The Grange advance., 1877-01-03
II IHIdI 1'II.N dOOI: hit

4 n - "a ~ ~ r. SIS aea ~
That's potter s-clay,''' Isaid Ruth.
"It's splendid for lots Of things.
Fathers going to make some kind Of
WhatcY0ecall- ems out of it. tas
! Ther1Qpn the six visitors all stood
in a roWnd gazed at the heap. ssIt
was gre3nsty and lumpy, and looked
somethtA Ike faded.out garden soil.
Nv 10 going to make = said
81 don,t know exactly said Ruth,
| 'tit's only came yesterday ~
'sWassaH a New Years present to
lsyour papa p asked little Dickie, inno-
| ai'g Set ielwasn't IT, replied Ned, with
lofty scorn sHe had slippers. What
] did your father get p
Slippers, too, said Dickie. ::
so did my papa laughed Wilbur.
81 guess AL gsntlemens get ems
said Dickie, thoughtfully. ''but I'd
rather have most anything sides
/ Still the children stood staring at
the heap Of clay. #
| .sLet's sit on it, said Jamie, with
great daring. Il guess it'll dust off,"
A hint was enough. The heap was
soon covered with children, and when
Ithey Jumped up they found that Jamie
was right. 1t ssdusted off, admira.
bly,.
! s.Let's make a road, 3 cried one of
the others.
Gail right!''' cried Ned. in great
glee ; but he looked at Ruth. and she
answered his look with ''yes; we'd
best ask Mamma
/ Ned was downstairs in a twinkling.
Mrs. Brant was very busily fitting a
dress on her mother.%
s'Don't come in, Ned - she called,
as Ned opened the door. ssI'm busy
with Grandma; what do you want %
"%Can we play with the clay,
mother?'' s: ,.....-. .... -..
80, yes, I suppose so,'' said the
mother, pinning a, plait on Grandma's s
shoulder s'd0 what you please with
it, only don't throw it about and get
it into each other s eyes, - -. ~ 2
30 no ma 'am,' answered Ned, as he
rushed toward the garret stairs again,
quite delighted. " @.~,.:.....
But VIXEN he reached the top, he
found all the children with tears in
their eyes. -. il, l@s@19i1f's .-%s .g.'f ID
They had already forgotten the
clay; for Ruth had taken big onion
from a bunch that hung on one of the
rafters. Wilbur had cut it in slices,
and now every one was holding a
piece to see (which could smell the
onion longest without crying.'' .t@s ...>'
"What pack of ninnies!" cried
Ned, laughing, and all the ninnies
laughed with him, except little Dot,
who whineds little and wished she
hadn't tried It,
''Have you given up the road!''
asked Ned. but nobody answered him,
! for that, old garrett had SO much in it
to look at, so many odd hooks and cor
1ners,s that before the eight pairs Of
Ieyes were dry their owners were all
scudding and burrowing about like so
many rabbits. What a delightful
time they had! I cannot Degin to tell
you all the games they played, and the
comical talks they had, nor how they
'sdressed up'' in the old hats and gar
ments they found hanging *on the
nails, nor how the boys made the
girls scream by crying 'sHere's a rat,
:. kill him killrhim - and then fling
Il inn their victimsacrOss theaaoor t the
shape Of an old or q bit Of torn
fur. At last Tommy looked out of
one of the little square windows, which
was half covered with ec0bWebs. 81
say. it's showing harder than ever
there'd have been good skating by to.
morrow if it hadn't showed - ... r
4 This seemed to make all the party
ser; Gus for moment.
''It isn't so very bad" said Ruth,
who always looked on the bright side
OF things. s'There'n be splendid
snow-balling.'
81 :Whocaresforssn snow -balling - cried
4 little Dickie, .'skatin's s the best
,, Everybody laughed at this, fol
Dickie was only sky ears old. and
; couldn't skate a stroke, not even on
roller skates.
Suddenly y Wilbur ,crieds "Oh!" and
stood motionless, looking steadily at
the floor. Rob flew to him like good
; brother, as he was, and gave him a
poke.
s'What on earth's the matter, Will
"Nothing. Only 1'*beet we could
Sure as live we could -
r.'Could what % cried Tommy & z
= Why, make ia skating pond here
right here, in this very garrett! -
Eyes you could" sneered Tommy
who, by the way, was the, only fellow
who had taken off his hat :; Ruth had
excused them because the garret was
not verV warm.