“AN IMAGINATIVE INFANT.”

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 690, 6 December 1921, Page 5

“AN IMAGINATIVE INFANT.”

THE BOOK OF DAISY ASHFORD.

(A Review by “Dorreen.”) LOVE.

A verse in the psalmody has reference to that which proceeded out of the mouths of babes and sucklings ! Well, I have just laid down a remarkable little book quaintly entitled “The Young Vistors/’ and written by a wee maid-child of nin:e summers by name Daisy Ashford. There js a preface by Sir James Barrie testifying as to the genuineness of the work, but, apart from this the context itself, in the main, bears witness that it is the product of a clever (albeit old-fashioned and perhaps, precocious) child. “The Eternal Triangle” is the bet motif of this juvenile novel! A hospitable, elderly gentleman called Sal teena, who is “fond of digging in tne rarden, and paiisoial • •» the ladies if they are rii-.e,” has slaying w'th him a young girl, Ethel Monttcue. At breakfast, one morning, Salteena receives, inter ana, an inivitation from his friend Bernard Clark, asking him “and one of his young ladies,” “to come fV a stop with the writer of the note. Aftsr he has eaten “the egg which If'e had so kindly laid for him” he formally accepts. . .. “When the great morning came Mr SaJvfceena did not nave mi egg for r .is breakfast in case he s-iould be sick on the jorney.” Eventually they arrived at the raaison de Clark, the hall of which was “very big and hung round with guns and mats and ancesters giv" g it a gloomy but a o-rand air/’ Said an .es*ei.s are insuected f ter linn- , and one, “a t , an with a fat smiley face and a lot of medals” is of great interest to E-bel. Bernard, with whom Etnel has apparently fallen in love with at first, sight,, in a proud tone volunteli; that it i.-. his “great uncle Ambrose Fudge and the Sinister son ot Queen Victoria.” The girl wants to know what that is, and her host ieplies that he doesn’t know, but that he means to find out. Here Mi Salteena thought he had better go to bed, as he had had a long jorney. Bernard always had a few prayeio in the hall and some whiskey afterwards, as he was rather pious Mr Salteena was not very addicten to prayers, so he marched up to bed. COURTSHIP. The story goes on to show how, during his stay, Mr Salteena realises that he is “not quite” and goes up to the Crystal Palace (of all places), where he arranges with an Earl to give him lessons in being a gentleman. In search of gaioity Bernard and Ethel follow h.im to London, and put up at “The Gaierty Hotel.” Then, one morning, “while imbibing his morning tea beneath

his pink silken quilt Bernard decided he mu£| marry Ethel with no more delay.” He does not think it seemly to propose in the City, hOW» ever, and so he with his nice thin legs n pale broun ttrossers and well fitting spats and a red rose in his buttonhole, add) rather a sporting cap, which gave him a great an with Its quaint check and little flaps to pul down if necessary” and she “m a new white muslin dress and a St of high spirits, with some red loses in hei hat and the dainty ruge in her cheeks” and looking “quite the thing,” decidie on a day in the country. After lunch, consisting chiefly of champagne, merangs and chocolates they “bask under the spreading trees and Bernard “in a passunnate-tone” proposes and is accepted. “My darling,” whispered Bernard, and! he seized her in : his arms, “we will be married next • week.” “Oh, Bernard,” muttered Ethel, “this jis so sudden.” “No, no,” cried Bernard, and takinig the bull by both horns, he kissed! her violently on her dainty face. “The next few days were indeed bussy for Ethel and Bernard. The girl posts heaps of invitations to the wedding, and “she began ,to order her wedding dress, which cost, a good bit’ “She chose a rich satin with a humpedl pattern of gold on the pure white, and it had a long train edged with airum lilies, her veil oeing of pure lace with a crown of orange blossoms,, and her bouquett she ordered to be of white dbg daisies, St. Joseph lilies and orange blossoms up with pale blue satin.” At',last young Ethel's last night oof spinpterhood arrives, and “she get speedily into her bed for the last time at the dear old Gaierty, and shed a few salt tears, thinking of her past life, but she quickly cheered up . and began to plan about how many children she woud have and so 1 fell into repose. The couple are married in Westminster Abbey in the presence of a distingushed company, which includes “Mr Salteena all in black and looking bitterly sad. PARENTHOOD. I The ceremony over, the happy pair go to Egypt for “a merry six weeks’ of bliss, and “return 'from their honeymoon with a son and hair, a nice fat baby called Ignatiup Bernard.” “They soon had; six more children, four boys and three girls and some of them were twins, which was very , exciting.” The Earl only got two rartber sickly girls” and Mr! Salteena, recovering partially rom his _ disappointments (or else oujfc of pity) or lonliness), “married one o the maids in waiting -at Buckingham Palace, by name Bessie Topp, a pleasant girl oo IS, with a round) red ace. and rather stary eyes” and had “a large family of 10, five of each, but he grew very morose as the years rolled by and his little cottage was very noisy and his wife w)ife was a bit annoying at times, especially when he took to dreaming of Ethel and wishing he could have have marred her.” I could dwell further on this de% lightful little book, but space forbids, It is a charming conceit, however, and Barrie put it well, when, after quoting the bttte author’s account of Ethel’s wedding presents : “the nicest of all being from her father, who provided a cheque for .£2, and promised to send her a darling little baby calf, when ready,” goes on to say : “This is perhaps the prettiest touch in the story, and should make us all take off cur hats to the innocent, wonderiing mind that thought of it” This phrase of Sir James’ is applicable to the whole novel, for it is the naive innocence of the work that makes such an irresistible appeal It is a book to bo appreciated arid remembered even unto such time as we are led of—this tangled wild, Where the wise and prudent have been beguiled, And only the babes have stood.