Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-09
HIS FIRST wATCH&&
  Bv w. L.. WAT ON

' T did not come from his mother. Oh, no. Mummy was not a present. giver except on birthdays and at Christmas time. In fact Mummy was not associated,inhismi mind with presents at all. He rather thought of Mummy as the person who very often did not give him the things he wanted. But she was Mummy, just Mummy, and a hundred presents could not alter that fact. His little life was made up of Mummy and his meals, with his father as g. very irregular, but on the whole rather nice, If not very understand able, person, thrown in. Sunday was Daddy's day. He had vague idea that Daddy had made Sunday to rest in, and although nurse and Mummy said it was another Persons day, he considered that his father had had @ good dead to do with the arranging of it. AS for Auntae, she who gave him the presents and never found fault with him, he figured her forth as a lady bountiful, who, fortunately, did not know how bad he could be at times. It was clear to him that Mother never told her about his pun isments Mothers own boy, the boy of the tears, and the penitence, and the promises to be good in the future, and the kiss and the cuddle on the pillow, and the last goodnight ten times repeated when the light went out and he was left alone-Mother's s own boy reckoned on secrecy. Of course, Daddy was told occasionally; and so far he had observed without any of the threatened evil consequences; and Daddy took strange views of things which Mummy and her boy saw very we'll only showed how little he knew of their world. @r"
 When Mother went away on visit, she took home with her, and the house seemed empty. His voice echoed when Mummy's ears were not there to catch 1t; the doors creaked strange ly, and at night the stars stared i'm upon him threateningly, saying: 'Now I've, got you alone" No one else | was of use against these stars. He felt it would be wise really to pray to God till Mother came back. It was at one of these times that Auntie gother- self put into his prayer. Shel left to his own wit what he should say, and as she had promised him something special soon, he added to his nightly list: "Keep Auntie good" She kissed him, punched the pillow all wrong, and left him to the long night. No toy that he could think of would save him from the silence, and the stars, and the echoes ln the house. When Mother came back, and home returned, them he be- gan to reckon the days till Auntie's present was due. It was to be given to him after tea on Friday. On Tues day he plunged deep into knowledge and philosophy. There were 24 hours in each day, out of which he slept ten.
 "If am a good boy, Mummy, and go to bed always at nine, and never call you back, the time will pass quick, won't it?"
 ''And If I sleep an hour longer in the morning and don't make noise to waken Daddy, there will be less time, won't there?"
 "Could I sleep g. whole day if lay still and just forgotP"
 '"There is no fear of the clock stop ping, is there, Mummy"
 On the Wednesday he said: q hope Auntie is quite well. If she was ill I suppose she would send the present. It would be very awkward if she hasn' t bought it. Could we not take tea be- fore we go? I am sure l shan't be Aungry."
 On Thursday, Auntie called and told him the present was bought, and that she had to attend to it every night. A eesA fear broke over him. Was it a dog? He did not want dog. Was it & cat? He hated cats.
 Couldn't go with you, Auntie, and stay with you till tomorrow, just to make sure?"
 "WeH. couldn't have peep at it, so that shall not be so very much sur prised when see it? Susan says when she got a. ring you could have knocked her down with a feather"
 On Thursday night he could no sleep for long time. Mummy's foot steps through the wall died away, ana the house fell into silence. But he la, still, bravely struggling througl strange dreams. He thought God hat brought him steam engine that wa so good that 1t would not go fast Tn great star came into the room ant turned out his pockets, examined tn ] heels of bis stockings and looked |