Ethel Turner

“ You don't look at our pictures, do you? You don't think we draw pretty things? "
"Oh, no," said Dolly, "oh, no." The fervour of heir answer was tinged with reproach. She moved closer to her first protector; his beard seemed, fatherly, his eyes were kind, and she found no teasing laughter in them. Perhaps he would help her to find what she sought.
"Would you tell me?" she said very low—almost in a whisper—"would you please tell me which of them makes the ugly pictures of my farvie?" ”

“ Dolly looked at them gently a moment, then she drew something from under her small red cloak—something wrapped in brown piper that she unfolded carefully. They saw a big panel portrait of Allerding as kindly Nature had made him and a skilful photographer touched up into still greater manly beauty.
"This is my farvie," she said with a little childish catch of breath. She showed it to them, holding it out with her two little trembling hands. "He is just like this, just. He is not fat a bit. His lips are like everybody's lips. ”

“ The pink deepened to red, for she was sensitive of the smiles.
"Our postman."
The man who had found her drew her closer to him.
"She shan't be teased," he said. "I know what she wants—she has told me. She wants to see the man who draws the pictures here; she's fallen in love with him, that's what it is."
The smiles increased.
"We all draw the pictures," they said.
Six of them to seek amongst! Dolly looked from one to the other patiently, pathetically. Most of them seemed kind, ordinary, harmless. ”

“ He had a trick of shooting out his lower lip when deep in thought and half closing one eye. Dolly thought no man in all the world was half so handsome; it was worship rather than love she gave to him.
"Sort them out, Dollikins," he said.
He was too busy with the hundred and one clauses to a Bill he was bringing before the House to notice his little girl had not skipped across the room as usual, nor said "Post, po-o-o-st" in her little gleeful way. For half a minute she fidgeted beside him. Then he roughed up the curls that peeped under her hat, pinched her cheek, and bade her run off. ”

“ They looked hard at the portrait, hard at each other, and not a smile broke up their serious mouths. Nobody wanted to stand convicted in those sorrowfully questioning gentle eyes, and nobody spoke to take the blame.
Then the bearded man found courage.
"But," he said, "but my dear little girl, there's not one of us who doesn't like your farvie tremendously; we all think he's the best man in the country."
Dolly looked as unbelieving as so polite and timid a little soul could. "Do you really?" ”

“ Sometimes Bridget would be short tempered, and would refuse to tell until brushing and even combing operations were over. At others she would laugh.
"It's a queer sort o' child you are, Miss Dolly," she said once, "always a-wantin' to know what's to-day an' what's to-day. Sure an' what's it matter, anyhow? There's Mondays and there's Toosdays sure enough, but Wednesdays and Thurrusdays are just as good, and Fridays and Satdays ain't no pin in difference, only Fridays I can't eat meat, and Satdays the nursery gets cleaned out. Sundays is different a bit, p'raps. ”

“ Then after a time he tried to cheer her.
"Let's see if I have any pictures," he said, and unfastened a cupboard. A crude red cover met his eye. "The very thing," he said. He opened it out on his knee. "Look here, Doll," he said, "just look here at the way they treat your poor father! Aren't you sorry for him? Look, some horrid man has made a lion of him—a lion with its mouth open to growl and an eyeglass on. Farvie doesn't growl so very much, does he?—at least not at his own pet girlie."
Dolly gazed at the terrible thing speechless. ”

“ Her father indulged the hobby. When she brought the post, if he were not very busy, he would glance through any illustrated papers that came, take out perhaps a cutting or two, and toss the lot to her for pictures.
This is how she had first come across the dreadful Red Paper. He had been clearing away the confusion on his desk one evening just after dinner, and had thrown three or four copies of it in a heap on the floor with other litter. "Give those to Miss Dolly for her collection," he said to the housemaid, who came to carry away the rubbish to the copper fire. ”

“ He knew instantly which "it" of all his budget she meant, for the bearded man had told him everything, and his heart was very tender for the trouble she had borne for love of him. He assumed ignorance however, that her enjoyment might be greater.
"Open this?" he said. "Why, it's the dreadful paper that makes such an ugly man of your farvie."
"Oh, do open it," she said, and gave his arm a gentle push to hasten operations. He slit the wrapper, opened the covers, turned the advertisement leaves. How her heart was beating! ”

“ Bridget said. "Look at the lips of him! I've seen him look like that a 'undred toimes a day."
"But his legs," said Dolly piteously, "and the body, Bridget. Oh, Ann, Ann, it isn't! is it? Darling Biddy, don't say it is; they don't think my farvie's like that! Oh, how could they? Ann, dearest, why do they make him like that? Haven't they ever seen my farvie?"
"No," Ann said gravely; "the fellows that draw the picters in papers ain't allowed to see the whole bodies of the men they draw. ”

“ Every line brought out the likeness, every little black curve made it truer, more exact. But in the first, great long ears were added and the whole body and legs of a hideous kangaroo. He was represented as hopping along over a great plain, a tiny kangaroo in his pouch with "Land Bill" written upon it, behind galloped a pack of hunters with guns levelled at him. ”

“ The bearded man had proof of this. Going up to nursery heights one evening with her father to renew his acquaintance, he stumbled upon her giving an object-lesson to Brian on just how human wheel-barrows should go downstairs.
"You drop your head down too far," she was saying. "Put your hands further apart and do it like this."
"Like this" was a mass of yellowy curls upside down on one stair, a little body in white muslin on the next two higher up, two slim small legs in black stockings and ankle-straps still higher. ”