The Daily soliphone., 1902-01-02
ls Story of E elice
 OR, he Wonder Tree.
Written by the editors wife for the enter= tainment of the children who read the S0IiphOne.

'.Wbat funny old lady,n said Feiics to Tatters when she had gone. "Don't yeu. o Tatters, do you think she looks like . fairy godmotherl''
 Tatters grinned skeptically. However convenient fairy godmothers might be, be hadn't much faith in them Looks more like a witch,' said Tatters.
 CHAPTER II
 Felice took the seed and ran to hunt her smother With much excitement she told her of the adventure with the queer old woman
 ssWell dear,'' said her mamma, sfo course w0 will plant the seed, but l V ouldn't he too sure of anything remark able happening. The poor old woman may be half-demantea or she may be trying to deceive you ?
 own about the old woman. After much aiacussion they decided that the space be- tween tho wcudhAase and the kitchen wculd be safe from observation. s'You can't gee it from the strecte,'' said Tatters s,and nebody evar comes aroudd here but planted.
 Generally Felics went to sleep as soon as her pretty head touched the pillow, but that night she disturbed her mother by tossing about long after she had gons to bed. What's tue matter, Felice?" asked , ;j she was half ashamed to tell her all the wild hopes running rot in her little head.
 As soon as she awolse next morning she got herclothes on as quickly as possible nd ran out to see how her wonderful seed was coming on. When she ran around the corner of the kitchen next the wood shed you will never guess the wonderful thing ste saw. Altogether. in Felice's opinion, 1t was the most amazing thing that could have happened It was in fact about the only thing she hadn't thought of The small space between the two Louses was as blank ard bare as when they left it the day before. There were the prints of her chubby hands in the soil above the seed, where she had patted 1t dat, and there was nothing more. Nothing. She sat dowh on the ground in speechless grief and disgust. She knew all about Jacks bean stalk, Jonah's gourd, etc., and naturally they had colored her srecuiations about her peach seed. That night she had dreamed chat coming out in the morning she saw slender peach tree whose top was lost among the clouds; and that she had climbed 1t to ! wonderful world ot beauty and joy such as never yves heard of even h tho story books. All night she had raced svsr enchanted meadvws with Bo Peep. and Red Riding Hood, and Boy Blue and Prince Dsler, and giant killers, and all her friends of Booklapa, and now Really she felt sure for . moment that her heart was broken. but just then she caught sight of Tatters grinning at her around the wood shed, and she arose with some dignity. It was 8 point of honc, with Felics never to cry before people For one thing sbs considered 1t silly and then 1t made her face spotted
 "Well," grinned Tatters, .'has it sprout ed?"
 "Certainly net,'' said Felice, with in creased digaity. "Who ever heard of z peach seed sprouting in one nightp' whict may have been little insincere but wa. certainly spunky. l Police had too sturdy spirit to bs easily cast down, so she contiaued to vis,1 the wood shed occasionally, in furtivt way, and on the third morning hel patience was, in measure, rewarded T, her delight she found the soil cracked above the seed and whitish green sprou was visible, pushing upward. And how wonderfully it grew and thrived! In . week it was quite a respectable little tre, | and ia less than a month Felice becam. | alarmed lest the top should show abov, the woedshed. And what funny leokin. peach tree it was! While the trunk ane limbs were exactly like the other trees the foliage was unlike any they had evel seen. ] he leaves were of bright greer and just the sizs and shape of silver quarter. And gee whiz! how hard the, are,n said Tatters, with his little goose berry eyes Judging out, ''they're as hard as wosd' Tatters had long ceased to grir about the old lady and her peach seed
 And what de you suppose Felice's sensi bls mother thought about this strange businesss She was a very sensible woman when it came to managing the house and 'eagden, but you see, she had lived alone wish Felice so long, and had read SC many tales about magic and fairy godmothers that perhaps her mind had become con. fused. and after witnessing the rapid growth of the strange tree she was over come with wonder aud waited as eagerly as Eelice, expecting any maryelous thing