The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-09
BY MARGARET E. sANGsTER.

BY MARGARET E. sANGsTER. Copyright, 1906. by Joseph B. Bowles. Speaking of birthdays. do you re- member how proud you were on th' day when you slipped out of twelve in to thirteen? That was a real mile-ston nn the road, and you felt a good dea taller and much more important wher you were fairly in the teens than you did in the first dozen years of youl life Then. when sixteen came and three more of the wonderful white mile-stones had been passed, you were again in a different world. Girlhood has many phases and changes and is altogether a most interesting and fas- cinating period both to those who stand by and watch 1t, and to those who are in the midst of its pleasant time
 I suppose that you have a birthday book. Every girl should have one. SC that she may keep in mind the birth | days of the dear people at home. of | teachers, friends. chums and every | body In whom she has some measure | of interest. It does not so much mat l Ter what the name of the particular birthday book Is. but 1t should have l a sentiment in prose or verse for. every day In the year, and blank space un- der each date. where names of friends may be written.
 Nothing gives more pleasure to a friend at a distance than to receive a letter from Bessie or Marjorie on the morning of birthday. a letter carry Ing good wishes. a message of cheer and an assurance of love- If Wilhel- nina in South Dakota on a ranch. ten miles from neighbor. shall have drop ped into her lap on the morning of her fifteenth birthday a letter from Caro- line in Tennessee. containing a press ed flower. bookmark. or merely four pages of merry chat, her heart will glow with new warmth the lve-long day She will know that Caroline took trouble for her and that she went to the post office and found out precisely letter to reach its destination. Caro- line. living in a village with neighbors close by, could hardly appreciate how lonely Wilhelmina sometimes felt. but she had bridged over the space be- tween by her word in season.
 
 Does there happen to be among your acquaintances girl whom everybody loves. or a girl who has few relatives and Is far from home. or a girl who Is tired and dropping, or still another shut in by illness and compelled to sii still by the hour instead of going about as you do at her own sweet will? Any one of these girls would be made extremely happy if her class mates or her friends should send her a birthday shower Suppose you begin to plan 1t two or three weeks in ad- vance of the date. You will then choose the place where the shower Is to be given. If at the girls own home, her friends will meet there and take her by surprise. although they will be wise if they give hint beforehand to her mother or older sister as to their intention.
 Surprise may fall on a household at an inconvenient moment, and 1t is generally better to take the head of the family into confidence before pro eeding with them. The girl herself may be kept verp properly In ognor- ance of the compliment that Is to be paid her. Brides often have showers of linen or china before their wedding days, but I see no reason why other people may not have showers, too, Yours to your friend who has birth day may include plants, photographs, flowers in bloom, books. bon bons or anything else that you choose to bring, and the greater the variety the more pleasing the occasion will be.
 A girl I knew had a birthday show CT given her and years after 1t, look InE over a box Of souvenirs. she found among other little things that had been put away. a bit of cardboard with a Latin motto worked in steel beads and stitched carefully to a piece of white satin ribbon. The girl who had worked 1t for her was by that time on the other side of the globe and they had not seen or heard from one an- other in a long time. but the motto with it's quaint message of unohang- ing love was precious to her who had