... ' , " 4 4 Ml
SNOWDROPS
By LIVINGSTON B. MORSE
1 T wa a bleak morning. Connie
turned eleeplly to the window, saw
the rain whipping the elm twigs
cross the panes, listened to Its fierce
roaring In the tree-tops, and In Bplte
of the fact that the hall clock had Just
chimed seven, she cuddled down In her
epuggy little bed for "Just a minute
more" before Jumping out Into the cold
room to begin the day's work.
But even such an agreeable pastime
as staying In bed, on a winter's morn
ing may, if there Is work to be done,
result In unpleasant consequences, as
Connie was soon to learn. A few mo--menu
later Mrs, Lyndon, coming In
from the next room, cried In astonish
ment:. - , . ; '
"What; daughter, not up yet! Why,
It's a quarter past seven. Jump up at
once, child, or you will be late for
breakfast and school."
Now, , Connie was possessed of the
sweetest disposition imaginable, and
usually she was sunshine Itself. But
even real sunshine, you know, is some
times hidden by the clouds, and this
happened to be one of Connie's cloudy
mornings. "
In the first place, Connie had put on
both stockings before she noticed that
there was a hole In one of them that
required darning. So off they came,
and a new pair had to be put on in their
' place. That was one cause of delay.
Next she discovered that the shirt
waist which she had laid out for the
morning lacked two buttons; and then
she remembered that she had intended
to sew them on the day before, but Just
as: she had seated ehrself with hor
work basket, all ready to begin sew
ing, William' had called to her that he
was going to take the sled into the
woods for a last load of cordwood. as
the snow would not hold much longer,
BO she tossed aside her work basket to
go with him; It was late when she re
turned, and so 'she had forgotten all
about the buttons.
There was ho 'remedy but to sew
them on at once, and In her hurry she
pricked her finger severely. That made
her so Irritable that when Rob looked
In at the door to tell her that break
fast was ready she told him crossly to
go downstairs and leave her alone, tnat
he would come down when she chose
to do so. At which answer . Rob, who
.was not used to see his sister in such
a mood as this, departed In great sur
prise. When at last she reached the break
Cast room, twenty mluutes late, the
family were Just finishing the meal.
Eer father bade her good-morning as
usual; but no comment upon her being
late was made, and Connie sat down
with a very red face and tried to eat
her oatmeal and' milk, but she found
It is a difficult task. Scarcely had she
begun to eat when the iblrd began to
chirp insistently, renrnTdlng her that
she had forgotten' tO give him his bath
and breakfast Up she Jumped irapa-
remarked In any way upon her Ill-temper;
but as she was leaving the table
her mother called her to her side.
"Connie, come here, my dear, and
look at the snowdrops; they have come
up this morning and are awake in tne
bright sunshine, the very first flower
of the year. Even the cold and the
do better than take the brave, chetrlul
little snowdrop for her thought through
the day. If she looks at it aright she
will find Its influence and example very
helpful."
That was all her . mother said; but
Connie understood full well, and is she
packed her little baskat of luncheon
jv II 4S'vi? r V ,
r" -Vli h s hiU ' 4
KISSED HER ON
especially when one Is not in a good
humor and in danger of being late for
school. As she started to cross the
broad village street, on the farther side
of it she caught sight of old Mrs.
Mellny with her basket full of parcels,
for she had been out early to do her
morning shopping. Connie hesitated to
cross, for she knew that Mrs. Mellny,
who was a great talker," would be sure
to stop her and ask after her fatner
and mother, and that would mean a
longer delay.
She had Just determined to remain on
the lower side of the street where she
was, when she saw Mrs. Mellny rup
on a bit of Ice and fall to the ground,
while the market basket flew out of
her hand and the parcels were scat
tered far and wide. Connie hesitated,
But her hesitation lasted but an in
stant. How contemptible that would
bel She thought of the snowdrops and
their patient bearing of the cold in or
der that they might show happy, smil
ing faces to the world, and then fhe
ran swiftly across the street, helped
the old lady to her feet, and, having
gathered tha scattered bundles, Re
stored them to the basket.
"I am so sorry that you fell, Mrs.
Mellny," she said; "and I do hope that
you have not hurt yourself." Mrs.
Mellny declared that she was not hurt
In the least. "Only shook up a bit,"
and she was profuse in her thanks to
Connie for her helpfulness. Just then
Dr. King came by In his buggy and
stopped to ask what was the matter.
He offered at once to drive Mrs. Mellny
home, which relieved Connie from fur
ther responsibility, and she ran on to
school with all possible haste in order
to make up for lost time. She reached
the door Just as the bell was ringing,
and, panting frbm her long run and
with cheeks ruddy from the exercise in
the fresh morning wind, she sank
breathless Into her seat. . '
Before very long she heard a whining
voice behind her: "Oh, dear, I've left
my history at home; now I can't study,
and I shall miss my lesson again, und
that will make twice this week; oh.
dear!"
It was Rosa Hill, who was mumbling
to herself. She was the most shiftless
and careless girl In the school, always
losing or spoiling her books, and Con
nie was loth to commit her clean, well'
kept history to the keeping of Rosa's
grimy fingers. . She turned her back
resolutely and closed her ears to the
appealing voice, when suddenly the
thought of the snowdrops came to her
brave little flowers, coming up In the
cold to give pleasure and promise of
the spring. Turning to Rosa, she whis
pered:
"Rosa, If you'll ask Miss Prentice to
let you study with me, you may sit
here beside me, and we can both study
from one book."
When recess time came the girls
trooped out for ten minutes' breathing
spell on the breezy playground. But
little Alice Clark, a delicate child, com
plained that she would have to stay In
all by herself, as her mother had for
bidden her to go out in the cold wind
that day. Connie had been looking for
ward eagerly to that freshening up In
the clear, tingling air. She had her
hood on, and was tying the strings al
ready to go out, but at Alice's peevish
complaint she stopped. The thought
of the snowdrops came to her again
and she paused. It was not an easy
thing to do, but she resolutely laid
aside hood and cape.
'Never mind, Alice," she said cheer
fully; "I will stay in with you and we
will look at the animal pictures in the
big geography. Won't that be nice?"
At noon most of the girls went home
for luncheon; but Connie, and others
who lived at the far end of the vil
lage, were in the habit of bringing
their luncheon with them. When the
girls took down their baskets at the
end of the . morning session, Fanny
Price discovered, to her dismay, that
her basket, which she was sure she
had placed carefully. in the corner of
the entry, was overturned and empty.
"Now who can have taken my
luncheon?" she cried Indignantly. "I
call it too horribly mean for words!"
Of course every girl hastened to deny
a knowledge of the theft Then Maud
Farrell spoke up:
"Oh, I know, Fanny; It must have
been Ned's big dog. Don't you remem
1 ber, we saw him scud past the window
with something In his mouth Just after
that noise Occurred In the entry; and
you know when Miss Prentice looked
out she found the outside door open?"
Undoubtedly that was the solution,.
But however satisfactory it might be
as proof that none of the girls was tha
culprit, unfortunately it did not re
store Fanny's luncheon. .
"Well," said she dolefully, "to-day
I fast I shall pretend that I am a
prisoner deserted in a tower and slow
ly starving to death, and see how it
feels."
The girls all laughed at this. Fanny
looked so funny as she stood there
mournfully, with the empty basket up
side down In her hands.
None of them had brought a very
hearty luncheon and all of them had
good, healthy appetites, which the fresh
air and the morninVs work had served
to sharpen. Connie lifted the cover of
her own luncheon basket and peeped
In. The two delicate tongue sand
wiches and the square of brown spice
cake of which she was particularly
fond looked very tempting. But she
hesitated a moment only, then she
said:
'Girls, let's all divide our luncheons
with Fanny. We can each of us give
her something from our own baskets
without really missing it I'll start
with a tongue sandwich," and ah
handed it to Fanny with a smile.
Fanny demurred at first; but the
others were equally generous, and In
sisted On sharing their good things
with her; and they all grew very
merry in "feeding their prisoner," aa
they called it
When Connie reached home that aft
ernoon, her mother was waiting for
her in the Cozy Room. But one glance
at her little daughter's bright face
told her that the ugly temper had
fled.
"Well, ;ittle girl," she asked, as Con
nie kissed her on both cheeks, "and
did you remember the Snowdrops to
day?" "Tea, mother, I did," whispered COn
nle, with her arms clasped about her
mother's neck. "And, oh, I can't be
gin to tell you what a help they were!"
CONNIE
BOTH
titntly to attend to his wants, and here
was another delay. When she sat
down to the table once more, real storm
clouds were brooding over her pretty
face.' Sho knew that she was cross,
and was ashamed of herself for feel
ing so. Neither mother nor father had
blustering March wind have no terrors
for them; see hlw bravedy they hold
up thels bright little faces, full of
promise for all the sweetness and
beauty of the year." And then she
whispered, with her arm about Con
nie's shoulder: "My little girl cannot
and kissed her mother good-bye she re
solved to follow the kindly advice.
She was thinking of the star-faced,
white snowdrops as she'closed the gate,
and resolving that like them, she, ioo,
would be brave and cheerful; but good
resolutions do not at once bear fruit
'.'J9rty
The Elephant's Last Note
DADDY EL2PHANT, was a very
clever kind of person called a
philosopher, and he ' was very
, sad when he found out that
Jumbo was not clever also. So he
made up his mind that Jumbo would
have to be a blacksmith. Now, Jumbo
was very fond of watching the black
smith blowing his bellows and ham
mering the red-hot iron till the sparks
flew out; but be did not wish to be a
blacksmith in the very least, because
there was one thing ho liked doing
better than anything else In the world,
and that was plnylng the trumpet So
he always said that he wanted to be a
band, and he used to practice with all
his might till ho could play "Marching
Through Georgia," all but the last note.
Now, when Uncle Lion heard him
doing so well ho promised sixpence to
himself when he could play the last
note. So Jumbo practiced harder than
ever: But he ll!:ed playing "Marching
Through Georgia" so much that, when
ho got near the end, ho was always
In such a dreadful hurry to Btart again
that he could never manage to play
that last note.
Well, one day, when he wasn't think
ing, ho very nearly UlJ It, and Uncle
Uon wa: CJ oxilti'J about It that he
took his cu;!y stuff and went out to
tell everybody. And when he turned
the co.-ner whom should he bumji Into
jut llob'-jy tsar! Eo ho started to tell
him ub.iut it. nd he pretended thut
iho curly staff was the trumpet, and
did "Decdlc-deedle-dce" to show lilm
::iw Jumbo played. Bat before he s"t
to the" last nott. somebody else cr.mc
I'.l mc, no ho had to r.tart nil over fii;aln
And, then two more people came, and
ho' had to Btart onco more. A:id then
more and more people arrived till there
w.vJ' a great' crowd, and Uncle LIo;
wa never gottlng near the Inst notf.
go r.orry Hone, wlio had really been
to Georgia and knew all about march
t : . ' i
ing through it, said he would show
them how It ought to be done. But his
deedle was so like a silly sort of a
giggle that everybody Just laughed at
him and began to run away. So. Uncle
Lion called after them that they had
better Just oomo round and hear how
Jumbo did It.
Well, they all went round, and heard
Jumbo practicing like anything. But
every time he tried be missed the last
note. They listened to him trying five
times, and he was starting again for
the sixth when Willie and Winnie Wolf
began to feel very sad about it. And
when they felt like that they Just
couldn't help howling. That, of course,
made Undo Lion dreadfully angry, and
ho was Just going to bite off their
heads when Daddy Elephant ran out
and caught up Peter Pig under his
arm; for Peter had been Jumping across
the flower beds. Pt?cr let out a pierc
ing squeal and Jumbo, who at that
moment came to the. end of his tune,
nearly Jumped out of his skin with
fright and played the last note by
mistake!
Old Grandpa Rabbit
GRANDPAPA Rabbit Is old and
wise,
. . He sees a lot with his two big eyes,
And the deur old gentleman also hears
A very great dual with his two long
ears.
Grandpapa Rabbit Is growing stiff.
But he still can run llltc a racer If
A dog cornea Into the garden where
He and his family take the ulr.
Ho gnra out for exercise once a day,
And likes to see tUe- young chicks at
tIny:
if they get on his. back he does not
mind.
For Orundaoa Rabbit is good and
kind.
SHEILA BRAINS.
"
, cw- "J - . .......
WHEN THE HIPPO SCORED
HERE'S fat Mr. Hippo," cried
Jerry to Jack, '
"lies waddling our way; como,
let's Jump on his back!" ,
And ten seconds later, to Hippo's sur
prise. Two mischievous monkeys had dropped
from the skies.
He thought. "I'll shake off this bold
oouple with luck."
But the harder he tried it the tighter
they tstuik.
Co l.f Uurted to run at a beautiful
puce, '
Yt'itD a plan In his head and a smile on
his face. '. ..
Of his private Intention the pair did
not dream
Till I'e'.l taken a header right Into the
Miani; ;
And then, while they spluttered and
Mriiir!'! sna
He made them this speech from tht
opposite bank:
"Before we take action 'tis well to re
flect Or things may occur which we scarcely
expect .
When starting this trip you completely
forgot
That I am amphibious, whereas you
are not." '" '
, . D, A- COURTNEY,