1928-12-15 — Page 19

CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, 1928.

QUEENIE'S CHRISTMAS QUEST.

By M. C. RAMSAY.

"DA

ADDY! Daddy! Why don't you listen? I've something most important to tell you!"

The impatient note in the sweet child. voice gripped at John Haldane's heart. It wasn't cricket, he told himself, to neglect the poor little kid till she was forced to speak like that. With a sigh, he put down his pen and wheeled round in his swivel

chair.

her to be just the right Mummie for you badly as the man who had lost the wife of and the right wife for me. Did you forget his youth and his first-born son at the one that-that she has to be both things? And fell blow. Ah, well! a chap had to stand the one who could be the wife didn't want up to these things. And he couldn't be to be the Mummie. If there had not been utterly poverty-stricken while he had his that hitch, Santa would have brought you work and the little lass. the Mummie Inst Christmas. You remem ber when Daddy took you in the car to a big beautiful house outside the town just a week or two before Christmas?"

"What is your Majesty's pleasure?" he said, with the whimsical smile the little lassed loved above all Daddy's expressions.

She nodded, her wide eyes earnestly fix. on his face which had become a little pale. "Well, it was Santa who told Daddy to "It's about Christmas and my letter to take you there, as he was sure the pretty Santa Claus. It's too important this year lady who lived in that house would be will for Nursie 'helping with, "cause, you sec,

ing to be his Christmas present to Daddy when I told Cookie what I wanted she said and Queenie' both; but well, Santa had nobody but the master could arrange with made a great big mistake, and that was Santa about it, and he was too busy with his why he made up his mind that he wasn't go new book to bother. You"-the sweet lipsing to stock Mummies this Christmas." quivered "you didn't use to be too busy to bother about your little girl, Daddy!"

"I'm not too busy now, darling," he said, and held out his arms. She needed no fur ther invitation. She was on his knee on the instant, her arms round his neck, her cheek close to his,

A

"It's so frightfully important,. Daddy, and such a tremendous" she brought out the big word with triumph-"such a tremen- dous thing, that I've got to whisper it. Band close-closer,"

Her lips were almost touching his ear. "I want Santa to bring me a new Mummie! I've everything, everything a little girl's heart can long for, Nursie says. But I can't have that, can I, if I want the bostest thing of all-a Mummie? I don't want a frightfully expensive one, Daddy. I don't think the expensive ones are so cuddle- some. Betty Green's Mummie costs a small fortune, and Betty is frightened to cuddle her for spoiling her; and Maisie Wilson's isn't dear at all, 'cause she makes all her own frocks, and has just one tiny, weany maid. But, oh! Daddy, she is so cuddlesome! I just feel as if I would like to eat her. But Nurse says a rich, successful author's little girl can't play with such a cheap Mummie- that the Wilsons aren't our sort at all.”

"Nurse is wrong, Queenie. I'll explain to her that she made a mistake. I'd rather have you play with little girls with cuddle- some Mummies"

"But you don't understand, Daddy! I don't want any other little girls' Mummies any longer. I want any own Mummie. And I'm quite sure if you wrote to Santa Claus he would find one for me."

"I'm afraid not, darling. The last time I spoke to Santa he told me he had stopped stocking Mummies. Aunties, perhaps, or a very nice nursery governess.

"No!" She had slipped to the floor, and stamped her foot. "I don't want an Auntie or a nice governess, When the Aunties come they say I am spoilt. I'm not spoilt! No little girl can be properly spoilt unless by a Mummie! It must be a. Mummie, Daddy, or I don't want anything from Santa at all!" A shadow crossed his face, He drew her back to his knee.

"Queenie, listen to Daddy. I do want to give you at Mummie, but, you see, I want

she reminded him; "one in a lovely frock, "There were two pretty ladies, Daddy,"

who pushed me away for fear I would crush it; and the other one in the big overall who took me to see the puppies. Are you quite sure you asked the right one? Was it the expensive one in the lovely frock?"

He kissed her passionately, then set her down.

"That is Daddy's helpful little daugh- ter," he said. "Now run off to Nurse, while Daddy gets on with his work."

But when she had gone he could not settle to work. He was wondering if he ought to put his own inclinations aside for the child's sake, and look around amongst his women friends for one who would make good, cuddlesome Mummie, even if she should fall short of what he wanted in a wife.

But he knew it could not be Estelle's marry him, which he very much doubted. cousin, Betty, even though Betty would

Betty, his every instinct told him, was not the kind of girl to whom a man could offer less than his all-his best.

"And yet, if it only had been Betty for whom he had cared-gentle, home-loving "Why, of course! The other one-she | Betty-what a happy thing it would have is a dear little thing, Queenie, but she been for them all! For he knew that she Well, you see, it's the expensive one Daddy was only on sufferance at The Towers-just cared for, and he thought he was rich enough the handy, useful poor relation, whom the ' to buy her, but her price was bigger than whole household could put upon because she he thought-not in money, sweetheart. She was too loyal to go on strike, as any ordin- didn't-well, she didn't want to play the ary, properly-paid. companion-secretary *- Mummie part as well. She wanted Daddy to would have done. send his little girl to stay with, the Aunties all the time, and just come for holidays. And"-his clasp tightened "Daddy couldn't pay that price."

It would be a lucky household which had Betty at its head, but it was not his house- hold for whom that joy was meant.

And, with that conclusion, he turned back to his work, and, for the time, dismiss- ed the whole matter from his mind.

II

"Of course he couldn't?" 'Queenie snug gled a little closer. "It was very queer of Santa to make such a big mistake. I would │· never have thought of wanting that lady for a Mummie. She wasn't one tiny little bit Little Queenie was of a tenacious nature, cuddlesome. But the lady in the overall, who however.. Now that she knew the real nature cuddled me as well as the puppies Oh, of their errand to the big house just outside I would so like you to buy her, Daddy!”. the town shortly before the previous Christ- "But I don't think she is for sale, sweet-mas, she felt more, and ever more, certain heart," John Haldane answered. "She that Santa Claus, in the extra rush of busi- 'belonged to someone who was killed in the Iness had somehow blundered, He would not war, and I am quite sure she has never willingly have led Daddy astray, but he had. wanted to belong to anyone else. But sup- undoubtedly done so. No "crenture of sense" " pose Daddy should write to Santa Claus--a pot phrase of Cookie's—would ever have again about the pretty lady? She may we thought of sending a man to such an expen- haven't seen each other since she has been sive lady as Miss Estelle Bradshaw in search travelling about, you know - but she may of a Christmas gift for his little daughter. have changed her mind. Daddy vowed he At the same time, in his very busiest hours would never ask her again; but at Christmas- Santa was not. likely to have sent Daddy to time, with Santa Claus as a go-between the wrong house entirely. But grown-ups "But I don't want the pretty, expensive were very queer. They did not like to have one," said Queenie, decidedly. "If I can't their mistukes set right by little folks. have a cuddlesome. Mummie I'd rather go Therefore, after days of hard thinking, without. But don't-you-worry about 'it, Queenie concluded that it was up to her to Daddy, dear. It's bad for the new book to make matters right herself. have you worried about anything, Nursic Two days before Christmas the maids says After it is finished we'll talk it over gave a party. It had been a kindly custom again."

In Daddy's own home. He had carried it. He smiled, if a little crookedly, at the with him into married life. He dined out grown-up air, Poor wee kid! She was Queenie was allowed to sit up. till all the. needing more young company. If only guests had arrived. Then she was escorted Estelle His lips quivered. Yes, there to bed by the most favoured of the ladies, might have been a more wonderful Christ kissed and hugged to her heart's content, mas gift the baby brother whom Queenic left feeling the most important little girl in had wanted two years ago but not so

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