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Show DADDY'S LJ EVEHIIIC mWimm Mary Graham Bonner avrwtr er irfjifi mhuhhii amor THE EMPTY MIND Now Malialla hadn't1 6 thought In her head. Not one. At least that was what she Raid. She was sure she couldn't tlilnk 'up anything to write for her composition class, and she was sure she couldn't think what she hud learnid In school the day before about king and queens und presidents presi-dents and other Important personages. "I've Just sot an empty head," she hiiIc) half aloud as she leaned over the tuble upon which were her school bonks, lu-r composition book, her pad ind her box of pencils. "I la, ha, ha,'' said a little creature, and I here hi'fore her stood a funnt looking little uhjeet who quite closely resembled a pencil and yet she felt sure must be a brownie. lie was dressed In brown and his feet looked like lead and his cup was made of red rubber. Down the front of h.'s blown suit were the words: "I'se me when you think." "Hut the trouble Is, I don't," said Mahulla. "Well, you can read, at any rate," sold the little brownie. "You rend tha words I have upon my suit." "Oli, yes," wild Muhalia. "I can rend." "You must have thought a little Just ihen," sold the brownie, "for you evidently evi-dently eame to the conclusion that there was some, trouble ubout your thinking. And you could not even have decided that without at leapt a little bit of a thought." "Well." said Malialla, "very, very little." "I don't believe y:iur head can be quite empty," sulci the brownie. "Would you like me to shake it and find out? I can tell If It feels empty." '.'Ob, I don't believe you could do that with my head," said Mahulla. "for my head Isn't like a eoTee tin." "'C'orfco tin?" asked the brownie. "Yes," said Malialla, "my mother shakes the coffee tin to see If It Is getting empty, und if she should order or-der more coffee." "I'd 0 about your bead In Just th mine way," said the brownie. "Shall 1 try? I wont hurt." "All rlRbt," laughed Mahulla. Then the brownie came und shook her head. "It's not empty," he said. "If It were even Ret ling close to helnaj empty. I could bear the few Inst re- -A Funny Looking Little Object iialiiltig thoughts rattling around Vnd If I; were quite empty it would ' 'te so fearfully light. "In fact. It's quite well flll.il." "I don't see how It's possible," ald lalialia. "Not only possible but so," said the irownle. "Now let me see, you huve e write a composition?" "Yes, but I can't think of anything 'o write about. You see It can bi' , ibout nnj.blng, and I Just can't think ( if anything." . . "Well," said the brownie, "don't , 'wither to tlilnk of anything.' Any liing is always fearfully, dreadful!;, mnoying. I have -trouble with any-blng any-blng myself sometimes. "Just think of something. Thli k of our favorite games, your best friends, our favorite , season maybe it's the pring time or the winter or the hu 'tun or the summer, or all four, and f It's one or even all four, you must ave your reasons. "Or think of the dog you would like 0 have and how you ou!d enjoy him ind how you would take care of hi in t you had him. . , "Or think of the day your father put up the old automoble, tire us a wing and how you felt swinging in uch a new kind of swing. "Just think of something mid you'll be', all right. Fo- I Bud that your head Isn't empty M alt. and I'm really. In my own quiet way, a bit of a stu-neut stu-neut of heads. U has come from my "xpe'rlenee In belonging to the pencil family" "Then jou are a pencil? And not 1 brownie after all?" askPd Mahnlla. But the brownie had disappeared tnd she was picking up a brown pencil pen-cil with a' rubber at the end, and suddenly sud-denly she was writing, not only of something, but of many thing. - |