The San Francisco call., 1895-12-22

| lap, and began to search for the little
darning-gourd. But the gourd was not IN
| the basket. She got up, and looked mere
and there and everywhere, but could no'
| find it. At last she sat down and drew 9
stocking-foot on her left hand. II mus,
try and darn them this way" she salo
with a sigh, "but it is harder, and l am
very, very tired.'' And with that she
leaned back in her rocklng-chair and fell
fast asleep. Then there came chuckle
from under the bureau.
"What's that?" asked the darning-
needle, with his one eye turned In the d.
rection of the sound.
'It's l." was the answer, and out rolled
the little gourd.
"Why did you hide away?' asked the
needle.
Pm 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 o hundred pins stuck
into you at time, what then?" said the
round pincushion.
"Oh, you're so fat it can't hurt you
much,' said the gourd.
WELL said the scissors, "you oughtn't
to grumb BILE. l have to do much more than
you do.''
but then, you see, you haven't been
used to anything else," said the little
gourd. "But think of me. Once | hung
high on beautiful green vine. Sweet
hoWers grew all about mel think can
smell them now. The birds came and
sang to mel think | can hear them now.
The butterflies and the bees nodded to me
as they flew BY think can see them
now. Oh, how happy | was, And to be
taken from that lovely home and thrown
into a workbasket and made to help darn
children's stockings, tit isis really too
much"
stop your grumbling," said the scis-
sors, land let me talk awhile. Ii you had
been left there what would have become
of you? When winter came you'd nave
found yourself hanging on dry, brown
rope instead of a beautiful green vine.
And you couldn't have smelled the now-
ers, because there wouldn't have been any
flowers; and you couldn't have hearo the
birds, or have seen the bees and the butter,
flies, because they'd have gone, too. AND
there you would have hung, lonely llttie
gourd, rudely shaken by wintry winds.
Eyes" added the darning- needle, 'the
scissors knows. He was lost outdoors all
winter. There isn't much you can tell him
about winter in garden"
''As for the children" said the fat pin
cushion, cit is a pleasure to do ANYTHING
for them. They are very nice children.
And their mamma, too, IS just the mamma
for such children"
"And how neatly she keeps the work
basket" said the scissors. "It's really
pleasure to live in it"
"And what pity it would be" said the
darning- ''if the children should
come home and find the stockings 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 heard quite enough. I'm sorry hid,
and sorry l grumbled. I'll roll over and
touch our mistress foot, and she'll wake
up and see me, and then, perhaps, the
children's stockings will be darned in
time, after ALL"
So it rolled over and touched the
mothers foot once-twice-thrice; and
the third time she awoke and saw the
gouro, and saving: why, there it is!
How glad l am!' picked it up.
And when the children came home from