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Show I Try To Be a Chum To Your Children iHW Mwl boy of three to go for his 1 V'V ' vOi mornlrig outing. His mother raftlTfflM lcnc an rut away some sewing that she would have ' liked to keep on with With patient grimneas she Impatiently dressed the child and with face set In a resigned expression she stepped forth Into the sunshine. The child welcomed It with a little shout of delight, but she hushed him quleklv. They went to a nearby park and eh? rnsconced herself on a bench and told the child to p!a about. In a Jiffy he was -ff. chasing crow and tossing brown leaves Into the air. She was devotedly jankful hat his happy time made no call jpon her participation In It I ALOOF BOREDOM : Drawing her head down Into the collar af her coat and poking her hands we'd flown into her pockets for it was chlllv ork sitting there In the cool air she rave herself up to boredom, all the time :ountlng off tho minutes until the longed 'or hour thtt would give her release How she envied women who could afford nurses for their children Her little boy called to her from a hedge to come to see "somethln" " he had found, but she answered an-swered ' Mamma's tired," and did not go The bo turned back patiently Into the little opening in tho bushes, kneeling clown before hie discovery. "What have yon found, Dickie?" It was Mrs. Rogers' voice. The mother danced over toward the hedgo and saw her neighbor kneeling down bj her little boy, all Interest In what Interested him. "Children!" Mrs. Ropers was calling to her own offspring two little boys and a girl engaged In a lively game of tag "Come sec what wo re looking at a poor :!d beetle, wriggling on his bn.k. Dickie wants to help him to his feet." A more absorbed, enthusiastic group ou never saw than that circling Mr. Beetle who was presently set upright "Let's leave him now to go on his way home. He'll tell hL" family what a good boy Dickie was not to hurt him. Will you play with us. Dickie' Try to catch me Why, you did. you little rascal. Well. I'm It. Look out. Betty. I'm coming after you." With light step, bright eyes and a plowing plow-ing color Mrs. Rogers presently crime up tq the bench where Dickie's mother sat With a gny greeting she sank In laughing breathlcssncaa down by her aide. "How do you do It?" asked the mother of Dickie, her voice muffled by her collar I'm bored to death Just waiting the time to return. You seem to be happy through and through Just as the children arc." 1 I am Just that." answered Mrs Rogers "My simple secret of It Is that I have taught myself to eee thine with their fyea when I am with them Being wltn kiddles Is a perfect Joy when one can do that. The most beautiful world opena up to one. Everything Is so young and fresh and lovely In UP' You 'ay you taught yourself to be this way?" asked Dickie's mother wistfully How -did you do It?" "Let me tell you as we walk home Let'a play now. Grown-up talk Is such a shadow in the children's hour See. Dickie's drawing away from It. What have you there, little felloW" Ho held out an acorn to her. radiant at finding that he was welcome ' I wish It was a cup and saucer Betty says you could make It for me " "Of course I can. dear. Sit right up on my lap There. " She whisked rcgula.-boy'a rcgula.-boy'a Jackknife from her pocket- ' We so often need cne when we're out But I'm the only one of ua big enough to carry one Now for the cup and saucer." In a Jiffy she hr-1 fashioned them and set them on Dickie's fat palm. "Give mamma a nice drink of tea." Dickie held out his hand toward his, mother with an Incredulousness In her entering Into the play that cut her to tho heart, but she laughed and sipped the make believe tea with relish that sent Dickie off Into delighted chuckles "It really Is a little cup of tea to him." cried lira Rogers, giving him a hug with that wonderful warmth of heart feeling that, alas, too few women have for children chil-dren not thi ir own. "It was real enough to me to stlmulat me most refreshingly " murmured th mother of Dickie, "and I want more (no. no tea, Dickie) but fun and play with you. Sometimes I'll have to -orrect you I Dickie, and make you do things that you do not feci like doing, but all the rest of the time I'm going to be your chum " She held out her arms to him and he scrambled Into them Joyously. "Do you know." she whispered mischievously. mischiev-ously. "I think 1 can run faster than Mrs. Rogers See If you can catch me." And she was off fleet footed as a girl The Rogers children took up the chase The corn, red hi r nenr the opening In th hedge where Dickie had found the beetle "Let's sec how fur it's gone." cried Betty. "Yea. let's," cried the new chum mother "Dickie a eyes, Dickie's eyea," she kept saving over and over to herself. "Let me sen with my child's eyes that we may bc-comrades." bc-comrades." And the- wishing for thla with all her heart and soul wrought the miracle and she searched for the beetle with an enthusiasm en-thusiasm that rang true to Dickie nnd his happlnepj in It made her register a vow never to be bore3 ngain when with him no matter how tired she might feel. THE EYES OF YOUTH. . 1 "And the beautiful thing about It la." eald Mrs. Rogers aa they walked homo behind their children "that you seldom do feel tired with children If you become one of thm Why look, you've ployed half an hour over time without knowing It. "I began Just aa you have with wishing I Then every day I tried to see things as children see them Children's minds have I their serious side ns well as their frolic . aome one. "The old grown-up self of me need' often to be taken to task for not wishing to make the effort to be comrade rather than I mentor to my little ones, but It's strange that anything that makes one feci so de-I de-I llclously young and content should be an effort." |