LOOKING FOR UNBELIEVERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLV, Issue 10464, 17 December 1919, Page 7 (Supplement)

LOOKING FOR UNBELIEVERS.

"You're a nice one! Do you know Ufa. after 10 o'clock and Sunday morning iato the bargain? Hurry up and dress. Mother wanta. to see you." MoLean straggled into has _olothes, then ran into Mother's room. 'Mother was still in bed ao he went to scramble up. Dad said sharply, "-Get down out of that,'* but'Mother replied, "He'll be all right, ClifE," so he cltobed up, and there lying on Mother's arm was the tiniest, reddest, little thing that ever was seen. He gazed at it tor quite a long time, then he looked at Mother, who smiled at him and said, "It's a baby sister for you.'' He had another look. "For why have you painted it?" he asked.

"Painted it!" said Mother. "She's not painted-" "Well, -you must have scrubbed it pretty hard then," he said. Mother laughed. "They are always like that when they're new." Dad" said, "Just you wait awhile until she geta plder,' she will be simply lovely to play with." MoLean had another peep at it. "J really don't think it will be much good," he said, "it's too small. If I had been you, Dad, I would have got a much larger size." A lady, something like a waitress, came into the room so they went out. "Who as she, Dad?" MoLean asked. "The nurse," he replied. "Yon go outside and play and don't let me catch you making a. noise." McLean climbed up, on the fence to count the people corning from church, Edna and her mother came along. "Have you truly got a baby sister?'' Edna asked. MoLean ans-wered rather gloomily, "Yes, but I was just thinking I'd sooner have a cricket bat." * Edna's mother laughed and tSiey walked on. He was awfully tired of sitting on the fence. All the people Jiad gone and the trams hadn't started yet, so ha thought he'd talk to Mother, but he me the nurse. "Mother's asleep," she said, "so you can't see heir." Ho put his hands in his poc&ets, thought for a moment, then asked: "Where do babies come from?" "Why, don't you know? from under gooseberry bushes, of cpurso," As McLean went down stairs he thought that that was a jolTy funny place for them to come from, then he went into the shed, picked up his spade and went into the garden. There wero lots of gooseberry trees there. He thought for a while, for he did not , know where to start. There were tho big bushes and the tiny oaes Dad planted last woek. Well, it'was only a little baby, so he started on the small trees. He dug up six and hadn't found a thing, so he decided they had not been, growing long enough, and went to the big one in the corner. He got Bome of the roots uncovered when Dad called out,, "What in tho world are you doirig? I will give you the biggest thrashing you ever had in your life, my gentleman. Whatever possessod you to dig up those gooseberries? I only planted them last week. If Mother wasn't ill I'd have given you a thrashing. Go up into the bathroom and stay there till I call you." There wasn't much to do'in tho bath-

"I haven't any gooseberry bushes in mine." "Xevar mind," Mother said. "1 know you won't do it again. Run and have your dinner now, but first tell Daddy I want him. Try to be a good boy this afternoon. Play outside so you won't worry nurse." After dinner he went over, to Edna's; ho told Edna, and Brio, her brother, about the baby, °Wi sne waK lots older than MoLean—she was ten. She wanted McLean to give it to her for a yellow and blue balloon, a watering-can, and a red and blue pencil; but when he saw how much she wanted it, he deoided to. keep it himself. When he told her about tho gooseberry bushes, she decided to get a baby from their's. There was one growing in the rubbish-heap. All the ground round it was hard and cracked. "I'm' sure it ia the right kind," said Edna, "because I expect they breathe through the cracks." McLean looked doubtful. "i'm glad ours didn't come off a rubbish heap," he said. "It would have been pretty smelly." Anyhow, they decided to dig it up; it was hard Work, but at last they had. a huge trench all round it); but they couldn't get the tree out. Edna objected to any of tho. roots being broken off in case they broke the baby's arms or legs. Erk) got the large spade, put it under the roots, and they all put. their weight on it, when suddenly the bush shot up in the air, and they each sat down I They scrambled up quickly and looked into the hole. There was nothing there. McLean wiped his hands on his trousers, then said, emphatically, "That nurse of ours talis stories." Ho went to school next day and wondered all that week where tho baby came from. Ho would have asked Mother, but she wasn't awake when he went to school, and was asleep again when he oame home, so he didn't have a chance. A few days later Edna came running ovor to him. "Madge says," 6ho called out, "that the doctor brings them. I can't stay now. lam going to a party. I will see you later." Madge was Edna's elder sister; she Was sixteen, so she ought to know. McLean thought a lot about it as he sat on tho fence counting the trams and waiting for No. 75 to go by. He knew the motorman on 75.

Tho next week the nurse went away, but it wasn't until the following Saturday morning that McLean, Edna, and Eric deoided to go to tho doctor's to buy a baby. McLean know where he lived; in fact, he knew him quite well. They each took their money-boxes, and McLean carried a sugar-bag to bring the baby back in. When they arrived at the doctor's the room wa3 full of people, so they sat down. Presently the doctor came out of a room and saw them.

"Mother sent you, McLean?'' he asked.

"No," replied McLean, "Erio and Edna and I have just come to buy a baby." "What, isn't ono enough?" oxclaimed the doctor.

"Oh, this one isn't for mo,'' said McLean, "it's for Jirio and lidna.

saw Edna's mother going home. When she saw him she turned back into the house, but did not stay long. He want wondering if he might eat some gooseberries, when Dad called him. The house was very quiet. Mother's eyes were red, a 3 had been crying. '•"- v. "Where's baby?" McLean asked. Mother said, "Xou tell himf Cliff." Daddy . kissed Mother and walked from the room. Mother took McLean upstairs, and there was baby lying in her little white cot, fast asleep. "She is better now, Mother, isn't she?" MoLean asked. "Yes, my son." "She doesn't seem to be breathing, mummy,'' ho said, anxiously, "She isn't, sonny.' Mother wiped the tears from her eyes. "Kiss her; we won't have her very long." "But she is here, Mother,'' said MoLean, wondenngly. ' "Her body is, darling, but her life isn't." "Has she gone away with it?" "Yes." - :♦ "Where?*" ' " .' ' "From where she came, my son." "Where is that, mother?'' "Heaven."