12
MAN
"SOME naughty Sprite must have stolen it!" grumbled Cook. "Stolen what?" asked Molly, who sat curled up in Cook's "evening chair" by the warm kitchen fire, with Bobbles, the kitten, on her. knee.
"A recipe," explained Cook, rapidly turning over the pages of a cookery book. "I'm certain I slip- ped it into this book."!
"Must have slipped out again then," said Ellen, the housemaid, briskly but cheerily, as though the lost recipe didn't matter much. "It was only scribbled on a plece of paper, wasn't it?"
"Yes; but that doesn't mean to
THE CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 10, 1939
A CHRISTMAS
SPRITE
say that it wasn't good," protested Cook.
"Was it a very special one?" ask- ed Molly sympathetically.
"Extra special," sighed Cook, "I. do believe even Father Christmas himself would have liked to taste it."
"But you wouldn't be awake when he comes," Molly reminded her.
"Oh, it doesn't matter so much about grown-ups being awake," said Cook. "If I saw him I'd tell him to be sure to put something very nice in your sock! And if he'd had a taste of that recipe I'm sure he would. It was for a spe- cial sweet-a friend of mine wrote it out for me only yesterday—and I thought it would just do nicely for this evening, being Christmas Eve."
Molly and Ellen helped Cook to look for the recipe, but it couldn't be found anywhere, so at last they gave it up, and Molly settled her-
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self in the chair again. Ellen An- ished the silver and carried it out of the kitchen, and Cook went into the scullery to finish some jobs out there.
Molly began to wonder about a lot of things as she sat there, with Bobbles purring contentedly on her lap. Cousin Frankie was coming to stay with them this Christmas with Auntie Dora and Uncle Ro- bert. Frankie was only four; not old enough to think of things by himself; and Molly felt very an- Father Christmas xious in case didn't know that he was spending those exciting days with them, and
By N. B. OLLEY
might go to Frankie's house by mistake, thinking his sock would hung up there as usual. She wished she knew for certain whether any- one had told him. If Cook had waited up to give him some of the "Special Sweet" she would, of course, tell him, because she was always thoughtful in those ways. But now that the recipe was lost she might go to sleep, then he wouldn't know.
Her thoughts were suddenly in- terrupted because Bobbles jumped up exclaiming "What was that?" in a high, mewing voice.
Although Molly had never heard him speak before, it didn't seem at all odd, and she answered quite naturally, "I thought something moved too."
Then, so quickly that Molly could scarcely see it, a scrap of paper was pushed forward from
now?" More mischief, I'll be bound!"
a
They made their way, along passage that led them to quite a cosy room, where they saw the mischievous Sprite standing beside Although an old Mother Goblin. she was definitely a goblin she had quite a kind face, and looked, at the moment, so worried that Molly felt sorry for her.
were
her
When Mother Goblin
saw her visitors sht didn't seem in the least surprised, but said, just as though they
greatest friends, "It's this naughty little son of mine! Always up to some fool- ish prank or other. The amount of damage he does you wouldn't be- lieve. Goodness knows when he'll grow old enough to have more sense,"
"I only took a scrap of paper,". protested the Sprite, "not much harm in that."
"Only paper perhaps, but was. there anything on it? That's the important point. Do you know?" 'she asked, turning to Molly.
Molly never liked telling tales, but all the same she did want to get the recipe back. So she said, "It had something written on it for Cook I believe, telling her how to make a nice 'Sweet' for our din- ner this evening." Then she add- ed hastily, "But he wouldn't know perhaps, if it was only on a loose bit of paper."
"Know or not, you shouldn't take things that don't belong to you," Mother Goblin said to the Sprite, "Where have you put it?”
"I-I threw it away."
Mother Goblin pointed to the staircase. "Now," she command- ed sternly, "you go along, get that bit of paper, and put it right back where you found it.” And the poor little Sprite, looking very crestfal-` len, walked away and up the stairs. While he was gone Old Mother Goblin gave Molly some delicious
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under the coal-box, fluttered for á moment, and was dragged back, while a mischievous voice piped, "Ya, Booh!" Almost immediately a tiny figure flashed past and slip- ped out of the back door, which Cook had opened and left slightly ajar' when she went through into the scullery.
"He's got the recipe," squeaked Bobbles. "I know what it looked Uke because I played with it a bit on the table before Cook lost it."
"It must be the naughty Sprite," cried Molly, "let's catch him!"
She and Bobbles sprang down from the chair and chased after the little running figure. Once the Sprite turned and laughed at them, calling "Can't catch me!" and then raced on again. ”
Molly and Bobbles tore. after him, panting and breathless, till. they came to a country lane. Here they saw him suddenly stoop, lift a large stone that lay at the side of. the road, and disappear from view
They hurried to the stone, and Molly turned. It over. Just under- neath they discovered a steep and staircase. There was a light the far en
scrambled could ice aving,
home-made toffee, and Bobbles a big saucer of milk; and it seemed no time before the Sprite was home again, looking just as bright and as ready for fun as ever. He said, "I've put it back where I found it, under the coal-box in your kit- chen."
"That's better," said Old Mother Goblin, and gave him some toffee "A nice trick that was, all the same; taking away a cook's recipe on Christmas: Eve of all times!"
"Oh, I say!" gasped the Sprite, "I'd forgotten it was Christmas Eve. I wouldn't have taken it if I'd remembered.”
-
"I should just think not indeed," said Mother Goblin, “perhapɑ now you'd like to try to think of some- thing you can do to make up for it."
“Oh, please," put in Molly eager- The might be ly, “I know top able to do. I'm not sure whether Fathers Christmas will have heard that my little cousin is coming to stay with us. It would be so drinath). Itélie went to his house and couldn't find him,” and then didn't know where to take his sents. Do you think," looking the Sprite, you could possibly “ along and tall him:2