St. Tammany farmer., 1906-09-08
FAIRY 5 BOATS
BY AGNES GR0zlER HERBERTsoN.

:
eooeeooooooooeeoeoooooeoc6
She crushed her wide hat down over
her ears and laughed out at him from
Under the improvised bonnet when
the sun shines-hard, then l do this."
she said. What do you do?"
Grin and bear it, said Langham,
carelessly. Then he caught her puzzled
glance and reproached himself. Il
come here, Bess, and lie in the shade.
as you see. It's the best plan"
Its drentul dull, Don't you ever
play yourself?" The childish eyes all
most held pain at the. thopghtTof his
dullness. s..s A
"Oh, yes, OF course-what am I
thinking about! Ycu never saw any
one play as I do. Why, play at heaps
CT things!" 77, '-'+ 81
What frst?" asked Bess, the inex-
orable. e
Langham cudgelled his brains. "Oh.
Curiosity, thy name is Woman! he
muttered. A struggle to repress the
laughter which he felt would offend the
small Miss Dignity beside him brought
but another fit of coughing. When 1t
was over, well, make fairy boats. to
Eegin WITH" was his declaration.
The rejoinder was inevitable. Make
some now," commanded Bess.
The mans hand went weakly to his
pocket. He brought out a letter and
shook it out of its envelope. The two
sheets Of notepaper we're yellow and a
little worn. He looked at them for
moment. Then he folded sheet in
two. Bess forsook her seat and crept
over the sand to watch. She dug q
little elbow into his chest to steady
herself, and he bit his lips and then
painted; but he did not ask her to
move 1t. AS best he could, he fash
ioned a boat out OF paper, and as he
cid SO there came rush of remem-
brance of his own childish days, and
his fingers trembled.-
'''1t takes a drefful long time to make
a tcat!" complained the small maid,
with a sigh: and ut does," said the
boatmaker, with sigh not less deep
than hers.
AT last it was made and Bess clapped
her hands with delight The boat had
a charming sail in the middle of 1t,
and looked quite real, and was beauti-
fully light. There was a little space
underneath 1t into which you could
poke your little finger, and SO hold-the
interesting vessel up to view. Then
there was some writing on one side
which looked just like the name, Bess
said. Her little form squiyereds with
glee. She was in raptures. Nov, I'll
go right down an san ill., she cried.
shrilly. Il can quite easy put-my fin
ser underneath and hold it q weeny
weeny bit. It won't know..sss,, Il
Presently another thought came to
her. She patted the tiny craft with. a
loving forefnger. "Of course the fair
les sail in it; almost forgotted. When
you're Misrepresentation they come
-heaps-an' sail, an sail, an sail"
"And where do they sail to?" asked
the man.
II don't know" said Bess dreamily.
"Somewheres drefful good, expec',"
she said, after pause, and che took
I'D the little yellow-white boat and
kissed 1t.
Then she started to her feet. There's
nurse now. and she's looking that's
for me. You must take care-heaps-
OF the fairy boat till to-morrow-day,
and watch. Then you can tell, when
I've coined, how the fairies sail in 1t.
Cause I'm coming to-morrowday,,a an
the next, an the next. an you must
make heaps Of fairy boats. OF course.
you must be ndreftul careful the fairies
dopt see you watching, you know"
Langham had recovered his breath
by the time she had stated her inten-
ton and instructed him IN. his duties.
'I'll be dreadfully careful" he said.4
She turned when a few yards away
and kissed her hand to him. 'I'll be
sure and come to-morrow-day," she
cried; and hen eyes said. BE drefful
careful"
Langham lay and looked at the little
boat. A fairy vessel it was-and fash
ioned from an old. old loye-letter-of
the Woman who had married somebody
else. He lay Tor a long time. Then
he made . littae hole in the sand and
buried the fairy boat. The last one, !"
he muttered. "and they none Of them
sailed gSg 81 If4 - +E-S
Well, perhaps: the fairies sailed IN
them. He would soon find out. Y
. When at last he rose, it was with an
effort and with gray tinge about his
lips. He looked along the yellow
shore. A week since he had been able
to crawl up and down it; to-day he
had with difficulty managed to creep
up slowly, slowly, to the shadow under
the first rocks; tomorrow =
He raised his handkerchief in vain
endeavor to check a cough. ani moved
painfully away.
The morrow came to the shore, and
with it Bess with her dancing cufls.
She searched, every nook and Granny
by the rocks, and then searched them
again; but the fairy -boat-maker was
not there. 81
copyright, 1906. by Joseph b. Bowles)
That Made q Difference.
Henry asked me to be his wife last
night" she told her chum.
5 "Oh, I'm so delighted, Gertrude.
And how did it happen?"
"Yell, he just asked me, and said
Yes and then he stood up and fold
ed his arms" 81 ri
What! He was not more interest
ed than that?" N@x
"Oh, but you see I was in them
when he folded them."-Royal Mag