That boy Teddy.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 16 June 1891, Page 4

That boy Teddy.

'» "Ob, Teddy, do be quiet 1" " Oh, Kitty. I can't. If you knew how perfectly horrid it is for me to sit still, you'd let me make ever so much noise, said Teddy, with a kind of dismal pathos, and he wound up bis protest by standing on his head in front of his sister, and, suddenly losing his balance, fell among the fire-irons with a great din. . "Oh oh! you awful boy!" exclaimed Kitty, half laughing, half crying, for she was desperately interested in her book, and it was impossible to read in the presence of the irrepressible; " I've hurted my head, Kitty ! Isn't there a big lump on it ?" queried Teddy, anxiously, as he picked himself up from the fender, and stood dolefully rubbing the injured part. He was a very comical, very pretty, and wholly lovable atom of humanity, little Teddy Ford, the youngest member of the family of six with which Doctor Ford had left his widow to battle in the hard, cold world. He was just seven, and small for his age ; and, though he' was the very embodiment of mischief and motion, bis small round face at times wore a singularly thoughtful expression, while his big solemn eyes looked as if they could read you through and through. Kitty, aged nine, was a dignified little maiden, much given to story books and idling, two things of which her grave, kind elder sister had been endeavouring for months to cure her. The three boys who came between Kitty and Miriam were at a boarding-shool in Northamptonshire, which was kept by a brother of Doctor Ford's, who had offered out of kindness to his sister-in-law to educate the trio for a merely nominal sum. Fain would Mrs Ford have kept her family circle unbroken, but stern necessity compelled her to accept gratefully the rector's offer. So it was a very small household in Hutton Place, but was kept from stagnation by the liveliness of Teddy. " How far is it to Christmas, Kit ?" queried Teddy presently, composing his restless limbs for a brief interval on a stool, : "Two weeks to-morrow. But you should say, • How long is it till Christmas ?' Teddy," said Kitty, with a superior air. "You talk very ungrammarly." Poor Kitty was quite unaware of the sad slip she made in the last word, and, happily for her, so was Teddy. " Oh, it doesn't matter ?" said Teddy serenely ; " it's holidays anyway. Oh, Ido wish Uncle Silas would let Jack and Charlie and Ally come home just now. ( It's no pokey havin' old women and girls." Kitty laughed. " What a miserable little boy you are, Tedcly," she said, patronisingly. "Now, con\e here. If you promise to sit still, or go away till I finish my story, I'll tell you a great, great secret." "Yes, yes, I'll sit still— at least I'll go away" — said Teddy, rapturously. " Well, guess who's coming to-night ?" Teddy shook his head, but remarked triumphantly, "There I knew somebody was coming, 'cos Miriam put on my velvet suit; but she wouldn't tell me 'who it was.' " " I don't wonder at it, because you are always doing some dreadful thing," said Kitty, calmly. " But it don't matter now, because he will be here at six o'clock. Guess who it is ?" " It isn't Mr Carnegie, 'cos he sees my velvet suit out of the pulpit on Sundays, and knows I have it," said Teddy, meditatively. "Mr Doctor Mair. and Mr Grantly — oh, tell me quick, Kit, "cos I dunno— " " Well, then, Mr Heatherlie." " Oh, oh, oh !" Quick as lightning Teddy executed another somersault, this time with signal success. "Do be quiet, Teddy, and come and sit down and I'll tell you the rest," said Kitty, dropping her breath to a mysterious whisper. " He's coming all the way from London to see Miriam, of course, and, perI haps — but this is a great, great secret, Ted, and I don't know whether I should tell you, but I believe he'll be wanting to take M,iriam away scon." , • * /"What for ?" queried Teddy, his round eyes as wide open as it was possible for them to be. " I can't explain, because you're too little a boy to understand," said Kitty. V But don't you say anything, mind, or mamma will be very angry with me for speaking about it." ■; "I say, Kitty, why has Mr Heatherlie never been here for such a long, long, long time?" asked Teddy, soberly. " I jonce asked Miriam, and she began to cry.j So 1 never said it again." f " I am not quite sure, but I think he wenl away to make his fortune like they do in storybooks," said Kitty. " Grown-up gentlemen always do something like that before they marry the lady they want to." "Do they?" inquired Teddy. "Well, 1 think it was stupid of Mr Heatherlie anyway when he had such lovely horses and things, and so much money. Oh, whai chocolates I used to get 1" he added, in tones of rapturous regret. " I say, Kit. was il that that made Miriam's face so shiny today, and her eyes so sparkly ? I asked hei what it was, but she only laughed." " I suppose it was, but you are too younf to understand," said Kitty once more. "Nov you must keep your promise, for I musi finish this story, and hem my seam befon mamma comes in from making her calls." Teddy, thus admonished, still sat for th< unexpected space of five minutes, and by th< expression in his eyes it was evident thai he was lost in thought. Presently, however he picked himself up, arid slowly saunterec out of the nursery, and, sliding down thi balustrade, stole into the drawing-room where a glowing fire shed a tempting, rudd] light over everything, and even seetned tc beautify tbe poor, plain, shabby famishing till they looked almost luxurious. Tedd; sat down on one of the stools, and, claspinj his bands round bis knees, thought, an< thought, and thought, till his brain gre\ weary, and be felt bis eyelids heavy wit] sleep. Then, knowing where to find a snuj corner, he stole away to the old couch, am rolled himself in an antimacassar, and wa speedily in the land of dreams. Now ; little draught screen stood directly in fron of the couch, and effectually hid the smal sleeper, whose presence there was destine to work such an ' important and happ change in more than one life — his ow: among tbe number. About half-an-hour after. Teddy thu ensconced himself there came a knock at th outer doOr, and then the bustle of an arriva in the little hall, but none of these sound penetrated to the ears of the slumbering child. The little maid-servant, smiling an< curtseying, for she remembered the visito of yore, ushered him up to tbe drawing room, and, shutting the door upon bin 1 went to tell her young mistress. And afte a brief interval, which, however, appear* • interminable to the impatient lover, th ■ drawing-room door was softly opened one ' more, and a slender and very graceful figur 1 stole in, and was, without ado, daspei closely to Will Heatherlie's heart. Th ■ golden head rested confidingly against hi broad shoulder, as if it had a perfect righ ■ there, and for a minute or so their joy wa silent, but there was no need of words. After what seemed to be a long. lon, sleep, Teddy awoke with a start, wonderin for a moment where he was, for the roor wm almost In darkntw wv« At th« hearth whwt iU mtdy ilowllngmd itilh JKim CTb fee eontfmied.)