Over the Edge.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 15, 12 October 1907, Page 14

Over the Edge.

" I shall givo it to her tho moment she comes in," threatened tho mother, snatching the last pink garment from the lino, "and I don't caro : what you say! I've had just about onough. Many a good shaking I had from my own dear mother when I was her age, and all tho better I was for it. Learnt mo mo how to behavo myself, at any rate." The father straightened his back, stopping in the task'of giving neatntss and order to tho gravelled pathway of tho back garden. Woods ho had been placing in a , wooden basket to bo conveyed to the far corner; snails he threw over the fonco, and later his neighbour would throw''them back. Tho exercise appeared to make them thrive. ■ "Likely as not—he began! "There' you go!" distractedly. "Always standing up for lior. You wouldn't mind if a slip of a girl of seven year old stayed out till all hours. A pretty boauty you to be a parent.. The only satisfaction I've got is 1 that I'm still alive. If I wasn't, I really • think I should go right out of'my mind."' Tho sound came, " of a loud single knock. "Answer tho 'door this minute, and savo your poor -wife a few steps. And if it's her bring her out here at once. I'll.talk to her!'' , . He returned; with the information that tho girl had only to hang'up;lier Tamo' Shanter' and sho would then be at tlie disposition of the mothor. He bent again, to his task, and sho waited, trembling with annoyance. To assist clearness,of speech ,sho took from her month two ! clothes-pegs.' ' " "It certainly,keeps off the birds," remarked tho child, strolling into tho garden and winking at. her mother. "We shouldn't have had no gooseberries to speak'of this year! if.wo hadn't thought of setting it up out hero." "Who are you getting at?"-, ho demanded, gOod-temp'eredly. "It talks!" she "cried, with'a'fine as-' sumption of terror. .. "It talks like a real man. .Oh, mummy, dear, is it a real man?" " That's all very well," saicj the mother, "but the question is, where havo you been, my lady, since tea?" "Will tho scarecrow bite me?"-she asked, clinging-to , her mother's apron. "I'm frightened of him. .Let's give him away when the fifth of November, comes wand. ; They'll collcct a ; lot of money." " , " Ton nio word, James," sho declared, the kid's only saying this to make us, laugh, but you do look "peculiar. . In yt.ni- shirt sleeves, your hair all. anyhow, your. faco red — "I've been stoopin'." ... She.derided this excuse as paltry, and requested the child to' give an imitation of tho manner in which he entered the house on Friday evenings and his de.pbrtment on arriving home during Saturday afternoon. This ; piece of acting,

it appeared; had bedn given'before, but the mother gave to it all the'attention a first peh'ormarico ': exacts, arid , at, the cioso begged; fgr a repetition of the Saturday afternoon sceno; ho endeavoured to protest,'and challenged them both to namo a single occasion on'' which' he' had, after receipt of wages, sung "Rule, Britannia''; it had to bo pointed out to him that a miserable exactitude: would havo been no good proof, of cleverness and precocity, ■ and that to the humorous 1 a certain . freedom, a. generous license, had to be conceded. Following this, 'the youngster was called upon ,to give in, dumb show her version of liis behaviour oh tho occasion of his last visit to the Congregational cha'pel; this necessitated . ,the presence: of a' chair which the' mother willingly fetched.' Tho littlo girl began with a pained look of. interest, that gaye' way to n slight drooping of the eyelids; the head: drooped' sideways,: arresting itself with,a 6udden jerk; this was succeeded by a gaze of, determined wakefulness,, an,.; undisguised, ' yawii,' sleep of the noisy kind that,.awakes everyone biit tho sleeper. - ■ •;* : I; . " She's not at all-bad at it," asserted the delighted mother. "I;.had an aunt', once who used to recite ' Oil,' Stanley,' on, were tho last words of Marinion'; I ' suppose ', the .gift 1 must: havo' coine 1 down from -her,'skipping 'a generatiori. And tho beanty ' of it ,is : that no one can possibly take offence.". She- turned tj the,girl and. whisperedia,request; to. the father she gave ' a gracious , permission, to smoke. "You're better.tempered, James, when you've, got a' pipo stuck in your face,", she remarked. .. The girl , sat again on the chair, and with a 6hort.twig between: her lips pretended to be father playing a'.gamo of cards, with the aid , of, an memory. I'll'go threo and chance it.' Thero you are;, beat the ace if you can. That's mine.; Wo. now, proceed to follow- that up by . his . Majesty thei—What aro you doing of?, You ..can't take tho king with a ton, you silly josser;, why don't you, look what you're up to.- If you're going, to play cards, play cards, but if you'r'o, going to' fool about — Le doff .with diamonds, did .1? I beg your pardon, my lad; I led oft with 'carts, the'.aco of.'earts, and here's the card to prove -—Sorry; my mistake. It's' tho, similarity in colour that deceived mo. " Beside? which, you all keep talking-so; it's a matter,of absolute impossibility to keep anything in one's mind.' Now then, let's. get along, but first of all tell me what is actually trumps—clubs or spades? "I never in all my life "ho began, rest.ivelyi ' " You be: quiet/ father," ordered ■ his. wife. ".There's no call for you to interrupt. . •: . . "But it ain't a bit liko.".

"So you think," she remarked. "That's the.,queer thing about' this world, that we can' see everybody else's faults, but wo never can see, our own. It's good for you'to see how'you actually aTo; gives you a cho'ncb of ■ improving. : Otherwise, you go , through life fancying, you'ro perfect,, while all the time you're the very reverse. Go. on, dear.' Finish tho game'of nap, and work in that bit wlrcre ho has a row with his brother Edwin. 1 " ' . "Me and Edwin-haven't had a misword since we wero boys together' at school." '■■:■•. "Shut up!" she commanded, sharply; "you don't deserve to have a clever daughter. Yon, don't'know how to appreciate her, and that's the truth. In-' stead''of 'encouraging her by all' the means in your' power,'you seem to delight in throwing obstacles in the way. Bettor not lot'me have to speak to you again, James, or else you'll hear something! I don't, mince words , when I'm thoroughly annoyed. When I'm thoroughly put' out -1-^—", " All right, all right, all right!" he said. The; evening "being fine; and mother 1 in excellent temper, it was decidcdthat a tablo should bo brought from tho kitchen, and upon it supper was presently .laid; ho found himself-permitted, as a. great and . special: privilege, to wrench a bundle of, lettuce. from the earth and take it into the scullery to clean tho leaves. The little girl, before assisting in the preparations, asked, in order to avoid misunderstanding, whether she was to bo allowed to stay up, and tlie answer came, "WI13;, certainly!" and the two wero on the best of terms as they laid the. table. Tho mother sometimes sniiled 'and sometimes laughed at tho thought of the child's performances, chanting.a hymn' between whiles with considerable gaiety. More chairs'wore brought out and the three sat down.' Tho mother's chair, owing to unoveuness of tho ground, lurched and sho only saved herself by clutching at tho table. " Nearly over that time, old girl," ho remarked. " This is how you looked, mother," said the talented youngster, vivaciously, "when you thought you wero falling. Like this!". "Off to bed," cried mother, with solemn decision. "Off to bed this'very minute. I can stand a good deal, but I never will'allow'a child of mine to ovorstop the mark !'•'—W. Pott Ridge, in the Loudon "Daily MaiL".