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Show I ..S Soys and ri$ ous j I Edited by Aunt Busy. f r ; 1 Tliis ilcpartmmt is conducted solely in the iu- l I icrosis of mir girl and boy readers. f I Aunt Bu-v is glad to hear any time from tbo f I nieces and nephews' who read this page, and to giva i I them all the advice and help in her power. I I Write on one side of the paper only, ort I I'" nflVC liters too lung, ind j Original stories and verges will be gladly rc- an, J j trivt-d and carefully edited. ?h' i I The manuscripts of contributions not accepted j jvill be returned. la j J Address all letters to Aunt Busy, Intcrmountain J .1 Catholic, Salt Lake City. M I . ME. NOBODY. I -1 )ni v I I know a funny little man, 0n- i As quiet as a mouse, 11 : If Who does the mischief that is uone a" I In everybody's house! lui ! . There's no one ever sees his face, rs I And yet we all agree ;h I That every plate we break was cracked I By Mr. Nobody. st . j ?s I 'Tis he who always tears our books, e I Who leaves the door ajar; )(i He pulls the buttons from our shirts S And scatters pins afar. y i That squaking door will always squak, l" J For, prithee, don't you see, - I We' leave the oiling to be done "' h 1 By Mr. Nobody. , ',!(. ' 'MA Up Pus damp wood upon the fire I f That kettles cannot boil; : - ' t i Jlis are the feet that bring in mud ? ! And all the carpets soil. The papers always are mislaid; i Who had them last but he? ? There's no one tosses them about .' But Mr. Nobody. - i I - ' j The finger marks upon the door C By none of us are made; We never leave the blinds unclosed, To let the curtains fade. r The ink we never spill, the boots I That lying round you see Are not our boots; they belong v i To Mr. Nobody. j I AUNT BUSY HAS HER SAY. ' Dear Xicces an'd Xejdiews: Aunt Busy is glad that a few dear girls came i ir, her rescue tliis week and remembered to -write I her. For two whole days she did not receive a Ict- irr. Just think! Aunt Busy so neglected when ; r-r desk is filled -with letters all the yeer. round! ; To not forget that other nieces and nephews look I f"r the letters, too. I : So the -weather is too -warm to write to Aunt ; ! Busy .' Xo matter how warm it is Aunt Busy never forgets to write a fev lines to her dear children. She only regrets not hearing from all the girls and ; b'vs and about the sweet babies, the good mothers, j iu- devoted fathers and so much, interesting iicvra i .-ihout "sunbeams"' particularlv. Ever your loving oi l v AUNT BUSY. WHEN I'M A MAN. "When I am a man," said Johnny, "I'll be a satlor 4 i bold, And I'll sail the mighty ocean in search of wealth untold, ; And I'll build myself a castle with a fearful donjon i keep. And I'll have 10,000 vcssals who will guard me while 1 I sleep. "Then I'll rescue some fair princess frpm a robber, i . don't you see? I ' And she will thank me sweetly and say she'll marry ' me; i : And when I wed the princess I'll be a king, you kuow j And I'll have a million subjects, who will bow before I me low!" i ; Hut while he was a-dreaming of the time that was to be, i : The teacher asked him gently the simple rule of i three; Then his castle and his kingdom faded into air at once. And the crown that fate decreed him was the tall cap of a dunce. LETTERS AND ANSWERS. Salt Lake City, July 20.-; 20.-; IVar Aunt Busy I have not written you for a ' tim. but I do not forget you. My brother will ii"t write to you because he says that only irirls ' I'jrht to write to funny old women like you Well, "ol-lyc. Your loving niece, i . MARY THOMAS. i Alllit Bllv is irlarl in linoi fv-m t.ui. .rn... U1 I I is M-rry that the dear brother will u t write. Please II him that he is mistaken, for Aunt Busy has i J':;my hundreds of nephews over America who write j t" her regularly, too. Dear fellows, too! Salt Laker City, July 25. Dear Auntie I like to read your letters very 1 iiiu-h. Mamma says I ought to write to you often, j lo you get many letters from Salt Lake? I remain j ymr loving niece, XELLIE KAYANAUGII. I A glad welcome again, dar little girl! Aunt Busy has many nieces and nephews iu Salt Lake and ! -ir' is very proud of them, too. j f I Denver, July 26. j 1 'ear Aunt Busy ITow are you during the warm I v.rijihcr? . You arc the dearest old nyntic in the v o 1,1 flj, I am sorry to neglect you like I do. j 1 hope you are a very happy old lady, Auntie j Tu-y. Best wishes from your loving niece, i FLORENCE 1IIGSOX. (Aunt Busy enjoyed your charming letter very ! i ii' h. Florence, and your kind wishes as well. Aunt v, ' V,n-y would like to hear from you every week. Best ) wi-hfs for your own little self, dor.r. MARTHA'S VISIT. i "Ihis is a letter from Martha," Mrs. Boyd an-i"i-'un-ed. looking up from lhe square sheet which I liad hastily scanned. "She is coming next week I - maKC us a visit a nying visit, as slie puts it. J "That means that she will make us all .fly '" nd,?' put in Bobby, beaming delightedly at hi l.'.-'r joke. "iou're about riglit, Bobby," his sister Min- iiftte declared, "though I suppose it's best not to I fy much about it. But Martha certainly docs k''cp us busy while she's here." j "We mu?t be prepared to go anywhere or do I Jui.v thing at a moment's notice," Mrs. Boyd went I " ; "and Bobby, you must be where we can call I on you at' any time." i The following week, Minnette and Bobby met (hir cousin at the station, and were warmly greeted by the pretty girl -who came hurrying down lite platform toward them, her blue eyes shining. N with pleasure, her hair blowing in fluffy ringlets ;.!out her face. . ! "Oh, it's so good to see you two again! Is h auntie well? And uncle? I do wish I could stay J a month, instead of having only five days!" By the time that Minuettee had answered her ' cousin's questions, they were a block from the station. Martha suddenly stopped short, i t "I've got to go back to the station, Minnette, ?f uhe announced. "There was a friend of mine on I the train, who wanted me to send a telegram for her, and I nerer thought of it until this minute." The telegram was attended to and a few minutes 1 1 later the two. girls reached the Boyd home, Bobby ' ! - . .I ' " having gone on ahead with Martha's valise. After j chatting a few moments with her aunt, Martha went upstairs to unpack. "You said 1 was to sleep with you,-didn't you, Minnette C she asked.' "1 know how beautifully you keep your room, so I'll be careful not to scatter scat-ter my things around." Minnette smiled at that, for Martha had never been noted for her orderliness - and she was not surprised, when she went upstairs a few moments later, to find her cousin's clothes and toilet articles strewn from one end to the other of the big room. "Don't be cross, Minnette," Martha said gayly. "These are all going to be put away. You see, 1 spread out into the sewing room. And, Minuet tee, speaking of sewing, 'reminds me that if I can, 1 want to have a dress made while I am here. I ought to go right out and see about it. too, because be-cause I haven't any time to waste. Will you go with me to hunt up a dressmaker ( And there's another thing. I wonder if Bobby would mind taking a message to my friend, Jessica Chalmers? She's going to leave town tomorrow, and I'd like to have her drive up this evening to see me. I meant to write her when I was coming, but somehow I didn't get around to it. I suppose I might have telegraphed her, but I didn't think of it." The five days of Martha's visit were busy ones. With Minnette's help, she found a dressmaker who was willing to make her dress, end she was constantly con-stantly hurrying back and forth for consultations and fittings, while Bobby was frequently pressed into service as an errand and messenger boy. Minnette's Min-nette's pretty room was still slrewn with Martha's belongings, which she could not find time to put o.,-.,,- .,,..1 o,.i.i.v;.i n,n,t ,r.;Ur fr.,. and for leaving her writing materials scatttcred about the sitting room. Martha's dress was finished about an hour before be-fore train time, and she brought it home in a big box. "I think I shall have to take Bobby with me, to take care of my parcels," she said laughingly. "I shall probably leave my dress on the train if I don't." The mishaps resulting from her heedlessness, heedless-ness, which she frankly admitted, were always a source of 'amusement to Martha. "I wonder where I laid my little wrist-bag? Have you or Minnette seen it, auntie ?" , Then followed a hunt through the house, which was ended only by Martha's remembering that she had laid her bag on a table at the dressmaker's, and Bobby was sent after it posthaste, and found it all right. "Xow, Martha, arc you sure you have every- i thing P Mrs. Boyd asked, as her niece stood drawing draw-ing on her gloves, preparatory to starting for the train. "Yes, everything, auntie," Martha answered with her ready smile. She never resented such questions from any of her careful relatives, ' They reached the station about fifteen minutes before train time, and were strolling back and forth along the platform, -when. Martha came to a sudden standstill, and a look of dismay on her face. She made a hurried search through her wrist-bag. "What have you left, Martha?" Minnette" asked, laughingly. "My picket! You know I got it this morning aiiA T lowl it rn tlm tlir.lf in vMiv rnnrci T mpPTit. tn put it right hack in my bag, but it slipped my mind, somehow. O, Bobby, will you have time to get it for me? Run, fly, Bobby, there's a good boy!" - The little group left on the platform waited in nervous impatience as the station clock ticket off the minutes. It was very necesssary that Mar-that Mar-that should go on this train. Three minutes were left two one the train was whistling for the station. Just then Bobby, red-faced and breathless, breath-less, came running down the platform with the precious bit of pasteboard. Martha was hurried up the car .steps, and from the platform Waved a graceful, smiling goodby to her aunt and cousins. "I've had a lovely visit, auntie," she called, as the train moved out. "She did make us fly 'round, didn't she?" Bobby said, when he had got his breath again. I His mother laughed, then drew a long breath of relief. "Martha is a dear girl," she said to Minnette, "and I am very fond of her, but " That "but" meant that a visit from Martha was not an unmixed blessing. A BOY'S ESSAY TOBACCO. Tobacco grows something like a cabbage, but I never saw none cooked. I have heard men say that cigars that was given them election day for nothing was mostly cabbage leaves. Tobacco stores arc mostly kept by wooden Injuns, who stand at the door and offer them a bunch of cigars, which is made of wood also. I tried to smoke a cigar once, and I felt like Epsom salts. - Tobacco was invented by a man named Valter Raleigh. When the people first saw him smoking they thought he was a steamboat and was frightened. My sister Xancy is a girl. I don't know whether she likes tobacco or not. There is a young man named Le-roy Le-roy who comes to see her. He was standing on the steps one night and he had a cigar in his mouth and said he did not know as she would like it, and she said, "Leroy, the perfume is agreeable." agree-able." But when- my big brother Tom lighted his pipe Xaney said, "Get out of this house, you horrid hor-rid creature; the smell of tobacco makes me sick." Snuff is Injun meal made out of tobacco! I took a little snuff once, then I sneezed. SAYINGS OF THE-CHILDREN. The schoolmaster of a certain village asked his pupils the following question : . "Suppose in a family there are five children, and mother has only four potatoes between them. Xow, what she wrants to give to every child an equal share.' What is she going to do?" Silence reigned in the room. Everybody calculated very hard till a little boy stood up and gave, to the great surprise of the schoolmaster, the following unexpected answer: "Mash the potatoes, sir!" Little Helen had just come home from a visit to crandma's. and was telliner mother all the wonder ful tilings she had seen. "One day I saw a whole flock of sheep," she said, and there were a lot of old rams; too. Grandpa Grand-pa said they were very fine ones, and that he had one of almost every kind there was." The next chly Helen started to write a letter. "Whom are you writing to, dear?" asked mother. . "Grandpa," instantly answered Helen, "to tell him of a new kind of ram I'm sure he hasn't got in. his flock. I heard Mr. Smith over at the water tower talking of it today." "What kind is that?" asked mother. i "A hydraulic ram!" replied Helen. HER HAPPY THOUGHT. A pretty story is told of Kaiser William I., the grandfather of the present German emperor, which deserves to be remembered. The emperor visited a crtain village, and the school children of the place took a prominent part in the reception which was given him. After it was over his majesty thanked the little ones for the pleasure they had given him, and then began to ask them some questions. Taking ail orange in his hand, he held it up and asked : "To what kingdom king-dom does this -belong ?"; "To the vegetable king- . dom, Mr. Emperor," answered a little girl. Ttis majesty then ck "a gold piece from his . ' . '' I pocket, "And to what kingdom does this belong?" he inquired. "To the mineral kingdom, Mr. Emperor,". said-the said-the child. 'And to what kingdom do I belong ?" then asked his majesty, The little maid got very rosy. She did not like to say "To the animal kingdom," for she thought it might sound rude. Then bright thought struck her, and instead of giving the answer his majesty expected she looked, at him with radiant eyes and said, "To God's kingdom, Mr. Emperor." The grand old man was greatly moved. Tears filled his eyes and, placing his hand on the child's head, he said devoutly. "God grant that. I may be accounted worthy of that kingdom." 1 |