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Show 1 Evening Story for the Children i By MARY GRAHAM EONNER a "Now, my dears," said Grandfather Frog, "I am very grateful to you all for hopping along and telling me that you wish me these kind wishes of happy hap-py returns of the day in honor of my birthday. "But I have just been thinking." "Oh, Grandfather, Grandfather, goog-a-room, goog-a-room," said the little frogs. "How wonderful." "Yes," said Grandfather Frog. "I have been thinking ever since I spent the early part of the morning looking and searching for bugs and other delicacies deli-cacies for the party." The frogs were pleased to hear that there was going to be a party. That pleased them Immensely, and they knew that their grandfather would have found a lot of goodies for it "But," he continued, "when I was thinking I said to myself, that it was really very foolish to say many happy returns of the day, even though it is a pleasant thing to say. "You see," he went on, rolling his great bulging eyes and sticking out his chest, "it Is impossible to say such a thing." "We all said it," said the little frogs, "so it is not Impossible to say at all." "That was not exactly what I meant," ririHr- said Grandfather Frog. He panted for breath. He was so excited at having the little frogs listen to him so attentively at-tentively and pay him all this attention. atten-tion. "Goog-a-room, goog-a-room, goog-a-room," he said. "Of course you could say It without choking, I suppose. "Because, of course, you did say it. "But, at the same time, it is a senseless sense-less thing to say." "6- "Goog-a-Room," He Said. "Won't you tell us why, dear Grandpa?" Grand-pa?" all the little frogs asked. "I am so pleased you all came to me, and I appreciate It very, very much. "But how can this day ever come back? There will be other days. Yes, other ones. "They will be different. They may be rainy days, or sunshiny days, or days when the sun and rain are both here and there is a rainbow. "No, I cannot have many happy re- turns of this day, because this day will never return. "It makes me a little sad to think of it." Grandfather's eyes filled with water. wa-ter. One 'ear trickled down and he swallowed it. And then he swallowed quite a few. "I am drinking tear water," he said, "and I don't like it much." "Ah, don't ciy, Grandfather, it is true this day won't come back, but when we and others wish many happy returns of the day, we wish that happy hap-py days such as this will return." "Oh," said Grandfather Frog, "that's a lovely thought. That makes me very- happy. "And now come back in one hour for the party. I shall be all ready for it then." It was a fine birthday party. The bugs were simply delicious. ((c). 1931. Western Newspaper Union.) |