The ClockworK Tea-Party.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14250, 22 December 1909, Page 6 (Supplement)

The ClockworK Tea-Party.

( i /«V\ • MY, that clock was not in- ' tended for a hatstand. Put your hat away, my dear. ; ' " Charley, is that halfeaten apple on the piano yours " Dora, go and put your toys away. So spoke the Princess Methodosia to her nephew and_ nieces. " Now Jot lis all be up and doing," she continued in a brisk voice. " Remember, there are sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, and none must bo wasted. There is a place for everything, so put everything in its place." Princess Methodosia had come to look after the Palace of Rozyhue during the absence of her sister and the children's mother, Queen Absentia, who was taking a rest-euro. The Princess was very fond of order and method, and had been terribly shocked at the happy-go-lucky ways which existed in the palace. Under her regime, numerous time-tables were drawn out; a time allotted for every duty and every pleasure of the day. The courtiers were almost afraid to blow their noses, let alone sneeze, if they had not first consulted the time-table. It is a great thing to be methodical, but, like other good things, it. can bo carried to excess; and in the Kingdom of liozyhue hardly anyone thought for themselves now, but merely did what the princess told them. '• 1 shall be glad when mother returns." said Amy to Beryl, as the two little girls, their arms entwined, walked up the broad oak stairs to put away their things. Aunt Methodosia does order one about so."

" Yes," she makes the ladies-in-waiting got up every morning at six, and by : seven they have to bo standing at their bedroom doors ready to curtesy to aunt as she walks down tho corridor. The first morning they didn't think she meant it, and some of them weren't even out of bed. She soon got them up, though." "It is my birthday next Wednesday," he said. " May I have a party, Aunt Methodosiii?" " Certainly; we will give a clockwork . party." "What sport exclaimed Charley. 41 We will have no end of clockwork toys and have a splendiferous time." "Not at all. By clockwork party, I mean '.a methodical party, everything dono to time, every moment arranged. I , shall-begin to draw out a time-table at once," said Methodosia. When the day arrived Princess Metho- " dosia. stood at the front door of the * * palace with a bell' in her hand. She explained to the guests that when she rang - it they were to stop the game they were playing and begin the next one on the list. " Now we will play Hunt-the-slipper for ten minutes," she called out; "after1, wards General Post for fifteen minutes; > tea will then be ready, we shall eat that . in half-an-hour." Until tea-time all went well, but in the middle of the meal there 1 mm great excitement, much to the annoyance of the princess, who found they were not able to keep to her time-table, " ."•liter all, for three huge airships, adorn-

A COMPLETE STORY BY MARGARET

Ed with guns, were descried hovering over the palace. "Yes," chimed in Baby Dora, whose fat little legs were climbing up the stairs behind the elder girls; "she is going to make out a time-table for me." Meanwhile Charley had stayed behind : he had something he wished to ask his aunt. " It is the king from the next country come to attack us ! I know it is," said Methodosia, in a panic, to King Rozyhuo, who had just got back from hunting. " All the neighbouring kings have been as short-tempered as possible lately, and I drew out a list of decorations for the army for its use in case of war, but I never expected anyone to come ill airships. Oh, Rozyhue, they are firing! What shall we do? We shall all be killed !" cried Methodosia, as the great guns boomed out. " Don't be silly ! You and your timetables are ruining my subjects : they don't know how to think for themselves, now," remarked the king testily. He was tired and cross, as he had had a very disappointing day. " Those airships are not going to fight lis. They belong to King Pretty boy, and have come to salute Charley on his birthday." "I am not silly!" snapped *Methodosia, who was also tired. " I won't look after your palace any more for you if this is all the thanks I get." " Don't be vexed, Methodosia. I beg your pardon for speaking as I did. It was good of you to come. Nevertheless, if you stayed here longer you would turn us all into machines, so perhaps it will

be all for the best for you to go. I will send for your sister Improvidentia to take your place." Meanwhile, the clockwork party had dispersed. What with the excitement of the firing and the airships, the children had enjoyed it far more than they had thought probable at the beginning, when Princess Methodosia had welcomed them with a bell in one hand and a time-table in the other. H. Princess Improvidentia was tall and slight, with pretty, wavy chestnutcoloured hair and grey-blue eyes. The Rozyhue children were very fond of her. " Why, there are time-tables everywhere!" she exclaimed in her gay voice the first evening slle arrived at the palace. "They are Methodosia's work, I am sure !" "Yes; we' had to do everything by rule while Aunt Methodosia was here," said Amy. " ' A place for everything, and everything in its place.' ' Sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour,' quoted Improvidentia. I know all about it! Methodosia gave Absentia and.me a time of it when we were growing up. You all have my sympathies." "Can we tear up all the time-tables?" Charley asked eagerly. Improvidentia looked serious. "Yes, you may," she said; "but don't think I wish you to forget the good habits your aunt has taught you. I am

glad to see you looking so neat and tidy! The palace is kept in such splendid order, and it is quite a treat to find the meals punctual. All the same, Melhodosia is too methodical. One can have too much of a good thing." » The next day, when the children were doing lessons with .Miss Bricks, Princess Improvidentia knocked at the schoolroom door.' "Can I borrow one of my nieces for a little while?" she asked. "I want someone to help me." " Princess Amy can go, I suppose. Your Royal Highness ; but of course her aunt the Princess Methodosia never allowed their Royal Highnesses' studies to be interrupted. However—" " Come along, Amy," said Improvidentia. " I am in a hurry. It will be all light. Miss Bricks; I am in charge now." She led the way to the. drawingroom. " I want you to help mo to measure the carpet, Amy," she said. " Then you can come down to the town and we will choose a new one. Methodosia has got. everything very clean; but, all the same, the drawingroom does look shabby. Wo will buy new curtains and pretty draperies for the piano. Your father will not know the place. I wonder your mother did not get new things ages ago !" " I think that she felt father could not afford them," explained Amy. "Mother had always to be careful." "Pooh! Your father is a king, so of course he has money. Come along. Don't you worry that little head of yours," said Improvidentia. "We will buy some chocolate in the town for the others, and get something nice for Miss Bricks. She wants cheering up." The shopkeepers were delighted to see Princess Improvidentia, as in her lighthearted, happy way she flitted from shop to shop, spending her own money lavishly on presents for the children and governess, but putting down the new car-

pet.s and curtains to the king's account. King Rozyhuo looked rather worried when he received the bills, but he was so glad that Improvidentia did not take after Methodosia that he felt for the time that he could forgive her anything. " I shall have to retrench somehow; not keep so many hunters, perhaps, or let the shooting next season. After all, though Absentia had her faults, still she had a great many good points. I shall bo glad when her rest-cure is over," lie' thought. , A few mornings after this there was a great uproar in the palace. Tho king's old brown dressing-gown could not be found. Everyone hunted high and low for it, all but Improvidentia, who had gone out for an early gallop on horseback. When she returned, the search for the missing article was still going on. " I will have it found!" shouted tho king, who, like a great many others of easy-going_ disposition, was really cross when he was put out. " I have had that dressing-gown for years. It shall bo found !" "Dressing-gown?" asked Improvidentia, stopping at his bedroom door. The king had turned the contents of all the cupboa ids and drawers on to the floor, and, with a wrathful face, was standing in the midst of his possessions. "Do you mean that old, ragged, brown thing ? I gave that to a beggar-man last night—tho poor creature was shivering with cold."

" You did, did you? Kindly leave my clothing alone for the future," said the king in an icy voice. " At any rate, I've bought you a new one. Hero it is !" And Improvidentia joyfully displayed an apple-green dress-ing-gown, with huntsmen in pink coats, and hounds in full '■ cry, depicted round the bottom. The king stared at it aghast. " Take it away, take it away !" he implored. " I cannot have it. I should become a laughing-stock among my subjects if they knew 1 wore such a thing." " It is both pretty and suitable, as you aro so fond of sport.," said Improvidentia. But the king sighed heavily as he took it. To-morrow will be father's birthday," Beryl informed her aunt, a few days after this episode. " We shall all have to get him some present," remarked Improvidentia. "I haven't a penny, but that's a detail." " How can you manage, then, auntie?" asked Beryl, with round wide-open eyes. " Wait and see," replied her aunt. She went away, and presently returned with a five-pound note. "I told your father I must have some money, and ho gave me this. He says ho is very poor, and hardly knows where .to look for a penny. I believe he really thinks he is poor," she said. "And so he is," said Beryl. " Never mind. Call the others, and we will all go to town and buy birthday presents for liozyhue. There n«i(i b<«. a pound for each of us to Jf.end. I shall get cigar#." The king's birthday came on a quarterday. So beside his presents he was greeted with a sheaf of bills run up by Improvidentia; and onco more he said to himself; "I shall .be glad when Absentia comes home."

Later in the day there was more trouble in the palace, for Dora caught her aunt in the act of giving away her father's old carpet slippers to a pot-palm man. " You shall not give away my daddy's shoes she cried, hugging them closely to her plump little self. " I warm them every night for him by the fire. You shall not do it!" " What is the matter?" asked a cheerful voioc at the door. And there stood Queen Absentia, the other children clinging about her. "Aren't you pleased to see me, Baby?" " A'fully pleased. Daddy will be, too." Yes; I've come back for his birthand I'm never going away again," said Absentia. The children had a lot to tell their' mother that evening, all about " Tito Clockwork Tea Party," and the doings of Aunt Methodosia and Aunt Improvident • As for Queen Absentia, she had benefited so much by her rest-euro that she was absent-minded no .more; and the king and all his subjects, were glad to welcome her back. , ,

Miller Jan : " How did Santa Claus treat ye this year?" Farmer Tarn : " Fust rate. Jeff Colson brought back that gun ho borrowed, I found my old jack-knife in tho woolshed, my taxes wuz redooced four shillings, an' Aunt Eliza wrote to say she couldn't visit us."