Tick Tock THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20995, 23 December 1939, Page 19 (Supplement)

Tick Tock THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK

“I’ve just thought of an idea for our Christmas party,” said Molly casually, as she hung up her two stockings for Santa Claus. “What’s that?” asked Dicky, putting up two socks and a large linen bag. “Well,” said Molly, eyeing the linen bag enviously, “it’s this : You know Mummy’s got her surprise Christmas tree again.” “Yes,” said Dicky, “it’s to be in the study this year.” “I know, and Mummy’s going to arrange it so that we all go in one by one or two by two, not in a crowd like last year.” “Well, what’s that got to do with your idea?” asked Dicky. Molly giggled. “You know the grandfather clock in the hall. What fun it would be for somebody—meaning you or me—to get inside and make most horrid faces through that little round window, the one where you can see the pendulum swing. There’s no pendulum there now—it’s gone to be mended and,” she continued breathlessly, “it would give somebody the jumps, as they all have to pass it to go to the study for Mum’s tree.” “There’s something in it,” said Dicky. Not a bad idea,” he murmured as he dozed peacefully off to sleep. Christmas morning was thrilling. Molly had a large and lrvely doll’s house, with a garage that had a real little motorcar that raced round the room, after it had been wound up, of course. Dicky had a camera, but what was in the linen bag ? It was bulging! “Oh!” cried Dicky, as he pulled out spotted trousers, check tunics, funny caps and funny faces. “How scrumptious!” said Molly, it’s for our charades. “How do I look,” she asked, putting on a dunce’s cap. “What you are,” replied Dicky, from behind a mask like Jack-in-the-Beanstalk’s ogre. “What do I look like?” “What you are,” retorted Molly, laughing.

“Come along, children. Pack up youi* tops; it’s breakfast time. Remember, you’ve got a busy day today. All your little friends coming. Why, you’re not even dressed!” It was Nanny speaking.

And a busy time they did have I can tell you—helping Mother to hang the tree, getting in cook’s way when she was mixlittle glass circle. There was a grandmamma clock on the other side of the hall.

ing the mincemeat. But—not too busy for Dicky—he’d not forgotten about the clock. He opened the little door to see if there was room for him to creep inside—and oh! best of luck, they had taken the back away, and he could just squeeze in behind and look through the Of course, she was too small for anyone to get inside, but he could see himself reflected in her little round window. In fact, he had quite a lot of fun making faces at himself.

Molly never mentioned the clock again. She appeared to have forgotten all about it in the excitement of playing with her new doll’s house.

“I’ll do the job myself, give ’em all a lovely scare!" chuckled Dicky to himself. “Won’t old Jenkins jump, and Binns minor will have the jimjams !!!” The party came—twenty of them—and oh! what fun it was—crackers for tea,

games in the drawing-room, and then the surprise tree ! !! “Now!” said Daddy. Dicky flew into the hall to take up his position in the grandfather clock. “Now, children,” repeated Daddy, “I want you all to form two’s to go in and see our Grand Surprise Christmas Tree, and—who knows —perhaps have a little present. But only two at a time.” In the meantime Dicky had taken up his

position, with his face peering through the little window. “I must practise a few choice grimaces,” he said to himself, looking across the hall at the little window in the grandmamma clock opposite. Ties, there he was reflected making a most hideous grimace. He screwed up one eye, he screwed up the other, he chortled, he (I am sorry to say) put his tongue out at his reflection—but it didn’t put its tongue out—he tried again. No, it did’nt—he peered hard, he drew back—it didn’t, it just wagged about, making the most horrible faces at him ! ! ! What could it be ? He began to get frightened, not to say scared. He tried to get out, but the children were coming; in fact, the first two had gone past—he had to glare at the face opposite. It fascinated him—there it was, making the most hideous grimaces and wagging its head from side to side. Dicky saw the children go past, but they never looked either side. They were too busy going to the Tree. “Hullo! Look at that. Why, there’s old Dicky in the clock. Whatever are you doing in there, man?” It was Jenkins and Binns roaring at him with laughter. They hadn’t seen the face opposite. With one eye on the grandmamma clock, Dicky crept out and raced into the study. “Oh, oh, oh!” he panted as he

sank into a chair and mopped his face, “I’ve seen a ghost!” “A ghost?” Everybody crowded round. "A ghost!” he repeated; “a ghost, a real ghost.” “Where?” gasped the children. “Hush; it’s in the Granny clock!” he said, in an awestruck whisper. “Granny clock ! granny clock! stuff and nonsense! Let’s go and see”—it was Daddy who spoke, and trotted off into the

hall, followed by the children. “There it is!” cried Dicky, who had crept behind shivering. He pointed to the round window.

Tick-Tock! Tick-Tock! went the grandmamma clock. Daddy opened the door in front and took out one of the masks that Santa Claus had put in Dicky’s stocking ! “He ! he ! he !” chortled the children.

“I did that!” said Molly, who had been down in the kitchen with a few special cronies, sampling the ices. “Wasn't it a clever idea, eh?”

Poor Dicky ! He is teased over that to' this day—but he has nobody to blame but himself, has he ? And so, a merry Christmas to you all and many of them !