| Show VANITY IN DRESSES A Story of the Proud Little Toadstools Which is instructive As I walked out in the forest one day I L saw three quaint toadstools standing solemnly sol-emnly among the grasses Thought I tom to-m self the tops of these strange little mites look very much like hats I have seen on many a little girl of my acquaintance Can it be that any of my little friends have been acting naughtily and have been doomed doom-ed to stand perfectly still beneath this tree for tho rest of their lives I walked on a little ways but a small voice seemed to be calling me and I could I not help turning back Toad stools said I solemnly how do you doP Perhaps it was the wind that swept gently gent-ly through the grasses that answered per haps it was a fairy hid in tho heart of a blue bell perhaps it was one of tho jacks in the pulpit but I am inclined to think it was the tall Miss Toadstool who stood in tho middle who answered Alas kind sir we are quite well but not so as we can got around You have my sympathy said L Thankyou said she You are welcome said L And their great flat hats bobbed grate fully in the breeze It seems to me I used to know YOUll I said A deep blush overspread her face as she aid I thought we were so changed that no one would know us Indeed I had hoped it was so for I should be greatly ashamed to meet many of our old friendswho would I am Euro feel tempted to taunt us with our changed appearance May I ask how you came to meet with your sad misfortune Most certainly you may and I hope you will tell it to all other little girls so they will be careful not to make the mistake we didOno Ono day our mothers called us in to be dressed they having laid out some very pretty little plain dresses suitable for play and some close tiny bonnets that the wind could not coax off But we teased and cried and begged for our long silk frocks and big hats until at last worn out our mothers consented and out we went to make our playmates envious clad In our very best dresses and our big hats the brims of which flapped in tho wind and gave us lots of trouble But we looked so line we did not care We could not play with the other chil dren because our dresses were so fine and we wanted to keep them nice for Sunday school and if we ran our hats flapped down over our eyes so we could not sole or else flew off in the mud 4 Oh we were very very miserable So we wandered away from the other children and kept going and going until we should come to some spot whoro the sun would not fade our dresses or tho wind tilt our hats over our dressesor the sight of the children tempt us to forget our fine clothes and romp and shout to our hearts content At last we came to this small f orestan Just as we reached the edge it began to rain so we hurried in still further to find a suitable suit-able tree to stand under And will you be lieve it our feet sank into the mud and wo took root and gradually we changed into these odious brown toadstools and here we must stand while we live But we have only ourselves to blame aid she sighing it was all because of our vanity Dear old friend tell all the little girls about our gad story and beg them of all things not to be vain and disagreeable And promising her I would do so I left fooling very sad over my poor little friends who stand through wind and rain beneath the old oak tree In the forestBoston Poet King Baby or a Difficult Problem Indignant MotherHow dare you drive I about at that rate milkman I You very nearly ran over baby If there wore a policeman here Milkman keen student of maternal In stinots and equal to tho 00c6sionVery sorry maam but you see I was ahurry ing to bo In time with the babys milk at Ko 3 here as gets that fractious if I a mln ute behind I ran over three old gents only yesterday atrying to be in time The only valid excuse prevails and ho I Is pardoned Caestlls Journal |
