The Porridge Question.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 17, 27 April 1907, Page 40

The Porridge Question.

Aunt Eliza said, “It was perfectly ridiculous; every child ought to eat porridge, every child ought to like porridge, and every properly brought up child did like it and did eat it.” Then Aunt Eliza considered the Porridge Question settled.

But Goldilocks — her name was Christina really, but mother always called her Goldilocks —Goldilocks felt just as sad the second morning when the porridge pot appeared as she had done the first, and though Aunt Eliza said cheerfully. "Now tins morning, Christina, I hope you will make a clean plate; we can’t excuse you any more because you are a visitor,” Goldilocks said never a Word, but she thought a great deal. She did try two spoonfuls, but the porridge would not go down, and she sat in front of her plate, and marvelled as Dick ate his all up and demanded a second helping. “Very well, no porridge, no jam,” said Aunt Eliza severely. Goldilocks gave a sigh of relief. It was quite easy to go without jam, and elm ate her dry bread most cheerfully find chattered away to her cousins, a happy Goldilocks once more. On the third morning the porridge pot and Aunt Eliza arrived at breakfast time, and Goldilocks’ plateful remained uneaten. To add to the trouble, Betty began to grumble that her plate was too full, and Dick >aid "No, thank you,” when asked to have a second helping. Aunt Eliza fell annoyed. “This must be stopped,” she said. “You are all learning Christina’s bad ways. If you yore my own child, I should punish you to-day, Christina, but, as you are somebody vise’s, I will give you another chance to-morrow. Only you know the rule — ho porridge, no jam.” This time Aunt Eliza felt quite vexed to see (goldilocks eating dry bread happily. All the way to school Betty and Dick talked of nothing but the Porridge Question. “Do try to eat it, Christina.” said Betty; “of course, it isn’t nice; I never did. like it.”

"Then why didn’t you say so before?” eaid Dick. "You never thought of liking or dislikng it until Christina came. But, 1 say, Christina, 1 wish you would eat your porridge; it’s so silly to be punished for not eating anything.’ • 1 would eat it if 1 could/’ said Goldilocks, "but it won’t go down, 1 hate it. 1 ’ That night, just as Goldilocks and Betty wore dropping off to sleep, something white came creeping into the room. Betty thought it was Mary, the fe'dost girl, coming to bed, but Goldilocks sat straight up, startled. She even had serious thoughts of screaming. Before she vol ml make a sound, however, Dirk’s voice was heard whispering. "Christina, it’s me. I’ve thought of a splendid plan.” "Oh. Dick!” gasped Goldilocks, “you did fr ghten me. 1 thought you were -—oh, 1 don’t know what 1 thought you were.” Dick laughed softly. “A plan what for?” demanded Betty, quite wide awake in a moment. "Porridge!” said Dick. “Do you remember the chap in the fairy story?” "Which chap?” said Betty. “I’ll tell you,” said Dick, “’only talk quietly; we’re done for if Mother hears u-” And then there was a buzz of whispering. until Dick’s teeth began to chatter with the cold; and if Aunt Elizas footstep- had not been heard on the stairs, there would have been many sneeze- and coughs next morning. Goldilocks was up very early the following day, busy at work with string, Scissors, ami brown paper, and when urcakfa-t time cairn* site and Dick were fritting waiting at the table, before the others were downstairs. “Now. no non-ense!” said Aunt Eliza, a- she helped the porridge, giving Goldilocks quite a small plateful. "Oh. Mother, you’ve given me more than < hri-tina,” said one of the childX* •* “I’m not very hungry to-day. Mother.” said Mary, the eldest girl. Aunt Eliza frowned as she took her fiaiieepan back into the kitchen. “Now’s your chance,” whispered Dick ifo Goldilocks; then he began to talk very busily to Mary ami the others about a big fight that had taken place at school the day before. He told the story very well, and the children Were greatly Interested —all except

Betty; she kept her eyes firmly fixed on Goldilocks. t -I

Something kept Aunt Eliza in the kitchen, and she was quite a long time away from the breakfast table. When she returned, she looked at the porridge plates rather anxiously. They were ail empty! “Now you see, children,” she said, smiling very pleasantly, “you see how ridiculous it is to make a fuss. Christina, you are a good child, and I ain really pleased with you. Bread and jam to-day!”

But Goldilocks was looking very red and uncomfortable. Anything but pleased, Goldilocks said, “No jam, thank you,” in spite of Dick’s kicks underneath the tbale, and Goldilocks ate her bread so slowly that all the others had finished long before she had. Aunt Eliza began to wonder if the Porridge Question were really settled as she watched the unhappy little girl. “Now be quick and get ready for school, children,” said Aunt Eliza. Goldilocks did not move, but looked appealingly at Dick, and Dick got up from his seat and walked off into the kitchen. Goldilocks felt sadder than ever —almost inelined to cry. “Aunt Eliza,” she said, softly, “the porridge ” “Now, Christina, don’t let me hear a word about that porridge,” interrupted Aunt Eliza. “Mother! Mother! I’ve upset the milk! ” It was Dick in the kiethen. Aunt Eliza hurried away, and Goldilocks smiled. It was quite evident that Dick did not mean to desert her. She got down from her chair very carefully, holding something tied round her waist underneath her pinafore. She reached the door safely. Aunt Eliza’s voice could be heard scolding Dick, but Aunt Eliza did not appear, and Goldilocks managed to reach the hen-house in safety. iThere her laaint. (found her a few minutes later, and scolded her well fol dawdling. “Wasn’t it simply ripping?’’ said the faithful Dick, who was waiting a little way down the road. “What did you do with the bag?” “I had to leave it in the hen-house,” said Goldilocks. “Aunt Eliza came in, and 1 hadn’t time to hide it; and look here, Diek, I shan’t do that way again.” “You are a silly-billv,” said Dick. “Why not?” Goldilocks was quite sure she didn’t want to do it again, and when she reached home she found there was no chance of even trying Dick’s way again, for Aunt Eliza had found the porridge and the bag in the hen-house, and Aunt Eliza wished to know exactly how it got there. When she heard that Goldilocks had put the porridge into the bag underneath her pinafore, she was very angry indeed, and sent Goldilocks to bed for the rest of the day without her dinner. She wouldn’t have minded that much; she rather liked “pretending” games in •bed; but she didn’t feel like playing this time, for she could not get Aunt Eliza’s words out of her head.

“You’ll have to go home,” she had said, “ and your mother ill, too; anyone would think you wanted to worry her!” Goldilocks had no idea that her mother was ill; she thought she had come to stay a week at Aunt Eliza’s because her mother was busy—not ill. Goldilocks lay still in bed, and thought and thought. She heard the ■ children go back to school, she heard Aunt Eliza settle down to her machine. She slipped out of bed, dressed herself, put on her hat and coat, and crept downstairs past the noisy machine.

Once outside the house she began to run. Somehow she would get home and find out how ill her mother was.

Fortunately, before she had gone far she had to stop, for in turning a corner she nearly knocked an old lady down. “My dear Christina!” said the old lady.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Brewer,” panted Goldilocks, “I’m in a hurry. Do you know how mother is’”for Mrs. Brewer lived in the very next cottage to their own. “Yes, she’s getting on grandly,” said Mrs. Brewer. “I was coming to see you. I suppose you are very pleased?"

“I’m glad she’s better,” said Goldilocks, “but I’m only pleased about that.”

“You are never jealous,” said the old lady; “why, your mother, 1 know, thought you would be delighted. You’ll have to help her to take care of hint, and help him to grow up a good boy. I ex-

pect he’ll think no end of sister Christina.” “Sister Christina!” said Goldilocks; “1 don’t know what you are talking about.” Mrs Brewer began to chuckle. “Then you haven’t heard about that fine baby brother at home?’’ she said. “Such a big fellow! Dear, dear! Perhaps I ought not to have told you,” she added, as she watched Goldilocks’ cheeks growing redder and redder. “Well, the mischief’s done now. Mind you be a good girl and a good sister to him. lie’ll want to do everything you do, so you must never be late for school, and always be tidy, and make clean plates.” Goldilocks listened quietly without saying a word, and as soon as the old lady finished speaking she managed to murmur something about “Thank you for telling me,” and then hurried back to Aunt Eliza’s.

The machine was still making the same noise, and Goldilocks crept upstairs and into bed.

The time passed very quickly, for she had so much thinking to do about her mother and the wonderful baby brother. How she longed to see him. When Betty came to tell her that Aunt Eliza said she might get up and have her tea downstairs, she got out of bed very slowly.

“Don’t you want to eome down? Ton are a funny girl,” said Betty. “Dick,” said Goldilocks later on, a* they cleared the tea-things away altogether, “to-morrow’ morning I shall eat that porridge. I shall pretend that I aia Christian and that the porridge is the Slough of Despond; then I shall get through it.”

Dick snorted scornfully. “I suppose you mean you are afraid of being punished,” he said; “but who was Christian, and what is a Slough of Despond?”

Goldilocks set to work to tell him the fascinating story of the Pilgrim’s Progress, and they both forgot the Porridge Question.

And next morning there was no question about porridge; Goldilocks ate hers with many difficult gulps, but without a grumble, and made a clean plate. Aunt Eliza felt vtay pleased at the clever "way she had settled the Porridge Question. Dick decided that Christian had done it; but Goldilocks knew that a very red-faced, baldheaded, noisy gentleman, who was going to do just what his big sister did, and who must be helped by her to be a good boy, had really settled the Porridge Question. —MAGGIE BROWN, in “Little Folks.”