Christmas Stockings

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21974, 24 December 1936, Page 7 (Supplement)

Christmas Stockings

It was Christmas morning. Not, of course, what the grown ups mean by Christmas morning; dear me, no: it was much too early for that. Perhaps it was 3 o'clock, perhaps it was 2 o'clock. Anyway, the ■ roosters had not begun to call from fowlyard to fowlyard across the valley yet, and the two little girls were still fast asleep. In a big double bed they lay, with a humpy hillock running down the bed between them. At nights the bed would be quite flat, but soon Marie had burrowed her hollow on the side near the window and Nell had burrowed hers down the side next the wall. And as the burrows grew deeper, of course, the hilJock between grew hrgher. It always amused them in the morning. Marie and Nell, as you may guess, were sisters. Marie was the dark one; she was eight. And Nell was fair and was nine and a half. Marie's- birthday came a little before Christmas which was unfortunate about presents, but still, it was a birthday. And Nell's birth- <, day came in the cold time in May when nearly all the leaves were gone. But this Christmas morning on which we saw them asleep was a very special morning and it was a wonder they weve not awake when we first peered at them through the half gloom. But, perhaps, it was no wonder after all, for they had carefully and with such difficulty stayed awake for a very long time, hoping that they might catch sight of Santa Claus. At last they both went to sleep and there was not still one awake to drag the other back for a few more minutes. And so. of course, one more year went by and they did

not see the old man with the whiskers. But-what was this? A slight stirring in the bed; a rustling at the foot. What on earth, who on earth, was moving those bulging stockings? Suddenly Marie sat up straight in bed; she could not be sure she was awake, but she could be sure she heard something. Yes, a squeaky voice, a very small squeaky voice: "I bags out first." And then another, not so squeaky: "No you don't. I do. Anyway, it's not grammar to say 'I bags.'" "Oh. isn't it? Well, let me tell you it's not grammar to say 'no you don't.' either. So there. And, anyway, the old man said I was to go on top so you just behave yourself and let me get up there." "You're a determined little midget. Here you are, I suppose I'll let you have your way. Baby, baby, bunting." There was a rocking and tumbling of the stocking and the big bulge at the top slid down and a little bulge took its place. A good deal of puffing and snuffling could be heard. Then there was silence for a while. And then the squeaky voice was heard again. "I say, Rab. thanks for being a sport. I'll fetch you a bit of cheese as soon as I find some." "Huh, huh," said a snuffling voice. "A lot of good that is. You know perfectly welj. rabbits don't eat cheese." "Well, if you want to be bad tempered, be bad tempered. But you can jolly well be it alone. I'm going to sleep." And then there was silence. Marie rubbed her eyes. She shook her head and jigged up and down on the springy bed. But still the silence went on. Marie

really did not know what to think. So she shook Nell by the shoulders. "Nell, wake up! Wake up quickly! Christmas morning and the stockings. Santa Claus has been." So Neil woke up, too, and they both hauled up the crackling knobbly long black stockings and began to explore. There were books and a paint box and embroidery threads in Nell's—and, of course, nuts and coloured sweets. Nell quickly had her nose in a book, for by this time it was light enough to see. But Marie was sitting gazing with very round eyes at the top two objects from her stocking. She simply hadn't* had a minute to tfelve deeper. There on the counterpane were two creatures, a mouse and a fluffy rabbit. Gradually Marie put out her hand. One small finger stroked the back ,of the little grey mouse. Then the back and ears of the rabbit. (There was pink inside the ears and the eyes were pink, too.) And then she picked up the mouse and put it in her hand; growing bolder she held it up by the tail. "Stop! stop!" shrilled the verv small squeaky voice, "eyes will come out!" Marie dropped it with a gasp. Then she looked at Nell to see if she had noticed anything. But Nell was deeper than ever in the book. "Sorry" whispered Marie to thfe mouse. "Oh, that's all right," it said. Well, after that Marie felt too much astonished for words. She waited in wonderment till it was time to go into her mother's room. Really before it was time she went hurtling in, carrying the rabbit and the mouse. Nell came behind her slowly, still reading. "Mummy!" gasped Marie, "they talked to me. The rabbit and the

mouse, they talked to me. The mouse called the rabbit. Rab. and he called the mouse midget." Her mother stroked her head and laughed. "Oh, my Marie," she said, "what ideas you do have. Go ana show daddy." As Marie picked up the animals off her mother's bed she looked at the mouse. My goodness! Oh! What do you think happened? That cheeky young mouse winked, actually winked at Marie with one of ins beady black eyes! And Mane could do nothing but giggle. What a joke! And only she and Kao and the midget knew it. What a simply splendid Christmas joke! Bakelite The curious name of Bakelite sug-. gests firing operations, but it is an artificial resin, whose inventor is one Baekeland. It is made, the scientist tells us. by "the reaction of phenol and formaldehyde in the presence of suitable catalysts." The resin so produced looks like amber, but it is much harder; it can be sawn or drilled or turned. Also it can be coloured to resemble ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, ebony, or polished hardwood. Bakelite is remarkably useful to electricians because it is a splendid non-conductor; and as it is not inflammable, is insoluble in water, alio remains unchanged by corrosive gaßes, it is valuable not only for ornaments but in the chemical trades. It has been used for beads but* tons, umbrella-handles, knife-hanfl-les, brush-handles, and combs. Thousands of tons are now mwf* everjr year, and new uses are being constantly found for it.