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 nol-not asleep and yet how little awake; just lying so still, so flat, so small 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 smile, 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 hot answer By no sign did h show that be had heard or under
She thought "Even af 1 dud hang his shacking and put the fov.
the table he would not KENW and Fin so di radhully th
d
1
Yet she codd not bring herself To find even that ensk There toy... wrap to be part of the shock that. they hoped, would Joue 110 They and Tom, if she could only he certam of Tom
She turned on legs that seemed r leaden as the rest of her ex- hausted body, moving across the dressing room Only then did she hear a sound from the bed, but so faint that only anxious ears knew it for a whisper
THE TURNING
POINT
By
Douglas NewION
Dicky &
was Dicky's last, desperate every movement and in !
“İF Mr Logan comes hold on life. tial memory might be revived, It's not much, but into activity at may be the furning point I mean, once the little beggar sit ap and takes an interest in any - rest thing youth should do the
"And father
lac
its every feature, as he did something utterly ridiculous with Christmas toys. Dicky
Bit'l AVA
rendy chuckle, saw Christine. gasped out.
devoted
to
his
"Mummy. Isn't Daddy a our Christine cried from
tight throat: "Tom, Tom, my dear Yout got here?"
#
on
I'm counting "That, too. 10
that. There's nothing so remark - able as the swing back of children. Recoveries can be startling --but they need a focussing point. You're sure your husband will get leave
"Yes, Dicky"" she asked bend- ing eagerly.
He said it in a way that told her that if Tom didn't then nothing had
A ghost of a word foated up to could save Dicky, and she he. "Beils!"
answered passionately: "Oh, quite
sure.
"Yes, it's past twelve," she told never!" ham
"Christmas Day""
Tom
was
never
falls
US-
That
true. Tom was al- He ways so splendid that way. made it an article of faith to keep Well 11:1 murder Not until all promises-especially to Dicky. we've done our Christmas Eve He would move heaven and earth sley p." she yad desperately, know-
to come, as he said he had, espe- ing: too well what his nest word erally after she wrote again tell- would be but at caine "Daddy ang tum all that Dr Maule
sad, urging him to come as early as possible before Christmas Eve it would be managed. Knowing Tomy, she had been sure he would đu il
And yet he hadn't Hadn't even me were her
"Give poor Duddly a chaner," be prd to make
:1 matemal lata: h "He's got to have his sleep. nmd heb got such a huge, Yong way for a one, Ton But wit arak 101!g when you've slept YOUR lep inter day
Try Daky, dll really make Daddy qun ker
Trying to try. the dry Lite When pre
Battled "It won't come If Daddy
*Try enormous hard," ad urged swiftly. fearing. fearing that promises about Daddy might be more dangerous than not.
"Shut eyes, boy. Poor Mummy's got to wait and sleep, too."
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 stil gleaming through. He hadn't the strength left even to sleep. Not that sleeping or waking made much difference. Still, even that was something, and if she left him he might doze.....
11
had
Oh, whatever the reason, why cut Tan cur, or whted" With closed eves she drove her cleneh- ed hands into her pillows, send- ing out her spuit in a passionate clamour to her husband, demand- ing his coming. commanding it with all her will before it was too late.
il
Exhaustion must have made her
A thunder in her ears, sleep. whirring of a bell, crashed through to her numbed senses; roused her dazed and started. The knocking and ringing broke out again. She sprang up, ran through the flat to the door territed that Dicky might be frightened. It would be the postman, of course -Christmas Day was definitely here
El
It wasn't the postman, but telegraph boy with three messages, Two were in gay "Greetings" en-
third-ter velopes, the
heart jumped in fear as she took it and heard the boy's cheery "Happy Ma'am," as he went Christmas,
A Happy Christmas! away
. Happy!
If that third telegram was from Tom US she dread,..
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- rived, and he had written that it
Her hands shook as she forced would not be later than Christmas her finger under its lap, 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 coming that had broken her. was as though she had stretched herself taut to bear just the limit of strain and the extra wait had caused her to crock.
It
rigid,
а
Incredible. She stood startled, not believing her ears. But it had sounded like a laugh, weak, quavering, pitiful-but laugh, it must be true. Joy as well as fear so unnerved her that she had to cling to the back of a hall chair, telling herself it just couldn't be
And as she clung Dicky laughed again...
It was true. True!
Her husband looked up, a queer, veiled, warning look, as though to say. "This is not our moment.
counts." She heard Dicky alone his voice as in a dream, saying cheerfully:
"Didn't I promise this young teller-me-lad that not even battled rhinosophants could keep me away from him and Christmas
pudding?"
"Or-or crocolators," she heard Tom's Dick gurgle with joy at use of their "secret" language. A frail and thin gurgle, yet already how different from his vulee 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 Bood of reber that filled her to the point of weegint.
"Oh, Tom How How"" dre began. A silly thing to say. He ship dan while she was asleep. of course, using his key. Seeing her lying exhausted, he hunt k her undisturbed while he tip-toed unło Dicky. That was his way always; so thoughtful, so quick to understand.
This NO practical changed her question quickly "When?"
13
After that he wanted to play with Tom again, and Tom. per- suaded her to go and rest. L seemed selfish of her, but Dicky was so entirely centred on Tợn, was 50 manifestly improving, while she was still so terrib:3 weary that shoëgave'in. She shut horself in her room to sleep until ten time-and woke at seven.
She could not believe the clock at first, and when she did she hur- ried into Dicky's bedroom over- whelmed with contrition.
It was durk, there was no sound in it ex- cept Dicky's breathing. She called "Tom" softly, but there was no answer. She clicked on the screened night lamp and saw be wasn't there.
OF
"I'm
Sure that he had taken the chance to stretch his legs while Dicky slept, she was not even up- set when she found he was not an the fat. She merely busied her- self getting dinner ready---when, at least, they would be together. Her ear on the alert for any sound of his coming back Dicky's awakening, and when she heard the buy move she went into him
She heard him yawn, a delici-
He With a singing heart she went ous, natural yawn.
said in back to her room, bathed and something of his old voice: dressed with all the slow luxury terrifle hungry--Can I have some-
an a big drink...”” that had been denied her during her spell of anxiety, Ate a
"Of course dear what
breakfast at last.
Every now and you like?" then she stopped
"Cake, an' chicken and almost Dicky's voice. It seemed stranger anything. Daddy says I've got to every time, and it was certainly cat like a trooper, so's to be quite more animated. Tom was wonder well when he comes again." ful. He had justifled all her hope
"Comes again?" she gasped, "Comes really," he said quite and trust. He had kept his prom-
"This was only a sort of * ise, and Dicky was going to get calmly.
pretend time, you know."
"Pretend," she caught up to say as naturally could, "Daddy's gone then?"
well.
10
thing-
real
to listen
would
herself she
He played quietly, gently, un- the toys, derstandingly with all never exciting the child. He knew
do when he did. She slipped in "Had to be back." Dick said. exactly when to stop and what to
in mid-morning with a suggestion "But he'll be here again quite about not ever exerting Dicky, do soon, an' there's no need about And Dicky plucidly tying on his worrying; it'll be for a longer and rcal back, both his small hands in gorgeouser time then and
face
Tom's big brown me, his serene and listening Before she would speak Tom sand.
2
ין
all
"Real?" she gulped, yet Dicky didn't seem light-hended. more "We
about to travel. per normal than ever in fact She He to Africa, where the switched on the room light. Дying is al Ibu-that hons in a strange was more normal As Dr. Mule and
which had said. Tom's coming hind in, that this is the made
the difference--aly " so go out and get what did he mean by "real" or by te spot of free aur mther than be Ton's going bark like this? involved in purely male if not
She glanced wildly round the combalete episode."
room, and the first thing she saw His eye winked sagely, then his was the plate of cold chicken she head drooped and his lids closed had cut for Tom's lunch. It was
amil over his eyes,
she knew where she had set it on an occa- That he meant to tale-tell sional table-and it hadn't even Dicky to sleep, as he had so often been touched. She remembered 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 breathing the good air as she had sign of him at all, except himself not hoped to breath it again. Mums.
to
"Hours an' hours an' hours ago." Dicky's vo ce restalically answer- ed for hini. "An' terrible dise dissip- he's awful striel, too, Made me s.eep first. Toys only afte. we'd got rid of our Christmas Eve sleep, jus' like you said. can I have a drink of milk?"
"Milk, my dear. At once!" she gasped. “Tom ---that's the Arst time he's asked for something for
weeks."
men
--and she hadn't touched him. And as she grasped the strange- It was glorious out. She stroll- ness of it all she remembered the
ed in the park with a sense of telegram she hadn't opened. With
ops.
delicious freedom. She was even a gigantic effort to master her able to take her first peep at the dread she said to Dicky:
Or what the Christmas shopping had left in the unshut- "I'll see what secrets the larder
"When we
She knew everything has for you," and went out into together tered ones. get
was going to be right and it was. the hall, snatching the telegram there's nothing we can't do," Tom
When she got back Dicky was from the table, bursting it open. chuckled. "Ain't it so. Goliath?"
asleep, really deeply and soundly It was from a hospital, it read:—
and asleep. breathing normally with a colour already showing in his face.
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 as though all this was ordinary. What a difference his mere pres-
of ence made. Even his way taking things for granted carried Dicky over difficult moments.
When she brought the milk, eased 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. But now, under Tom's eye, he caught him back. muttered, "Daddy." He wanted Tom to give him his drink.
"Oh never," Tom said cheerful-
al ly. "Milk's the nurse's job ways-that's the way of it son. It's up to a man to drink.... Down with it, monster."
She wanted to hug Tom for that and everything, but his glance warned her. Dicky's spindly fin- gers were gripped tight on his hand, any movement might wake him. She made a mocking grim- ace:
"Horrible imp-he comes be- tween us-We haven't sald how- do-you-do, or talked
my
"Plenty of time for that, dear later and it'll be better for
making to-day all Dicky's."
"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.
say
Regret to
husband, T: Logan, met with accident: not. • serious but will prevent taking his leave for some weeks,
Cradley, M.D.
*
At that same moment Robin 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."
Yes, I think he would have been in bad case-if I hadn't given him that sleeping draught.-I "And-and I was afraid you only hope his wife got my wire in time to prepare the boy against ,, disappointment. Hallo, Logan,
had a good rest?"
mightn't come."
She shivered as she thought of Tom's falling. It would be the end of Dicky. That one last spark of life left in the frail little body --his desire to see and romp with his father at Christmas-would be quenched; the dreadful listlessness She flung the telegrams on to that had held him since his illness the hall table, ran stumbling to 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- gan. 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 were 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..
A too." fight."
skin of his face puckered in 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 husband, is a great boy himself... though he had never been away. Tom wat beside Dicky's bed as with the toys and the romping. they're a pair."
His very pose had that heartach- of Ing familiarity, the memory That's it. And with Christmas which had strengthened her His glance said: "Leave this to
0 me. In the tonic this young man o near Dicky's just clinging to through every day and night of the memory." Dr. Maule said it his absence. The frank boyish- needs. Go and rest and make gely that Christine knew ness that made him so akin to the yourself pretty, and worry no The meant by that "olinging"--boy in Dloky was alive in this more;"
Dick grinned in wan feebleness but drank, not much, but willingly Instead of the long struggle of coaxing. She let the thin little
"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 unTM
stopped me--Nothing on earth.” speakable gratitude.
"And you, my dear," she whis- "You must be hungry,
"Splendid, been with Dicky all day,"
"Eh?" blinked Dr. Cradley.
Dlaky stirred a little then, his eyes warned her and she fled for dream————” fear her voice and presence would suoll the magic. Singing gently. He caught sight of the nurse's
"Dream, be hanged, it was- she began to prepare lunch..
uniform, awitched his eyes in sur- "Had all I want already," he smiled. "But get something your- They had a picnic lunch in theprise over the hospital surround- ings.”.... By jove-perhaps it was- self. I and my motor bedroom. Dicky did not want to mechanic here have a particularly miss a moment of his father, and, and yet so real" "
"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 hastened to say.. wanted to eat, little bits of chicken Tom Logan looked at him in my
he said. and jelly with the boginnings of strange wey. "Yes,"
boy's appetite. They could "Yes, I feel better-1 feel that the Shad scarcely give attention to their boy will be all right novṛ.' own food: It was such a great turned the corner, Queer, moment.
feel that in my bones-is" ag
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