Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-02-10


tie robin, who was looking for a place
to build her nest, came with a merry
song in the same tree.
lyon seem very merry about moth
ing" croaked the raven. Don't you see
those black clouds above us? 1t is go
ing to snow
Well, I allskeep on singing until
it comes. A merry song won't make it
any COLDER chirped the robin.
"'You are very silly croaked the
raven, and he sat still and made him
self as uncomfortable as possible. Soon
| the clouds went away and the sun came
ort warm and bright, but the raven sat
alone on the branch of the old oak and
| was as sad as ever. He said:
To be sure, it is quite pleasant just
now, but know the sun will soon shine
hot enough to burn one up. Then to-
| morrow it will be colder than ever. 1t
| is always too warm or too cold
"Just then the little robin came back
| We'll, my FRIEND she said, where is
your snow?'
Never mind!' he answered. TT will
snow all the harder for this sunshine
"'And snow or shine,' said the robin,
4 see you are determined to be miser-
able. For my part. [ shall look on the
| bright side of everything, and have
song for every day in the year.
"And the lesson ended with the ques-
tion: which was the wiser?'
'It was a sort of fctional problem,
| and AZ a child / was much impressed,
but whether that impression was last
ing one or net cannot say"
"The moral is certainly very good"
said Sadie. "Jessie, 1 am afraid we are
| too. ravens. But life in this burg would
make raven out of any robin
| Kittie laughed softly.
Il am afraid you haven't grasped the
| moral very well yet, Sadie. No matter
| how black the cloud is it has its silver
| lining, and you must keep on singing
| until you have found it. We won't al
| ways be in this burg. Why, last even
ing 1 met May Spencer. She is home
| on visit, and while 1 stood talking to
her 1 wondered how SO wealthy and so
| elegant man as her husband ever
come to form such an attachment. She
is mot at all clever, and she is neither
pretty nor stylish" and Kittie couldn't
resist snatching little glance at the
| reflection of her own pretty face and
| stylish tailor gown that fit close to
| her perfect form in the mirror opposite.
| 'Of all our girls May was certainly
the most ordinary. In fact she was in
| ferior," said Jessie.
Eyes, that is all true, but if she had
| not gone east for that visit she would
never have met her banker" argued
| Sadie. Zone never meets man like
| him here, and here we seem fated to
stay"
you can't tell what day there may be
! a convention of bankers, or bonanza
iron kings, or Coal Oil Johnnies called
here, and we shall all meet our fate"
| Grandmother says never go to mar
ket for your husbands, the best are
brought to your door" laughed Kittie
"Oh, l suppose some day there will
| be a great cOmmotion at our door and
! the bell will ring long and loud. an
nouncing the arrival CT a stranger
Mother will go to the door and a youth
handsome as a god will inquire if she
| is Mrs. Atkins. Mother will answer
him yes, and he will ask if she has q
| beautiful daughter named Sadie again
mother will answer yes. and he viii.
say bring forth the maiden-'she is
my fate" Then the three girls laughed
merrily.
| "Well, 1 can't say whether it will be
| like that, or whether you will fall down
| the front steps and sprain your ankle
and be carried in by one of the delegates
othisconvention that have promised"
said Kittie. But for myself, I have
never thought of my millions coming
with man. 1 have always felt that
some day or other grandfather would
| strike OIL 1 am like a woman grand
mother tells of. / feel certain that the
| da, Will come when the rustic of my
silks and the sparkling of my diamonds
will startle people"
Tell the story Kittie,'' said Jessie.
Your grandmother stories are al
ways good"
well, grandmother had a neighbor
in Londonerry, such a happy. cheerful
| woman. Her husband was a carriage
maker, and they were IN very independ-
ent circumstances. They had only
| two children-Miles and Kathleen
Miles was attending the Dublin college
and Kathleen was at convent in Paris.
when the hard times came in Ireland.
The first to feel the depression were the
carriage makers. and this family had
to sell their pretty home, and take a
smaller place. The children were taken
from school and Miles. big. handsome
fellow, Joined the English army and
was sent with his regiment to India
The family kept getting poorer and
poorer. Kathleen was a lace maker.
and for long time they lived on what
her sales of lace brought in. but as the
people all became poorer there was no
demand for real lace and thus theic
only means of support was cut off Bur
| grandmother says that sweet woman
| never forgot how to smile, and when
| they were so poor they could be no