THE IMPRISONMENT OF WINIFRED MARY

New Zealand Tablet, 9 December 1909, Page 1957

THE IMPRISONMENT OF WINIFRED MARY

'Winifred Mary is missing!' announced Sylvia, as she cast a practised eyed over her assembled- dolls. • Sylvia's Uncle Joe put down, his newspaper and looked at her with amused interest.

•Hadn'.t you better, call the roll?' he suggested, - and Sylvia, in some anxiety, began -her arrangements for this mighty ceremony. She" arranged, the dolls in an "orderly line, and then said inquiringly, 'Arabella?' Arabella, a tall, flaxejn-haired doll, ■ arose, assisted by bylvia, and responded in a small high voice, 'Present!' ' Belinda ?' Belinda was present also; so were Isabel, Susie, and Oarlotta. There was a painful .silence after the calling of Winifred Mary's name. Winifred Mary was clearly absent, and so, as it later appeared, was "Florabella 'Two!' mourned Sylvia. -'I dori't : mind so much about Florabella, but— O, Uncle Joe!'- , For Uncle Joe had drawn from his pocket a small, dishevelled creature. ' Which is this?' he asked; ' I found her under' the' currant bushes.' Sylvia always remembered after .things were found just how she had happened to leave them in such singular places. It seemed a pity, as Uncle Joe frequently pointed out, *that she could never remember before. ' That's Florabella I' she exclaimed. ' I remember now. I was going to make a swing for her under,, "jbhe" bush, and then I went to feed my chickens arid:forgot. Btit what can , have , become of Winifred Mary? She's the - smallest of* all my, dolls, the prettiest, and I've always" taken such care of her!' ,'<-.,., >: ,r '--■ Uncle Joe tried to smother a laugh and grandmother sighed. ' Sylvia, child,' she said, ' I don't believe you know how to take care of anything. I have heard before of children who were careless enough to lose their hats and their overshoes, but I never knew another little girl who habitually lost her own dolls.' The next day Sylvia and Uncle Joe became a search party, and hunted for Winifred' Mary. They looked in the orchard, and the barn, and the carriage house, and the flower gar.den, and beside the, brook ; they found a handkerchief, two hair ribbons, and Belinda's best dress; but no trace of Winifred Mary was to be seen. A very >• small doll lost on a very large farm is not an easy thing to find. Sylvia was an affectionate, if a careless, mother. She searched- and mourned faithfully for "the' "missing Winifred" Mary,- andv-included*her name tenderly each night" in. 'ithe roll call. Uncle Jjoe soon saw in theXwindbw o'f%the viillage , shop a!«mall dolWhioh, he- said, -lobkedto 'binf-sB strikingly ' like Sylvia's missing^child. that he brought it home to her. At first he wasjittclined^tb ink"s|'^iat^his was Winifred Mary, but when Sylvia pointed outfHhat the new doll had brown ha&s whereas. Winifred .Mark's iwaSi.goldeßf yellow, ajW $iatj "she kwas so{lar^e thfcti'ftrit one -*W Winifred ¥?$&& ti gy ( te k # cM#, Possibly^be cpaxed i]i qn^to.. i her 0 5.he was "forced xo' admit that there was. only. a r strong family resemblance. "HteiwisßeHi^fcKe"new iibll : lo'tie '-called Winifred Mary^-jso.athat^the "rolKcall Sniglffc -fre^<?omplete^but a this Sylvia steadily refusgd^to jdo iJ= ' Sjupppse s .Winifred Mary should be found?' sher argued. . , . . , Mi In'ASfJptembef/^^hen-f Sylvia "'to mother^arid TJncle-Jbe, Vria'rwen^b'a'clr o to, l i;he >< cUy^ Winifred Mttryi^waß^ill'Oihi'ssihfe'.^^ \VVt seh^lieV- V 'e|«r3f I gt^ r Sa^ft a^g^^,^^M^l^ up

Sylvia s'olemnlv-W 1 -^ 1 T^S6ldie^ntr the fish/ said the .cabbage™ - * U *' °*' m ° thei > sll PP°^,.they had' boiled