OCR Text |
Show wwm MARY GPAHAMg,QSffR, SWIMMING PARTY. "Now the Every-Day-Is-Nice club hadn't had any special celebration for a long time," commenced Daddy, "and Peter Gnome thought it was high time to have one. "You know Peter Gnome started a club which he called the Every-Day-Is-Nice club, for all the members promised prom-ised to enjoy every day, never grumbling grum-bling about the weather, which of , course they couldn't control! "And it was surprising how every day seemed nice to them after this club had been well started. But they hadn't had a regular cele-bration cele-bration for a long, long time. " 'How about a party for the Every-Day-Is-Nice club this afternoon?' asked Peter Gnome. "He was talking to Billie Brownie. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, so as' usual, they hugged each other so hard that each fell down. " 'What sort of a party would you suggest, Peter Gnome?' asked Billie Brownie. " 'Well, as it's hot, mighty hot, and as the water is cool, mighty cool, I think a swimming party would be as nice as any.' "'Fine!' shouted all the brownies and gnomes. " 'Shall we call together all the other oth-er members of the club?' asked Bennle Brownie. " 'By all means,' said Billie. " 'I'll get Mr. Giant to call out to them with his great and powerful bugle.' "So Bennie Brownie went off to Mr. Giant's cave. Mr. Giant was sitting by the door of his cave, fanning himself him-self with a branch of a pine tree. " 'Hot day,' he said. . " 'Yes, it's a hot day,' agreed Bennie Brownie. " 'It's nice, though,' said Mr. Giant. "I enjoy a hot day when I have the cooling breezes of my beautiful pine fan. The fairy queen "gave me that And Dive Off Into the Water. fan last Christmas. She Enid to me that I wouldn't be able to use it in the winter, of course, but that it would be most useful to hhve when the summer sum-mer came, and as it was cften a good plan to think ahead and have things, ready in plenty of time, she would give it to ine along with the new winter mittens she gave me.' " Mi's a wonderful fan,' said Bennie Ben-nie Brownie. " 'I'll fan you a IiUIo,' said Mr. Giant. . "But as soon as He started to fan Bennie Brownie, poor Bennie Brownie fell over, for to him It was like a great blast of wind. Ho was so much' smaller than Mr. Giant ! " 'I'm so sorry,' said Mr. Giant. 'I beg your pardon. I do indeed.' " 'No harm done,' said Bennie Brownie, laughing, while Mr. Giant put his fau cv. oy inside his cave. "'I've- come,' Kennie Brownie continued, con-tinued, 'to invite you to the swimming party of the Every-! )ay-!s-Nlce club. And will you call on your powerful bugle and asl- all the other members? It's to be this afternoon at the lake.' " 'Good,' said Mr. Oiar.t. 'I've got a handsome r.ev bathing suit, too!' "Mr. Giant culled on the bugle: 'Come to the swimming pnrly, come all, come nil. Peter Gnome, president of the club, is rtving a swimming party. Come to t !:e l"ke.' "Ami hov they all did come! They wasted no lime, and many of them were there almost before they received the end of :h"!r invitations! "Such splashing and water fights as they had ! Such swimming and diving div-ing races, such boat races where they all upset ! Such water ball games and tilting of canoes, and all the wonderful wonder-ful water sports as they all did have! "And Mr. Giant, who could stand up in the water which was well above everyone else, let them all climb up on his shoulders anil dive into the water. "Witty Witch made one of the best dives of all, for she did a backward dive which was quite perfect, but how they all did laugh when they saw it, for she surprised them all. They had thought she was going to dive forward, for-ward, but not a bit of it she made the finest backward dive that was ever I made. And they all felt cool and happy I after the gay swimming party!" |