AN ENJOYABLE PARENT

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 12012, 13 October 1904, Page 3

AN ENJOYABLE PARENT

R. K. Vsax—E, is "Black asd .Whits." They all got into tlie compartment in which I was already wated-threesmall pale boys, clutching spades and brownpapor parcels; two small pale gir *. carrying bucket* and brown-paper parcels; a pale woman laden with parcels only—clearly the mother—and a diminutive nursemaia. laden with a baby. Hie father, a stout •man with three chins and an umbrella, iollowed leisurely, giving directions as to where they were to sit. . '. „ "Jenkins, take the corner peat facing the engine! Alfred, next to Jenkins, and mind the gentleman's hat! Ernest, if I you leaning against that door, I'll box Your ears. Mrs I\, I wish youd sit down. Silence, girls, I can't make- myself heard." - , , ~ , . Having thus established order, the stout man put his umbrella in the corner opposite mc, and leaned put of the window. "Porter!" lie called. . "Yossir," said a heavily laden person, who was pushing a truck-load of things towards the carriage. " ' "Are yon going to bring those things of mine, or not?" , /)( "Comin", sir—-there's a lot of 'em. sir. "No impertinence, mind," raid the etout man. "Hand them in." • Tlie porter handed them in, and the stout man directed him and tho pale woman where to put them. When this had been done and the porter had got out. the stout man leaned out of th* window once mere. _ t "There you are," he said, "and you don t deserve it." I noticed the porter's face clouding over and the pprter's lips preparing to state at, objection. : "Say a word," said tho stout man, "and I shall /report you. Three-ha'pence is a good deal more" than you ought to get. Really,*' the stout man turned to_ mc genially, fl,s the porter moved .off with a grimace, "tho servants cm this line are a disgrace. Tickets?"—as a ticket-inspect-r came up—"There* you are, three• wide* and five halves, live infant's in arms." "None o* thorn children over age?" inquired theiinspecto r sospicKKtslr. .' "Certainly not," said the stout man. "Die eldest is nine. Alfred, state, your age." - "Nine," said Alfred, submissively. "Exactly.- It's no good trying to get over mc." raid tho stout man, and the inspector hurried off with a sour grin. The

stout roan-gat back' comfortably, in hia seat aa the train started, and ordered one of the girls to my side of -tho carriage. This made six on my aide aud.ga'©" him plenty of room. . Not being on? of his family, I was about to ins:st on a more equal distribution, when the pale woman gazed at mc earnestly. I may have been mistaken, but I fancied rbe was asking mc not to suggest it. I said nothing, with the unfortunate result, so far aa I was; concerned, that the et-out man conceived a liking for mo. .'.'.-Ho began to talk, having previously agam.suppresscd his children's chatter. .. *. _''' . "Going as far as Porton, are you? I'm going to the sea. Tlie holidays, of course. Waste of time and money, you know, as I've told my boys' schoolmaster. "What do I pay you for?' I asked him. "Nothing but holidays nowadays. In niy time it was different. But'there, I don't allow my children to idle their time away. Combine the holidays with instruction— that's what I do. Here, Alfred; how many stations between here and Hastings, th*" Alfred hesitated, went pale, and suggested seven. '"All right," ?aid ths stout man, furiously ; 'that's what you think, is it t Very good. No beach for you to-morrow. Mrs P., remember that Alfred Mays indoor-to-morrow instead of going down to tlie beach.. Emily!" Ho pounced—while Alfred and Mrs P. exchanged glances of commiseration —upon the smaller of tho two "Yes. father," she said. "What 'ud you do to mc if I was apparently drowned?" It seemed to mc that the likfliest thirijr for Emily to do would be to dance upon the stout man's body with unadulterated joy, together with tlie rest of the family. I saw a suggestion of what Alfred would do in a kind of clenching of tlie teeth nut ho involuntarily mado as tlie question was put. But Emily was a prim child, and evidently docile. ' t "Plathe you on the fathe, thereby euthuring that your tongue doth not fail back into your throat. . . ." -She lisped off the prescription for artificial respiration at a great rate, and the stoutman glowed with satisfaction. "Right," he said; "you shall take Alfred's spade to-morrow, while lie stays in. Name the Cinquo Ports; Martha !" Martha named them without a mistake, luckily for herself; and then the otherswere made to cross some stepping-stonei to knowledge. '■ ■ \ "That's the way I do it," said the. s-to-.it man to mc, with a wave of th> hand. "Combine pleasure with instruction, I say. Eh?" "Does the baby know what to do if you're found apparently drowned?" I asked with intere-t: I had consulted my watch, and found that my station was duo in another minute. "Well—er—not - yet. Not yet," said tho stout man. "Only eighteen months 'old, you know. He'll learn." "Or what to do if you got knocked on tho head?" "Eh—knocked on the head—eh, what?" The stout man regarded mc sidelong. The train was ju*t coming into the station-. I picked up my hat. "Because I. should certainly tench him. i It's Dound to happen one day. Someone who wants to combine pleasure with instruction, you know, is sure to do it." The stout man put up a podgy hand as if to defend himself as I rose. "No, I'm only getting out myself.. If I were a 'Christian I should stop" and do my duty. You're sure'to meefcone in the course of time. Good morning." ; I saw tlie stout man as the train moved on, wiping liis brow with a purple handkerchief in silence. His family had peace, lam sure, for at least ten minutes. Not more.

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