"HOME MADE"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22412, 7 May 1936, Page 19

"HOME MADE"

BY HUTH WILKINSON

"Auntie, what is the name of the new Queen of England?" asked Charlie, as Madge fitted him for a new overcoat she was finishing for him. "The Prince of Wa King Edward isn't married," she replied absently. "Do keep still for a njoment. 1 may as well try to dress a wriggling eel, as you. . . . There," she asked, sitting back on her heels, "how do you like your new coat? Don't you think mo clever to make it out of my old tweed one? Walk over there and let me see how it hangs." "Oh, Auntie!" exclaimed Charlie, posturing in front of the mirror. "It looks just home made. It's " "You're a naughty, ungrateful, little boy," burst out Madge indignantly. "No one would dream it was homo made: it looks tailored to measure at least." Charlie's eyes filled with hurt tears. "But Auntie, you advertise home made cakes and tell me they are much better than bakers' cakes. Why aren't homo made coats better than tailored?" "Oh! Charlie, forgive me," cried Madge, all self abasement. "Poor little soul! You see I am not used to children, and I'm not iiood at understanding little boys' minds. Have patience with mo until we have lived together a little longer. We will soon grow to understand each other perfectly, won't we, old ! chap? Now to show you have forgiven me. Will you and Dicky run and post this letter for mo? Here's tho penny for the stamp." "A penny stamp," mused Charlie, taking the proffered penny. "That's I the Dink one, isn't it? Why do nearly all tho letters you get have green ones on them ?" "Really, you arc a' horrid " began Madgo violently. "Oh, dear! I mustn't get annoyed so easily. You see, child, envelopes with green stamps on them are not sealed; I've sealed this one. and that makes the extra postage. Run along now and don't ask any more questions." Madge stood at the shop entrance and watched the two small figures run down tho street —Charlie with the letter and penny clutched in an important j young hand. She sighed wearily. Charlie's keen young eyes had been right. More half-penny stamped bills came into her shop than half pennies. The shoppers had yet to appreciate tho number of eggs and the amount of butter that she beat into each cake. "The Lord will provide." She tried to comfort herself with memories of a text that had graced her bedroom wall at her old home. "Heigh, ho! But ] have noticed at the beach, tLe provision for the big fish is pretty hard on tho little fish at breakfast-time." She turned back into her room and gathered up the litter of cotton and Hcraps; several customers wandered in as the morning drifted away. She glanced at the clock. "Time the children were home. I hope nothing dreadful has happened," she murmured anxiously. She stood undecided on the step until she spied tlieui tearing along the street. "Auntie! Auntie! You needn't Lave green stamps on your letters any more." they shrieked in unison, much to tho deep interest of the passers-by. "Wo know how to make lots and lots of monev " "Come in quickly," gasped Madge. "Bovsl You mustn't scream like that in the streets. Come in at once." "But Auntie, look what we have," thrilled Charlie, after Madge had hustled them inside. "Look!" With that the boys feverishly emptied the contents of their pockets on to the table Pennies, threepences, sixpences and even a few lordly shillings, rolled out in profusion. A loud knock interrupted her interrogations. Through the glass door they saw tho stalwart form of a policeman. Madge turned cold with horror; she forced herself to go casually into tlie sliop. He was a sergeant who, of late, Lad bought a good deal from her. "Good morning," ho began. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but have you been bothered by any boj's about here? There are a couple of them working a smart swindle." "No—No. Really, sergeant, they are too young to realise what they are doing," croaked Madge, completely flustered bj' the sudden attack. "They're only babies." "That's a new one to me. Must be a gang of them about and they are sending in the little fellows," pondered the sergeant. "How much did they get from you?" "Nothing, nothing," protested Madge too vehemently. "I never saw them." "Why did you say they were only babies? Look hero?" he added sternly, reading Madge's white tortured face with an experienced eye. " What do you know about this business? " N-Nothing. Yes I do," blurted Madge, suddenly determined to clear her conscience. " They are my nephews. But I'm sure they are too young to have a clear idea of wrong and right. They are only six and eight years old." " Wefll, if it is any comfort to you, the scamps 1 am after are experienced young criminals of 14 and 16. But it's quite evident your nephews have been up to something. Let me see them." "Wait! Oh wait! You'll terrify them. Give me time to reason with them. I promise it will never happen again. Please," begged Madge desperately. " Don't you worry," comforted the sergeant, wrung to pity by Madge's most evident distress. " We don't wish to bo unreasonable —ever. Perhaps 1 can help you." " I'm positive you can," agreed Madge, strangely soothed. " I know nothing of children. These are my sister's. She and her husband were killed in a motor smash last month. I'm their onl3 T relative in New Zealand and the boys came to live with me last week. They have just arrived homo with pockets full of money. I have no idea how they came by it, and I'm dreadfully worried." " Well let us get to the bottom of this mystery," he replied. " Hi 1 Boys," ho called and whistled. Magde started with amazement, while there was a scraping from under the couch in the back room, and a wild rush of small forms. "Daddy! It's daddy!" tho kiddies shouted in ix wild ecstasy of delight; stopping short on tlie threshold as they saw only Madge and the sergeant. "We thought it was daddy," they sobbed, running to Madge and burying griefstricken faces in her overall. " Their father always whistled them like? that," Madge explained, hugging them close. "Lord," groaned the sergeant. "And I meant to reassure them. Bj r tho way who was their father?" "Richard Newton," began Madge. " Did lie have a bullet scar on his left cheek? My cobber," ho cried, as Madge nodded. "We both faked outages and enlisted at 10. Whenever we were separated in France or on leave wo whistled in our own peculiar wav. And these are his sons. Well. well. Now, boys," he said softly, putting his hands on their shoulders, " 1 was your father's best friend, and I want to be your's too." "Do you?" queried Charlie, his big eyes opening wide in wonder. Then lingering memory prompted him, " Aro vou Bill Blake?" " I am. The one and only," said Bill, flattered beyond words. " And we'll have lots of fun together. Now this afternoon I'm going over the hills and far away in a shiney now motoroar, with ninety horses all galloping away under the bonnet. How about coming with me?" " How fast can they gallop?" asked CLarlie eagerly.

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" I Lave liad tlicra up to ninety," stated Bill modestly. " Did von put yourself into gaol for going too fast?" Dick overcame Lis sliyuess, and spoke for tlie first time. " Oil I J say. Will you walk into my parlour—l" exclaimed Bill. " Tell me tlie answer to that 0110 will you, Miss Madge?" " I'm deligLted to find I am not the only one they can tie up with their eternal questioning," laughed Madge. " But were you not catching a big bad thief who was going wide open at 89' I miles an hour?" " Of course I was," grinned Bill. " How silly of me to forget. Now, boys, I'll tell you all about that thrilling episode this afternoon; be ready at two sharp. I say," he continued, turning to Madge. " I —l. don't suppose you would like to come and listen also, would you?" " There's nothing I'd love better, but I'm afraid 1 have to wait for customers," said Madge regretfully. " Some other time," said Bill Lopefully, noting that the linoleum had a too worn look. He saluted smartly; gave the boys a brief lesson on how it was done, and turned toward the door. " Sergeant," called Madge, "we haven't solved tlie mystery of tLe appeared coins, yet." "By jove! 1 am neglecting my duty. Now, as your daddy's best friend. Please tell me where you got that money." He spoke gently, seating himself on a chair and drawing each boy to him. " People gave it to us," said Charlie, settling himself on Bill's knee. " Pick said it wasn't fair that I should put the stamp on, all by myself. So I said we would each put on a green one. But wo only had the one penny, and Dick wanted to buy his own stamp. So we asked a man to give us two halfpennies for our penny, but ho laughed and gave us threepence each. We couldn't get him to take our penny." " No, wo simply could not," chimed in Dick, stamping his foot in emphasis. " So we asked someone else; and ho gave us a shilling and wouldn't take our penny either. Then I remembered what mummy used to say about 'Ask a policeman,' So wo did, and lie gave us a penny each and said he was sorry, it was all lie had, but it was all right as it was pay day. And it was tlie same whomever we asked, until we came to that lady who sat next to us in church—" You know, Auntie Madge," interrupted Dick. " The one who smiled so pretty and who, you said, dropped threepence into the plate out of a fifteen-shilling pair of gloves." 1 hat will do, Dick," snapped Madge, colouring guiltily. " What happened next, Charlie?" "Nothing; she gave ns our two halfpennies, and took the penny; so we bought the stamps; posted the letter and came home." Charlie finished up triumphantly. "Thus we have it," remarked Madge, light-heartedly. She felt that all her troubles had been transferred to broader shoulders than hers. "Now what am I to do?" "J know, Auntie," piped up Dick brightly. "You take half-a-crown; and ask different men to change it for you —don't ask the ladies —they are too stingy, and give you the exact —" "Dick! You dreadful boy," gasped Madge. "Bill—er—Sergeant, what am I to do?" " 'Bill's' near enough," said Bill cheerfully. "I'll give them both the father of a lecture this afternoon." "Are you going out, Auntie?" asked Charlie, that evening, as he watched Madge carefully powdering Ler nose and judiciously wielding Ler lip-stick. "No, I'm not," replied Madge sLortl.v. "Can't I make myself pretty and stay at Lome?" ■ "I know," sang Dick, "Sergeant Bill's coming to see her; Sergeant Bill's coming to see Ler; Serg—" "Dick, you'ro a naugLty, Lorrible, little boy," cried Madge, turning a violent crimson. "As a matter of fact, Le's coming to see you—Le's bringing some snaps of your daddy and himself taken in France—so tLere —see," sLe added, poking out Ler tongue. "Heavens!" she gasped, realising the face she was pulling. "I'm getting childish myself—or is it just skittishness ?" "But you said we were to have our bath and go to bed early—after the long drive this afternoon," argued Charlie, "lie can't see us to-night." "You'll see the photos in the morning." "Then, why doesn't he come in the morning?" asked Dick. "Oh! Go to bed both of you," cut in Madge. "You ask far too many questions," she added, bundling them into their room. Next morning, the two boys begged permission to go fishing in the shallow creek that meandered along, at the back of the town. The morning was increasingly busy; before lunch, she was joyfully thrusting another batch of sponges into the oven. "What has happened to bring this rush of business," she pondered. "Strange, when one is happy, everything turns out marvellously. Bill must have brought me luck." Just then Bill walked in, accompanied by the two boys. "Found them putting frogs in the baker's windows," he announced briefly. "You said we were to help Auntie all we could," muttered Charlie, defensively. "We went fishing and caught some big frogs, and Dick said that if we put them with the bakers' cakes, people wouldn't buy them, but go on up and get Auntie's." "And they did hop all over everything," Dick giggled happily. "(Jo in there and wait until I come," commanded Bill. "Now Madge—" "And I imagined my culinary art was at last being recognised," groaned Madgo. "Madge," said Bill, "you'll never manage tbeso boys and your business as well. Kach is a whole time job. Dick Newton's sons are my responsibility too; let me share then with you. Marry me Madge—l assure you I am quite respectable." "I took on the job, and I will see it through, come what may," said Madge soberly. "Bill, dear, I can't saddle you with two children—" Bill leaned across and took her hand. "Please —1 have some shares that are looking very healthy—or don't you like me well enough to marry me?" "Of course I do," burst out Madge. "But—" "Go on, Auntie, marry him," called a young voico encouragingly, "and when we live with a policeman —Gee —won't ] make the kids at school sit up. Besides, boys without fathers get awfully bullied sometimes. Go on Auntie." "There you are," laughed Bill, triumphantly. " 'Out of the mouths of babes —' " lie pulled Madge to him and kissed her enthusiastically. "We marry to-morrow." "Oh! But Bill —[ haven't a thing to wear—" began Madge, hastily tidying her hair. "With a whole afternoon free for shopping?" asked B'ill, banging the shop door. "That's that." "Uncle Bill," said Charlie, "can we have some home-made coats and a tailored cake?" "Kverv day," agreed Bill. "Mixed again," cut in Madgo, who understood the innuendo. "You naughty, ungrateful little boy; or perhaps, i am the ungrateful one," she added, kissing him on his warm young cheek.