Pam's Christmas Eve.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17348, 20 December 1919, Page 4 (Supplement)

Pam's Christmas Eve.

BY MARY BACHXtDBB.

PAM sat in front of the nuraery fireplace, and gazed up the chim- . ney, lost in thought, Suddenly she looked up, " I want to know,** she said uqite loudly, "I want to know."

"" What's that you said ?*" questioned nurse, then, without giving the child time to answer, " Gome along, Miss Pam, your bath's ready."

Pam did not move. " How does he do it?" she said insistently. Oh, I do want to know.'' •

"How does who do what?" "Santa Clans, without getting: black," Pam replied, lucidly. :'.. Then, as nurse looked at her, still uncomprehending, she repeated the question, " How : does Santa Clans come down the chimney-without getting black It's a black , chimney, quita black. I know; 'cos I felt, and look,** she held up a grimy finger, " and yet, ho isn't. How isn't he?"

" Lor, now, Miss Pam, I don't know," answered nurse. " Gome along to your bath, now; do. It doesn't 1 matter much anyway." . .

"It does,, it does," said Pam. quickly. " IP. matters dreadfully," nevertheless she pcwi, Sttladantly, fo* she was still email enough to enjoy her evening tab. But all through the operations) that followed, brain and tongue were busy. '* Where

doae' lie come from, nurse? And how does ho know it's to-night ? It might fee U-morrow, or yesterday, '01— oh, don't' xou m. putting soap mmy eyes. It is ui—no, not that one, the other one, nurse' S pose he forgot! S'pose they hadn't told him iV was to-night! S'pose~why is it j "Srt *S*W ? Why?-o&, please e^ n take the soap dish away, I want to ay with *• Dp you think he'll rememr the new doll! asked him fey, in the 5?>J? on know, up the chimney? How does it eeb to him ! Has he got ft now? How— *' ■-•■-•- .... o ...

But mass was tired of such an endless stream of questions. ..".I don't know anything at all about him/' she said, impati- ?"."/• , ',-Be quiet, Mies Pam, do. You fairly drive me mad with your 'whys' and-•hows.' Come along out, and be dried, sad get into Bed quick'. Comparative silence, broken only by the sound of robbing and putting on of small vest and nighty. , Then, „" Where's Teddy, nurse? Ha was under? the bed, and now—

__" Under the bed! What on earth? Crawl under yourself and get him. Mind your head! There! That's all right, Whatever did you put him under there for?**" .-'• ,/' •■■"'

Pam stood still and thought. "It wasn't under the bed- then," ; she explained. J? It was on the , ship. You know—like « Just So Stories '—' The port house cabins are dark 'en dim.' Ho was the nurse on the floor in a heap,' only you said, Come and have tea at once," an' I forgot. 0, tuck it up fighter on that side please. He always falls out. Goodnight. And now will you tell mtunmie I'm ready, please, 'cos I want to say good-night and God bless, quick bo's I can go to sleep, and the morning will come soon.'*

Five minutes later mummie crept away quietly from the nursery where Pam, still talking to herself, was very nearly asleep. " Mummy says you come alive on Christmas Eve night," she was murmuring softly to the Teddy Bear. "Do you, Teddy? Do you——" and the voice trailed off sleepily. Silence.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, came a startling sound. The Kewpie doll, on the dressing table by the bed, whistled '

The dolls had come alive! At the signal, the Teddy Bear, whose real name was Archibald Edward, and who was taking up most of the room in Parn's bed (he k»d a very determined disposition), started sat up cautiously, stretched himself, climbed down the blankets, and dropped noiselessly to the floor. From all • parte of the room came the other dolls, : ytip-toeing softly to the fireplace. The r-Sj™ . model «-«" smoothed out her "■S Pled . l . Sk i rte daintily, watching from S°X th h6r l T g gashes to see if was W? r * wero Joking. The Goll.wog r- 'doU'figd^ the e /e of the wooden Way, ¥£* •""•and he looked away f ; &*& dou^Lii? SK arvive - M the h .* x SMh, beciC;^ el I: J 13116 was tying up . • "■■rWWMie.ihe had just used it as

a rope for climbing down from the dressing table. The Paris model doll looked at her superciliously, remarking that, of course, climbing was easy enough if one only wore a sash. Then the Teddy Bear interrupted, and said, personally, he couldn't see much difference between that and wearing a frock with little front and less back. But this plain speaking was • too much for the sailor doll, who was a naval officer and the Paris doll's friend, and he and Teddy had quite a heated argument, until, suddenly, the wooden doll cried, " Listen !" Everyone stopped talking, and listened for nearly a minute, but they couldn't hear anything. The naval officer was quite annoyed about it, for be had just been going to say something brilliant, and now he couldn't remember what it was, but the wooden doll said she was sure she had heard sleigh bells, and anyhow it was quite time " he" arrived.

" Sleigh Bells said the Eewpie, " hy, 'ho * won't come in a sleigh this year, sillyj Last year it was in a motorcar. This year it "Is sure to be an aeroplane," and the wooden doll looked squashed.^

" I saw Pam writing to ' him * yesterday," said the Golliwog. " She put it up the chimney, and so I expect he got it in the afternoon mail. It was an awfully long list."

"I wonder what she wants this year," said the-Paris dolL " Last year it was me."

iv" didn't want you, anyhow,?' said L ! oU ' radt,, y; " 8h « asked for a baby doll, but there had been a war on and they r weren't making them in EnglamL You were the best 'he' could -Sf ** 7 * el ° the T „, doU flashed. What a fib. I— wake her up and ask her,* she cried angrily. All eyes "were turned away from the chimney for a moment for the dolls were looking at tae small sleeping person in the white b . toy the window, to see if she had heard. Suddenly there was a gentle thud and alow chuckle sounded behind (hem The dolls famed around hastily. "He " was there.

" s°'" r did you come so quietly?" said the Kewpie doll "We never heard the whirr of your aeroplane." .'. 1' H ',' ■ stoed laughing, abruptly. Aeroplane, indeed," he snorted. " Good gracious, I wouldn't be seen in one of those things for a whole continent of Christmas presents. No thank you! Seiner are good enough for me." " Hut you came in a * motor-caar last year, "argued the Kewpie dolL " Only because of the war," he replied quickly ; " had to do it to save time! They .-were «> late with the presents that I should. never have got "round unless I bad used -one.- But they are an awful nuisance, especially crossing the ocean, Such a business to keep the petrol dry, you know." Then he looked at the Kewpie doll again, severely. •« Aeroplane, indeed!" and he puffed out his cheeks and looked quite annoyed. ' The Ke srpie doll looked squashed. She even forgot to make eyes for a moment. The Golliwog said afterwards that he thought it improved her. « ** u * ".J " was ev i d ently in a hurry. "Quick," he said, as he put down parcel after parcel; " don't get in the way and keep me back. I've got to do the South Island and Australia yet. And I've made a bit of a muddle, too," he added *' Auckland got all the best gifts this year and Wellington will be awfully jealous. * J

" What's that?" inquired the Teddy Bear, as he pointed to a long, narrow parcel. " He " rubbed his hands, and beamed at the little group of dolls. " That," he said, "is a baby doll." He paused for a moment, then continued: "Not much demand for them since you became the craze" (this to the Kewpie doll), "but I m glad to say one little girl is oldfashioned enough to want one. And she got it, too," he added, " the prettiest doll of the season." Then he turned to the Pans model doll, "listen to me," he said, " don't you ever talk about waking up a little girl on Christmas Eve. Do you know what would happen to her present if she did wake up. ' They'd all disappear!' " The dolls gasped with horror. Then, as he departed up the chimney they crept back to bed, quite subdued, boon they were all fast asleep The first ray of sunlight that crept in the window kissed; Pam, and woke her up She opened her eyes sleepily, blinked for a moment; then she remembered. • " :iristmaß morning," she whispered joyfully, and ran straight to the fireplace. It was the long narrow parcel that she opened first. Then she gave a great cry of joy. Mother!" she called, "mother, Santa Claus did come last night, and he brought me a baby doll, too," and she ran out of the room. The Kewpie fell flat on her lace on the dressing table, and the Paris doll hastily drew a blanket round her too bare shoulders.

" What did we tell you," said the wooden doll triumphantly, and the Paris doll couldn't eay a word. But Pam was not worrying about them, bnehad reached her mother's room, and was clambering, awkwardly, because of the baby doll, over her daddy, who grunted uncomfortably, into the middle of the.bed. v -

" She came—Santa Glaus brought her," she announced, " down the chimney And she didn't get black. Not a bit.' Not even the box. He doesn't get black either. Why doesn't he?" But neither mummy nor dady could answer that question. And your mummy and your daddy can't tell you, because they don t know either. Nobody knows

THE "EXAM" MYSTERY. — m "Frank Forrester," announced the teacher of the first year high, as he entered the classroom, *' Mr. Wood wants tA see yon in his room." No one was more popular than Frank, .for no one gathered about him quite so interested a group as those who looked with wonder on his almost supernatural instinct for working out puzzles, all of which had earned for him the nickname of " Slick.' And now as Frank left the room there was not a little conjecture as to the nature of his errand. " What's old Spyglass want Slick for?" This nickname had attached itself to Mr. Wood, the principal, because of a quite natural desire on his part to keep himself posted on the doings of his flock. '* Somebody must ha' stolen a march on him and Slick's to find it." Lads of fifteen will have their fling at wit. " Maybe he's to find that holiday

we lost last February, when Washington's birthday fell on a Saturday,"* whispered a red-headed lad who pitched for the class team. "Or the game you lost last week with that wild heave over second, with

the bases full," said the boy at his side, a remark which completely silenced the redhead. r Meanwhile Slick had reached Sir. Wood's room and entered in. Mr. Wood was a tall, thin man in the forties, short of hair, but long on the grey matter that lies beneath it, and, in spite of his position of principal of a boys' school, was well liked. " Sit down, Frank, I want to have a chat with you. I understand that you are something of a detective." Frank acknowledged the compliment with becoming modesty. " Thank you, sir," he said. " I like to ferret Out things." Mr. Wood knitted his brows. " Well, I've got something here that needs ferreting, l and I don't want to call in anybody from the outside. It's a little family skeleton. Would you like to undertake it?"

The light .in Slick's eyes was sufficient answer. "I see you would," said Mr. Wood, and proceeded to tell the following story: —

'" You know that there is to be an exam, this afternoon in the eighth grade. I have prepared a set of papers and the boys are to receive them this afternoon at two o'clock. N.ow, the answers were written by me on that typewriter, one carbon copy only being made. This is it," and he tcok a paper from the side pocket of his coat and handed it to Slick. "The original was on the desk all the morning either there or in that top left drawer. It's gone.' I've searched the room, my everywhere—but cannot find it." He paused expectantly.

"Tell me, please, Mr. Wood, when the paper was written, who' has been in the room since then, and if you left the room, when, or who might have been here during your absence."

j "Mr. Wood smiled at Slick's business- | like questions. ; " The paper was written at 10 o'clock this morning. Miss Cronin and Miss Orme, the teachers of the two eighth grade classes, were here in consultation with me at 10.15. - Mr. Meyers, the janitor, came in to straighten the room,, and while they were here two lads of the eighth grade were sent to me on charges of mischief during study period. I am reluctant to suspect anybody of deliberate theft, but Meyers has a son in the eighth grade', and both Miss Orme and Miss Cronin are iealous of each other's record, and naturally would want to pass as many boys in the exam, as posible. I may have left the paper on the desk, but I am quite sure that I put it in the drawer, and it is quite possible that one of the boys took it when I went to the door to see Miss Orme and Miss Cronin on their way out."

Slick smiled "Who are the boys?" he asked. " George Tocher and James Wright. Do you know them?" Slick's face betrayed nothing. " Yes, I know them. May I have a look around?" "Yes, indeed," said Mr. Wood. Slick made a thorough examination.

j "I'll have to open the drawer tor you," \ said Mr. Wood. "It catches at the back where it locks; there." And, opening it, he looked through it as Slick finished his examination of the nnderside of the desk. "It isn't here,'* said Mr. Wood. " I'll have to stop the exam, and have those boys here. Perhaps you may be able to third degree them into a confession of guilt." Slick stopped him. " I don't believe in third degrees," he said. "My advice is to go ahead with the exam. Perhaps we may find" the guilty by its result." There was a funny little smile on his face. " Capital," said Mr. Wood. " Yon think ? " Slick's smile broadened. " I know where the paper is, but I want you to clear your mind of any suspicion it may have." But the result of the exam, served to confirm those suspicions and to cause him considerable astonishment as well, for the papers showed the Meyers boy passed with 100 per cent., George Tocher and James Wright were entitled to 99 each, and Miss Orme and Miss Cronin had passed more than two-thirds of their boys. "Well?" said Mr. Wood, utterly dumbfounded. " Have them in," said Slick, and leave the matter with me."

Miss Cronin, Miss Orme, Mr. Meyers, (the janitor), James Wright, and George Tocher, stood in the little room facing the principal and Slick. " I have sent for you, said Mr. Wood, "to express my congratulations, Miss Cronin and Miss Orme, for your splendid showing in passing so many boys; Mr. Meyer for the honour your son has done the school, in receiving the highest marks, 100 ner cent. ; James Wright and George Tocher for the next highest, 99." He paused, eyeing them closely, expecting to see some sign of guilt upon their faces, but he saw instead expressions of delighted surprise. When they had gone Mr. Wood turned to Slick. "Well, ril admit Tm wrong. Tve never seen five more innocent-look-ing people in my life." he said. Slick agreed with him. "That's because they are innocent," he said. " Then, who took the paper?" Mr. Wood inquired. Nobody took the paper," said Slick. " Miss Orme and Miss Cronin deserve your words of praise for their effort* in spurring on their classes to outdo each other. Mr. Meyers' boy is a model student, and won his 100 per cent fairly. James Wright and George Tocher- are mischievous, not bad, and mischievous boys are usually bright ones; that's why thev eot their 99 marks."

Mr. Wood nodded, but still showed surpnce " But the paper?" Slick opened the drawer and placed it on the top of the de . s f • „ " H you'll get under here," he said, you'll see it wedged in the catchlock at the back of the drawer, where it caught when you first opened it. It's been there all the time."

TONGUE-TWISTERS. -» . ■ ' By way of a change, see how you get on with these two tongue-twisters. Say them quickly, and you will be amused to find how . easily you can get your tongue in a knot: A bitter biting bittern Bit a better brother bittern, And the bitten better bittern bit the bitter biter back; And the bitter bittern bitten By the better bitten bittern Said: " I'm a bitter bittern-biter bit, alack!"

Betty Botter bought some butter, " But," she said, " this butter's bitter! If I put it in my batter It will make my batter bitter; But a bit of better butter Will but make, my batter better." So she bought a bit o' butter Better than the bitter butter, And made her bitter batter better. So 'twas better Betty Botter Bought a bit of better butter.