Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-03-14
OUR BOYS AND GIRLS.
ONE HOUR AND ITS THOUS-
ANDS OF COUSINS.
They Came Pouring i'm the Window to
visit NeIlie-Were 1 the Sun-Engrav-
ing on Eggs-Johnny's Composition
Chocolate Candy.
.sixty Minutes Make an Hour"

brOwn-haired Nellie, on the Afternoon
of the very last day of the year, as
she rocked to and fro in her small
rocking chair-a gift from Santa
Claus, beating her breast with her
little fist, as though to beat the les.
son so firmly in that it never could
get out again by any chance U think
it would have been far more sensible
to have pounded on her head for that
purpose sixty seconds make min
ute, sixty minut es make an hour
over and over again, until the child
ish voice grew fainter and fainter,
and the last hour" never got far.
Their than "ou."
Then Nellie ceased rocking, and
her head sunk back against the pref
ty scarlet and green "tidy" which
she had found on her Christmas tree,
and the dark-brown curls fell over
the dark brown eyes, and she began
to think of nothing at all. And
while she was quietly thinking of
nothing at all she suddenly heard, to
her great amazement, tiny voice
as clear and sweet as the tinkling of
the silver bell that hung from the
necklace of "Snow- and Cream" her
favorite cat-repeat the words: "Six-
ty minutes make an hour and peep
ing through the cloud of hair that
yelled her eyes, she saw a wee figure
standing before her, dressed in white,
with daisy in it's bosom and snow
drop clinging to its pale, golt en-
curls.
1t had a round, CHEEKY, baby face
with dimple in one rosy cheek and
another in the rosy chin, and its eyes
were as blue as the eyes of a kitten
when it is only few weeks old.
Dancing in at "a hole in one of the
window panes, and thence to the
floor, on a long, slanting sunbeam,
came other diminutive figures, fol-
lowed by still smaller ones, and the
smaller ones followed again by conf
cal mites no higher than Nellie's new
silver thimblc.
''Oh, you darlings!" cried Nellie,
clapping her hands: ''How glad | am
to see you! Are you fairies"
mo, dear" replied the baby faced
one, with a bright smile. eve are
hours, minutes and seconds, and we
belong to the year that is almost
gone. l do not suppose you can re-
member, the minutes and seconds,
your acquaintance with them was so
very slight. They stay such a short
time that no one can become we'll ac-
quainted with them, sixty minutes
and 5000 seconds coming and going
during the visit of one hour, but l
am sure you can remember me and
my sisters and cousins-that is, some
of us. 1t would be impossible for YOU
to remember us all, of course"
''Why, how many sisters and
cousins have you, you cunning tot?''
asked Nellie.
Twenty three sisters and s73G
cousins" answered the tot.
Good graciousr' and ''My stars
exclaimed Nellie. What an awful
avery awful large family! 1 never
heard of such a thing. 1t stands to
reason"-Nellie borrowed this ex.
preston from her papa-''that
couldn't remember-such a young
memory as / have-only six going or
seven-the half or quarter of SO many
hundreds and thousands, even if rC
met them all, which / do not believe
l have"
That's just what I was about t.
say" aid the hour, shaking It's light
curls sof tly. "We do not expect yor
to RENE mber very many of us, an6
you're right in thinking you have MOI
known us all. In fact, but half OF
our number have been introduced t.
you. The other half glided silently
by while you were sleeping, and some
of us were so much alike that you
couldn't tell us apart; and few oil
our relations have yet to visit you
that is if you stay up long enough tc
receive them. The last will fv away
as he clock strikes twelve and the
midnight bells ring merrily to wei.
come the birth of the New Year"
ooh, dear no." said Nellie; II shan't
see that one. l go to bed zackly al
s, less on par-tic- lar 'casions, anC
then 9; but 1 do not think this is a
par-tic- u-lar 'casion for me. But yo,
haven't told me who you are YETI
81 am the hour that was with yor
the morning, nearly year ago, wher
your baby brother broke the beauti
full wax doll Santa Claus had brought
you, and you. forced back the tears
when you saw his rosebud mouth be
gin to tremble, and, taking him il
your arms, told him. 'Baa, baa, blacl
sheep until he fell asleep"
81 remember" said Nellie, her fac,
all aglow; land mamma kissed ne a:
she took baby Willie from me- and
called me her own brave iiftl,
daughter
''And am the hour" said small
grave body in gray dress that hadn'
even bow of ribbon on twill
marks of tears on its cheeks. and
red tip to its dot of a nose ''tha
stayed with you when you were be
ing punished for telling"
do not mention it, please" inter
rupted bright faced, pleasant-look
ing hour, in sky blue robe, with
wreath of the tiniest chrysanthe
NUNS around its head. "What's tn,
use of talking about it? 1t isn't
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