Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-04-12
AN APRIL STORY.
written for the MONITOR.

sorts seem to prevail.
A fortnight before the first OF April,
1892, a group of merry school girls
were telling the various ways in which
they had made, or become victims in
the past, when Kate said: ut is the
same thing after ali, year after year.
For my part | am tired of having the
chairs tied to the table legs, the
knives and forks sewed to the table
cloth, water sailed and coffee pepper
ed"
eyes," interposed Belle, "and find
ing the sheets folded midway and
perhaps sprinkled with sawdust, tow
els basted, coat pockets and sleeves
sewed across half way their length.
l wish we could think of something
new.''
81 enjoy seeing people look sur
prised,'' said Alice, ''its lots of fun
watching the different expressions,
but notice the jokes we play on 9TH
ers seem a great deal funnier than
when the tables are turned and tie
laugh comes our way"
All looked as if they appreciated
the truth of this.
Mary Lee, a pleasant looking, pale
faced girl. favorite among them,
suggested, wouldn't it be a change,
girls, since people are expecting un-
comfortable jokes, to surprise them
in pleasant ways?"
The idea met with general favor
and after an animated discussion they
decided to form an April Fool society.
The members was limited to twelve,
each of the half dozen present ask
ing another. After school they met
and organized the society. They
chose a leader, appointed Ways
and Means committee and Investiga-
ting committee, which should pre-
pare list of sick, lonely Or aged peo-
pie.
Their second meeting was an en-
thuiastic one Most of the girls were
away from home and somewhat limi
ted in resources. They decided to
have membership fee of ten cents
and to have the surprises as far as
possible from individual effort. They
agreed not to neglect school work
but by diligence to gain time for the
plans of the society. Such merry
times as they had during those ten
days!
May Brown, who was at home, had,
the previous fall visited friend in
nutting time and brought home
large quantity of walnnts. She made
a generous contribution from her
store, and the girls met there. crack
the nuts, picked out the meats and
filed several small paper bags. One
of these was for Aunt Indy, an old
lady who lived near Mr.. Browns,
with only her gray cat for company.
Another night they met at Evelyn
Lees and made date and walnut
creams, which were daintily arrang
ed in lace edged boxes.
Alice had a friend in the green
house at s., to whom she wrote and
who agreed to send quantity ofihow-.
erS.
Others solicited magazines and il
Illustrated papers for lame Joe, who
livedin little house near the station
and who had not walked for months.
They were delighted at the ready re-
sponces they met, and a large arm
full of HGrper's Magazines and Weeklies
and of the Youth Companions was OBJ
tanned.
Mrs. Blenn was a widow with sew
eral small children, living in tene-
ment over one of the stores. She
had hard work to get them necessary
food and clothing, and went from
house to house doing wasnings, while
the eldest girl care d ,as best she could,
for the younger ones. Two of the
girls collected toys and pictures for
them, and box OF food was prepar
ed, each girl contributing, SO that
for brief time che burdens of the
weary mother might be lessened.
On Branch St. lived an elderly min
lister and his wife, MIR. and Mrs Ford.
He had been there for years, and,
though never an eloquent preacher,
his life had spoken more than lip SER
vice, however brilliant He had re-
joiced in the prosperity Of his people
and wept with them in times of grief,
till their lives and interests had be-
come a part Of himself. There were
some in his congregation who regard
fhnr al VIC
and who did not scruple to say that
Mr.. Ford was worn out, and that the
church owed it to the yound people