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January 12, 1910. THE PRESBYTERI
chicken bone, and beside each bone was a cake of sweet
chocolate and a puppy buscuit.
The presents were to be given on the piazza, and
after they were tired of playing with them, Peter and
Dan were lr? he tal-pri *1->? ~1 - ? *- ? ?! '*
..? ? ?~ liiv. iuuiu to enjoy tne
good things.
At just three o'clock, the hour of the party, Mrs.
Burt came over with Peter. In his collar, which shone
like gold, was tied a very large, new blue bow. He
carried a basket in his mouth. In the basket was a
present for Dan.
The minute the gate opened Dan bounded down the
walk to meet his friend. He was so excited that he
forgot his manners and tried to pull the basket away
from Peter. But Peter hung on tight, and carried it
to Ruth, as his mistress had told him to do.
Then the two dogs went running and barking over
the lawn. After a few minutes of lively play they were
called tin to tlip nioi7n ?i?i ?
_r UIVU IL\J W ilCU UUWS put 111
order, and they were made to sit down. Dan was now
to receive his presents.
First, Ruth presented the one Peter had brought
in his basket. Dan did not stop to untie the string,
but tore off the paper like an excited boy, and out came
a bounding rubber ball. Then Peter forgot his manners
and would have taken his gift back if Mr. Burt
had not held him very hard. Dan knew what Peter
wanted to do, so he kept the ball safe in his mouth,
and Ruth had to undo her present for him herself. But
when she pulled back the cover and a rooster popped
nis nead out and crowed, Dan forgot everything,
dropped the ball, and jumped for the rooster.
This was Peter's chance. His mistress had taken
her hand off his collar, so with one bound he had the
ball, and was out of the yard and down the street.
No amount of whistling or calling of "Peter, Peter,"
made him turn back. For a moment Dan didn't notice
his loss, in his excitement over the rooster, but when
the rooster's crow was gone, because his head was
pulled off, Dan started to find Peter and his precious
ball. Just in time to prevent this Ruth caught him,
and to help him forget she took him to the playroom.
It didn't seem finite riorlit nni m ? -
_ -j ?<-"- lw w011 iui jrcter, out
Mrs. Burt said that even if he did return he couldn't
have any refreshments because he was so rude.
When Dan saw the decorated table he ran around
and around it, barking excitedly, and then nearly upset
the lighted yellow candle into the tissue paper by
going underneath the table. That frightened Ruth's
mother, so she said, "I think we had better let Dan
have one of the chicken bones out in the back yard,
and call this party over."
That plan suited Dan exactly, and he was contentedly
chewing a bone when Peter returned, all out of
breath. He lapped nearly a bowl of water, and while
he listened meekly to his mistress's talk on the subject
of manners, he looked longingly at Dan and his chicken
bone. Mrs. Burt was going to take him home and
put him to bed at once, only Ruth begged so hard to
have him stay and eat the other chicken bone, that for
her sake, Mrs. Burt consented. For, as Ruth said, "It is
so disappointing to get refreshments ready and then
not have any company to eat them."
As Peter was being forgiven and receiving his bone,
AN OF THE SOUTH 43
papa came home. He got the camera and took a picture
of Ruth eating birthday cake, with Dan and
Peter on either side, gnawing a bone. The picture is in
Ruth's postcard album, and underneath it is written,
"Dan's first birthday party."
Peter never returned the ball. Ruth thinks he
couldn't even if he had wanted to. For when she was
plavinfif down thn
0 in Hum ui a incna s House,
she found a rubber ball caught underneath a board. It
wouldn't bounce at all. It had two holes in it that
looked as if they were made by the sharp teeth of
some dog.?The Congregationalist.
HOW LUCILE HELPED.
The school room was very noisy. The children
were moving their feet, turning the leaves noisily in
their books, and some were whispering. Poor little
teacher was so tired, she was almost ready to give
up in despair! It seemed that none of the children
loved her today, for if thev did. snrelv tii?"
^ , fciivji UUUIU
obey.
"Oh! if three o'clock would only come," she sighed
to herself, "so that I might let them all go home .
and have a rest!"
She started down the aisle between the rows of
seats to try once more to get the children quiet. Her
heart was very heavy and tears were near to her eyes.
As she passed one seat occupied by two girls, a little
hand thrust itself out into the aisle and crowded a
piece of crumpled paper into the teacher's hand. The
teacher went back to her desk, unfolded the piece of
nor?Ar J -
ouu i cau :
"Dear Teacher?I love you very much.
"Lucile."
When teacher looked up there were two bright
tears in her eyes, but they were glad tears. When
she spoke, there was a new ring in her voice.
"Children," she said, and her voice was soft and
low, "put away your books and let's sing a merry
song."
And as the children sang all of the trouble seemed
to leave the room. Soon they went back to work and
all was sweet near? arnrl miS??+
And as the children were leaving school that day,
the teacher looked into a pair of blue eyes and smiled.
"I love you very much, Lucile," she said.?Child's
Gem.
ELEPHANTS.
An elephant was once very fond of the baby in his
master's family. The nurse would take the little one
in its cradle nut it- *' 1?'
, ... me cicpnani s teet and go
away. The great creature would watch over it, and
move his trunk like a fan to keep off the flies. If baby
awoke, he would rock the cradle back and forth, to
get it off to sleep again.
An elephant in a circus was once in pain, and a doctor
gave him some medicine, which cured him. On the
next day, when the circus passed the house, the elephant
saw the doctor in his doorway and went to him
to caress him with his trunk. Having shown his gratitude,
he marched forward again with the rest.?From
Stickney's Reader.