Newspaper Page Text
THE PRESBYTERIAb
were delightful, and Lucy settled herself in Aunt Jane's
lap in a twinkling.
Aunt Jane cuddled her up. "Now, let's watch," she
said, "and when we see a light, we'll go neighboring."
"Neighboring?" inquired Lucy.
"Yes, see? There's the first light now, shining across
the bay. That's the lighthouse man's. We'll go and
make him a call."
Aunt Jane rapped on the arm of the chair.
"Come in." Aunt Jane spoke just like a man.
"Good evening, Mr. Lighthouseman," said Aunt
Jane. "Lucy and I have come to see you."
"Well, well," (Aunt Jane was the Lighthouseman
now) "I'm proper glad to see you. It gets to be real
lonesome 'bout this time'r night. And so this is Lucy!
I used to have a little girl 'bout her size." (Aunt
Jane made the Lighthouseman's voice sound real sorrowful.)
"I'm proper glad to see her. Little folks seldom
get my way."
Aunt Jane now made believe talk a long time with
the lighthouse man, and then she made believe they
were invited to go upstairs where the light was burning.
Aunt Jane told how the lighthouse man polished
the reflectors and trimmed the lamp, and spoke of the
great ships passing safely into harbor. Lucy wanted
to keep on seeing the lighthouse man all the evening;
but the lights were shining all over the neighborhood
now, and Aunt Jane said they must go and call on
Miss Smith. Aunt Jane made believe Miss Smith was
very glad to see them, and she invited them to have a
cup of tea. It was great fun to make believe stories
about when Miss Smith was a little girl. They were
beautiful stories, and Lucy wanted to hear more, but
Aunt Jane said no, they must go and see the Jones'
children.
Lucy did not want to make believe call upon them
at all, but afterwards they proved to be the erreatest
fun of all. Aunt Jane did make them play such lively
games and say such funny things. Lucy laughed and
laughed, and even made believe talk with them herself.
When they had finished calling upon the Jones' children,
they made believe to go see the Grays and poor
old Mr. Brown. Then it was time to go to bed.
The next night, Lucy wanted to make the calls all
over again, and every night, after that, Aunt Jane and
she made believe to go see "their friends," as Lucy
soon learned to call them. When she said her prayers,
she prayed for Miss Smith and the lighthouse man and
all the others. After awhile, Aunt Jane and she made
some really truly calls, and before Lucv realized what
had happened, she and Miss Smith and the Jones' children
and all the rest were the very best of friends. She
forgot that Miss Smith was old, and that Mr. Brown
was lame. She forgot everything excepting that Aunt
Jane's neighbors were the nicest people in the world.?
Exchange.
Let us ask sincerely, with our hearts open to the
blessing which God will send in answer to prayer if
the channels are open to receive.
Do not live to be happy: live to help Christ to save
the world.?F. B. Meyer.
?
I OF THE SOUTH. 13
THE MUMP PARTY.
By Ethel S. Young.
Ruthie was guiding Flora's hand as she wrote. Flora
could write almost as well as her little mother. She
carefully spelled out "Grandma" on one side of the slip
of paper, and "Party" 011 the other. Together they
folded the paper and poked it through the keyhole of
grandma's door. Then Ruthie knocked three times.
"Bless me," cried grandma, "there's the postman. I
see I havp a letter "
"It's an invitation," explained Ruthie, running with
the paper to grandma's chair. "It's a mump party for
Flora, because she feels so badly not to go to her cousin
Dorothy's real party this afternoon." Flora's throat
was tied up in flannel, so was Ruthie's.
"Mump parties are the best kind for lame old ladies,"
said grandma, with a kiss as thanks for her invitation.
Ruthie flew away to get ready. Back she came with
Flora dressed in her prettiest gown. Then came the
best tea-set, used only on state occasions.
"We're going to have something very nice, because
Flora's so disappointed," Ruthie said as she set out
the dishes on grandma's table. "There's coino
O O fcV
sugar in milk for tea, and animal crackers!"
"Then I shall have to put on my best black silk
apron," decided grandma.
Ruthie gave grandma a little hug and brought the
apron. She had on her own best dress and her hair
nicely combed. It began to feel like a real party.
"What games does Flora like?" asked grandma when
Ruthie at last announced that the party was ready to
begin.
"She likes 'What am I thinking of?" replied Ruthie,
glancing at grandma's lame foot. She would not be
so impolite as to say tag: or hide-and-seek ^
sat still as mice and guessed what Flora was thinking
of for ten minutes, by the clock. .
"She'll have to tell us," said grandma, when the clock
struck four.
Ruthie jumped up an clapped her hands. "She's
thinking it's time for the animal crackers," she cried.
It.was queer they had not guessed sooner. Flora
had been staring at the heaped-up plate on the table all
the while.
Then something happened. The door opened, and in
came mamma with a big dish covered with a napkin.
A card on the top read, "For the mump party." Under
the napkin were little chocolate cakes, macaroons
and bonbons. "Something for Flora from Dorothy,"
said mamma.
Ruthie hopped on one foot with delight, and hugged
mamma anH orranflmi tri CM
b?.v....i* a..u nuid. .sue poured out the
milk tea, and they ate first the animal crackers, then
the macaroons and chocolate cakes, and snapped the
bonbons.
"Guess what Flora thinks now, grandma," said
Ruthie as she tied a pink bonbon cap on grandma's
head. "Don't you know? Why, she thinks mump
parties are 'most as good as really ones."?Selected.
Let us ask unitedly; God over and over fulfills his
promise of giving to those who agree together.