THE SHORT STORY WINDFALL

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 127, 1 June 1939, Page 26

THE SHORT STORY WINDFALL

By E. M. CLEAVES

LIKE a strange walled-in town. "Dents" nestles among the curious I conglomeration of buildings without i attracting any special attention from J the inhabitants of the neighbouring houses except, perhaps, a vague grumble ' about the smoke if it so happened that I washing day coincided with the firing ! up of the ovens. i To most people it wax just ''Denis." a .small pot bank doing fairly well, bill to Maggie I , rice it was the centre of J the world. I The greatest of all the week's thrill-; I came when Albeit, her step-father, looked at the duck after tea on Saturdays and turned the noli on the wireless I net with a "Xnw fer it." J This Saturday there was a tense j silence ill the cosy living room when j Albert cut oil' the announcer's voice. I They looked Hi each other with incredii 'lons eyes. Then Albert found speech. I"ItV bin a long while acoin'm". but 'er. , we are itf last." He rubbed Ihe |Ki<lded arm of the ea-y chair excitedly. "Name Iyer fancies, both nil yer. ItV not every iliiy'n work bi a long chalk." : "< iooilni'-s." cried Maggie, ""ave yer really conic up?" : '•Aye.' , answered Albert. ! '''()«■ much d'ye think it'll run to? ] caniia sort of ink' it in." Ma'n voice was not ijiiile steady. Shi' picked up a basin and began to beat tip-eggs, a little job she had delayed until after the foot ball results had been announced. "Last week one chap "ad it to 'imself : £2111(11. but we eiiiinii count on that. Let's , put it modest — £.~>o p'raps, 'tho' yer can j never bet "ow much will be in a pool," ! said Albert. ! "Now. if itV as much as £."»0. Albert, we'd better pay a bit off the 'ouse." Mα resumed her baking operations. I "Forty pounds off the mortgage. That ! leaves us £HI ter flutter. Yer could get ! that coat. Ma . . . "' Albert was not supposed to know about that coveted coat. i "Nay. lad." eaid Ma. with her head a Irifli ne side ai:d a little smile I lurking round Ihe corners of her mouth. I "I dunna know as I'm no smitten wi* it UK all that . . . come ter think on it all it's a bit like old Hilly l'oiterV duck-i ... i " "l\ saw an advert, in a paper wat -aid. '>. duck-, i' shillin's a do/en, free on rail.' Hilly made a pond fer them ■ im' cutlered up the old cole. 'Small duck* nil grow.' <av.s 'e to "is wife. "Well, when the panel came wat d'ye think was in? Savoury duck* . . . . j chopped up liver an" onions like, such a lues* as mt never did nee. l'oor Hilly dumped 'em ill the pond. '"An" talking of savoury ducks reminds me (>T one thing we will do. Well celebrate wi' a good supper, be it much or little. Me an' Maguie'H get it while yer goes ter the market fer yer cabbage plants . . . "Now, where on earth "avp T (int. Hie sugar? Me wits *n« gone wool-gatherin' . . . yer might get it outright, Albert." "An - agen 1 mightna." Albert knocked hi* pipe, blew carefully through the stem before he put it on the shelf. <- I can think o' one or two things a-s T'd like ter 'uve if it's over an' above, what we've reckoned on." "Pigeons?" asked Ma. "So, I runs above pigins when T'm all set fer a windfall. Not, that pigins anna giMMI sport. I've knowed pigins wat'<l walk home rather than disappoint. D'ye want anythin'?" "Bring m a few 'iimlnigs, , ' Ma and Maggie wp'oke together. When the door closed behind him. Ma said. "Now. wat'll be nice fer eupper? (ict out that there cookery book an' I read up." So Maggie read through the "Aβ" and down as far a«< ".I's" before Ma stopped her. ".lugged Hare. I've never "ad any jugged hare, an' ] dunna suppose you have neither. Maggie?" "So," replied Maggie, ''is it nice? , ' ''I should think so. Any road we can try it; there's It in the month." "Wat do they mean by Ji in the month. Ma*' , "Ask me siiinniat en*y, child. Rabbits an' hares, oyster* an' so on, 'a« ter 'ave it ter be in season, but exactly 'ow they knows it nd bother King Solomon. Read out 'ow to do it." Maggie got about halfway through the instructions when Ma said, decidedly. "Xo, Maggie, we'd none on us relish that. What else is there?"' Maggie began ".Junket. How to prepare.', "A junket! We'll 'ave junket an' a good haddock. That's not expensive. I'm dubious sonie'ow about that fortune . . . still someone does win it everv week. Now, my la«s, "ow to make junket.'' At nine o'clock Maggie had taken a permanent etand at the front gate and at every appearance of Ma shook her head and said in troubled tones, "Xot yet." "if there's bin an accident, wat'll we do. Maggie?" wailed the usually calm and collected lady. "I'd give anybody I the whole lot ter see 'im safe an' sound back 'nine; 'e dunna drink, so wat?"' I She had her hat on ready to go to the I police station when Maggie eting out. ' " 'K's coinin' Ma, carrying siinumit care-fnl-like." "Thank goodness! That'll be the cabbage plants . . . eh, but I'm fair churned up inside an' your face 'ae bin ghoet white this last hour."

"I've made up me iiiiiul ter call 'im I'll." any road." said Maggie shakily. "I never know i'd 'ow fond 1 was of "iin. ■ lid yiill. .Ma?" "Nil. child, but it dunna do tor wear yiT Viirt on yer sleeve in front o' men . . . pi iim» on in." Albert was so very slow wiping hi.s - lines. Mil culled to him. "Wat 'ave yer brought there as yer darn't brinji in*" "■lnst yer wait an" nee.' , Maggie and Mil gaped wlien a tiny fawn wliippot t-hook itwlf ii nd stood shivering on t lie hearth-rug. "Yes." he continued, "yer eiin open yer eyes. Wi' iliis little critter I here's a fortune. Xevi'r mind pools . . . See ow's "er'.s l.nilt . . . light ..." He stood hack better to consider the iniseralile little dog. "Vc've said it. the poor thing'* about clemmed ter death. I should ea.V," .Ma pursed up her mouth. "It's the lireed." *>\U\ Albert with le**< certainty. "I ulwis *a<l a fancv fer a iMiod racin" dog . . . an" this little thing fair took "cr price nut o' me pocket." lie was about to say inure, but Ma brought ill the golden liaddock. "Its rum "iiw yer fancy goes." she remarked. "-Me an" .Maggie was all fer jugged hare ..." "Wat!" yelled Albeit, "ye've not done that fer supper?' , "Dunna put yerself about, man. wlien Maggie 'ad read arf way I'd 'ad enough. but it was funny, you fer the dogs-like an" me fer hares. -, "Aye. Ma. I eeed grpy'ounds an' goodness knows wat as far hk the market. Then a chap wanted a good "onio fer the little critter there. Kh, hut I'm thankful ypr changed yer mind about jugged hare, i 'ad some once an" me etoniacli turns at the very thought . . . that an' junket . . . Why. wat's matter? 'Ave yer burnt yenself?" -Ma flushed a little. "It's nowt. Albert. Maggie love, just give the little thing a sup of that there in the glass dish, we'll none be wanting it after h'sh. An' Albert, seein' ;<s Maggie calls me Malike she might as well call yer l'a." 4 When Albeit sat again with him pipe alight in the easy chair he said thoughtfully, "J've not said why 1 wax hm long . . . pretty nearly every chap I met stopped me an" said Vd come up on thfour nwa\s" but. by gum. we're lucky." He smiled at Ma and then at Maggie. "I'm- bin sort of 'opin' fer months ye'd call me I , a . . . then think wat \ve'\e missed - jugged hare and junket . . . . happen it'll reach .'(/•> an' if it diMvt I'll put another dollar ter it fer "er license . . . see 'ow comfortable 'er is I*l the lii" . . . by gum, 1 never kno wed folk* mi Inckv."