Rocky Ford enterprise., 1895-03-21

| MI IaE 1oONS
prince married
| the princess and
lived happily forever after"
A girl of probably 20. in a big chair.
by the light of q bright hearth fire. was
f, reading to q younger girl-in fact.
little girl. The story is concluded an
| he book closed.
! There. dear. how does that story
| please you? Don't you wish you knew
such an interesting. handsome. noble
prince as the one Of whom l have just
read?"
/ This Interrogation from the older
girl the younger one unconsciousiy ig-
nores for a time. She is dreaming.
Her big. blue eyes are staring vacantiy
Into the red embers which have fallen
from the logs on the hearth. Then sne
sighs deeply.
Waking from her reverie. she turns
those wide. wondering eyes Of hers
into the face above her. for she Is seat
ed at the older girls knee. and asks:
do you know, Julia. that Prince re-
minds me of Mr.. Mercer? Mr.. Mercer
Is handsome. And he's brave. too.
cause he saved my dollie when 1t fell
into the lake last summer. Only"-in
a regretful tone-"he hasn't any prin-
cess for his bride yet. But he will have.
cause he said he would"
"Oh. he did" from the older girl.
Yes. he did. Least, he's going to
marry queen. And isn't 1t strange,
Julia. her name is just the same as
yours?
why. child. what are you saying?
How do you know all this?"
WELL" answered the little one. puck
ering her mouth in a childish, quizzi-
cal way, while Mr.. Mercer was wait
Ing for you to finish dressing for the
theater the other evening he took me on
his knee and we sat here by the fire.
l told him I was awful tired reading
fairy stories, and asked him II he
couldn't tell me one. He said he
thought he didn't know any 'cept
what's in the books. but course. II l
wanted him to he'd try"
Yes. and what did he tell you?"
He said: Once there was a man
who liked girl awful much, but he
was afraid to tell her so. cause he
didn't know how she'd take it. And
he said: BY Jove, wish she wasn't SO
distant to me- And 1 said. lis she so
far away? He said. No. not that kind
Of distant She's not kind to you.
then? said I. Well. not kind enough"
said he. Then I told him she wasn't
nice II she wasn't kind, and he said.
right quick. oh. yes. she il nice; she's
adorable-she's a queen Why. what's
her name? said I. Well. he was star
Ing into the fire. and he took q big, long
breath and said, julia"
why. that's my sisters name"
said. Does she know herr"
And he jumped up 30 quick he really
frightened me. but then he kissed me
and said: Now, Joyce. I started in to
tell you fairy story. didn't II"
YES" said I; but 1t wasn't much ac-
count" II know that" said he. awful
quick. "and 1 want you to forget all
about 1t and I'll come around some
other time and tell you another one."
well. II 1t isn't any better than the
one you started you needn't come"
said I. And he-why. he laughed and
said he'd try and make the next more
Interesting. Then you came down
stairs. and when you were going out
with him he turned around. put his
finger on his lips and he looked real
serious. think
why. Joyce. he meant you should
not say anything about it."
About what?"
why. about what he told you. 1t
was naughty of you. Joyce: it was
wrong"
We'll. that's the second time I didn't
know what keep quiet meant You
know what you said about him last
week. Well. after 1 told him about
IT,
What! did you tell him all about
Miss. Julia sits back in her chair
aghast.
Yes; told him. and he said: Ny,
my, Joyce. you mustn't tell things like
! that. But he didn't tell me that till 1
was all done talking" h
"Oh. you horrid child! How dared you
| to do such a thing? How"-overcome
by her feelings. Miss Julia sat in 81
| lence, but she did a good deal of think
| Ing. --
The two girls sat in quiet for a time
without speaking, and 1t was becoming
embarrassing to both when the en-
trance of a maid with a card caused
both to rise. The older girl reads the
| card, "Mr. Mercer"
Tell Mr.. Mercer to come up here.
| It's much warmer"-in an apologetic
way-''and. Joyce, it's far past your
| bed time. Say good night and run
| away"
obeying her sister. Joyce just reaches
the doorway. when her path is blocked
| by the form of tall, good-looking
young fellow, who stands. slightly sur
prised. with a bulky package in his
| arms.
Good evening, Miss Julia. How are
you, Joyce! You are not going as soon
as 1 come. are you? why, I have
brought you your Christmas present.
But"-carelessly-"y won't want to
see 1t until tomorrow
| "Oh. yes: show me now. please" !"
| pleaded the little one. "why, I'd
most forgotten to hang up my stock
ing"
And while the young man kneeIs to
unite the package he has brought,
Joyce's diminutive figure squats on a
rug by the fire. and before any warning
words can come from his sister, the
little one has unbuttoned a tiny boot
and taken of one little black stocking
Quite unabashed by the frown from
her sister she hops over to Mercer, and
with her bare foot hidden In her skirts
| asks:
Won't you hang this on the mantel
| for me please? Now don't put 1t too
| near the middle for last Christmas the
heat made the candy all too soft and
couldn't eat it,
Both Mercer and Joyce's sisters
laugh at this remark. and with the aid
| 80 <a,l, bo atockiu0 ta hung The