Geoff's little sister

by Evelyn R. Garratt

Even Dodie seemed to remember her more than Jack, for often in her sleep, when she stirred she would murmur "Mammie." It always gave Geoff a strange sensation when he heard this, and he liked to fancy that in some way or other, his Mother watched over his little sister and talked to her in her dreams.

Geoffrey was the only one of the three boys who was silent, as he walked by the side of Mr. Hodson to the town, his hands deep in his pockets, but his silence was more than made up for by the lively chatter of his two brothers.

The shops looked very tempting, decorated as they were for Christmas, and the town was full of people. Claude Hodson found he had given himself a task when he had promised to take his little friends shopping. It was the first experience of shopping with children, and before the afternoon was over, he fervently hoped it would be the last.

Afraid as he was of giving people trouble himself, he was quite aghast at the way the boys insisted upon having the counter strewn with various articles for them to look at, often without deciding to buy any of them. It never struck them that they were giving trouble, or that they were making their kind friend feel supremely uncomfortable. Jack was the most undecided of the three as to what to buy. He would change his mind a dozen times before he settled upon anything. Every fresh thing he saw he wanted, and liked better than the last.

Forbes, on the other hand, was the most unprincipled in the matter of giving trouble, and his remarks about the different articles covered Claude Hodson with confusion more than once. "Why that isn't worth a shilling," he would say, "it's nothing of a knife, only two blades! I got a much better one last year for sixpence!" or "Haven't you any better sticks than this? These are no good at all, I want a regular wopper you know, one that I could knock a fellow down with if he attacked us."

"I say, Forbes," said Jack, as they neared home, "I'll show you your present,
if you'll show me mine?"

But if Jack was the most undecided, and Forbes the most inconsiderate of people's feelings, Geoffrey was certainly the hardest to please, as he made up his mind beforehand exactly what he wanted, and would scarcely be satisfied with anything short of it. Among the many things he wanted was a doll for Dodie, as like as possible to the one his Mother gave her, which Jack had spoilt. This doll must, he explained, have light hair and blue eyes, and its head must be turned a little to the right. Mr. Hodson's spirits sank when he heard the minute description Geoffrey gave of the doll, and knew that when he had once set his heart on a thing, he would hunt till he found it, if he could.

"I promised Dodie I'd get her one as like the other as possible," he explained to Mr. Hodson, who mildly hinted that he must be quick, as it was getting late, "and of course, I mustn't break my promise. I'm sure I've seen a doll very like it, somewhere. You don't mind me trying a little longer do you?"

At last Claude had to remonstrate, and Geoff had to give up the idea of finding a doll with a turned head,—he found one, however, with blue eyes and golden hair, and hoped that Dodie would be satisfied with it. He had anyhow kept his promise, and tried hard to find one like her broken favourite.