The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1901-01-19

| pr down to the photographers fixed
him up in the beloved to@gery cab }ut
eight sizes too largrr. tousled up his
proved hero, placed in his tiny hands
Il ball three times the size of his head.
and, presto. there was the picture of
the tiniest football player in the coun-
try.
| Norton enjoyed the fun as much as
| his big brother did and kept the Sc
cret stored so snugly away in his baby
| brain that Ralph rewarded him by
giving him his old football cushion
when he went away to college. Nor
ton was overioyed. and. when no one
was locking, often gave an admiing
| hug to the sawG,ust cushion, with its
melon shaped pieces of red and blue
silk and its cute LITTLE lacing.
Every night. after mother put him
into his little brass crib, he lay staring
at the shining silken stripes til he wan
Gcred off to n dream-land proplcd with
l)ng- haired half-LackS. tackltrs, gCalds,
and all the other queer things to be
seen on Il football field. One night,
just as the long lashes were settling
down over his little peppers. the pin
cushion began to move. Yes. it id.
There. it moved again, Norton sat up
to see what caused it all: but the queer
little cushion never budged Il bit. just
down fnr
long sleep.
The next night, however, the cush-
Ion began wiggling again. Sometimes.
indeed, it almost turned somersault,
and then settled back again. Norton
drew himself up into a sitting position.
Quietly. very quietly, hardly daring to
breathe, he leaned over the crib-rail
and watched-what do you think?
The very cutest little mouse that ever
ran across Il chff0nicr and nibhled at
the pin-cushion. Perhaps the little AM
nal guessed that the football was stuff
fed with bran: bran is dainty tidbit
for hungry little mouse Anyway,
he pulled and tugged away at the shoe
string lacing, climbed on top the cush-
ion, and blinked saucily at Norton, and
then scampered frSkily away to tell
the home folk about the prize he had
found. the happiest little mouse i'll
mouseland
The next night Frisky came again,
and began to Eibble hole in the cush-
ion. and Norton was so excited. while
watching. that he forgot all about the
harm mouse might do.
When Norton told his mother about
the next morning, she was Il little
troubled; for she feared that her baby
boy thought. talked and dreamed so
much about his cherished football that
perhaps he might have imagined things
which did not happen. and could not
tell the real from his dreams.
So the next night mother lay down
beside Norton. and together they quiet
~ watched for the coming of the
mouse. They had almost grown tired
of waiting when there was Frisky,
sitting jauntily atop the cushion,
twinkling his little heady eyes, as
though he would say: Hello, there.
Watch me go to the bottom of this |
cushion, will you? Good-by"' And |
down into the bran went his little head. |
Then such Il scratching. Down went |
the rest of his body, all but the tips Of |
his hind feet and his stiff little tail.
The old ball wabbled craZily to and |
fro; and. my! how the bran DID fly. |
Frisky seemed to be paving away |
with his front feet. like a playful pup |
py. sending the dust ia all directio.s.
\ few sprinkleS even reached Nolt5n,
away over in his crib. and MADE him
chuckle so loud that the frightened
mousie went scampering blck to his
hole.
Norton never knew that after he was
asleep Frisky brought all his sisters
ard his cousins and his aunts to q mid
night party on the ch;ffonicr, where
they had the incest Kind of time,
dancing and eating up the bran which
Frisky had paved out for them.
The next night Frisky came alone.
and went to work kagain, just as though
Norton, with his father. mother. and
sister, were not all watching and smil-
ing at him. He worked so hard that
by morning all the bran was gone,
leaving the poor. fattened pin-cushion
a little heap of red and blue rags.
Never mind"' laughed father. "The
old cushion was almost worn out any
how. | am glad the mice had such a
good time
$50 am l." asserted Norton. "Ralph
said he'd bring me a really one for
Christmas. anyway: and it was such
fun to see mouse capita n football