Bobby and the Elf.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1932, Page 15

Bobby and the Elf.

(By

It was the morning of Christmas Eve and Bobby was ready to go to the shops with • Mary, his nice nurse-maid. Cook was telling Mary what to buy when a little errand-boy came- to the door, but just an “extra” taken, on* during the Christmas rush.

When he had gone cook said: “There’ll be no Father Christmas for that poor kid!” and when Bobby asked: “Why?” cook muttered something about “Things going wrong.” -But Mary said: “Nonsense!” and catching hold of Bobby’s hand, ran down the ,‘path with him, daughing.

“Cook always thinks things might go wrong when she’s busy!” she explained. “But Father Christmas wouldn’t let them go wrong, would he?” said Bobby, confidently. Mary leaked over to some beautiful wintry trees in the, distance, and when she looked back at Bobby her eyes were all bright and shiny, as though she were thinking of something very nice. “No, Master Bobby,” she said, “he wouldn’t!” • That night when Bobby was supposed

to be asleep, Mary crept into his room. “What! Not asleep yet?” she exclaimed. “Why, Father Christmas will soon be here! Now, Master Bobby, I have to go out for an hour or so, so try to be asleep when I get back!” Bobby tried his hardest, but When he was almost asleep he heard a funny little noise on the rpof that woke him up! It sounded just like somebody brushing . .. then it stopped! Bobby ran to the window, and there was a little elf on another roof brushing the snow awayfrom the chimney! He caught sight of Bobby, and flying across he slipped in through the fanlight.

“I wonder if you could help me!” he said,- “Have you got an aeroplane?” “Only a toy one,” answered Bobby. “Just right for me!” exclaimed the elf. “You can drive it, I suppose?” "I—l don’t know!!” stammered Bobby. “Try!” said the elf. And would you

N. B. STEVENSON.)

believe it? Bobby found that he could get in and drive quite easily! “You see,” explained the elf, “I always- brush.round the , chimneys on Christmas Eve, and I only have one more to do, but it’s right at the other end of the village. My wings are good, of course, but not so fast as an aeroplane, and this is a very busy evening.” He opened Bobby’s middle window and out they flew. They reached a tiny cottage, and the elf brushed round the chimney. “That’s all right!” he said, brightly. “It would never have done for Father

Christmas to slip on that roof and all the toys to go tumbling off.” “Is that by any chance an errandboy’s cottage?” asked Bobby > “A sort of errand-boy,” said the elf, “an extra.” . Bobby heaved a sigh of relief. “Can y*u drive me back to fairyland now?” asked the elf. '. ' “Why, yes!” said Bobby,-and he .drove to the edge of fairyland—all sparkling snow and glittering lights. ,

The elf got out. “Thank you very much for your kind help!” he said. Then Bobby flew home and was fast asleep before Mary came in. When he woke up it was Christmas morning and Father Christmas had been! There were his socks bulging with lovely toys! He heard sounds in the big hall downstairs. Mary came in and whispered: “Come and look!” ' . . • Bobby leant over the balustrade and saw the little errand-boy clasping some toys! . “He’s come to show us what Father Christmas put in his socks,” said Mary,

“and to take back a pudding and other good things that your mummy said cobk could give him!” “I knew Father Christmas was going to him!” cried Bobby, joyfully; “I knew he wouldn’t let things go wrong!” “Why, of course he wouldn’t!” said Mary.