UNCLE JIM

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 176, 15 October 1927, Page 31 (Supplement)

UNCLE JIM

Uncle Jim always thought of nice, strange presents for the children. Once he sent Ursula a live chameleon, and Dicky had a huge ostrich's egg for his collection; and when Betty was five Uncle Jim sent her five dainty little china cats. All the children’s birthdays cam* quite close together, and, just before Ursula was eight, a letter came from Uncle Jim addressed to them all, saying, “I am sending you some castles and pies for your birthdays. I hope you will manage to have good fun with them.” “Castles and pies!” cried the children. “Oh, Mummy, what does Uncle Jim mean?” Mummy couldn’t guess, and Betty climbed on to the window-sill to watch for the postman. “Silly!” cried Dicky. “As if castles could come by post! They will come in a railway van, of course!” But the castles and pies did not arrive—though Monday morning did, and the children had to go back to school. On Wednesday they finished lessons at three o’clock, and as they passed the kitchen window Jane pushed out her head and whispered: “It’s come!” And off they rushed into the house, crying: “Mummy, where is it?” “Come along and see.” Mummy led the way across the garden to the paddock, and there, under the sunny old stone wall, shining in the suny, lay a heap of yellow sand, and near it were three brand new pails and three splendid wooden spades. “Castles and pies!” cried Dick. “How jolly! Now we can make them without going to the seaside!” It certainly was jolly having sand in one’s own garden, and by four o’clock Dicky had built a splendid castle, and Betty had made a row of really lovely sand-pies. But the nicest part was when mother and Jane arrived with a teakettle and baskets for a real picnic on the sands. Betty said if you half-closed your eyes you could almost believe the green grass was the sea; and three little letters, posted that night to Uncle Jim. told him that castles and pies were the nicest birthday presents the children had ever had.