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18 THE
| The Family j
THE SOFT GREY MOSS.
Cried the Norway Pine to the jaunty Fir,
"I^ook, a moss-bud dropped on your long
east arm;
Shake it off before it gets fastened
there."
"Such a little thing can not do much
harm," *
Said the Fir, and naughtily tossed his
head.
"Oh, beware, beware," begged the Pine,
"for I
Have seen harm enough from such tiny
foes;
Why, because of moss, 1 have seen trees
die."
"Oh, don't part with me,"
Cried the moss-bud wee,
"There is room for a million like me."
So the Fir tree laughingly let him stay,
And the Pine grew wrinkled, and warned
in vain;
Then came other moss-buds and found
the Fir.
"I will bid them go when to me 'tis plain
I hey are harmful things, said the willful
tree.
Five long years have passed, and the Fir
is dead;
For he could not shake from his arms the
moss.
It has come to pass as the Pine tree said.
So a little sin
Be it left within
In the battle for soul-life will win.
?Selected.
HIS BEST BIRTHDAY.
School had closed for the day, and eager
groups of laughing romping children
passed noisily down the village street.
Among others were three little fellows
with heads bent together discussing something
which to them seemed of vast imDortance.
The "soniethiner" in nupstinn
was a birthday party; and Lester Wilson,
at whose home the party was to be held
the following Saturday, in honor of his
coming birthday, confidentially explained
to the boys the good time in store for
them.
"It's a lawn party, you know," said
Lester, "and we can play lots of games,
then we can fish in the creek at the foot
of the lawn, and we'll have lunch out under
the big chestnut tree."
"U my! Dut won't It be fun." cried
Tommy Gates, while his little brother
Tim smacked his lips in anticipation
of the good time.
"Yes," replied Lester, "then in the
evening Uncle Ned is going to take us
for a row on the water. He'll help us
play games, too. He's the 'goodest' uncle
you ever saw," and Lester tossed his
cap in the air, while both boys shouted
"Hurrah!"
* * T on v " r? rio/1 T * V*J ?
t v* >vu uvovci 9 ? mc/ pasDcu a
little low house where a thin, pale face
peered at them through the window;
'let's ask Johnny Dale to our party."
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOUT
"Let's!" exclaimed both boys, instantaneously.
"I know mamma will let me ask him,"
said Lester, "and wouldn't he like it!"
"But how is he to get there, he can't
walk a step?" said Tommy.
"We might get Miss Brown's wheel
chair now, as she don't use it any more,"
suggested practical Tim.
"That's it! I'll ask mamma about it
when I eet home " Raid T.ester
Soon'the boys left Lester, and he wended
his way on through the village, past
the locust grove, then up the hill to a
great white house that stood half concealed
by the magnificent old trees that
surrounded it.
Of course, mamma's consent was gained,
the "wheel chair" procured, and Johnny
invited.
"Oh, boys!" cried he, as the hot tears
trickled down his pale cheeks, "what
made you ask me? No one ever does."
"We thought you would like to come,"
said Lester.
'"Course," said little Tim, laying his
fat hand on the thin, pale one.
And what a jolly good time they had,
to be sure! To Johnny, unaccustomed as
he was to outdoor life, each object proved
a source of delight. The velvety lawn
that sloped to the sheet of sparkling water,
the stately trees, the rich foliage, the
singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers,
all combined to exert an influence on
his lonely, backward nature.
How the boys vied with each other in
showing him a good time! And many
were the quiet games indulged in that
he might enjoy them with the rest.
Uncle Ned, who considered Johnny his
particular charge, was unusually kind
and thoughtful, and took care that he
should have a prominent place in the
pleasures of the day. Lester and little
Tim were untiring in their devotion to
him. Feathery ferns, curious pebbles and
little pink shells were brought for his inspection.
They liked to hear Johnny
laugh?they thought he had almost forgotten
how?and see the merry twinkle
iu uio b/\;d, uuu cycu a t<11 ui imge crept
into his pale cheeks.
At last when the boys had all left,
and Johnny had been sent home with a
basket of "good things," Lester came up
to Uncle Ned as he sat alone on the broad
piazza, "I think this was my very best
birthday. Uncle Ned," said he, "and I
think Johnny liked it, too."
"I think he did," replied Uncle Ned, as
he gently stroked the-curl* hair, "always
remember, my boy, that thebest pleasures
we have are those we find in doing to
others as you would have them do unto
you."?Minnie K. Hoffman, in Lutheran
Observer.
A FLORAL SCRAP.
"Did you hear of all the trouble in the
flower circus?"
"No; what was it?"
"Well, to begin with, the Tiger-Lilies
boasted of the superiority of their tricks
over the Dandy-Lions,_ and these CatTales
were brought to the Elepbant'sVoro
?* ....... ' *
oiiu ii nan ici) uitiurai mat toe
Dogwood tell them where the Cow's-Llpa
H. November 10, 1909.
would repeat them. That Fox-Glove was
on hand although the Cock's-Comb gossip
was ahead. Then everybody was inclined
to linger to admire the Parrot'sFeather
till they heard the Cro-cus like a
trooper, and all hands got a fatherly lecture
from the Poppy Flower."?Washington
Heral^
A GAME FOR TWO.
While their mother was sick, Ted and
Jimmy were spending two weeks in the
country at Uncle Joe's. He was a fine
uncle, they both thought; but much of
the time he was busy with his writing,
and then the hours hung heavy. The novelty
of the little farm was worn off; there
was no place to fish; and the only horse
on the place was Uncle Joe's own saddlehorse,
too powerful for small boys to be
trusted alone with. Uncle Joe knew all
this, and he was not surprised on the
third morning to be roused from work by
Ted, who entered and sat down with a
gloomy sigh.
"What's the matter?" he inquired.
i want to piay baseball, Uncle Joe."
"Why don't you?"
"There's only Jimmy and me, and two1
can't. There's?there's more fun in "places
where there's a lot of boys, don't you
think. Uncle Joe?" Ted spoke delicately,
for he did not wish to hurt his uncle's
feelings; but Uncle Joe understood. He
always had a way of understanding the
boys. "You might play wall-ball," he suggested.
"What's that?" inquired his nephew.
"You need," said Uncle Joe, "a ball, not
too hard, four barrel-staves, a shingle,
and the back of a woodshed."
Ted's eyes opened wide. "Sounds like
a funny game!"
"You get the barrel-staves, and I'll
come out and show you," replied his uncle.
When the staves, the shingle, and Jimmy
were collected, Uncle Joe sharpened
one end of three of the staves and stuck
thpni In tho J - "*
6iuiiiiu eugewise in a row a
foot apart about five feet out from the
woodshed. Then he laid the shingle
across their tops. The fourth stave he
shaved down neatly for a third of its
length, and then wrapped the cut part in
cloth.
"That's the bat," he explained, "and the
cloth is put on so that it won't hurt your
hands."
"We've got a good bat, Uncle Joe," said
Ted. But Uncle Joe laughed.
"Not so good as this for wall-ball," he
said. Then he stationed Ted, with the
bat, a yard in front of the three staves
and the shingle.
"Now," he explained. "Jimmy nhnii
pitch to you; but he must stand back of
this line." He marked a line about forty
feet from the shed. "If you miss the
ball, and it knocks off the shingle, you
are out, and Jimmy b^ts. If you hit it,
in any direction, you must run to that
tree and back, and you count as many
runs as you can make trips before Jimmy
can either throw the ball so as to knock
off the shingle, or can stand on the home
base with the ball. But if he catches it
on tne ny, or reaches the home base with