A STORY

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1934, Page 22 (Supplement)

A STORY

THE NEW BABY. (Sent by Joan Brock.) Mary and Stephen hung up their stockings on Christmas Eve, and then snuggled down in bed to watch for Father Christmas. “I hope he got our letter, said Stephen. . . „ -j "I posted it up the chminey,. said Mary “and I told him we wanted a new baby most of all. So he is sure to bring it-” . „ “We’ll stay awake till he comes, said Stephen. But it was of no use. Father Christmas waited till they were both asleep. He brought them lots of toys, but no baby. “Oh dear,” sighed Mary, our letter must have been lost in the post.” “Perhaps he brought it, but couldnt squeeze it into our stockings,” said Stephen. But that very afternoon, when Mary was at a party who should come in but Father' Christmas! “Oh, I am so glad to see you, said Mary. She had been feeling shy, and it was so nice to see someone she knew. “Did you forget to bring the baby? “I didn’t forget,” said Father Christmas, holding her little hand very kindly “Look and see when you get home. And sure enough when Mary got home Stephen was waiting to tell her a most exciting piece of news. u “You’ll never guess what it is, ne cried “It’s Mummy’s Christmas present. Come and see.” It was lying on a cu-shioHy and it had a little, red face, and was rather small. It hadnt any hair, but it had two twinkling blue eyes and a little button of a nose. It was the New Baby! A STORY. A HAPPY CHRISTMAS. “It won’t seem a scrap like Christmas time,” said Eric, and he rubbed his nose against the window dolefully. „ “I don’t want my Muv to go away, said Molly. * “She must go, because Auntie is so ill,” said Maimie, “but she might be back by Christmas Day.” “She won’t,” said Roger, who was always ready to believe the sky was falling. “I want—” Molly began. “There’s the carriage,” Eric said. “She’s g-g-going,” Molly sobbed. “But Auntie wants her so, said Maimie, with her arm about her little gi.sf.QX*T “She couldn’t more than we do,” Molly watched the carriage out of sight, and then Eric began once more. “Even the weather isn’t Christmasy no snow-no anything! With Mother gone it will not seern like Christmas time. “We’ll make it seem like Christmas time,” said Maimie bravely.„ “We can’t make it snow.” “The postman said this morning that he thought we should have snow before to-morrow.” “What’s the postman know about it. „ “Perhaps he had a letter to say so, said Roger. . “And anyway we’re going to have a happy Christmas,” Maimie said. “Why, perhaps even Daddy might come home. If his ship could only get in in time—“lf!” said Eric. “If! If it snows, Maimie, I shall begin to think that all the other things will happen too. Well, do you know, as soon as those four children were fast asleep that night the snow came down—came gently, silently, the whole night long, and in the morning all the lawn was turned to sparkling white. Eric sat up and rubbed his eyes, why —why,” he said, “it looks like Christmas!” ' . , , , “It will be Christmas day in two days time,” said Maimie, “and it’s lovely out. Let’s go and get some holly in the W “And take my sledge,” said Eric. “We can toboggan down the Miller s Hill. Hurrah!” “I told you we should have a happy Christmas,” Maimie said. “And I said if it snowed I’d think the other things would happen. But they can’t. Daddy can’t come home.” “But anyway we can toboggan down the Miller’s Hill,” said Maimie, and they all set out. They had a lovely morning with tire toboggan. They all four sat on it, and rushed right down the hill, and when they tumbled off into the snow, as sometimes happened, it was all the more fun. Afterwards they went into the woods, and cut down holly which had lots of berries on it, and they put it on the sledge along with Molly, and Maimie and Eric dragged her through the village. “Ah!” said the postman’s wife, as they passed her, “you’ll never guess what Santa Claus is bringing you.” “A happy Christmas!” Maimie. cried. But when they reached the house there was a motor car before the door. “That can’t be Santa Claus!” said Roger.

Maimie hurried up the steps. “It’s Daddy—Daddy come home!” she cried. And so it was, and what is more, he had a telegram from Mother to say that she was coming too. “I say,” said Eric, sitting on a stool at his father’s feet that night, “I say! It is like Christmas now!”