Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1872-04-18
AN APRIL STORY.
BY LAURA W. LEDYARD.

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"Take care, Kit, don t make any noise
here comes cute one, p'raps he'll pick
it up. -sh-shr' And, as Harry
grew silent, along came little boy,
whistling merrily.
"Halloo, what's thiss Looks like a
package of tea. Queer too, Guess I'll
take it home to mother" So he stopped
down to pick it up, when whisk! away
went the package, under the fence, and
Harry cried, "Ho! ha! ha! First OF
April. Sold again! Who'll take the
next one?'' But Kit didn't say any
thing; she just bit the ends of her
gloves and didn'tsay word. just then
they heard somebody crying a little way
off, as they thought.
''Halloo. what's that, Sis 20 said Har-
ry.
81 don't know-let's go see." So
away they went in the direction that the
sound came from, on and on, until they
came to little brook that went dancing
over the stones, and l very queer little
brook it was too, for it kept saying,
"Run along, run along,"
"Well,'' said Harry, "we're running
along, aren't we old boys" So they
they went on and on, until they came
to where the brook ran under stone
bridge, and very queer bridge it was,
too, for it kept saying, "Under, come
under, under, under!"
"All right, my hearty, here goesr
said Harry, so he took Off his shoes and
stockings, and mounting Kit ON his
back waded through the brook under
the bridge, and still the same somebody
kept on crying. So they ran along by
the side of the brook until they came to
where it srlashed over rock in a kind
of waterfall, and a very queer water
fall it was too, for it kept saying, "Wash,
wash, wash!'
"Well, you're a healthy old water
fall!' said Harry.
"I'm going to do it, said Kit solemn
ly. So they both stopped down and
washed their hands in the glistening
water, and very queer water it was too,
for as soon as they washed in it they
understood everything that the little
bird in the tree up above them was
singing. lie said:
Lift up the stone under the tree;
When that is DONE listen to mei''
''Did ever you hear anything like
that" cried Kit with half-frightened
laugh. Then looking down, she added
"Here's the stone, Harry; come ahead"
"All right! up with it!'' said Harry.
So they took hold of the big stone, and
were very much surprised to see how
easily they could roll it away. When
that was done the bird said quickly:
Now sprinkle water over the ground;
II you hear anything, follow the sound.
So Harry scoOped up some water in
his hat and sprinkled it all around the
tree, and then, "most wonderful to be-
hold!" they saw beautiful avenues un-
der the ground, leading in every direc-
tion-beautiful, leafy avenues, all shady,
as if the sun had just gone under a
cloud; and way from the end of the
most beautiful one of all, there came a
sound of some one weeping.
"Come," said Kit, stealing her hand
softly into Harry's. So they walked
hand in hand down the beautiful
avenue, on and OH and on, until they
came to little grotto, half sunny, half
shady; and on the shady side on high
stool sat girl crying. But when she
heard them coming she jumped up and
ran over to the sunny side, and then
she laughed, and out flashed the sun,
and the sunlight streamed down the
long avenues in perfect flood of yell
low light.
"How do you do, little fools?" she
said.
"Well!" said Harry, 1 say YOU'RE
polite"
"Oh! that's nothing, said the girl;
"nobody comes here to-day but little
s'April-fools." You needn't tell me
how you got here. l know all about it."
sob! you do, do you?" said Harry,
rather startled. swell, that's all right"
''Please, what were you crying
about?" asked Kit anXiously. And
then the girl ran back to her stool on
the shady side, and commenced to sob
as though her heart would break, and
once more the sun went under a cloud,
and the avenues were all shady. "Well,"
said she, 81 know a little boy, and his
mother is very poor, and this morning
as he was going through the woods he
saw package of tea lying on the
ground at his feet, and he stopped down
to pick it up, then somebody snatched
it away, and he was so sorry; saw
him cryr' Kits face grew very long
fact, so long that there's no
knowing when it would have stopped
lengthening, if Harry hadn't said,
"Why, that was too bad, wasn't it?"
"Well, no, not SO bad either" said
April (for April it was), wiping her
eyes, and going over to the sunny place,
"for he'll have a pleasant surprise when
he gets home. 1 know all about that"
"Oh! that's NICE" said little Kit.
"Well no, not so nice either" said
April, "for those two naughty children
will have to be punished"
"Oh! that's too bad," said Harry.
"Well, no, not SO bad either" said
April. for l think they're sorry for it,
nowr' And then they all three laughed
away, until the sunlight was positively
dazzling, and the shadows all got mixed
up.
''Come," said April "never mind the
little boy. Seven-times-one has gone to
see after him."
"Who's Seven-times-One?" said Kit.
"Why, that's my first week, of course,
little starer," said April, "she'Il fool
him.