Middletown transcript., 1894-12-22

tEIDT think of darnin.
.IU III more than one o
each pair. Each child needed one t,
hang up for Santa Claus; and war tet
that stocking to be In the best o
order.
This Christmas eve they had all gone
to take tea with their grandmother
and before leaving had begged theil
mama to be sure and darn the stock
ings that they were going to hang W
in the big place.
So she took the big work-basket or
her lap, and began to search for the
little darning-gourd. But the gourd
was not in the basket. She got up
and looked here and there and every
where, but could not find it. At last
she sat down and drew stocking-foot
on her left hand. 81 must try and
darn them this way" she said with a
sigh, "but it is harder, and am very,
very tired" Aud with that she leaned
back in her rocking chair and fell fast
asleep. Then there came a chuckle
from under the bureau.
"What's that?" asked the darning-
needle, with his one eye turned in the
direction of the sound.
"It's J." was the answered, and out
rolled the little gourd.
"Why did you hide away?" asked
me needle.
'I'm tired of being scratched all
over while darning stockings" said
the gourd, ''lt's bad enough at other
times, but at Christmas time it is too
much"
Suppose you had hundred pins
stuck into you at a time, what then?"
said the round pincushion.
"Oh. you're SO fat that it can't hurt
you m uch." said the gourd.
"Well," said the scissors, "you ought
MT to grumble. 1 have do much more
than you do"
"But then, you see, you haven MT
been used to anything else," said the
little gourd. but think Of me. Once
hung high on beautiful green vine.
Sweet flowers grew all about mel
think can smell them now. The
birds came and sang to mel think 1
can hear them now. The butterflies
and the bees all nodded to me as they
flew BY think can see them now.
Oil how happy l wasl And to be
taken from that lovely home and
thrown into a work-basket, and made
to help darn children's stockings, it
it is-it really is too much"
"Stop your grumbling" said the
scissors, card let me talk awhile. If
you had been left there what would
have become of you? When winter
came, you ID have found yourself hang
ing on dry, brown rope instead of
beautiful green vine. And you could
MT have smelled the flowers, because
there would MT have been any flowers;
and you could MS have heard the
birds, or have seen the bees and the
butterflies, because they ID have been
gone too. And there you would have
hung, a lonely little gourd, rudely
shaken by wintry winds"
eyes" added the darning-need!e;
"the scissors knows. He was lost out
doors all winter. There is MT much
YOU can tell him about winter in a
garden"
"As for the children" said the fat
pincusion, sit is a pleasure to do any
thing for them. They are very nice
children. And their mama, too, is
Just the mama for such children"
"And how neatly she keeps the work.
basket" said the scissors. "It's really
pleasure to live in it,"
"And What a pity it would be-" said
CQ6 udI ulUS-utculc, IL Iuo. CuiluIcu
should come home and find the stock
ings they want to hang up for Santa
Claus, just as they left them, with the
same holes-'
"Don't say any more-don't say any
MORE" here broke in the little gourd. !
"I've heari quite enough. Pm sorry
l hid, and sorry grumbled. I'll roll
over and touch our mistress's foot, and
she'll wake up and see me, and then
perhaps tie children's stockings will
be darned IN time after all"
So it rolled over and touched the
mothers foot nce-twice-thrice and
the third time she awoke, and saw the
gourd, and saying, why, there it is
How glad am l'' picked it up.
And when the children came home
from their gIandmama's, they found
their stockingageQd as new, and hung |
And <horning. each3sfock
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