the length of a brief day; for in it what good might be done and -what atonement made! Alas! for our resolution. Ready Money was fast -held beneath the influence of the wand of Rubywings, and therefore -could not budge. - -When the grim Shadows rested, there came an altogether merrier group -upon the scene. These related how they had given their attention to -schoolrooms, alarming idle boys and girls by bringing the Shadow of -their teachers upon them just in the middle of a game of romps. Others -again had had rare fun with naughty little folks who were going to help -themselves to sugar and jam, by looking over their shoulders and making -believe that some one was coming. - -Next the house Shadows took their turn, and showed how they engaged -themselves, by making pleasant figures on the floor and walls, dancing -in the firelight, and playing bo-peep in the curtains on winter -evenings. When all the reports were finished, the King called to the -Wind to dismiss the Shadows. - -Then the Wind came, and the Shadows, ere they took their departure, -amused themselves as they liked best. In the most surprising manner -some played leap-frog, hide-and-seek, and blind-man’s-buff. Others -raced along the sward and up the side of the hills, like so many -will-o’-the-wisps; many changing into all kinds of strange and -fantastic shapes, until the silver light dimmed and died out, and the -beautiful garden resumed its grandeur as before. - -And a change came o’er the slumbering mortal. Slowly he opened his -eyes, but the fairy with her enchanting wand was not there, nor the -flowers and trees. Nothing, save the high boundary wall of ice and the -white-bearded Frost King standing near. - -“Resume thy earth-woven memories, O mortal!” he said in a grave, solemn -tone. “Stand upright that I may touch thee. So! Go thy way for a brief -season. In thy daily wanderings here and there thy former friends shall -not recognise thee! From henceforth, Greed, Selfishness, Envy, and all -of that nature that were dear to thee, shall become thy bitter foes. -Remember what the Shadows said. Farewell!” - -Down, earthward, with tottering and uncertain step went the mortal; -downward, along the broad, sunny pathway, where innumerable birds sang, -and trees waved, and where the low, hoarse murmur of bread-winning -millions ascended to the Creator. - - - - - - - - -LIFE AND DEATH. - - -Once upon a time an old man and a fairy sat by the wayside talking. - -“When the world was first created,” said the elfin, “it was appointed -how many years each creature should exist. So the horse came and -inquired how long he was to live. - -“‘Thirty years,’ he was told, and then was asked, ‘Is that sufficient?’ - -“‘Alas!’ replied the beast, ‘that is a long time. Think how many -wearisome burdens I shall have to carry from morning to night beneath a -hot sun, that man, my master, may eat bread and live at ease, and I -receive nothing but blows and hard words, and must yet keep always -active and obliging. The time is too long. Take away some of my years, -I pray.’ - -“So the horse was pitied, and a life of only eighteen years was -appointed to him. Whereupon he went gladly away; and the dog then made -his appearance and asked,— - -“‘What is the duration of my life?’ - -“‘How long do you wish to live?’ was inquired of him. ‘Thirty years was -allotted to the horse, but that was too much for him; perhaps you will -be satisfied with that term?’ - -“‘Do you think so?’ answered the dog. ‘Remember how much I shall have -to run and bark and bite. My feet will not last the time, and when I -have lost my voice and my teeth, and can neither bark nor bite, what -will then be for me but to crawl and howl from one corner to another?’ - -“Therefore the dog’s plea was granted, and twelve years appointed for -his age. After which he departed and made room for the monkey. - -“‘You will live thirty years willingly, no doubt,’ was said to the ape. -‘You need not work like the horse or the dog, and therefore will always -be well off.’ - -“‘Indeed, it should be so’ replied Jacko, ‘but I have found it -different. Mine is anything but a life of indolence. I must always be -aping my betters, and making comical faces for people to laugh at. Many -a hard nut I have to crack. And as sadness is often hidden beneath a -grin, so have I to show my teeth, even if they are aching with pain. -Please shorten the years of my life.’ So ten years were allotted to -him. - -“Last of all man appeared, healthy and vigorous, and requested a term -to be appointed to him. - -“‘You shall live thirty years,’ was the reply. ‘Is that enough?’ - -“‘What a short time!’ exclaimed the man. ‘Just when I shall have -cleared my land, built myself a house, and lighted a fire upon my own -hearth, and I am thinking of enjoying life, I must die. I pray let my -life be lengthened.’ - -“‘Very well. The eighteen years of the horse shall be added.’ - -“‘That is not sufficient,’ said man. - -“‘You shall have also twelve years of the dog’s life thereto.’ - -“‘Still too little,’ replied the man. - -“‘Then you may have the ten years allowed to the monkey, but you must -desire no more.’ - -“Man was then obliged to leave, but he was not satisfied. - -“Thus man lives seventy years. The first thirty are the days of his -manhood, which pass quickly away; he is then strong and lusty, works -with pleasure, and rejoices in his being. Then follow the eighteen -years of the life of the horse which brings in its train burdens which -he must bear from the rising to the setting of the sun, and wherein -blame and abuse often reward him for his labours. Next come the twelve -years of the dog, during which man has to sit in corners, because he -has lost the power to bark and bite. And when this time is up the ten -years of the monkey bring the close of the scene, for in these man -becomes foolish, gabbers and jabbers without end, and is fit for -nothing but——” - -The elfin paused, and gazed earnestly at the mortal. - -“But what?” cried the old man. - -“But—Death. The portal which leads into the vast unknown, and from -which we elves are debarred,” responded the fairy. - -“And what is Death?” - -“A certainty, O mortal, for all thy race. No more or less than that. -Ere I go hence from thee for ever hear this fable:— - -“In olden times a giant wrestled with this terrible enemy Death, and -vanquished him. As the grim foe lay helpless by the wayside he began to -grumble. ‘What will be the consequence of my downfall to the world? If -I lie here, then it will be so full and crowded with humanity that they -will not be able to move for each other.’ - -“Just then a young man came up the road, strong and healthy, singing a -song, and looking well about him. As soon as he perceived the conquered -one he went up to him, and compassionately raising him, bound up his -wounds, and nursed him until strength returned. - -“‘Do you know who I am?’ asked Death, when he was fairly on his legs -again. - -“‘No,’ replied the youth. ‘I know you not.’ - -“‘I am Death,’ he replied. ‘I spare no one, and can take no excuse from -you even. But to show you that I am not ungrateful, I promise not to -take you unawares, but I will send my messengers before I come and -fetch you.’ - -“‘Very well,’ said the young man, ‘that is a bargain. Until your -harbingers come I shall be safe from you.’ - -“With this understanding the mortal pursued his way merrily, and lived -in prosperity for some time; but youth and health will not remain for -ever. Pain and sickness and grief came, and the man complained that -there was no rest for him night or day. ‘I shall not die,’ he said, -‘for Death must first send his messengers; but I wish these fearful -days of illness were over.’ - -“Health returned again, and he began to live as usual. One day, -somebody knocked at the window, and looking round he saw Death standing -behind him. ‘Follow me,’ he said. - -“‘How so?’ exclaimed the mortal. ‘Will you break the promise that you -made to me, that your servants should first give me notice ere you -appeared? I have not seen them.’ - -“‘Be silent,’ replied Death. ‘Have I not sent you one messenger after -another? Did not fever come and seize you and lay you prostrate? Did -not racking pain oppress your limbs, noises sound in your ears, a -dimness cover your eyes? Above all, did not my twin brother, Sleep, -remind you every night that I should come?’ - -“And the man knew not what to reply, and was therefore taken away.” - -When the elfin had thus spoken he vanished from the mortal’s view. - - - - - - - - -GIANTS. - - -I, Martin Crowe, am a book-loving vagabond. Reading hath charms for me -not to be found in men or women. My few quaint volumes are my -companions and my friends. True, I cannot borrow money from, or use -them according to my worldly necessity; nevertheless, they speak to me -in many voices, some in tones of deep wisdom, others in the witchery of -suggestive imagery, until my humble study, with its scanty furniture -and bare walls, vanish altogether from my outward senses. - -It is late. On this long winter night I have been deep into the pages -of the famous astronomer, Newton; and although I have laid down the -book before me on the table, my mind is still busy at the threshold of -the mysterious realm of Nature, to which I have been introduced by the -wand of the magician. If knowledge is power, it sometimes happens that -the power does not bring happiness in its train, but often assumes -strange shapes. As I sat and looked with vacant eyes at what, for the -moment, I saw not, behold the table before me became gradually -luminous. At first the light was flickering and uncertain, rising and -falling in a shapeless mass, but it quickly brightened into a -spiral-shaped luminary, which presently assumed the form of a venerable -old man. - -I cannot venture an opinion as to the means employed by my strange -visitor for his entrance into my chamber, any more than you can explain -to me the manifestations of clairvoyance and electro-biology. - -From the first appearance of the light, and during the subsequent -gradations which qualified my vision to discover a personage with the -aspect of a seer of the olden time standing at my side, I have no clear -idea of anything save that of being held by an all-powerful spell -towards him. I had studied animal magnetism, and curative mesmerism -under Tom Buckland, and knew a thing or two with reference to passes, -currents, and counter-currents, but I found my will ebbing away before -the steady fingers and calm eyes of the stranger, whose stronger -influence seemed to wrap me round and round as with a band of steel, -utterly powerless to speak or move, except at the will of my companion. -Yet I felt my sensations in rapid play to all around me. Nay, more, the -sense of hearing and observation seemed marvellously quickened within -me, and the intensity of thought brightened from the gross element -which had previously partially obscured it. The shape found voice, and -addressed me:— - -“Young man, I am the guardian of Nature’s chief secrets,” it said, -replying to the unasked question on my lip. “Men call me Knowledge, but -my name is Science. What dost thou want with me?” - -I found the power of speech return to me ere the last words were -uttered. - -“Let me behold some of Nature’s secrets,” I cried eagerly. - -“Thou art a bold mortal.” - -“I am earnest. Even as the aspiring thoughts that meet me in this book, -I would soar and know.” - -“Of course,” replied the voice. “Although I come to thee in fairy form -and guise, I am the servant of thought. It was not the uttered word -that did summon me, but the force of the inward wish to understand -within thee. Well, I am here. If thou wouldst see some of the giants of -the future, follow me.” - -I had no will but to follow him, as he led the way out of the doorway -into the silent night, under the whispering trees beyond the city, -across the bridge of the river, and away to the summit of a hill, with -the waves of the gulf thundering at its base. - -“All human knowledge commences in dreams,” he said in a low tone. -“Trance hovers over measureless secrets, and forms the first faint -bridge between them and thought. Look steadfastly on the moon yonder.” - -I obeyed in silence. I had no power otherwise than to obey. As I gazed, -the pale orb of night appeared to expand and dilate until its luminous -circumference diffused all space, and in the midst of this shining -atmosphere I became aware of a strange sense of heavenly liberty -pervading my whole being. It seemed as if hitherto I had been bound -with a strong chain, which had suddenly snapped asunder, and had -yielded me unutterable freedom from the body, and had imparted a -bird-like lightness which floated me into space itself. Through this -space a swift succession of shadowy landscapes rolled; mountains, -trees, cities, ships, and inland seas glided along, like the drifting -clouds seen in a stormy sky, until at length, settled and stationary, I -saw a vast cave in the heart of a gloomy forest. - -“Enter, and beware of Fear,” cried the voice at my side. At the sound -the ecstasy and lightness which had been upon me faded away, and a sort -of languor seized my frame, without communicating itself to the mind. - -Downward by a stairway of rugged rock I was led into what seemed a -terrible abyss. Round and round in spiral form we descended for many -miles, amid noises loud and new to me, when our farther progress was -abruptly stopped by a massive door formed in the solid rock, and which -was guarded by monsters of various shapes, called Ignorance. Erect and -threatening they rose to crush me, but at sight of my conductor they -fell down again in abject submission and opened the door; whereupon we -passed into a mighty cavern, so wide and so lofty that its magnitude -astounded me, its limit reaching far beyond my range of vision. Here I -beheld huge giants, mightier than ever appeared in legend or fairy -tale. Many were toiling hard, some lay reclining, as if just awakened -from a deep sleep; while others slumbered peacefully. Dim and -indistinct as the light here glimmered, I could see the ponderous -shapes plainly. With the will to question my guide came the power of -speech. - -“Who is yonder fellow,” I asked, “seated astride the trident rock? What -huge limbs he has!” - -“That is young Australia,” replied the voice. “The ages have cradled -him. He is only a baby awakened out of his first sleep. I predict the -infant will develop into a magnificent giant by-and-by,” rejoined the -voice. - -“What is the name of this powerful-looking creature here with the -gigantic head?” I inquired, pointing to a monster who seemed but just -awakened from a long nap. - -“Electricity. It is a name but little known as yet,” replied the sage, -“but your children will see this new land filled with its wonders. You -see the giant has only been disturbed, not awakened.” - -“Why do they not rouse him up to action, O wise sage?” - -“Because the time for him to use his great and varied powers has not -come,” answered the voice gravely. “Powers wrested from Nature for the -benefit of mankind may be also turned into a scourge for the innocent. -A Titan war is waging ever among men, the good for ever on the -defensive, the bad for ever in assault. Perchance ’tis well the giant -sleeps.” - -“There is another giant standing near Electricity, whose proud look I -have often noted on the faces of men I have met. Who is he?” - -“He is called Money, otherwise Cash, often Hard Cash,” replied the -voice in answer. “Truly he is a powerful fellow. Sometimes great and -god-like in his liberality, at other times he is mean and selfish. Mark -what an affinity between him and the prostrate monster. In the far-off -future, I see them hand-in-hand together, working a wonderful change on -the face of Nature and in the condition of mankind.” A faint smile -passed across the features of the sage as he uttered the words. - -“One question more. Pray tell me the name of yon noble creature who -seems as though he were able to prop the globe single-handed?” - -“Ah, that is the twin brother of young Australia, and his name is -Enterprise,” added the voice proudly. “Up and doing, early and late, -ever active and daring in speculation. Australian Enterprise has -promised that this, his country, shall be the commercial focus of the -earth some time in the future, which shall also uprouse these -slumbering giants.” - -The voice ceased speaking; but another voice, well known to my waking -ears as that of my landlady, filled the vacuum, with the following -choice sentence:— - -“Mr. Crowe, I hopes you remember that I’m a widder with five innercent -children to keep, and can’t afford to let you fall asleep and burn -every drop of ile out of the lamp for a guinea a week, washing -included! There now!” - - - - - - - - -THE KANGAROO HUNTER. - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE LOST DRESS. - -His hut stood on the border of a vast and unknown tract of bushland, -away north. Why he had removed from all traces of his fellows to lead -such a lonely mode of life we cannot pretend to explain. All we know is -that he was a tall, handsome young fellow, and known to a few of the -out-station boundary riders as Bob, the Kangaroo Hunter. - -One day Bob had chased a fine old man kangaroo that he had wounded -farther than usual into the trackless depths of the bush. As he was -returning homeward along the margin of a small lagoon he perceived an -article of very fine linen lying on the sand. Our hero came to a dead -halt, and stared at the article in question, with as much astonishment -as if a white elephant had presented itself in his path. He took up the -linen, and the more he examined it the more puzzled he became at the -discovery. Bob was a capital shot, and could track game like a -blackfellow, but the finding of a piece of soft cambric in such a -solitary region bothered him completely. After supper he sat and -thought over it, but gave it up by-and-by and went to bed. - -Somewhere in the dead of night the hunter was awakened by a voice -calling him by name. He could not see anything, for it was quite dark, -but he felt as if it were some one moving up and down over his bunk, -and at the same time a soft, gentle voice repeated, “Bob! Bob! Bob!” - -“Here I am,” he answered. “What do you want?” - -“Please give me back—my—my—dress,” replied the voice in hesitating -tones. - -“Eh? what?” cried our hero, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “What did -you say? Your dress?” - -“If you please,” continued the voice pleadingly, “the article you found -on the shore of the lake yesterday—it is mine. Pray return it to me.” - -“Oh!” said Bob, “why, that was a lady’s——” - -“I know it,” rejoined the voice quickly. “Oh dear. It is mine. I am a -lady.” - -“Pray wait one moment, madam, and I will strike a light.” - -“It is useless. You cannot see me, I am invisible,” replied the voice. - -“Indeed!” ejaculated Bob, “that is a pity. However, I will return to -you what I found upon one condition.” - -“What condition?” - -“Tell me who you are.” - -“Alas! I am the daughter of a mighty chief, whose race and dominions -are far beyond the ‘Lubra Mountains,’ but I have fallen into the power -of a wicked magician, who has confined me on the highest summit of the -Granite Cliff. Every day I am allowed to bathe in the lake accompanied -by an old hag called Mother Growl; but I cannot return without -my—my—dress. Yesterday I was obliged to stay by the lake, and I’m -afraid the cruel witch will kill me if I’m detained here much longer.” - -The low, plaintive voice touched the heart of our hero, who replied, -“Rest easy, poor child. Here is your garment. Yet ere you depart tell -me if I can help you out of the hands of your enemies.” - -“Can you climb the Granite Cliff, which is as steep and smooth as a -polished rod of steel? You cannot. Farewell!” - -“Stop! Where there’s a will there’s a way,” said Bob. “With your -permission, I mean to try and do it; but I never heard of the Granite -Cliff. Where is it?” - -“The path lies beyond the lake towards the plains,” answered the voice. -“Yet do not attempt to go, for there are horrid birds and beasts who -will devour you. More I dare not tell you.” So saying, the voice died -away in the stillness of the night. The warning uttered by the voice, -instead of deterring the young hunter from approaching the dreadful -cliff, only made him the more determined to make an effort to rescue -the lady from her thraldom. At the break of day he arose and loaded -his gun, slung his pouch—containing powder and ball—over his shoulder, -put some food in his bag, and started off for the lagoon. He traversed -the country beyond the lake for some considerable distance without -meeting a living thing and, feeling hungry, seated himself beneath the -shade of a large tree to eat his dinner. He had not been seated many -minutes when a gigantic bird alighted overhead and eyed him with some -attention. Bob observed it was as big in the body as an emu, with broad -wings, long beak, and talons like an eagle. Our hero had seized his gun -for a shot, but he dropped the weapon as the bird called out in a -hoarse tone,— - -“Hello! Who are you?” - -The hunter was dumb with surprise, but at length found voice to reply, -“I’m a traveller.” - -“Oh, and what are you eating?” said the bird. - -“Kangaroo,” answered Bob, smiling. - -“I’m very fond of kangaroo. Can I dine with you?” - -“Certainly,” replied our hero; “come down and I’ll share with you.” - -The strange bird did not wait for the invitation to be repeated. In a -very short time he devoured the lion’s share of the lunch, and he and -our hero became very friendly. - -“What kind of bird are you?” - -“I’m a gum-hawk,” cried he, stretching his huge wings. “We are the -giants of the feathered tribe hereabouts.” - -“You are a monster,” responded Bob in admiration. “I suppose you are -quite strong enough to carry a man like me?” - -“I’d carry two such as you,” answered the gum-hawk quietly. “Only try -me.” - -“Perhaps I may,” said Bob. “Do you know a place named the Granite -Cliff?” - -“Rather; are you going there?” - -“Yes,” answered Bob, “if I may depend on you to convey me so far.” - -“Of course I will, with pleasure; one good turn deserves another. Get -on my back,” and ere our hero knew what he was about the bird rose with -him into the blue void high above the tree-tops. Bob held on tightly, -but without feeling at all alarmed at his dangerous position. From his -elevated post he had a splendid view of the surrounding country. Far -ahead in the distance he beheld a colossal peak, standing darkly out -above the surrounding hills. Its sides were almost upright, and shone -in the sun like polished marble. - -“What mountain is that yonder?” he inquired of the gum-hawk. - -“Mountain! That is the Granite Cliff.” - -“I have a large piece of kangaroo still left in my pouch,” rejoined the -hunter after a pause. “The meat shall be yours if you set me down on -the summit of the cliff.” - -“Don’t go there,” answered the gum-hawk in a warning voice. - -“Why?” - -“Because it is the home of wicked people, who will kill you.” - -“I have no fear on that head. Will you have the meat?” - -“Certainly, if you are determined,” and the friendly bird, finding that -our hero was resolved, flew to the apex of the rock, and there left -him. - -The summit appeared quite different to what one would have imagined it -to be from the plain. It seemed to the eyes of Bob a small island in -itself. There was a wide, clear space whereon stood an old stone house, -and before its door a very large water-hole, and behind a dark belt of -dense bush, which almost obscured the setting sun. - -The young hunter saw neither man nor beast; all was still, save the -noise of the wind among the trees, while close above his head the -clouds were rolling along. - -Bob stepped up to the door of the hut and gave it a hard thump with his -gun. Immediately an old woman with red eyes and a brown face opened it -She had goggles upon her nose, and looked at him sharply before she -asked him how he came there. - -“A gum-hawk took me up in his talons and dropped me upon this -mountain,” responded Bob readily. - -“Well, what do you want here?” - -“Entrance, my supper, and a night’s lodgings, dame.” - -“That you shall have, but you will have to earn what you get here by -difficult work on the morrow.” - -“I am prepared,” said Bob. - -“Very well. Come in,” she cried, and immediately closed the door. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -QUIZ. - -There was nothing extraordinary within the house on the Granite Cliff. -If Dame Growl had any suspicions with reference to the visit of our -hero, she kept them to herself. Bob was provided with a good supper, -and a bed afterwards, where he slept as sound as a cockroach until the -morning. The sun had hardly begun to peep over the top of the mountain, -however, when the old woman shook him roughly by the arm. “Get up, you -sluggard!” she cried. “You don’t remain here and eat idle bread; you -must work—work!” - -“All right, dame,” responded Bob cheerfully. “I’m not afraid of work in -any shape.” - -The witch laughed grimly, thereby disclosing her black, ugly teeth. -“Oh, you are a wonderful fellow, but we can match you here; we’ll make -you work—work!” - -She hobbled off into an adjoining room, and returned with an old -battered thimble, which she held out on her skinny forefinger. “Here, -take this,” she cried. “Now go, and empty the water-hole out there.” - -“What! with a thimble?” cried Bob. - -“Yes; and you must finish your task before evening; also take out all -the small fish, and range them according to their species on the bank. -Do you hear?” - -“Of course, good dame. Anything besides?” asked the hunter with bitter -irony. - -Mother Growl disclosed her teeth at him in answer, and left him to his -toil. - -Poor Bob stared at the water-hole for a good half-hour, without seeing -what his gaze rested on. He had expected some reasonable work, but here -he was set to do an impossibility. The hole was a very large one; -almost as wide as the mouth of a river. How then was he to bale it out -with a thimble? It appeared very absurd; nevertheless, our hero was -determined to try. He began his work, but he found it labour in vain. -When noonday came he stopped, and sat down to rest. “It’s quite -hopeless for me to try and empty out all this water to-day. Why, it -would take me a thousand years to do it at this rate,” he cried, -raising his voice. “Indeed, I don’t see the use of making a fuss about -it; it will be the same whether I work or not. I wonder where the witch -has hid that lady that came to my hut?” And with this new turn to his -thoughts Bob sat by the water-hole and made circles in the water with -the pebbles at his feet. - -As he sat there and shied the stones into the water-hole, he heard some -one cry out as if in sudden pain! Bob stared around and about him, but -he could see no one. - -“Oh dear! you have struck me on the head!” exclaimed a voice. - -The hunter rose quickly to his feet “Who and what are you?” he cried. - -“Can’t you see who I am? Look here, on the water,” repeated the voice. - -Our hero turned his gaze in the direction indicated, and beheld a large -frog swimming towards him. - -“Pray who are you, sir?” inquired Bob, filled with amazement. - -“I’ll tell you that presently,” responded the frog, as he crawled up -the embankment. He was a fine, speckled fellow with a big head, long -arms and legs, and a considerable paunch, which showed that he was fond -of his food. - -“I was just taking my usual mid-day bath when my ears caught your -reproaches with respect to emptying this lake,” said the frog, at the -same time bowing very politely to Bob. “May I ask if you seriously -intend to attempt the task?” - -The young hunter briefly explained the whole circumstances of the case. - -Froggy listened quietly, and then replied, “Be content. I will help -you.” - -“How can a frog help any one?” cried Bob contemptuously. - -“Wait and see. I am not a frog as you suppose. This skin is a bathing -dress, nothing more. They are very fashionable in Elfland at present. -Of course the robe is not elegant, but it is comfortable. How do you -like it?” - -“Are you a fairy?” inquired Bob, not heeding the last remark. - -“I am that. Everybody round here knows Quiz the Sprite. I’m Quiz.” - -“Ah! I’m sorry that stone hit you on the head.” - -“Never mind. It didn’t hurt me much,” answered Quiz. “Now allow me to -help you with your task.” - -“Can you really help me?” - -“Certainly. Old Dame Growl is no friend of mine; and I have those with -me who can execute any tasks she may find for you to do, no matter how -difficult they may be.” - -As Quiz spoke, he opened his speckled covering, and out stepped three -little men, no bigger than one’s thumb. The first was slim and slender, -with a very resolute face, the other two were strong and robust. - -“These creatures may appear to you quite insignificant,” continued the -sprite, “but they are not so. Stand aside and watch what this, the -smallest of them, can do.” Saying which Quiz made a sign for Bob to -retire a few paces; which he did. - -“Now, Resolute, give us a taste of your quality, by emptying out that -water-hole,” cried Quiz. - -Ere the words had left the elfin’s mouth the wee man advanced, and -said, “Out, water—out, fishes,” and immediately the water rose in the -air like a white vapour, and rolled away with the other clouds; while -the fish all jumped out and arranged themselves on the bank according -to their size and species. - -“Well done, Resolute!” shouted Bob, in ecstasy. - -“Dame Growl will set you harder tasks to-morrow than this one,” resumed -the sprite. “Yet keep good heart, and I will help you to accomplish -them and to rescue the chief’s lovely daughter from her hands. -To-morrow I shall see you again.” - -And with another polite bow, Quiz gathered the wee little men beneath -his skin, and hopped away to a deep crevice in the cliff, where he -vanished from sight. - -When evening fell the Witch came forth from the house leaning on her -staff. - -“Ah, sluggard!” she cried, “if you have not done the work I gave you I -will have you thrown head-foremost from the cliff.” - -Bob laughed, and pointed with his finger to the lines of fishes and the -wide, empty water-hole. - -Dame Growl held her skinny arms aloft in amazement. - -“Who has done this task for you?” she shouted in unbridled passion. -“Tell me who it was, and I’ll have them boiled, roasted, and baked for -my husband’s dinner.” - -“I sha’n’t tell you anything, dame,” answered Bob. “You gave me a job -to do; there it is done, according to order, and now I want my supper, -please.” - -The old woman looked silently and maliciously at him for several -minutes, and then replied, “Very well, very well; doubtless you are a -wonderful fellow; but I have a task in store for you to-morrow which -will tax all your cleverness to accomplish. You got off too easily -to-day. Wait till to-morrow.” - -Bob followed her as she went towards the hut, muttering under her -breath and shaking her staff at some imaginary foe. He ate his supper, -like a man who was hungry, and then retired to rest for the night. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -A SLEEPING BEAUTY. - -When morning dawned, the enchantress conducted Bob to that belt of -trees before mentioned and which was situated to the rear of the hut. -“See here, my son,” she said, with a wicked leer, which made her face -look positively odious; “your task to-day will be to cut down every -tree on the cliff—split and cut the timber into short lengths; then you -must pile the whole into one great stack, so that we may have a beacon -to light the night hereabouts.” - -“Is that all?” answered Bob, with self-feigned contempt. “Why, dame, I -could stand on my head and do all that.” - -She shot another evil glance at him from beneath her shaggy brows. “I -care not how you stand,” she replied, “only the work I have given you -must be finished before evening. You came here on a very foolish -errand, but you do not return without your lesson.” - -“What errand, dame?” - -“To rescue my prize. The maiden who lost her robe, eh?” - -“The lady is here, then?” - -“Ay, and likely to remain here, foolish boy,” she cried. “Get to -work—get to work. Faint heart never won fair lady. Ho! Ho! Hi! Hi!” -With these words she gave him an axe, wedges, and a mallet, then -hobbled away to the hut. - -Bob gazed after her with a confident smile on his handsome face. “None -but the brave deserve the fair,” cried he as he set to work at his -task; but at the first blow he discovered that his axe was only lead, -and also that the wedges were made of tin. - -“This is too hard,” he muttered angrily. “The affair with the thimble -was bad enough, but this promises to become a trifle more interesting. -What’s to be done now? I can’t fell trees with a leaden axe, or split -logs with tin wedges, that’s certain. Well, I may as well take it easy -till the fairy comes; he’ll help me out of it all right.” With this -philosophical view of things our hero stretched himself full length -beneath a huge gum to await his friend. - -The morning had become intensely hot and sultry, therefore it was much -more pleasant in the shade than felling trees in the full glare of the -sun. So Bob thought, as the morning waned apace, and the heat grew more -intense. Noontide found the young hunter still reclining in the shade, -and not a tree down. If they had given him a proper set of tools he -could have made a start at all events; as it was, he could only strain -his eyes looking for Quiz to make his appearance, and he was growing -tired even of that. Try as he would, he could not keep from nodding. -The deep stillness, the oppressive heat, together with that low, -buzzing, sleep-producing sound of insect life, appeared to draw down -his eyelids as if each of them had been freighted with a four-pound -weight. In the midst of his torpor, however, Bob felt a sharp pinch on -his leg. Looking up, the first thing upon which his gaze rested was a -very tiny lady dressed all in red. Close by stood a magnificent little -carriage, from which the lady had evidently just alighted. Such a -small, funny conveyance Bob had never seen before. It was constructed -entirely of wild flowers, and drawn by six well-matched locusts, in -lieu of ponies, with a butterfly for a coachman. By the side of the -latter Bob recognised the two little men whom he had seen with Quiz the -sprite. - -“Pray, what are you doing here?” inquired the small lady in shrill -tones. - -“Alas, madam,” replied Bob, “I came here to attempt the rescue of a -lovely maiden, who is under the spell of Dame Growl, the witch of this -cliff.” - -“Ah! And why do you not rescue the lady, instead of slumbering away -your time here?” cried the fairy. - -“Indeed, dear lady, the power of the enchantress can only be broken by -the performance of certain very difficult tasks, which I am quite -unable to perform without help.” - -“What will you give me if I aid you?” inquired the tiny lady. - -“Twenty kisses,” answered Bob promptly. - -“Agreed! I’ll take the kisses first,” she said, with a rosy blush. - -The pair of wee men on the box turned away their heads while our hero -paid his hire, and the gaudy coachman got down from his perch to adjust -the traces which had caught round one of the leader’s legs. - -After what had happened, it appeared quite natural for Bob to hand the -lady to her carriage, and, still further, to accompany her along the -opposite side of the rock, chatting, smiling, and nodding pleasantly by -the way until the butterfly coached the team down a broad cleft that -formed an avenue to a small cave. - -The tiny lady conducted the young hunter within; where he beheld one of -the most lovely damsels lying asleep upon a marble couch. The sleeper -seemed so divinely beautiful, that our hero stood speechless with -admiration. - -“Here slumbers the beauty whom you seek,” she said. - -“How lovely!” responded Bob, clasping his hands together. “I will -awaken her.” - -“Nay, you cannot,” replied the fairy. “While the witch lives this fair, -innocent maiden will remain under the spell of the enchantment.” - -“Let us go and kill the witch,” urged Bob. - -“Hush! That would be a worse crime still. Have patience yet a little -while. Dame Growl will be punished ere long, and by the very means she -has devised for your overthrow. And now be good enough to follow those -two mannikins to the place where I met you. They are brave workers, and -will soon accomplish your task. When it is finished, return hither with -them.” - -At a sign from her the wee men departed, followed by the young hunter, -who marvelled at the beauty of the sleeping maiden. - -Since the days when our sturdy forefathers cleared the land to build -their huts, the sun had never looked down on such extraordinary -tree-felling as that which the two dwarfs began on the Granite Cliff. -From the point where Bob stood, it appeared as if innumerable giants -were at work. Crash! crash! crash! was heard on all sides; and, still -more wonderful, to note that the trees were no sooner down than they -seemed to roll asunder to the desired lengths, and to split without the -aid of mallet or wedges, and then to hop away like so many imps and lay -themselves into a vast heap. - -Long before the evening our hero saw the task completed; but the dwarfs -had not finished yet. With the same amazing despatch they gathered -together all the dry leaves and the dead timber, and piling these -against the stock, they set fire to the whole mass. - -It was not long ere a mighty conflagration arose which wrapped the apex -of the mountain in a sheet of fire. The forked tongues shot upward to -the clouds, and across the space where the house stood, until it was -seen as in the midst of a furnace. - -The hunter hastened back to the cave when the flames began to ascend. -As he reached the place, a great shock seemed to rend the cliff -asunder. - -“What is that?” he cried. - -“It is the death of the wicked enchantress, Dame Growl,” answered the -wee lady. “The fire has enfolded her in its embrace, and so her power -is at an end. See! the sleeping beauty is awakening from the spell.” - -While the fairy uttered the words, Bob saw the maiden stretch out her -shapely arms and fold them about her golden locks, and at the same time -she sighed deeply. - -“Approach, mortal,” continued the fay, with a smile. “Touch her lips -with thine, so shall it rouse her into waking life; for upon whom her -bright eyes shall first rest there will her love take root and abide -for ever.” - -And the youth kissed the budding, rosy mouth, and as he did so, behold! -there opened to his gaze a vision of Paradise. - - - - - - - - -THE LAUGHING JACKASS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -LOST IN THE BUSH. - -“Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!” roared the laughing jackass. It was a glorious -morning in the heart of the bush. The warm sun glinted athwart the -branches of the trees and cast festoons of light beneath, as if some -gigantic magic lantern was at work. - -The mocking bird of Australia sat perched upon the highest bough of a -giant red-gum and looking down beneath upon the form of a wee urchin -lying prostrate on the turf, sobbing as if his little heart was -breaking. - -“Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!” laughed the merry jackass, making the bushland -ring again with its mimic jeers. - -The boy under the tree ceased sobbing and looked up. “It’s a fine thing -to laugh when one’s in trouble,” he said, espying the long ugly beak of -the scoffer pointing down towards him. “I’ll bet if I only had my -Shanghai I’d soon make you laugh t’other side of your mouf.” - -“Ho-ho-ho!” chuckled the jackass in reply. - -“Oh, it’s no use troubling about a silly bird,” muttered the child -sadly. “He can’t help me. Oh, I wish he could!” And the sobbing -recommenced more intensely than before. - -Poor Berty Wake was lost in the bush—lost utterly. For two whole days -the child had wandered on and on hoping to find his way back again to -that section on the back blocks which his father farmed and where he -had been born. For two days the child had not seen a sign of -civilisation, nor any form of life whatsoever, save a native bear, one -or two wallabies, and this mocking jackass, who seemed to add to the -poor wanderer’s grief by its unseemly laughter. - -Berty, who was one of five brothers, had been sent early in the -morning, by his father, to hunt up an old roan mare, who had a great -love for straying away in the bush. The boy had been diligent in his -search, but could find no trace of the pony anywhere; and when he began -to track back home again night came on, and the boy found he was astray -in the trackless waste, with not a single point or landmark to guide -him. - -Poor Berty! how he coo-eed and called on his mother and his father, and -then cried himself to sleep under the big gum-trees, and when daylight -came again walked on and on, bravely hoping to find the track to guide -him home again. No use though. Here he was the beginning of the third -day, tired and hungry and much deeper in the lonesome wilderness than -before. - -“Ho-ho-ho!” laughed the jackass. - -“If I only had something to eat—just a piece of bread—wouldn’t it be -nice!” said the lost one, sighing ruefully. - -“Or a mince-pie!” cried a voice from the tree-top. - -Berty Wake jumped to his feet. “Who’s that?” he cried. - -“Ho-ho-ho!” laughed the jackass hoarsely. - -“Who spoke?” repeated the child, with an hysterical sob; “please say -that again—mince-pie, wasn’t it?” - -“And jam tart,” added the voice again, but sounding much nearer than -before. - -Poor Berty clapped his tiny hands in delight. “Ah! It’s some one come -at last,” he cried. - -“Yes, Berty Wake, it’s me!” gurgled the bird in a deep, guttural tone, -at the same time dropping down on a broad limb of the tree just over -the boy’s head. “Here am I, Jack the Rover—otherwise, Laughing Jack, as -my pa calls me.” - -For fully a minute the boy stood gaping at the strange bird, too much -astonished to utter a word. - -“Was it—was it really you who talked just now?” he said, with a quaver -of fear in his voice. - -“Why, of course it was,” said the jackass, whetting his beak in a -reflective way and shaking his huge head to and fro. - -“Oh!” cried Berty, “I know you can laugh and whistle, but I didn’t know -you could talk. Where did you learn?” - -“In a cage on the Murray River,” replied the bird, laughing loudly. “I -belonged to a squatter named Wake—Stephen Wake. He took me out of a -nest when I was a wee urchin like you and taught me all I know.” - -“Good gracious! Why, you can’t be our Jack?” cried Berty joyfully. - -“That’s just what I am; Jack the Rover. Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!” replied -the bird, ruffling his feathers in great glee. “Ever since my wings -have grown I have taken flights from the station when it suited me. -Yesterday, I heard you were lost in the bush; so I came after you on my -own account, and found you asleep under this tree.” - -“You are a very kind fellow, Jack,” said poor Berty with tears in his -eyes and in his voice. - -“Not half so kind as you have often been to me, my boy,” replied the -bird gravely. “Don’t you remember when Tom nearly broke my legs with -the bullock hobbles how you nursed and fondled me, and gave me tit-bits -of sugar and cream, and hid me in the stable loft until I was well -again? Ho-ho-ho!” - -“It is wonderful,” cried the child, with wide-open astonished eyes. - -“Not at all. There is nothing wonderful in kindness, Berty Wake. That -is natural. The wonderful part lies in gratitude, my dear. Gratitude -moved me to find you, if you were alive. Now here we are.” - -Little Berty laughed, and the bird followed suit with interest. - -“I suppose you are hungry?” said the bird. - -“Please don’t mention it,” responded the wee fellow, with wistful look. -“You haven’t really a mince-pie anywhere about, have you?” - -“Haven’t I though!” answered Jack, with his hoarse laugh. “Just be good -enough to follow me over to yonder peak. I’ll show you.” Saying which, -Jack the Rover alighted on the ground, hopping in very stately fashion -towards the spot indicated, our little hero following. - -Halting before the hollowed trunk of a huge tree, the bird began to -scatter a mound of leaves within the cone, and lo! there came to view -three lovely pies. - -“Sit down, Berty, and eat,” said the jackass. - -“You’ll find them very fresh and nice. I took them from the larder at -the station yesterday, while your father and brothers were out hunting -for you.” - -“Oh, I shall be glad to get back home again, Jack.” - -“That’s all right. There’s such a lot of people out after you, but they -won’t find you, Berty. Jack the Rover shall have the pleasure of -guiding you home again.” - -“Come here, Jack, and let me kiss you,” said the child. “Won’t you?” - -“Ha-ha-ha! The idea. You can’t kiss with your mouth full of pie. -Besides, what will the trees say?” - -“The trees. Can they know?” cried the boy, with surprise. - -“Can’t they!” said Jack the Rover confidently. - -“The trees talk to me. Listen! Don’t you hear them—the rustling of the -leaves against each other in the breeze? That is how they talk.” - -“And can you understand what they say, Jack?” - -“Of course I can, Berty. They are whispering something to me now. -Something that I want to know very much.” - -“Tell me what they say, Jack.” - -“They say that you must sit here beneath their protecting shade and -finish your pies,” said the bird solemnly. “If you stir from beneath -these trees before I return, you will be totally lost to those you -love, and die a dreadful death in the bush.” - -“Are you going to leave me, Jack?” - -“Only for a short time,” said the bird assuringly. “Finish your repast, -and wait patiently till I return. I won’t be long away.” Saying which -the laughing jackass mounted on the wing and was soon lost to view. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -EMU ROYAL. - -Berty Wake sat under the trees and waited. Around him rose gigantic -ridges of bare rock, rent and torn in quaint shapes, representing -towers, peaks, and spires; riven cliffs, dells, moss-grown and webbed -and festooned with finest drapery of ferns and wild flowers. - -It seemed a long time to the anxious child, straining his eyes, -watching for the return of the friendly jackass. Then in utter -weariness the little watcher became drowsy, his heavy eyelids closed, -and he slept. - -How long he remained asleep he could not tell. Something touched his -face and he awoke. - -Standing before him he saw a fine, strong emu—full-grown, with a soft -crimson saddle fixed between its wings, and a bridle on its head and -round its beak glittering with precious stones. - -The boy rubbed his eyes to make certain he was awake, and touched the -huge bird with his finger. The talking jackass seemed commonplace in -comparison with this wonderful picture. However, Berty had little time -to indulge in his astonishment, for Jack the Rover, from the thick -branches of the tree, commanded him to mount the curious steed. - -“I can’t ride an emu. I shall fall off,” cried poor Berty in some -alarm. - -“Why, I thought an Australian could ride anything,” echoed the jackass, -with a loud peal of laughter. “Don’t be afraid, my little man: Emu -Royal is a safe animal and warranted not to buck.” - -Emu Royal bowed in a stately way at the compliment, and Berty Wake, -over-coming his surprise, caught hold of the silken reins and sprang -upon its back. - -“Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho! Isn’t it funny?” laughed the jackass from the -tree-top. “Now on we go. I’ll lead the way, and do you follow me, Emu -Royal. Quick march!” - -No bush-bred horse ever sped over the ground so easily and speedily as -Emu Royal. At first poor Berty had some difficulty in keeping his seat, -the mode of transit was so queer and unusual, but he soon became -accustomed to the long swinging stride of the gigantic bird, who seemed -to know his way through the intricate windings of the scrub without any -aid whatever from Jack the Rover; for that knowing blade sailed -smoothly on the wing high overhead, and appeared to have no other -purpose in life than to scare the young parrots from their nests with -his demoniacal laughter. - -They went swiftly along, every bump and jolt and bound of the strange -steed seemed to say, “Berty Wake’s going home. The lost is -found—Berty’s coming home.” - -Hills and plains, lakes, and forests of trees appeared and went by them -like a drifting cloud. - -Then, suddenly, they emerged into a quiet dell, ringed in by tall -gum-trees, where the grass was emerald green, and soft to the tread as -a carpet of velvet pile. Here, without the least warning, the emu gave -a sudden spring in the air, and lightly deposited our little hero on -the broad of his back on the sward; and before Berty was aware of what -had happened, Emu Royal had vanished from his sight. - -The boy rose to his feet and looked about him; there was no one in -view, not even the laughing jackass. Then he laughed in childish glee -and clapped his hands. - -“Why, this is Fir Tree Hollow,” he said, half laughing, half crying. -“Don’t I know every bush and sapling in it? And there’s the sheep track -leading to the river, and the dray road that winds round the back of -our fence. Why, I’m at home again. Coo-ee! Coo-ee!!” - -A reply came to his call in the shape of a shrill neigh from a -neighbouring copse. - -“Gracious me! That’s our old mare. I know her dear old whinny out of a -hundred. Coo-ee!” - -And the child ran scampering off, and came forth presently, leading by -the forelock a roan quadruped which showed ample signs of recognition. - -“Where have you been hiding yourself?” cried Berty, fondling the pony. -“Don’t you know I’ve been hunting for you everywhere and got lost, eh?” - -Another neigh, and the roan rubs its cold nose up and down the little -fellow’s shoulder. - -“Ah, none of that, you old Greasehorn, I’ve had some trouble to find -you; but ‘better late than never’ as dad says. Now won’t they be -pleased to see me? and shan’t I be glad to see them?” - -Vaulting on the back of the pony, the pair jog along the wheel track -towards the station. Turning a bend in the track, boy and pony come in -view of a party of men, tired to death, and who have been out hunting -for the lost one. - -A loud, glad shout of recognition, and the next moment poor little -Berty is in the strong arms of his father, whose voice is husky with -emotion as he mutters a prayer of thankfulness intermingled with his -passionate kisses. - -“Where did you get to, my son?” - -“Oh, a long way, mother. It was the laughing jackass who found me.” - -Mother and father exchange glances. - -“The child has had a touch of the sun,” says the latter, stroking -Berty’s curls. - -“Where did the jackass find you, boy?” - -“Under a big gum-tree such a long, long way off,” responds the child, -extending his arms. “Then he brought a emu—such a big fellow, with a -saddle and bridle, you know—and he brought me all the way to Fir Tree -Hollow.” - -Stephen Wake shakes his head. - -“Put him to bed, wife,” he says quietly; “the poor child is not -himself. A good night’s sleep will set him all right again.” - -And Berty Wake slept well. In the early morning, however, he arose and -went out into the stable yard, where the laughing jackass nodded on his -perch. - -“Hallo! Jack the Rover,” he said, saluting the bird. - -The laughing jackass opened its sleepy eye and gazed meditatively at -the boy for a few moments, then broke out into its hearty guffaw: -“Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!!” - - - - - - - - -HOP-O’-MY-THUMB. - - -Every one who knew Tiny Thumbcake loved him. He was one of eleven -brothers and sisters, and the smallest mite that was ever born in the -land of the cornstalk. - -Tiny, though very diminutive in body, was nevertheless a hardy fellow -who could run and jump like a kangaroo; moreover, he possessed the gift -of knowing the language of all animals and birds, and these nicknamed -him “Hop-o’-my-thumb.” - -The Thumbcakes were poor people, and Tiny, who loved the wild bush, -determined to try his fortune as a pioneer squatter. In conversation -with an old wallaby, who used to pay him periodical visits, Tiny -learned that there was a vast district owned by a giant aborigine named -“Slubber,” where no white man had ever been and which was supposed by -everybody to be a dreary wilderness without river, or lake, or anything -to sustain life in the way of game. Tiny Thumbcake, or as we shall call -him, Hop-o’-my-thumb, was both surprised and delighted at the news -imparted to him by the wallaby—namely, that the Unknown Country, ruled -over by Slubber the Giant, was both beautiful and fertile, and one of -the finest climates under the Southern Cross. - -And so in due time, guided by the faithful wallaby, our hero came to -the country of Slubber, and took up his abode in a rich and -well-watered valley, beside a high mountain, and here he formed a fine -station for rearing cattle and sheep. For a whole year our little man -remained hard at work unmolested. - -One fine summer day a scarlet and green parrot alighted near where the -little squatter was at work on his orchard fence. - -“Good-day, Hop-o’-my-thumb,” said the bird. - -“Good-day, my friend,” returned the wee man, politely raising his hat -and bowing. “I’m glad to see you. What can I do for you, eh?” - -“Nothing at present, thank you. I was sent by King Stork to warn you -that Slubber the Giant is on his way here to destroy you,” answered the -parrot. - -Poor Hop-o’-my-thumb, though not wanting in pluck, became much -disturbed at the news. “Are you quite certain of what you say?” he -asked of the parrot. - -“Oh, quite,” rejoined the messenger decidedly. “King Stork and the -giant are great friends. He heard Slubber say that he would slay you or -any white riff-raff who dared to set foot in his territory, and saw him -start off straightway down the mountain to carry out his threat, -therefore I posted off to warn you.” - -“Thank you very much,” said poor Hop-o’-my-thumb. “Slubber is a big, -selfish wretch. I have as much right to make a home here as he has, and -I mean to show him I am not at all afraid of his bullying.” - -“Bravo!” cried the parrot, flapping his wings in glee. “You’re a lad of -mettle, and I’m glad you intend to try and take the blackfellow down a -peg. Do you know, he is the most vile beast living and a great liar. -Don’t trust him a bit. If he finds he cannot kill you with his huge -waddy, or spear you unawares, he will want to parley with you, and take -you on his knee, in friendly fashion. Be careful, Hop, my boy. Don’t -let the wretch lay a finger on you, if you can help it”. - -“Thank you, I’ll take every precaution,” said Hop-o’-my-thumb coolly. - -“We all like you very much, my dear little Hop,” added the bird kindly; -“what is more, we are determined to help you against Slubber if we can. -Your friend Jack, the wallaby, is waiting behind yonder ridge, with -some possum friends and one or two native bears, in case you need -assistance. Hark! Do you hear that noise? That’s the giant; he hasn’t -lost much time on the road. Look! Yonder he comes.” - -Half way down the mountain-side a gigantic blackfellow, tall as a tree, -and with a great woolly head (not unlike the big ball that is hoisted -at noon on the flagstaff at the Observatory), came thundering down the -stony ridges in tremendous leaps and bounds, and at the same time -roaring out a hoarse shout of vengeance. He was quite nude, save for a -segment of covering round his middle, and he brandished aloft a -monstrous waddy, which was large enough to have felled an elephant. - -“Where is that insignificant rascal who has dared to enter the domain -of Slubber?” cried the angry monster, striding into the valley and -confronting our hero, who did not flinch in the least before his -dreaded enemy. - -“Now, mite, what hast thou to say ere I slay thee?” cried the giant, at -the same time whirling his club round his head with a noise like -thunder. - -“Try it,” said Hop-o’-my-thumb, keenly watching every movement of his -adversary. - -“Insolent atom, take that,” and Slubber aimed a blow at the little -fellow, which if it had taken effect would have crushed our hero into a -pulp; but Hop-o’-my-thumb nimbly avoided the giant’s bludgeon, and -getting between the monster’s legs, gave him a cut with a sharp adze he -had been using, which made Slubber roar with pain. It might have gone -hard with the brave wee squatter at this moment, for the giant, -reaching down, was about to clutch his small assailant, when the parrot -came to the rescue. He flew full butt against Slubber’s face and nearly -blinded him, and Hop-o’-my-thumb, taking full advantage of the bird’s -help, gave his ugly foe such a slashing about his legs that the giant -fell broadcast on his back, which made the ground tremble like an -earthquake. - -Seeing the unexpected and stout resistance made by our little hero, -Slubber the Giant was fain to call a parley. - -“Thou art very strong for so small a man,” cried he ruefully, and at -the same time rubbing his smarting shins. “What sayest thou, wilt thou -do me a service? And in return thou and thine shall have this valley of -sweet waters for thy pains, to do with it what ye will.” - -“What is the service you want to be performed?” said Hop-o’-my-thumb. - -“Come nearer, and I will tell thee.” - -“No, not an inch,” cried the little fellow stoutly. “You are near -enough, my friend. Tell me what I am to do. I can hear you.” - -“Oh, very well,” responded Slubber sullenly. “Know, then, that I have a -wife.” - -“I wish I had one,” interrupted Hop-o’-my-thumb. - -“Thou shalt have mine with pleasure,” retorted the giant quickly. - -The little squatter laughed. “Nay,” he said, “it is against the law to -take anything belonging to another. Well, you were saying you have a -wife.” - -“True, I have a wife and, I may add, one of the most inquisitive of her -sex,” added the giant in quite a humble tone, which contrasted -strangely with his previous bombast. “Know, then, O mite, King Stork -propounded three riddles to my wife, each one full of mystery, and my -life is plagued out of me day and night by her to find an answer to -these problems. Now, if thou canst find the secret of these things the -land is thine for all time.” - -“What are the riddles?” inquired Hop-o’-my-thumb. - -The giant reflected a moment and then replied,— - -“The first is: What is the most wonderful animal in the world? Second: -What shoemaker makes shoes without leather, but uses instead earth, -water, air, and fire, and where each of his customers wears two pairs -at a time? Third: What is seen in the sky, also in the water, and -sometimes on men’s breasts which, being reversed, is the name for the -very worst kind of vermin? Come now, O thou bull ant, canst thou -explain these enigmas?” - -Poor Hop-o’-my-thumb seemed dismayed for a moment. He wanted to -conciliate the giant, but how was he to frame a reply to these three -difficult questions? In the midst of his cogitations he bethought him -of his friend the wallaby. - -“If Slubber will give me a little time, I believe I can answer the -questions,” said the little man with confidence. The giant assented -readily. - -Hop-o’-my-thumb, guided by the parrot, sought out the old wallaby, to -whom he confided his trouble. - -“Nothing easier, my boy,” said the animal, stroking his head with his -paw. “A word in your ear. These riddles are the secrets of our King and -must not be made known to every one.” - -Then the old wallaby whispered what Hop-o’-my-thumb wanted to know, and -the latter, smiling, went back to the giant Slubber. - -“Well, hast thou the answers, mite?” he said. - -“Oh yes,” replied our hero cautiously, “but how am I to know you will -keep your word with me?” - -The giant laughed. Then he lay full length upon the sward, and plucking -a long hair from his beard laid it across his nose. “Will that -condition satisfy you?” he said in a rage, for Slubber knew he dare not -break that form of oath. - -“Then,” said Hop-o’-my-thumb, “the most wonderful animal in the world -is a pig; for it is first killed and then cured.” - -“Good!” cried Slubber. - -“The next,” continued Hop-o’-my-thumb, “is—What shoemaker makes shoes -without leather? Why, a horseshoer, for he uses earth, air, water, -fire, in shaping his wares, and each of his customers wears two pairs.” - -“Bravo! Let me embrace you,” entreated the giant. - -“No you don’t,” responded the little man, with a grin. “Now for your -third question. What is seen in the sky, the water, and sometimes on -men’s breasts? A star, of course. Reverse the spelling of star and it -is rats. Are you satisfied?” - -And Slubber, the black giant, wended his way home over the mountain -again, a wiser man; and ever after Hop-o’-my-thumb lived in peace. - - - - - - - - -A MAGIC WHISTLE. - - -Here are low green hills and sharply outlined ridges strewn with great -white blocks of quartz, gleaming in the morning sunlight. Adown the -long eastern slope for miles there is a vista of park-like forest, -where the wallaroo and kangaroo leap and gambol on the greensward; -where green and gold parrots chatter and scream; where wild bees are -humming to the morn, and where the eagle soars calm and peerless in the -sapphire firmament. - -One solitary figure dots this glorious landscape—a handsome, -well-formed boy, with a swag upon his back, tramping slowly along the -narrow track like unto one who would fain rest and eat. There is not -the sign of any habitation in view; nothing but the matchless sunshine -and the hills and valleys gleaming beneath in one great halo of golden -glory. - -Towards evening our traveller, emerging upon a lonely glade, threw off -his swag and cast himself upon the soft sward and so fell asleep. When -he awoke it was night, the dark blue canopy overhead was ablaze with -stars. Looking round he was greatly astonished to observe the space -before him aglow with a soft, subdued light, which was neither from the -sun, the moon, nor the stars, but was produced by countless glow-worms -and fire-flies combined, and who had formed broad festoons from tree to -tree and so lit up the dell by enchantment. - -Damper—for so was the wayfarer named, on account of his fondness for -that Australian made cake—rubbed his eyes in great surprise, and also -gave himself one or two severe punches to make certain that he was -awake. The poor lad was without father or mother, and had tramped about -the bush since he could walk, doing odd jobs for cockatoos (small -farmers) and such-like; but a sight like this had never met his view -before. His first impulse was to call out, but his voice refused its -office; for at that moment he beheld a troop of black mites, no larger -than his finger, march from out the gloom beyond into the radius of the -light. They were all sheathed in mail armour and came onward with quick -and regular step, four a-breast, their shields and spears flashing and -sparkling like so many rare jewels in the sun. They ranged themselves -in regular order, shoulder to shoulder, on one side of the dell. - -Then there came a second squad, equally tiny in stature, but bravely -attired in cloth of gold, with miniature swords clashing and banners -waving; and these formed up on the sward, opposite the first troop. - -And lo! as Damper gazed in consternation, there appeared a third group; -white people these, not so tall as a lady’s thimble, without weapons, -and robed in the most quaint fashions imaginable: some were clad in -gossamer from head to heel; many had cloaks spun from wild bees’ wings; -others were donned in all the gaudy colours of the dragon fly; and one -and all of them appeared dancing mad. - -Now here, now there; in and out; up and down; in whirling mazes, they -moved like the sun flashes on some bright instrument, and too quick -sometimes for the eye to follow their evolutions. It was altogether a -fantastic scene, and one that the eye of mortal man is rarely permitted -to look upon. - -For some time poor Damper was beside himself with fear. Fortunately he -remained very still and quiet, and was enabled to see everything that -took place, without the elves being in the least degree aware of the -mortal’s close proximity. - -The antic gambols were so strange and grotesque that Damper had no -definite idea how long they continued, or who piped the music for the -occasion. One thing was clear to him, however, that the whole scene -vanished as suddenly as it appeared, leaving only two of the fairy -assembly, who without more ado came and perched themselves upon -Damper’s swag, and began a conversation. This pair, it was evident, -were the King and Queen of Elfland, who, after discussing several -affairs of State, spoke of a magic whistle, hidden away among the roots -of a certain tree in the dell. - -Damper, although he understood and could hear every word uttered by -their Majesties, paid little heed to what they said until the topic of -the whistle began. Then he listened greedily. He soon learned that -whoever had possession of this simple instrument held the wand of a -magician over animal, bird, or man, and that if he pleased to pipe, -man, bird, or animal within its sound must needs dance. - -The hiding-place of this wonderful instrument was very minutely -described by the King, so that when the royal pair had taken their -departure, Damper determined to become possessed of it When day broke -our hero arose and began his search. He had no difficulty in finding -the tree, and he soon found the whistle. It was a stout reed, about six -inches long, with a mouthpiece of pure gold. - -Numbers of birds, from the wren to a stork, were about and around, -singing their morning song. To test the efficacy of his prize, Damper -placed the whistle to his mouth and began to play. The effect was -indeed wonderful. Not a bird but suddenly ceased its song and began to -hop and dance about in the most absurd and comical manner, that our -hero had to cease playing in order to laugh. - -“Oh! I think you will just be of some service to me,” he said, putting -the whistle in his pocket. Then he shouldered his swag and continued -his journey. - -He had not proceeded far when there approached from the opposite -direction a very fat woman in a covered van with her husband, who was a -very little man. He was on foot, driving the horse. The woman seemed in -a bad temper, and was abusing her companion soundly. - -Damper stopped the cart and asked the dame for a little food. “Go on -with you for an idle vagabond!” she cried, shaking her huge fist at the -boy. “There are far too many of your sort about the country already. I -only wish we were near a township so that I might have the pleasure of -sending you to the lock-up, you loafing rascal.” - -Such uncalled-for abuse roused Damper’s ire. Without uttering a word in -reply he took out his whistle and began to blow. Instantly the fat dame -leapt from the trap into the road and began whirling round and round -with all her might, and anon throwing herself into such ridiculous -postures that the little man, her husband, and even the horse began to -laugh; but their laugh was of short duration, for they also were drawn -into the dance, and the pony being securely harnessed upset the -conveyance and scattered its contents all over the sward. - -In the meantime the unfortunate woman, puffing and blowing like a -grampus, cut some very extraordinary capers under the irresistible -spell of the whistle. What seemed to be part of a wild Highland reel -merged into the antics of a sort of Maori war-dance, and it was -wonderful to note the agility displayed by so stout a person. - -The piper himself felt too indignant to laugh, otherwise the good -dame’s gambols would have been of brief duration. Not before all the -breath had been jolted out of her anatomy did she plead for parley. -Then in gasps she called out to him to “stop for mercy’s sake, and she -would give him all the tucker in the cart.” - -Our hero was by no means a bad-hearted fellow. When he saw the woman -had been punished for her very rude behaviour he put the whistle aside, -and assisted to raise the pony and restore the goods to the trap. -Afterwards they dined together and parted on friendly terms. - -Arriving late that night at a farmhouse on the billabong, Damper craved -a night’s shelter, which was given him. In the morning he asked for -work. - -“What can you do?” said the farmer. - -“Oh, anything almost. I can make you dance,” answered Damper. - -“Yes. And, by George, you’ll find I’ll make you dance, my lad, if you -talk to me like that!” retorted the farmer angrily; and so poor Damper -was compelled to hump his swag farther afield. - -The weather was fine, however, and the lad’s heart light; so he went -singing along the bush track, until he was suddenly brought to a -stand-still by a gruff command, “To bail up!” Right across the track he -saw a big, bearded bushranger, splendidly mounted, who, seeing he was -but a youth, put back his revolvers and dismounted. - -Before the ruffian could approach him, however, Damper pulled out his -whistle and began to play. Instantly the man and horse began their -capers with one accord, and it was not until the robber had fallen -exhausted on the track that our hero ceased whistling. - -“I pray thee put by that dreadful thing,” said the panting outlaw, “and -I will fill thy pouch with gold.” - -“Not a bit of it,” said Damper resolutely; “my terms are that you hand -over to me every item of your ill-gotten treasure, horse included, else -you shall dance for it, my honey.” - -The robber commencing to curse and swear, Damper placed the whistle to -his mouth again. - -“Stop! Stop! I yield to thy terms, boy,” cried the other imploringly. - -“Very well. Hand over your revolver. Now that belt round your waist. -Now take off your boots and depart in double-quick time.” - -The bushranger did not need to be told twice. He fled away into the -bush and was lost to sight in a moment. - -Damper found the robber’s belt filled with gold. He mounted the horse -and rode away. And no lad in the whole continent was happier than he -was that day. - - - - - - - - -“COCKY.” - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE MAGIC HUT. - -An outcast in a great city. Half-clad, half-starved, kicked and cuffed, -and sworn at, as if he were no better than a mongrel cur, wretched Jack -Cochrane felt that he was a useless unit in the world. - -Jack was a foundling, God help him! First one and then another had -taken him in hand, to rear him in the way he should go and make a -decent member of society of him; but the charitable intentions of his -godfathers and godmothers had evidently failed, for here he stood on -this cold winter’s night, a full-grown youth, utterly unlettered, -shivering in the keen wind, like a puppy in a wet sack. - -To most of the young ragamuffins of his class he was known by the -nickname of “Cocky,” and while he stood beneath a lamp-post, thinking -how nice and comfortable it would be to tumble into a warm bed, half a -dozen city waifs like himself came roystering by. - -“Hello, Cocky! Where’r you going to doss to-night? Biler, or gas-pipe? -Don’t you go on the wharf—there’s two coppers waitin’ there. Wouldn’t a -saveloy hot or a tater go down slick, eh? So-long! Cocky, old man!” and -the squad of shoeless young vagabonds went laughing on their way. - -“I must try and get in and have a snooze somewhere,” muttered the lad, -blowing on his finger-tips to warm them. “There’s the railway—I wonder -if I could find a truck with a tarpaulin on it? I will try.” - -The idea is acted on at once. Cocky soon finds a line of trucks covered -well from the weather, into one of which he quietly creeps, and finding -it snug and warm is soon fast asleep. - -When he awakes it is daylight, and the sun is shining; peeping out from -his cover, Cocky discovers he is far away from the city. He has been an -unbooked passenger by a goods train which has travelled all night and -carried him while he slept into the heart of the country. - -Luckily, the train happens to be stationary at a lonely bush siding, -and Cocky makes his way out of the truck and away into the scrub -without being discovered. Hurrying away from the direction of the -railway siding, Cocky finds himself near sundown on a narrow pathway -leading over a range of high hills into a deep valley without trees, -and where stands a solitary hut. An old man, much bent in form, and -whose hair and beard looked as if they had not been shorn since he was -born, stood at the door and gazed at our hero very curiously. - -“Please could you give me a morsel to eat?” said poor Cocky, halting, -faint and tired. - -“Hum! You had better go farther if you fare worse,” answered the old -man. - -“I can’t go any farther,” said the boy. “I’m done up completely. Pray -let me stay here to-night,” he pleaded. - -“Hum! Rum-fuddle-em-fee! Very well. What can you do?” questioned the -old fellow, his eyes glinting and glowering upon poor Cocky in a most -remarkable manner, like a cat’s eyes seen in the dark. - -“Do?” repeated the lad boldly. “Oh, I’ll do anything if you will give -me some food and find me somewhere to sleep.” - -“Bunkum Geezer,” muttered the toothless old fellow in reply. “You shall -have all you want, but you must do my bidding; otherwise you shall not -leave this valley alive. Do you hear?” - -Cocky was desperate with all a lad’s gnawing hunger, so he answered, -“All right. Trot out the tucker.” - -Close by the hut stood a magnificent fir-tree, whose branches formed a -canopy impervious to dew or rain. Beneath it stood a table already -spread with dainty food. With a wave of his hand the old man pointed -this out to Cocky, and said,— - -“Go, eat. Your couch will be beneath the tree also. When you have -eaten, sleep well, for to-morrow you will have to work—to work hard, -boy.” Saying which, he went into the hut and closed the door. - -The famishing lad did not need a second invitation to dine. He found a -stool by the table and sat down and began his dinner. There were many -joints and dishes which the waif had never seen before, but they were -very nice. In the midst of his repast a fine-looking magpie came -fluttering down from the tree, and perching on one end of the table, -eyed our hero inquisitively. - -“Hallo! Who are you?” said the boy. - -“Never you mind, Jack Cochrane. Can I have something to eat?” - -“Of course you can,” answered the lad, after his first start of -surprise. “What’ll you have? Here’s baked snails, stewed kangaroo, -fried wallaby, native companion on toast, with a lot of other things.” - -But the magpie without more ado perched himself upon a huge rabbit pie -and began to help himself to its contents. - -“Here, I say, old fellow, how do you know my name?” said Cocky, after a -long pause, in which he had been staring wonderingly at the strange -bird. - -“I know most things,” replied the magpie, whetting his beak on the -table-cloth, preparatory to an attack on another dish. “I know that you -have got into a very dangerous place, and that if you do not get -counsel and help you will assuredly lose your life.” - -“That’s pleasant. But who will kill me?” said Cocky, laughing. - -“The old man. He’s a terrible magician, Jack. It would have been better -for you not to have come here.” - -“That’s just what the old rascal said himself. But why can’t I go when -I like? He’s in the hut, fast asleep by this time.” - -“No. Don’t attempt to run away, Jack,” said the magpie gravely. “Old -Gruff would be certain to know and would trap you like a fox before you -were out of the valley. You have been kind in sharing your dinner with -me and I will help you, Jack. Kindness goes a long way with us. We -never forget those who have once befriended us, Cocky Cochrane.” - -“Who are you, then?” inquired the boy, with mouth agape in wonder. - -“Your good fairy, Jack, from this moment henceforth,” responded the -bird in a kindly tone. “Please don’t bother me with questions now, for -I must be gone. Gruff is a wicked monster. He will set you to do what -will seem impossible; but accept the task boldly and with cheerfulness. -I will be near to help you. Now go to sleep. Good-night.” - -Cocky slept soundly. In the early morning he was awakened by a loud -roaring; opening his eyes, he saw standing over him a huge fellow of -colossal proportions, who commanded him to arise in a voice like the -rumbling noise of an express train. - -“I am King Red Gum,” said the monster, at the same time twirling a -sapling round and round in his hand for pastime. “In yonder paddock you -will find a young colt who has never been touched by the hand of man. -Catch him and bring him here before I have eaten my breakfast, or I -will string thee up by the heels and roast thee like a rabbit. Dost -hear?” - -Cocky laughed and bounded away on his errand. He found the colt, but -soon discovered that it was quite impossible to approach the vicious -brute without being eaten or kicked to death. He had serious thoughts -of running away, when the magpie alighted near him, to whom he -communicated his trouble. - -“Shout Stra fonatsa as loudly as you can,” said the bird. - -“Stra fonatsa! Come here!” The wild horse pricked his ears and -immediately came over to where our hero stood. He was as gentle as a -lamb and suffered Cocky to lead him by the mane to where King Red Gum -was waiting with his bludgeon. - -“Ho! Ho! thou insignificant mortal,” he cried, “so thou hast brought -Stra fonatsa. It is well. Now I must be off for my morning gallop. -Gruff! Gruff! thou lazy skunk, where art thou?” - -“Here am I, master,” answered the old man, appearing at the door of his -hut. - -“Give this ant his breakfast so that he may be ready to do my bidding -when I return;” and King Red Gum mounted his steed and rode away. Once -more the old man of the hut invited Cocky to a well-furnished table, -then retired within his domicile and shut the door. In the midst of his -breakfast our hero was joined by the magpie, whom he welcomed -cordially. He placed the choicest tit-bits before it. - -“I am glad you have a kind heart, Jack, and that you are grateful for -my help,” said the bird, after the meal was over. “Learn, boy, I am not -what I seem. None of us are, mortals or fairies.” - -“Who are you, please?” said Cocky coaxingly. - -“I am an elfin, Jack; just that. In this country every one of us has -been made the guardian or custodian of some one who has been wronged. I -am the guardian of a beautiful young lady who has been stolen from her -home and shut up in a spacious mansion underground. I have been -awaiting your coming a long time, Cocky Cochrane, for you and you only -can release my darling Brown Eyes from the thraldom of King Red Gum and -his henchman, Old Gruff.” - -“Why did they shut up little Brown Eyes underground? What has she -done?” said Cocky. - -“That ugly wretch, King Red Gum, wanted Brown Eyes to marry him, and -she would not. So he turned the poor dear into a blue wren and placed -her in a cage below the earth,” answered the magpie in a trembling -voice. “Now, Jack, we all need help from one another. If you’ll help -me, I’ll stand by you.” - -“Agreed,” cried the young fellow resolutely. “You have done me good -service already; therefore whatever you order I am ready to obey.” - -“Thank you, Jack. Good-bye for the present. I can hear King Red Gum -returning from his gallop.” - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -BROWN EYES. - -Our friend Cocky was not given very much time to digest his breakfast. -Dismounting from his steed the giant beckoned him forward, and thus -addressed him: “You lazy imp! It would suit you very well to do nothing -but eat my victuals and take a sleep afterwards, but you shall work. -Listen! On the other side of yon mountain there is a wide lagoon -fringed with reeds and rushes. There lives the Australian wonder, a -Bunyip. You must find him and ask of him three questions—the answers to -which you must bring to me before sundown, otherwise your miserable -life shall answer for it.” - -“Oh, that’s quite easy,” replied Cocky, with a dash of his city -assurance. “I thought you were going to set me something very -difficult. What are the three questions?” - -“Why the leaves on the trees grow edgeways to the sun?” said the giant. -“Next: What is the reason there is no water in Phantom Hollow? And last -but not least: Why figs do not grow on the tree by the hut? Now begone! -and bring me the answers before sundown,” cried the Red Giant in a -towering rage. - -Our hero departed with a great show of bravado, but when he came near -the lagoon his assumed swagger quickly evaporated. He had heard there -was such a creature as a Bunyip, but he had never met anybody who had -seen one. “Never despair,” however, was Cocky’s motto. He would try and -find it, for the sake of Brown Eyes. He wandered about and searched in -every likely place amongst the rushes, and waded in the water calling -for the Bunyip. But there was no response to his call, and the sun -began dipping westward. - -Hereupon the magpie came upon the scene. “Hello, Jack! Looking for the -Bunyip?” he cried. - -“I can’t find him. I don’t believe there is such an animal,” cried -Cocky. - -“Oh yes, there is; but he’s neither animal nor fish, Jack—yet a mixture -of both. All you have to do is to cut a reed like a whistle, slit it -down the middle, then blow upon it twice.” - -Cocky obeyed the directions of the bird, and immediately there came -forth from the middle of the lake a huge monster, with a head shaped -like that of a calf, and a body as large and unwieldy as a young -hippopotamus. Its eyes were dreadful to behold, as it came slowly out -of the water and crouched abjectly at the feet of our hero. - -“What want you with me?” it cried presently. - -“Tell me why the leaves of the gum-trees grow edgeways to the sun,” -said Cocky. - -“Because it is the nature of the tree to grow its leaves edgewise, thou -fool,” replied the monster. - -“What is the reason there is no water in Phantom Hollow?” - -The Bunyip chuckled. “Because the sun has dried it up,” he cried -contemptuously. “What more?” - -“Why do figs not grow upon the tree by the hut in King Red Gum’s dell?” - -“Because King Red Gum is an ass, who cannot discern a wild pine from a -fig-tree. Now depart, or I shall drag thee down into the depths of the -lagoon.” - -“Ask for a hair from his tail,” whispered the magpie quickly. - -“Please give me a hair from your tail,” said Cocky; and ere the monster -could grant or refuse the request our hero, by a sudden dexterous -movement, had possessed himself of the coveted prize and was speeding -away up the mountain-side like a deer, with the clever magpie flying -low at his side. - -“Now, Jack,” cried the bird, “we must not part again until we have -accomplished the release of my lady-bird Brown Eyes. Hold fast to that -hair of the Bunyip’s tail, for it will prove one of the most powerful -weapons in the art of magic. It is a talisman to swear by, and none can -resist it, as you will presently discover.” - -Then the magpie added a short whisper into Cocky’s ear, and they -descended into the dell, where the giant and Old Gruff stood awaiting -our hero. - -“Tiny mortal, hast thou done thy task? What are the answers?” roared -Red Gum menacingly. - -“By the hair of the Bunyip’s tail, I command thy obedience,” cried our -hero sternly. - -Red Gum let fall his huge waddy from his hand. With a loud cry he sank -down at our hero’s feet cringingly at the potent words. “Thou art the -master! I am thy slave!” he cried in a submissive tone. “What wilt -thou, mortal?” - -“I have conquered, by jingo! henceforth thou shalt be a dingo.” - -Cocky had barely uttered the charm ere the huge bulk of the giant faded -beneath his eyes and assumed the form of a wild bush dog. At the same -moment the old man of the hut rushed to the assistance of his fallen -chief; but our hero held the key, or rather the hair, of the position, -and bade him stand. - -“Dog shalt thou be for thy folly. I will change thee to a collie!” -cried Cocky. - -Immediately the fated words passed the youth’s lips the old fellow was -transformed into a big sheep dog, who, seeing the dingo at hand, sprang -upon him at once, and while a battle royal raged between the two our -hero mounted Stra fonatsa, and galloped away in company with the -magpie, much farther than I could tell you in this little story. - -When it was near sundown they came to a great cave, situated on a very -high hill, and the magpie without more ado led our hero downward by a -series of stairs cut in the solid rock, through arches and corridors, -onward to an open vista of glorious country, glowing and shimmering -beneath a strange but powerful light, which revealed the most minute -object within their vision. - -In the distance appeared a fine mansion, with a high tower in the -centre of it; and when they came to the gate, they found a regiment of -dwarfs on guard, who as soon as they saw the hair from the Bunyip’s -tail fell down on their faces before our hero and besought him to -enter. - -The magnificence displayed within the building was something to be -remembered. Here were arches of polished marble, priceless statues, -tables and couches of antique workmanship, with rich carpets woven in -no mortal loom, and where everything was gleaming with velvet and thick -silks and pure gold. - -Wandering on in this wonderful place the magpie led Jack Cochrane to a -small apartment overlooking a lovely prospect of forest scenery, dotted -with lakes, glinting under the soft light. In one corner of this room -was hung a golden cage containing a wee wren. This bird became very -lively when it saw the magpie, and the latter was no less agitated on -seeing the little wren. - -“Give me the hair of the Bunyip,” cried the magpie in an altered tone -that Cocky hardly recognised. However, he obeyed. In an instant the -room was plunged in profound darkness, while at the same moment came a -musical voice, who in a loud tone cried, “Come forth, Brown Eyes! come -forth from thy thraldom! Night hath fled. Behold the day!” - -Then more swift and sudden than a lightning flash Cocky, the city waif, -who had but winked his eyes in the darkness, opened them upon broad -daylight, with the sun streaming into a magnificent apartment and upon -a beautiful young lady with wonderful brown eyes, and also upon a tall, -handsome young man by her side. - -“Am I dreaming?” said poor Cocky, rubbing his eyes and staring at his -companions. - -“Not a bit of it, Jack Cochrane,” said the handsome youth, smiling down -upon Brown Eyes beside him. “I am your friend still, but a magpie no -longer. The scene has changed, boy, thanks to your courage and -steadfastness. The wren and the magpie are Sir Plum Dough and his -affianced bride, Brown Eyes Wattle Blossom. This is our domain. It is -called The Gloaming. 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