The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-19

it as his best literary effort.
A country boy once became dissatisfied
with his humble farm life and went 10
a city He found employment on a daily
newspaper. was advanced until he had
charge of the circulation department.
He married and two children were born
to him, a girl and a boy. He lived in a
fiat on a crowded street. near his place
of business The children were, as yet,
mere babies, and their playground was
confined to a small grass-plot behind the
fat. Here they were shut in by high
brick walls and an alley fence.
AS time went on, the boy, who was the
older, asked for a larger playground. He
looked beyond the-narrow space and long
ed to be with the other boys in the
street This desire of the child met
with the sympathies Of the parents. They
saw how narrow the playground was
lit was. indeed, scarcely more than
little prison. and yet they shuddered at
the thoughts of the streets. They longed
for a HON ewhere the children might have
more freedom. and be nearer to nature.
The fathers thoughts went back to the
farm days of his boyhood and, as the
wife listened to his stories of the coun-
try. she learned to love it.
I'VE will save. said they, land buy
farm
1T viii not take long" said the hus-
band; and how happy we will be! There
We can rear Matthew and Mary in the
pure air of the country and let than
take their inspiration from the songs Of
birds and make their playnates of the
flowers"
When spring came. so great was the
mans yearning for the things of the
country. that he proposed to his wife
that they turn the grassplot into a
garden
But. John" she replied. what would
the children do for play ground then"
and he turned away with a sigh.
.'Oh. papa" cried Matthew, as the
father returned from work one evening,
and the children met him at the door,
I'VE have a real farm now
"An papa said Mary, 1--WE want you
to help dig
In the boys hand was a stove shovel
covered with dirt, and Mary's little frock
and face and hands were all sprinkled
with new earth.
Yves worked all day. papa" she said,
IAN Yves dug a lot"
The fathers eyes brimmed with tears.
He took the children into his arms and
kissed their dirty faces and thought them
as radiant and as pure as the flowers.
He carried them back to their playground.
foY hafr
After supper he took d spade and turn
ed over anew the dirt that they had
dug with so much toll. When night
came on the spaded place had grown
until it took up nearly all Of the grass
plot; but the children were unmindful
Of the loss of their playground. They
called it now their farm and Were happy
on the following evening, when the
father divided 1t into beds and rows and
sowed it in radishes and lettuce, and
the mother made a nasturtiums and
pinks, the children looked on In wonder
and told each other secrets.
AS the days went by and the sprout-
ing things peeped out, the joy of the
family grew-grew with the garden. Each
one had his work to do. The mother cared
for her nasturtiums and pinks the father
bent over his radishes and lettuce. and
would have been happier 70 have found
a single weed, and the children scratched
away between the rows with sticks and
table forks and thought how very much
their little hands were doing.
When the dark came. and the work
was done. the father fndly surveyed his
little patch and stood with folded arms
and ACKNOWLEDGMENT until the radishes,
grew into long rows of corn and the let
tuce bed, a wide field Of grain, and the
flower border great pasture. Out Of 1t
all he heard the murmur OF a meadow
urook, the melody of a distant cow bell.
and the plaintive call of frog and katydid-
And the mother dreamed too-dream
e dof n wide porch and of morning glorys,
dreamed of shaded walks and bluegrass
dreamed of the future Of her children.
When Matthew was six and Mary five
the farm fund had grown 70 500. They
had thought much of buying farm in
Kansas. That state was then in its in
fancy and they had heard that a thou
sand dollars would buy there hundred
and sixty acres Of good land.
er. as the family sat around the fire
one winter evening, in another year we
shall have a farm
Papa" said Matthew, will there be
a pony on the FARM
Yes. dear" was the reply.
AN viii we have little chickens?'
asked Mary.
Yes. my sweetheart" said the father,
I'VE Will have chickens ana little ducks.
too. and little birds-iittle birds just like
YOU; and he took the child and placed
her on his knee.
VIII there be q policeman to see that
I am good - asked Matthew.
NO. my child" answered the mother;
''on the farm papa and mamma VIII watch
their little boy and he viii be good"
When the children had been put to bed
they were talking still OF the farm. the
one Of the pony. the other OF the chick
ens. and little ducks. Long after the
mut1nurs had ceased to come from their
bed the father ard mother tiptoed over
to them and watched them sleeping.
cod bless them said the father.
they shall have ponies. and chickens.
ard flowers. and sunshine and all that
the farm may yield and all that We may
have shall be theirs"
The farm must be near some good
town" said the mother. where they can
go To school and have all the advantages
that other children have. and Mary shall
have a piano.
The winter passed and the garden time
the farm time came again. one day as
~, <..h<- NE sitting a. his 5=sl- A .ba