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Show tiPrjeiiig Tdiry Tale yjy GRAHAM BOMER PROUD COAL CARS "We're proud," said the pieces of coal In one of the coal cars, and then all the coal said In lis dark, coal fashion : "We're all proud." A Hide fairy bad come a-flying along the country-side and had perched herself upon one of the coal cars which was being pulled along, together with many other coal cars, by three engines. Now the fairy was wearing a long black ctipe and a black hood and when people were in sight she hid Iter face in her hood so that it could not be" Been. She was a very shy little fairy. Xo one could notice her as it was and she bad come to 'talk to the pieces of coal. She had seen so many coal cars traveling along all through the summer sum-mer that she had wondered how the coal liked .iounieys. So t lie I-'niry Queen had given tbe magic wand which would make everything every-thing talk and the fairy wus now on the coal cars as I've said. "Oil, yes, we're very proud," the liieces of coal said again. "Now you know," they continued, "that this whole train all these coal cars are a part of a freight train, lie are so many in numbers and we weigh so much 'that it takes three engines, as vou see. to null us. "Thai makes us very proud. And coal is important. We know that, but we like to have others see our importance. im-portance. "We travel along through the country coun-try quite free of charge. Rome one may pay for our journeys some unknown, un-known, kind benefactor. "A benefactor Is some one who does kind things like that or who gives presents. "So it may be that a benefactor Is giving us our traveling expenses as his share in the honor to be shown the coal family. "We're not sure about that, but it makes no difference. "The main thing Is we are travel ing and we do not have to pay for It ourselves. "It is just as well, of course, for we haven't any money and we haven't any purses and we haven't any pockets. But though w-e haven't any money we are worth money and that is very fine. "It's just as though some one who was very rich went a-walking without a pocket hook. That person would be worth the money, but wouldn't have it along with him or with her. "So it is with us. "But we're particularly proud not only of the three engines and the fact that we make up almost u mile of trains and the fact that there are many We're Ali Proud." coal trains going along all the time enjovlng the scenery but we have something else of which to be proud." "Tell me tlwit." urged the fairy. "You've heard the bell ring at the itiilroad crossings, haven't you, fairy?" Yes." said the fairy, "I have." "That is to warn people that there is a railroad crossing and that we're coming along. KMinPtinios there is a flag waved at our approach. t.'.U this isn t the -reatest compliment of all. Oh no. There is another we yet have to tell cou about. ' "We make the motor cars or auto-mol-llc-s wait for us. Yes. indeed, wf do that. 'They mav he very proud and ver e, but we too go a-traveling and when we do we are given the right of wav along the road we mean to go. Ami sometimes -ars and cars have cone bv filled willi coal, one train after another, and that makes tbe coal proud for you see though there U nothing new about coal it's impor.a.it and it has every reason for being proud '" . . I quite understand" the fairy said. .nn,1 I don't wonder you arc proud. |