NEW ZEALAND STORIES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 25, 21 December 1910, Page 47

NEW ZEALAND STORIES.

JAMES: A Christmas Story.

By

BELLE ALLEN.

[The Editor desires to announce that New Zealand Stories by New Zealand wri ters, will be. published on this page regularly. The page will be open to any contributor, and all accepted stories will be paid for at current rates. Terse, bright sketches of Dominion life and people, woven in short story form, are required, and should be headed “New Zealand Stories.”}

W \ O,” growled James Bracken, I ■ they can t go. I’ve no money X f to waste on sending half-a- / dozen kids to pantomimes," and besides, I can't spare Roger to drive them.” ‘’But James,” remonstrated his tiredlooking "wife, “it’s only this once, because to-morrow's Christmas Eve.” ‘"I say no, and there’s an end of it,” Jvas the surly reply. 1 he children, knowing by experience, ■that there was no hope, filed out of the room and slowly followed as Mary led the way to their usual haven of refuge, a huge manuka tree, which they called “The Strip.” In silence they climbed, and then sat on the branches and eyed each other for a short time in tearless misery. ‘"Christmas Eve.” continued Farmer Bracken within. “Time all that sort of nonsense was stopped. It’s all very well in England where it’s the middle of winter, but here where it’s the busiest time of the year we have no time for sentiment. You’ll have those boys growing into milk sops instead of business men.” “I hope,” said Mrs. Bracken with emphasis, “that they'll never be business men as you call it. I’d rather see them something more human.” “Stuff and nonsense," growled James, and sat down to calculate his btnk balance up to date. The moreporks were out, and the Southern Cross well in view, before the children left “The Ship" to go inside. They slunk . past Janies with furtive glances and stole silently to bed. James sat very late over his books. He usually sat in what they called the big kitchen, where the men had their •meals. It had a sloping white-washed roof, from the rafters of which hung

great hams and flitches of bacon. A large open fireplace stood out into the room. It was possible to climb up the chimney side and clamber through a great unboarded opening on to the ceiling of the next room. The rats found it very handy to climb up and down the chimney after anything that might happen to be left lying about in the kitehen. James liked rats because he said their methods were business-like I Just now he was tired, having been in the shearing-shed pretty well all day : but he found much profit in calculating the probable amount, of bales he should get from the fleeces. Presently his hand slipped otT the arm of the chair and hung at his side, his head nodded and the lamp with a long drawn out sputtering, went out. After an interval James heard a soft sound from above, and looking up saw a filmy light wavering round the large opening to the loft. It seemed faintly to illuminate the whole room. Then it contracted slowly and formed into an Indefinitely outlined figure, which descended and stood before him. He wonder,d if he was looking at someone out of “The Arabian Nights.” “Who are you, and what do you want?” he asked with h's usual assertiveness. “Have you never seen me before ” asked the figure. “Never!” declared James. “Miserable being!” cried the figure. “1 am the representation of Christmas goodcheer. Never yet have I been invited to your house. I have walked a welcome guest in the Governor’s residence, in the homes of the rich, in the houses of the tradespeople and working-men even in Maori whares I find a seat but James Bracken refuses me.”

James felt vaguely surprised. He was about to speak when the figure waved a luminous hand and said. “Wait and watch.” At any other time dames would have resented the command; but spmehow. now. he felt that something nmrepow.r fill, and better than James Bracken, stood in the room. “Come!” called the figure. Immediately from the chimney, thloft, the cracks in the wa.ll, and from under the door jumped, crawled, leapt, wriggled, danced, hundreds of hideous goblin creatures. They fell over each other, they slid down the dresser, they fell into the fireplace, they swung fr m the hams, they squeezed through the rat holes in the floor, and finally tlu-v danced all over James, and every time one touched him it felt as if a needle had been stuck into him. He almost screamed at their hideousness, for every one was deformed, and nearly all were uglier thin anything he had ever seen before. “Stop!” ordered the figure. Immediately the fiendish revels ceased and the goblins stood in silence, scowling at James. “Who made you?" asked the figure. “James! business-like James! Janies stony-heart!” screamed the goblins so suddenly and fiercely that James jump'd, quite a foot out of his chair. “Indeed I did not,” said James. “I’ve never seen the creatures before." “James made us! James made us!” they cried again. “Silence!” ordered the spirit, then turning to James. “These are your own creations.” “Mine?” inquired James feebly. ’ “Yes. you have made them by the million. There are any amount more waiting outside.”

“Keep them out. for God’s sake keep them out!" implored James. The spirit took no notice and went on "Some of t hem are your own thoughts, some are thoughts you have created in other people by your mean actions. Those in the fireplace, you will observe, have beautiful faces but deformed limbs, and what is worse than beauty deformed? Yet you did it. Whenever a beautiful thought came your way you suppressed it and created those deformities.” “Kill him! kill him!" shrieked th® goblins. James shuddered. “Those." continued the spirit indicating a particularly hideous group, "are the thoughts of men whose lives you have ground in your money-mill. These" pointing to a group whose heads grew from their shoulders, and whose b dies were so twisted that they could mil see in front of them, "are the thoughts of your farm-hands." James gasped. “Is that all?" he quavered. “Miserable creature!” cried the spirit “There is yet another group, fortify yourself, and remember that they are of your own making.” He pointed slowly to a group of ghosts who sat huddled in a corner glowering at James from goggling fiery “What, what are they?" “The thoughts you have created in your children.” said the spirit solemnly. James gave a cry and covered his face wish his hands. All was still. Presently he glanced up. but the room was empty. A faint light was creeping through the window, enough to show a grey shape in the fireplace which shrank back as James’ eye lit upon it. He started, then saw that it was only the cat. He also observed it shrank. , “God!" he whispered, “even the cat.” Then he stooped and clumsily, as one learning a new feat, ne held out his hand to stroke it. But the cat spat and fled under the table. “1 was too precipitate,” thought James. "He's so used to making goblins for me that he doesn’t understand.” He got up and went outside. The sun was gilding the far hillside, and all thing', were stirring. the farm, creatures were walking about grazing. Presently a tui gave voice from the bush, and a kingfisher cried three notes front the beach: James took off his hat amt stood lost in thought. It was a great revolution to him. Al! his old theories were fading away with the shadows,

• nd • and eomfortaWe feeling teemed to be filling bis heart, as be found himself, for the fine time, appreciating the green darkness of the birch trees on lire point and the soft play of the ~tinlight on the raupo lai the swamp. “Chri-unas Eve. Christ ma- Eve.” Everything seemed to be whispering it. “\es» Christmas Eve,” he suddenly Said aloud, "and I’ll make it a real Chri-:n»as Eve. My fir?t Christina* Eve.” He turned to retrace his steps to the house, and a wandering taipo hopped cut of a dead tutu branch. Meehanicayy he lifted his foot, then j*auee<l. "Even a taipo on Christmas Eve." he said and passed on leaving the taipo to continue it's way. He felt a sudden shyness on entering the house, so kept out of the way of his family till the breakfast bell had rung. For the first time the subdued demeanour of the children, and their furtive glance* at him. struck him as pitiful and unnecessary. He hardly knew where to begin, but a voice within him said: “They’re still making goblins. g»*t to work." So he cleared his throat and began. "About this pantomime—” he said His wife looked up in surprise. **l — I—l've changed my mind. You may as well take the kids, and I shall drive you, as 1 find 1 must gn to town myself.” The children wriggled and grinned at each other. James could see out of the corner of his eyes that Charley was pinching Mary under the table: and Jack kicked his father hard on the shin, under the impression that he was expressing his feelings to Katie opposite. -I'm so glad," said Mr*. Bracken. -The children have never seen anything before, and it will be such a treat to them."’ Nothing more was said. James felt rather exhausted after his valiant defeat of the goblins, and everyone else was busy with delighted conjectures. Such a drive! It eeezned like one mile instead of fifteen. What fun it was crossing at the ford, though Kat ; e said it made her feel sick looking at the water rushing by. And how the rabbits bobbed about among the gorse bushes and in the manuka scrub. James found himself actually enjoying the sight of a black bunny scampering for hundreds of yards over the fiat. How tmeh dogs barked, and what delightful people came out to cottage-gates to see them pass. What a relief it was to get rid of his wife and children when he got to the town, for he was simply longing to commence business. Business? Not James Bracken's business, surely! The shopkeepers marvelled alopenly, as James purchased one thing after another, and wondered what was the matter when he wished them “A Merry Christmas." He made them pack all his purchases in ease*, firmly nailed down, and had them taken to the st aides, where his trap was put up. There he produced a bundle of labels, cud chuckled so of:en that the stabJe-

men, who knew him, or thought they did, that ire must be "a bit dotty.’ But they said he was a -real good chap’ when he tipped them a sovereign apiece. Some of his eases he labelled ae —sheep dip.’ some as “fertiliser,” some as ‘•calves’ food,’ and mightily he chuckled as he thumped the |>ocket where reposed a small parcel which, on account of its capability for being hidden, did not require a label. At four o’clock he met his family. He thought he had never seen his wife look so pretty, nor his children so lovable. He longed to hug them all. but restrained- himself, and beyond parting his hand on Charley’s shoulder—which made Charley jump and look seared—he remained, to all exterior appearances, the same husband and father as he had appeared the day before. That night the children and Mrs. Bracken, tired, but happy, retired to bed at an early hour. As soon as al! were safely disposed of, James did a most unprecedented thing. He danced a combination of pas-de-seul, cake-walk, and haka on the hearthrug. The eat. an interested spectator, dashed for the door, its terrified claws scratching the polised oilcloth as it Red. James chuckled. Then he fossicked out the stocking-bag. and turned it up-side-down on the table. A medley of stockings fell out. James chuckled again. To each stocking he attached a label, upon which was written the name of either his wife or one of the children. Then he crept ponderously on tip-toe into the big kitchen, and tied a long string from one end to the other, and upon this he hung the stockings. He felt as if he had never known before what it was to' live. This was the greatest moment in his life. In fact, he wished that Christmas Eve would never end. Taking the lantern, he went to the -hed where his cases of “sheep-dip.” ■'calves’ food,” etc., had been placed. Quickly he opened them, and produced things that, had his children been present, would have raised astonished gasps of delight. Things the Bracken children thought grew only in shop windows and fairy tales. He crept back to the house, and with infinite care filled each stocking. Some things, such ao the large teddy bear for Katie and the nodding elephant for Jack, and the “Chums” for Charley, were placed on the floor, with suitable labels attached. Finally he plaeed the small parcel from his coat-pocket into a stocking marked "Mother.” Another trip to the shed, and he reappreared with two sugar bags bulging and angular. These he carried across the paddocks, and hung one on the gate of each of two cottages on the roadside. Bags whk-h, in the morning, were dived into by childish fingers, and screamed over with childish delight. James felt that further contemplation of the big kitchen would lead him into another outbreak, such as took place on the dining-room hearthrug, and as the cat was still hovering about, he felt he must not outrage her feelings

by another such extraordinary outbreak. So he went to bed, but did not sleep. No. he must be awake to hear what went on in the big kitehen when the children got up. He need not have been afraid of oversleeping himself, for the yell Mary gave when she saw the row of dintorred stockings, and the further yells which were elicited from the other children as they rushed upx>n the scene, were better than ten alanu clocks on ten kerosene tins. "Mummie! Mummie! come quick!” shrieked Charley. James stuffed the sheet into his mouth to keep from chuckling, as Mrs. Bracken rushed out. fearing a catastrophe. She stood durably and surveyed rhe stockings. Such a noise as there was! Everybody seemed to scream continuously, with here and there a louder shriek, as some new wonder was discovered. "Mummie! Mummie!” the listener heard, "here’s one for you ! Open it quick!” “But where did they all eome from?” inquired Mrs. Bracken, weakly, as she uncovered a jeweller’s case. "Sandy Clans’ Sandy Claus.” shouted Jack, rushing round the room waving a motor-car. "Hush. Jack, you'll wake father.” said Mrs. Bracken. A momentary hush of realisation fell upon them, and James thought the moment an auspicious one to enter. He felt that it was rmptoseible for him to stay outside any longer, so he opened the door and walked in. The children eyed him doubtfully, in fear of the usual thunder-clouds; but surely a miracle had happrened! Daddy was smiling! "Hooray. Daddy!” cried Jack, more daring than the others. James swung him high up>on his shoulder. "Hooray. Jack!” he cried, in return, “A Merry Christmas, kiddies: a merrier Christmas than you've ever had before.” "Hooray, hooray, hooray!” chanted Jack, beating time on his father’s head with a handful of brown ptapter. "James!” cried Mrs. Bracken, rising to her feet. James put Jack on the floor, and seized his wife's two hands. “ Bessie, said he earnestly. "I've just begun to live. I found out last night that I was makins my life hideous, and everybody s life that 1 came in contact with showed uglv ptatches. I mean to be a new man now. God helping me. Will you help me to slap the goblins?” His wife, only half understanding, nevertheless understood enough. "Jim!” she sobbed in his arms.