The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-01-10
MRS. NEW YEARS PARTY.

Mrs. New Year and were going to
have party. At first we meant it to
be a general reunion of the Time fami-
ly, but the Months had all grown up
and had gone away from home. They
seemed to belong to the whole world
quite as much as to us; and then they
do put on such elder rotherly and eld-
er-sisterly airs that we were afraid the
children would not have good time.
We were especially anxious that they
should enjoy themselves, and so our
grand reunion resolved itself into a
children's party. We did not think of
inviting the Weeks, but we knew that
Carnival Week was the only one of
them all that would be satisfied with
the simple amusements that delighted
the children and so we decided to ask
only the little Days.
"The dear little things said Mrs.
New Year, "What good time they
will have! You can hardly guess how
queer it seemed to me at first when my
sister, Mrs. Old Year, went West and
left me such houseful of children. 1
felt quite overwhelming, butt is
very strange-but they had not been
with me long before began to wonder
whether l had ever really lived before
they came; though sometimes it makes
me feel very old and responsible, al
most as if must have lived long
while ago and gone West, and then
come back again, for everything seems
so strangely familiar, even when 1
know l have never SEEM before. Isup-
pose all people have such feelings
sometimes"
"Yes, but / think you have better
reason for them than almost anyone
else," said 1.
cit does no HARM" said Mrs. New
Year, "and it pleases the children
when | tell them stories about what l
remember or imagine that l remem-
her,"
We had to think very hard to find a
place where the Days had never been;
but at last we remembered Hirgendsvo,
which they had all been told that they
might visit sometime. 1t is the most
wonderful place in the world. 1t is an
island, but the water around it is not
the kind in which children are drowned,
but that which is good for sailing boats
The trees are loaded with the incest
fruit, all the kinds that we like best
and great many others that never
grow anywhere else. There are ponies
to ride, and wherever they stop a flight
of steps spring up out of the ground,
so it is easy to climb upon their backs.
Some of these children liked to 90 fish
ing, and for them there were long, light
fishing rods covered with beautiful
pictures that they could look at when
the fish were unwilling to be caught.
This did not often happen, for their
lines had no hooks but only little silver
openwork baskets full of sea MOSES
and coral, and when the fish saw them
they would scramble in as fast as they
could and be drawn up to the surface
of the water, not quite out, for they do
not like the air, and there they would
lie in the bright MOSES and tell
the children stories about the wonder
full things away down in the Under
world. There were swings that swung
themselves, and if you shut your eyes
it would seem as if the sweetest music
were floating about in the treetops all
around. If you would rather keep your
eyes open, then you would see such
lovely little fairies standing on the
branches. and they would toss to you
great handfuls of the incest candy Won
ever ate. There was everything that
anyone could think of to make children
have good time, for it was the pleas
ATTEST place in all the world for chill
dren's party.
Mrs. New Year and I went there
early, and in a little while the children
began to come. 1t was almost like q
masquerade, for the children had been
told that they might dress as they liked,
and some of them liked to wear very
funny things.
Mrs. New Year had one little girl of
her own, whom the others called New
Years Day She came with her mother
very early, for she was.such a sleepy
little puss that Mrs. New Year did not
like to have her up late. The dear lit
tie thing had come in dainty dress Of
pure white, but when she saw that the
others were wearing all sorts of strange
and unusual things she managed to fast
en- on some kind of trail loaded with
heavy ornaments which few older peo-
pie know how to manage very well.
They were sadly in her way, for she
was not strong enough to carry them
alone, and she was too proud to ask
any one to help her, and so they
dragged around her feet, and more
than once she tripped and fell. Atlast
l saw her lying under tree fast asleep.
AS came up she awoke and began to
cry to find herself in strange place,
but before / could get to her, Christ
mas, one of the Oldest of the children,
was at hand, as she almost always is
when little New Years Day needs her
help, and in two minutes the poor little
woman was kissed and comforted so
that she ran away happier than ever.
Valentine was one of the merriest of
the children. What capers he did cut!
He tossed candy hearts and funny pict-
ures around among them all and then
he would sing comical verses and make
them laugh. But l was very glad to
see that he was never rude in all his
fun. could not say as much for April
First, for he was continually doing or
saying something that would hurt
somebody's feelings, and, what was
worse, he did not always seem to care
even when he knew how bad they felt.