The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-05-29
OUR WILLIE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY.

haO arrived as Tar along as MS SlXtn
summer. In November he would be
seven, but that seemed long way off
to Willie, who thought his birthday
ought to come in summer, when chill
dren could play outdoors, and especi-
ally in vacation when there was no
school. Willie lived in a pretty little
town on the banks of the Mississippi
River. The house was in the middle
of large grove of trees, and there
was plenty of room to run and play,
and that was all that was necessary to
complete the happiness of our Willie,
who looked upon eating and sleeping
as only ingenious contrivances on the
part of grown-up people to keep him
from playing all the time.
Well, there Willie lived in a nice
house, with his father and mother, and
did pretty much as all boys do who are
genuine boys. But one day there en-
tered into his head the idea of a party;
where it came from, or how it got
there, no one knew, but it took solid
foundation under those yellow curls,
and it grew and grew till at last out it
popped. Willic's mamma was, in
some respects, very estimable young
woman, but even grown-up people
have faults and failings, and a decided
weakness of this young person was to
lose herself completely in a book.
When once she began to read she
evinced a total disregard for her sur
roundings, and even Willie's numer-
Gus questions and remarks were not
strictly needed. On one OF these oc-
casions, Master Willie introduced the
subject that lay so close to his little
heart, and which had been the cause of
much anxiety to him. The first ques-
ton he asked was, "Mamma, when is
my birthday?'
"Oh, not yet" said his mamma,
turning over another leaf, and not
really caring just then for the impor-
tant anniversary.
. Willie, after thinking that the birth
day must come sooner or later, said,
"Can have a party on my birthday"
Mamma, deeper than ever in the love
story, murmurs, eyes; oh yes, sup
pose so," and is gone again.
"Well. mamma, will it be by next
Saturday?''
"Oh, yes, guess so," family comes
the reply, and then, for his mamma,
the conversation is forgotten-bu but not
for Willie, as subsequent proceedings
will show.
The very next Saturday that Willie
had made up his mind was his BIRTH
day, his mamma lay in her room, with
darkened windows and closed doors,
suffering terribly from headache.
Cousin Abbie, very pretty young
lady, who was PAVING her a visit, in
vain lied to relieve her; but only quiet
and sleep would be of the least benefit.
As she lay there, there seemed to float
in on her feverish dreams the sound of
children's voices, growing louder and
louder. What can it mean? For a
moment she forgot her headache and
sprang to the window. There, on the
lawn, were children of all sizes, age
and color children in white dresses
and sashes, and children with calico
gowns and sun-bonnets; boys in their
Sunday suits, and boys with one sus-
pender holding up tattereo pair of
pantaloons over not very clean shirt.
Where did they all come from, and
what were they going to do?-flashed
through her mind.
She had not long to wait, for the next
instant Cousin Abbie opened the door,
and between a laugh and groan said.
"Willie has party; he says you said
he might; and he has asked every child
that he could find, and the whole town
is here. What shall we do?''
Willie's papa, quite unconscious OF
A. A.
to his dinner, which he was accustomed
to find always ready for him. Instead
of the well-served meal, he was greeted
by the shouts of the children, and, as
he was decidedly hungry and tired, the
situation was not an agreeable one.
He, however, found the absurdity of
the motley collection too much for him,
and he laughed in spite of himself as
he looked at the guests which his
young hopeful had so Hospitality enter
tanned; although, as he assisted in
helping Cousin Abbie wait on them, he
found very little chance to eat himself,
or very little suited to his immediate
wants. The children, however, were
perfectly satisfied; and when at last,
happy and tired, they all went home,
they reported that they had splendid
supper. Ice-cream, and cake, and lem
onade, and biscuits-and oh, every
thing! The ice-cream was blanc
mango, but to them it was just as fine
as could be; and the simple little cook
les and cakes were all eaten with a
relish.
Master Will bore with great COM
posture the reproofs he received, and
could never realize that he had done
anything but what was eminently
proper and customary. OF course,
when some of the mothers found out.
as they soon did, what an impromptu
affair IL was, they thought it very fun.
ny, and enjoyed the joke much more
than Willie's mamma did-and that
was the way Willie had his party
II. M. C0aUles, in Little Gem.
Little scotch Granite.
DID you ever have bit of cloth that