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Show r as 3TkI Hi fW M-i MARY GRAHAM BONNER. WARM AS TOAST The tonst wns on a pinto on tlie breakfast tabic. So one hud como to the breakfast table for evcryono wus lute to brenkfust. "I say," remarked one piece of toast, "why do folks speak of being ns warm ns toast? I heard that remark last evening before I hud been cut from the loaf of bread. I thought to myself my-self that 1 would be very warm this morning when my turn came to be tnado Into toast. "And, to be sure, I was very warm. In fnct I wns piping hot. But now I'm quite, quite cool. No ono could ba ; warm who was as cool as I now urn." I "Ira sure," said another piece of toast, "I don't know why peoplo uso that expression, 'as warm or toast.' I'm very cool. It seems a very absurd expression to me. "I can't understand It at all." "Nor can I," said unother pleco of tonst. "I wonder liow It came about," said the first piece of toast. "I'll tell you," said a voice, and tliero appeared on top of the sugar bowl a little creature who looked llko a gnome. "They nre all late," he said, "and I have five minutes or so to talk to you. "Vcors and years and years ago," the gnome said, "there was once a smalt boy who was very cold and It was hard to get up and dress. 13 ut when he was all dressed nnd was ready for breakfast his mother had steaming hot toast ready for his break- "I'll Tell You." fast. He had other food too, but tho toast upon which butter had melted seemed so warm and comforting and plensunt. "He never forgot that toast. He never thought whether other toast wus warm or not or whether lie had let It stund. He always thought of tho loaBt he had eaten tho morning ho hud been so cpld. "And so when ho spoke of anything being nice and warm ho always said, "'Why It Is ns warm as toast,' thinking, think-ing, of course, of thnt toast he. had hud that very cold morning. "He said It so often and so much that It became an expression nnd other peoplo said It In the same way, or had eaten toajt ut somo time when It wus piping hot nnd when It seemed the nicest, warmest, most comforting kind of food In the world. "But It doesn't menn that toast Is always warm. No Indeed I Toast can be qulto cold." Tho gnome looked In the direction of the dining-room door. I only hnvo a moment or two more." ho said. "But I wish ou a pleasant breakfast. Of course l know you won't bo eating tho breakfast, but I am suro you will be glud to be en-Joyed en-Joyed by others. "Besides food couldn't eat food," chuckled the gnome. "And tonst," ho ndded, to tho plate of toast, "you tell the cook to come nnd put you In the oven for n little while, Just to warm you up." The gnome hurried nwuy but along came the cook and did us tho gnome had suggested. The tonst wns glad not to have tn ask the cook to do this ns tho toust didn't know how to make the cook understand. The peoplo all came In ror breakfast, break-fast, and every one took a piece of toast. "Ah, nlco warm toast," one of them sold. "Well. I slept nil night long. nu you Know how cold It wus, and felt Just us warm as toust." The tonst crumbled a little bit as It smiled, "I wasn't so worm a minute or two Jgo," It thought. "I was ns warm as toast, too' said mother. "Certainly," thought the tonst. "the jxprosslon Is very popular." "I slept as snug ns a bug In n rug " tnld nnothor, but tho toast hud nil een outon by this time, so none nf .he pieces heard this person adding 'but what funny expressions and suy.' ngs we all havo," |