"What Is The Matter With Mary Jane?"

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 99, 16 May 1941, Page 43

"What Is The Matter With Mary Jane?"

Written for "The Listener"

by

WANDA

HALL

i [ "wore mother looked at her with satisfaction. The table certainly looked attractive with its blue checked cloth, the orange juice and the little yellow pot of marigolds matching each other, and Mary’s own scarlet rimmed plate steaming witl# a hill of egg and mashed potato surrounded by a sea of green peas with islands of tomato. Mary, herself, was rather lovely her mother thought as she watched her, fresh and clean after her sleep, first snuff at the curling steam, then, after a murmur of "For what we are about to receive-" proceed to lay bare the picture under the hill, "Do I smell pudding, Mummy?" she asked. "I don’t think so, it’s lovely fruit salad to-day."

"Oh!" Mary looked disappointed. "It’s always fruit salad or something. Why don’t you ever give me rice pudding now?" "It wouldn’t make you grow so big and strong as fruit salad." "Why ‘not?" "Because when you cook things a lot of the goodness goes away." "Where does it go to?" "It’s killed by the heat. Now then, eat it up like a good girl." "I don’t want it, it’s alive. I won’t eat it, I won't, I won't." "Mary! Stop screaming like that and don’t talk nonsense. You’ve always liked it before." "Well, can I have some milk on it?" "Please?" "Please." "Yes, of course. There now, is that all right? Mary! What are you doing, pouring it about like that, you'll spill it in

a minute, there! I told you so. You are a naughty girl. Now, you can’t have it at all." "Oh! Oh! I wanted it, Mummy. I didn’t mean to spill. I was only drowning it dead." "And it’s all over the cloth and your frock. There, don’t cry, you can have it if you'll eat it without playing." "There’s too much milk." "You asked for it, Mary." "But Mummy, what did you have for dinner when you were a little girl?" "I had vegetables like you, and sometimes rice and sometimes sago, and I used to think how lovely it would be to have something else." "You and Daddy have lots of steamy puddings for night dinner. I’ve. seen. What did you have for tea?" "Bread and milk." "But Mummy, you’re just the most beautifullest person in the world and I want to grow up just azactly like you, so couldn’t I just for once, have breadanmilk for tea to-day?" "Well, if you eat your salad, just for once." "And rice pudding to-morrow?" "Perhaps."