2
THE CHINA MAIL SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 19, 1940.
WHEN the hands of the clock crept past twelve Christine bed- again tiptoed into Dicky's room. He must be asleep by now, she thought, but he was not--not asleep and yet how little awake; just lying so still, so flat, so srnali under the covers, that only the dull glimmer of his open eyes pro- claimed any life.
Even as she bent over him, put her hand on his waxen forehead he did not sinile, or stir or speak; just lay in that dreadful apathy that was driving her to despera- tion. She said:
"Shut your eyes, darling. Try to sleep
He did not shut his eyes, did not answer. By no
siga did he show that he had heard or under- stopel She thought "Even
cd hang has stocking and put the toys on the table he would not know and in so dreadfully t *}
Yet she could not bring herself to run even that risk. Those toys were to be part of the shock that. they hoped, would
arouse They and Tam, if she could only be certam of Tom.
.
to
She turned on legs that seemed as leaden as the rest of her ex- hausted body, moving across the dressing room Only then did the hear a sound from the bed, but so faint that only anxious ears knew it for a whisper.
"Yes, Dicky?" she asked bend- ing eagerly.
at
THE TURNING
POINT
By
Douglas NewTON
hold on life.
that memory into activity.
it may be the I mean, once the little beggar sits interest in any; up and takes an thing. youth should do the
was Dicky's last, desperate every movement and in "If Mr. Logan comes his every feature, as he might be revived, did something utterly It's not much, but ridiculous with Dicky S Christmas toys. Dicky turning point.
little reedy gave 2 chuckle, saw Christine, gasped out:
rest
"And be father..
Is devoted to
his
on
I'm counting "That, too. that. There's nothing so remark- able as the swing back of children, startling-bui Recoveries can be they need a focussing point. You're sure your husband will get leave?"
He said it in a way that told her that if Tom didn't then nothing A ghost of a word floated up to could save Dicky, and she had answered passionately: "Oh, quite
her: "Bells!"
sure.
"Yes, it's past twelve," she told never!" hin.
"Christmas Day?"
Well not quite Not
until Eve Christmas we've done our sleep." she said desperately, know- ing too well what his next word would be but it came "Daddy"
never Tom
fails Us
He
al- Tom was That was true. ways so splendid that way. made it an article of faith to keep all promises especially to Dicky He would move heaven and earth to come, as he said he had, espe- cially after she wrote again tell
had mg him all that Dr. Maule sand, urging him to come as early "Give pour Daddy chance, as possible--before Christmas Eve natural If it would be managed. Knowing laugh. "He's got to have his sleep, Tom, she had been sure he would and he's got such a huge, long do it.
And yet he hadn't
Come. But when it's
Hadn't even answered her, way to me, too. real moming, when you've slept
day.
Try your sleep into Dicky, if really make quicker-..."
she tried to make
a
Daddy
"Trying to try," the dry little whisper rattled. "It won't come. If Daddy
After that he wanted to plo with Tom again, and Tom per-- suaded her to go and 'rést. It seemed selfish of her, but Dicky was so entirely centred on Tom, improving, so manifestly while she was still so terribly She shut weary that she gave in. herself in her room to sleep until tea timed Woke at seven.
was
She could not believe the clock at first, and when site did she hur- ried into Dicky's bedroom over- whelmed with contrition. It was dark, there was no sound in it ex- cept Dicky's breathing. She called
She clicked On the screened night lamp and saw he wasn't there.
answer.
taken the
Sure that he had chance to stretch his legs while Dicky slept, she was not even up- set when she found he was not in, the flat. She merely busied her- self getting dinner ready--when, at least, they would be together. Her ear on the alert for any sound or Dicky's of his coming back awakening, and when she heard the boy move she went into him
She heard him yawn, a delici-
He said With a singing heart she went ous, natural yawn.
bathed back to her room, #
and something of his old voice:
terrific hungry-Can I have some- thing-an' a big drink—?”
"Mummy. Isn't Daddy a one!" Christine cried from
tight throat: "Tom, Tain, my dear. You
got here?"
1
listen to
"Of course dear-what you like?"
in "I'm
would
dressed with all the slow luxury that had been denied her during Her husband looked up, a queer, her spell of anxiety. Ate a real veiled, warning look, as though to
breakfast at last. Every now and moment.
"Cake, an' chicken and--almost Say. "This is not our Dicky alone counts." She heard then she stopped to his voice as in a dream, saying Dicky's voice. It seemed stranger anything. Daddy says I've got to cheerfully:
eat like a trooper, so's to be quite "Comes again?" she gasped: ` well when he comes again, ̈ ̈
"Comes really," he said quite
"This was only a sort pretend time, you know,"
e'm-
every time, and it was certainly ful. He had justified all her hope "Didn't I promise this young more animated. Tom was wonder- feller-me-lad that not even battled rhinosophants could keep and trust. He had kept his prom- me away from him and Christmas ise, and Dicky was going to get calmly.
well. pudding?"
A
"Or--or crocolators," she heard Tom's Dlek gurgle with joy at use of their "secret" language. frail and thin gurgle, yet already how different from his voice of a few hours ago. It was no longer fat and dead.
It was alive.
She could only stand, swaying and staring and absolutely stupid under the flood of relief that filled her to the point of weeping.
Seeing
"Pretend," she caught
as the toys, up to say as naturally
could, "Daddy's' gone then?"
herself
she
:
He played quietly, gently, un- derstandingly with all never exciting the child. He knew
said. exactly when to stop and what to
"Had to be back," Dick do when he did. She slipped in
again quite In mid-morning with a suggestion "But he'll be here about not over exerting Dicky, to soon, an' there's no need about" find Dicky plavidly lying on his worrying; it'll be for a longer and
hands in
real gorgeouser time then--and back, both his small
face Tom's big brown one, his serene and listening. Before she could speak Tom said:
which had said.
Tom's all the
He
had
"Real?" she gulped. yet Dick didn't seem light-headed, mort She fact. "We are about to travel, per normal than ever in she "Oh, Tom. How? How?"
to Afrien, where the switched on the room light. A silly thing to say.
He'd flying bd began.
coming Oh, whatever the reason, why slipped in while she was asleep. Ibo-Iberi hunt lions in a strange was more normal. As Dr. Maule
and daring manner hadn't Tom come, or wired? With of course, using his key.
difference-only closed eyes she drove her clench her lying exhausted, he had let ind ca es, my dear, that this is the made ed hands into her pillows, send her undisturbed while he tip-toed moment for you to go out and get what did he mean by "real" or by ing out her spirit in a passionate into Dicky. That was his way a spot of fresh air rather than be Tom's going back like this? clamour to her husband, demand- always; so thoughtful, so quick to involved in a purely male if not
cannibalistic episode." commanding ing his coming,
understand, so practical. She with all her will before it was too changed her question quickly to
"When?" late.
it
Exhaustion must have made her
"Try enormous hard," she urged
fearing swiftly,
that fearing, promises about Daddy might be more dangerous than not. "Shut sleep. A thunder in her ears, eyes, boy. Poor Mummy's got to whirring of a bell, crashed through wait and sleep, too."
to her numbed senses; roused her. dazed and startled. The knocking and ringing broke out again. She sprang up, ran through the flat to the door terrified that Dicky It would be might be frightened. the postman, of course-Christmas Day was definitely here,..
He did not shut his eyes-not really. He made the effort, but the thin, bluish lids crept with a terrible labour only as far as the lower rim of the iris, the whites sti 1 gleaming through. He hadn't the strength left even to sleep, Not that sleeping
waking made much difference. Still, even that was something, and if she left him he might dozė----
or
+
શ
It wasn't the postman, but telegraph boy with three messages. Two were in gay "Greetings" en- velopes. the third-ber heart jumped in fear as she took it and heard the boy's cheery "Happy Christmas, Ma'am," as he went A Happy Christmas! away.
Happy!
If that third as she telegram was from Tom dread,
a
to
She glanced wildly round the room, and the first thing she saw His eye winked sagely, then his was the plate of cold chicken she It was head drooped and his lids closed had cut for Tom's lunch.
and she over his eyes,
knew where she had set it on an occa- "Hours an' hours an' hours ago,'
thut he
ineant to tale-tell sional table-and it hadn't even She remembered Dicky's voice ecstatically answer- ed for him. "An' terrible disc- Dicky to sleep, as he had so often been touched. dissip-he's awful strict, too. Made done in the past. She blew both then that she hadn't seen his hat heartfelt kisses and went out or coat in the hall-no visible me sleep first. Toys only after we'd got rid of our Christmas Eve breathing the good air as she had sign of him at all, except himmalf
Mums, not hoped to breath it again. sleep. Jus' like you said.
can I have a drink of milk?"
"Milk, my dear. At once!" she the first "Tom-that's gasped. time he's asked for something for
weeks."
of
It was glorious out. She stroll- ed in the park with a sense delicious freedom. She was even
and she hadn't touched
him. And as she grasped the strange- ness of it all she remembered the of telegram she hadn't opened. With her a gigantic effort to master able to take her first peep at the dread she said to Dicky:
or what snops,
the Christmas shopping had left in the unshut- "I'll see what secrets the larder tered ones. She knew everything has for you," and went out into the hall, snatching the telegram. was going to be right and it was. When she got back Dicky was from the table, bursting it open. asleep, really deeply and soundly It was from a hospital, it read: asleep, breathing normally with a colour already showing in
his face.
and
"When we men get together there's nothing we can't do," Tom chuckled. "Ain't it so, Goliath?"
Tom's face, so wise, so steady, so strong, smiled at her, telling her that everything was all right now, yet warning her to behave
She wanted to hug Tom for that as though all this was ordinary.
and everything, but his glance What a difference his mere pres- warned her. Dicky's spindly fn-
way Even his ence made.
on his taking things for granted carried gers were gripped tight
hand, any movement might wake Dicky over difficult moments.
him. She made a mocking grim-
the
milk, ace: When she brought cased Dicky up with an arm about his shoulder, he turned his head away from the cup as he had al- ways done in the past trying days. eye, he
"Plenty of time for that, my But now, under Tom's
him back, caught
muttered,
dear later and it'll be better for "Daddy." He wanted Tom to give making to-day all Dicky's."
him his drink.
"Horrible imp-he corres be- tween us-We haven't said how-, do-you-do, or talked
"I know," she breathed. "Oh, Tom, you don't know what your coming has"meant to me-us."
"I'm not beyond guessing," he smiled.
She went back to her own bed. lay on it fighting the numb weari- ness that had settled like a dead weight in every muscle. She knew that she had reached the limit of her own endurance. She had set herself to hold out until Tom ar-
Her hands shook as she forced rived, and he had written that it would not be later than Christmas her finger under its flap, and be- Eve, perhaps before if he could gan to tear-and stopped. manage it, for he really was due Dicky had laughed. for a long leave, It was his not
She Incredible.
stood coming that had broken her.
rigid. It was as though she had stretched startled, not believing her ears. herself taut to bear just the limit. But it had sounded like a laugh, of strain and the extra wait, had weak, quavering, pitiful-but
laugh, it must be true. Joy as caused her to crack.
well as fear so unnerved her that She shivered as she thought of she had to cling to the back of a Tom's failing. It would be the hall chair, telling herself it just . And as she clung end of Dicky. That one last spark couldn't be..
"Oh never," Tom said cheerful- of life left in the frail little body Dicky laughed again.
al- his desire to see and romp with
True! It was true.
ly. "Milk's the nurse's job his father at Christmas--would be
ways-that's the way of it son. -quenched; the dreadful listlessness She flung the telegrams on to. It's up to a man to drink. ... that had held him since his illness. the hall table, ran stumbling Down with it, monster." "would deepen. He would die. the bedroom door, pushed it open with a positive terror of hope : Dr. Maule had left no
doubt weakening her And again about that. "Unless we can rouse Dicky laughed. him we can do nothing, Mrs, Lo- Vigan. He's just slipping downhill. She stood -gasping, staring. Medical science is helpless if Dicky's frail figure no longer there's no will to live. His father made its terribly neat mound un- might bring that back. The der the bedclothes. They child's wanting him to be here at crumpled because he had manag- Christmas shows that there's just ed to turn on his side, And he enough of the boy left to make a was looking up, the white, tight pered. fight."
skin of his face puckered in a too," weak smile, and his eyes were no "Christmas has always been longer heavy and dull as he their great time together" Chris watched-Tom! tine had said huskily, ““Tom," my ·
Tom. sat Beside Dicky's bed as husband is a great boy himself..
though he had never been away. with the toys and the romping... His very pose had that heartach- they're a pair."
ing familiarity, the memory of "That's it. "And with Christmas which had strengthened her His glance said: "Leave this to Bo neur Dicky's just clinging to through every day and night of me. I'm the tone this young man a the memory." Dr. Maule said it his, absence. The frank boyish- needs. Go and rest and make scarcely give attention
worry no own food: It was such that Christine knew new that made him so akin to the yourself pretty, and kdant by that faringing"" Boy In Dicky was alive in his more."
i
were
"And-and I was afraid
mightn't come."
say Regret to
husband. Logan, met with accident: n serious but will prevent takin his leave for some weeks.
Cradley, M.D.
*
Robin At that same moment Cradley was saying to a nursing sister as he stood by a hospital. bed: "Ah, he's coming out of it. he slept all day, I suppose?" "Like a child, doctor." "No dreams, you think?"
"None as far as I could tell and I watched for them, knowing how wrought up he was over that boy of his."
have
"Yes, I think he would been in bad case if I hadn't given him that sleeping draught.- you only hope his wife got my wire in time to prepare the boy against disappointment. Hallo, Logan,
Dick grinned in wan feebleness but drank, not much, but willingly instead of the long struggle of thin little coaxing. She let the
"I'd made up my mind to come.. figure softly back on to the pil he said. "Nothing could have lows, looking at Tom with unstopped me Nothing on earth.*** speakable gratitude,
"And you, my dear," she whis- "You must be hungry,
had a good rest?"
"Splendid, been with Dicky,
10
day,
"Eh?" blinked Dr. Cradley.. dream--”
Dicky stirred a little then, his eyes warned her and she fled for fear her voice and presence would
"Dream, be hanged, it was spoil the magic. Singing gently He caught sight of the nurse she began to prepare lunch.
uniform, switched his eyes in sur "Hnd all I want already," "he smiled. "But get something your- They had a picnic lunch in the prise over the hospital surround self..
I and my
motor bedroom. Dicky did not want to ings." By Jove perhaps it was
and yet so real-" mechanic here have a particularly miss a moment of his father, and,
you look better for it, any nutty race game that calls for the anyhow, it was a joy to them both deepest attention,
to see him: eat. Yes, he actually how." the doctor hasteded, to sa wanted to eat, little bits of chicken Tom Logan Tooked at him.
"Yes," he and jelly with the beginnings of strange way.
boy's appetite. They could. Yes, I feel better-I feel that to their boy will be all right nowad
a great turned the corner. • Qu fool that in my boness
moment,
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