The Washington weekly post., 1900-08-28
Ohe Tnts Tmt Glves a Picnic.

your toes" said a centipede. who was go
| ing fast; suppose you had toes on one
hundred feet to stub. then you could az
| ford 10 talk"
The ants uncle returned 10 the plaza
where the table was being set. He threw
his hat over on the grass and sat down.
| saying: Il am very tired and little rest
would do me a great deal Of good"
Benjamin. BENJAMIN" cried the ants
aunt: how could you do such a thlngg'
Why. just you see what Uncle Ben
jamin did," cried all the small ants at
cnce.
You ought not 10 be so careless" re-
pled Benjamin: how was TO know that
II was custard pier | thought 1t was 4
nlce cushion you put there for me-"
che ants uncle started to get his hat
and walk away. lie had not gone very
Tar before he became red IN the face with
anger.
Get of my hat" all the ants heard
MN say how dare YOU sit on a poor
ant nat IKE that? Haven't you any man
ners?"
What is the matter. Benjamin." ask
ed the ants aunt. picking M her cane
end hobbling toward her husband.
This miserable man." yelled the ants
uncle, has had the impudence 20 sir
down on my hat and he won't get up."
The man looked in the direction of
Benjamin. and then yawned and got up
and walked away.
Benjamin, Benjamin." cried the ants
aunt, few minutes later. little Betsy
Ann has core back, and she SAYS that
nearly dozen Of the children started 10
climb a mountain. and the mountain got
up and walked away. Won't YOU please
go and try and find them?"
The ants uncle jammed his crushed sill,
hat down over his eyes. picked up a big
switch, and went to find the children. He
walked and walked, until he came to a
place where whole lot OF men and wo-
men were sitting IN a circle. while the
mosquitoes ate them. The men and wo-
men were eating pickles and dry sand
wiches, and trying 20 look happy. Uncle
BENJAMIN hurried down the midGle Of the
tabecloth, and calling, Children chill
dren,' at the top of his voice. Every
where he went he met some of those
miserable little children who had run
away from their own picnic. He found
them sitting on the edge of Il sponge
cake, dangling their feet and kicking
holes i'm the icing. They were perched on
loaves of bred, and up on top OF a plate
OF sliced ham. they were playing hide and
seek. Some of them had climbed up into
Il great Dig TN reservoir. 1neTe were all
their clothes en- the edge. and they were
having a swim.
Didn't 1 tell you not to go near the
water?' asked Uncle Benjamin, shaking
his cane. Now, where DO | find you?'
TT isn't water, said all the children
ants; ''its lemonade
II took the ants uncle more than an
hour TO get all the children together.
why don't you come away from here?
he said. Don't you hear all the men and
women talking and saying that Ii would
be such a delightful place here If IL were
not for those miserable ants2'
They didn't say a word" replied the
children, until you came"
This made Uncle Benjamin so angry that
he swung his cane and chased all the chill
dren before him back to the place where
the table of the ants picnic had been
spread. Way over to one side was the
ants aunt all alone. She had her hand
kerchIef 20 her eyes and was crying Ss
though her heart would break.
why, what's the matter?' asked Uncle
Benjamin. "What in the world has hap
pened%'
why, can't you see7' replied the ants
aunt "a miserable man came this way
and stepped right on the table, and when
he lifted up his foot everything was
ruined"
"Come on. children" said Uncle Benia
min Let us all go back to the mans
picnic After he has treated us this way
he deserves that we should tease him and
all his family"
That IS the reason that when men and
women give picnics all the ants In the
neighborhood go and plague them.
Copyright. 1900. by Mcclure. Phillips & Coz