THE TRAITOR.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 65, 18 March 1910, Page 7

THE TRAITOR.

(By Leslie Thomas.)

"When we heard that Uncle Peter —the one we'd never seen—was coming over on Christmas. Day, the- first thing we thought of was-whether he'd bring us any presents, and, if so, what they'd be. It turned out, from what the pater and mater said, that he was a queer sort of chap. Written a book on etiquette, which I'll tei'l you, in case you haven't got a dictionary handy, is good manners. He Ava.s jolly well off, too, from what we could hear; so we began to have hopes of something pretty decent. I thought it was a, beastly shame. I couldn't let him know „I wanted an. aeroplane like that fellow Bleriot's.

But, anyway, we decided we should all have, to get him something. Edith —she's thirteen, a year older than me, but- a. girl, so it doesn't really count—Edith wanted to work him a necktie; but I told her to think of something sensible.

In the end, I got a swagger tobacco pouch, Edith an ash-tray, Dolly (eleven, she. is) some good .strong tobacco, which she sent the gardener for, a,nd Ronald (who's ten and very solemn) bought a cigar-cutter. A jolly narrow squeak it was, too. We were ail of us nearly broke, but we juit managed it. Of course, if he.—Uncle Peter, I mean—didn't happen to smoke we were fairly up a tree ; but we had to chance that. It wouldn't be our fault. We'd got him presents; if he couldn't use them, that ay as his own look-out.

On. Christmas morning we Avere all hanging about near the AvindoAV, so's to catch sight of him and see what kind of a fellow he Avas. Presently, a cab dlrov-e up, and he got out—smoking, too, so that Avas all gay. Seemed pretty decent to look iat—a fat red face; you know the sort. Well, in he came and shook hands Avith all of us, and Avished us a, merry Christmas, and Ave said, "Same to you." "Bless my soul!" he said. "You're quite. groAvn up. I've brought some little presents for you, but I hope you Avon't think they're too juvenile. I know children have altered a good deal since my young days." Fancy calling me a child! I Avas ready for almost anything after that. Not for the things he'd brought us, though. No.; not quite ! "This is for you, my dear!" he said to Edith, handing her a, box.

When she opened it .and found a stuffed doll, I thought I should have split to. see the funny face she .made. Only just then he passed me over a hitimming-top, and I A\ r as so absolutely disgusted that I forgot all about Edith for quite a minute. Upon my word, I could hardly take the thing. Dolly came next, and she had a box of puzzle bricks; and she Avas so long saying "Thank you!" that I thought she'd never get it out. I guessed Ronald's before it Avas* opened by the shape. A hoop, it Avas — and a Avooden one, too! Pater and mater had come in, by then, or I really don't know Avhat we should have done. We were sort of struck dumb, and Ave'd forgotten all about the smoking things for Uncle Peter. Then I saw Edith remember, but before she could say anything I nudged her to come outside. So she nudged Ronald, and he pinched Dolly; and out AA-e Avent into the breakfast-room, and locked the' door.

"Look here," I said, "this is a bit too thick. What arc Ave going to do?"

"It'll be a. little bit useful," said Ronald, holding up his hoop. "I ay anted one to make a head-screen for taking portraits in the garden. If I cover it Avitih ' green——" "Shut up!' I told him. "Now, everybody, the question is, are we going to giA r e him our presents, or mot?" Edith and Doily said they supposed we'd better, as they weren't much use to us. Ronald said it seemed a Avaste. That's AA-hat I thought. My pouch had cost three shillings, and the wretched humming-top looked worth about ninepenoe, so I Avas pretty mad. Then I had a tripping idea.

"You knoAv that old Noah's ark," I said—"the one that Ronald had when he ay as a kid? It's still upstairs in the cupboard. What do you say if Ave each take an animal and giA-c it to- Uncle Peter ? That ought to- teach him. a lesson." The girls were frightened, of course, but Ronald thought it ay as great, so Ave bullied them into- it, and told them they must do it for the honor of the house. So lie took an elephant, and Edith a giraffe, and Dolly a Hon; I bagged Mrs Noah.

"Yon first," said Dolly. "Yon thought of it." "No," I said. "The eldest first. Got along, Edie. No shirking ! .lust hand it to him with 'best \Yishes and compliments of the season.' The others must think of something else to sav."

She wouldn't at first, but we opened the drawing-room door and fairly bundled her in. Then we ay a i tod outside for a bit, but we couldn't hear anything; so- I took my turn. "It isn't much," I said; "but it's the spirit of the gift you slioukl think of." And I gave him Mrs Noah. 'Fie stared at her, Uncle Peter did, and made a funny noise in his throat. "Richard!" snapped the pater, fixing me with his eye. "AYhat do you mean by this?" But before I could say anything, one of the other kids opened the door; and lucky for me. Dolly, itwas. " 'May happiness with you abide,

this merry, joyous Christmas-tide' " she said. Told me afterwards she got it from one of the silly cards she'd had sent her. Uncle Peter took the lion and 'held it np, a.nd -nearly choked. He was getting redder in. the face every minute. I couldn't help watching him.

He looked like the setting sun. "Children!" the mater begun; then 1 she stopped, because Ronald had come in with his elephant. "With hearty goodwill, and every pleasant wish for a.uld lan.g syne," he sort of spluttered, running his words together for fear lie should forget them. Uncle Peter jumped up like a. rocket. He was in a furious wax. "What the " he started.

"Hush, Peter!" said the mater, turning to us. "Children, I'm ashamed of you. Fetch your uncle the proper presents you bought for him. Fetch them at once."

Well, there was no help for it. Dolly and me and Ronald went and got them. "Where's Edith?" said Dolly. "Why doesai't she come, too?" We couldn't make it out till we'd gone back and given Uncle the smoking things. He hardly thanked us at all, by the way, which I thought was jolly bad manners on his part, especially as he 'had written that book on etiquette. "Go* on!" said Ronald, poking Edith. "Give him yours." She didn't say anything, only wriggled, and got behind the mater's chair. Then. I saw how it was. She'd flunked, and never given Uncle her giraffe at all.

"Traitor!" I hissed at her. Then I told the others, and they hissed ".Traitor!" too, till the pater told them to he quiet. "Well, now I'll tell you about my little joke," said Uncle Peter, trying to make believe he wasn't wild. "I ga,ve you those toys on purpose, to see which of you would have the politeness to thank me nicely. I'm sorry to say that Edith Avas the only one." Yes ; the sneak ! Then he took some new money out of his pocket, and gave it to ushalf a crown each, except Edith; and she got a whole sovereign ! Half a crown to me! Why, it didn't even pay for the tobacco-pouch I'd bought him, mush, less leave me anything for myself. And fancy calling his first silly presents a joke. Funny idea, of a. joke, I call it. And what I say is, in that case,' our Noah's a.rk presents to him were a joke, too; and he shouldn't have got ratty about them. Of course, we made Edith share out the sovereign afterwards, but for all that, I still think she was a. traitor, and so do the others.