The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-03

rTSHE stained-glass windows of the
 hall reached from its black
 raftered roof to their own
 blue. green and red reflections fin the bare, shiny. floor. strewn with tiger skins and Eastern rugs.
 The walls were dark with paneling. and over the dining room door was a carved shield bearing in plain. bold letters the verse:
 God bless the master of this house; God bless the mistress, too:
 And all the little children
 That round the table strewF
 At the other end of the hall was a door. in front of which stood Q table filtered with bottles of chemicals. with printing frames, films. etc. This was the door O. the dark room, where General Grifiths-"the master of this house" developed and toned and washed the beautiful photographs which won for him so many medals and prizes at exhibitions. of artistic amateur photography. Ever since his retirement from active service. this had been his pet hobby.
 TEA WITH THE aRTFFrTHs
 Mrs. Grifiths' chief interest on the other hand, was dress. Her clothes were always beautiful. and 'they rus- tied like when you walk through fallen leaves" as the three neighbor children-owen. Loulou and Toujours --had noticed They also noticed that when she said. 'sHow-de-do. children?" she looked at her pretty clothes in- stead of in their faces.
 So the children were rather shy of Mrs. Griff1ths, but not of the general Fer when he was out walking-look- ing about for fresh views to photo- Eraph--and he met the three children trailing down the road, he always seemed glad to see them. especially Toutours, the youngest, whose full nickname. Toujours Mechant, the ever naughty one, given by his French nurse. he certainly deserved. The gen. eral called him lad" and pretended to lift him up by the tuft of yellow hair which always stuck upright at the back of his head.
 And one afternoon the general ear- ried off all three children back to his house forsaga.
 The big ynalI seemed full of grown up VlS1lorH, lddieS OeauLUully 0rSSSeQ like Mrs. sGrifflths. and men wearing Norfolk jackets. One of these men helped the general steer the children to the lower end of the table. where. hungry from their walk. they cared little for the half-Rmused comments of the grown-ups upon their appetites.
 PARTY vs. MAGIC LANTERN One of the grown-ups had been intro- duced to them as "my little niece" and was apparently regarded as ai1- other child. She had curled hair and a pink accordion-pleated dress, and they called her Queenie. The children, sturdy in their shabby serges, were thinking. She 1ittler Why, she's as much an adult as the rest of the com panyp' when they suddenly became con ectous of Mrs. Grifhths words, "chil- dren's party
 Mrs. Grifiths was saying she really thought that, as it was Queenies birth day on Saturday, she ought to be given a children's party in honor of 1t. The three children were immediately sll ears: A children's partyI An un- heard-of thing in their small village. store for them, too7
 Must be in the evening, of course" said some one. Much more fun then"
 Silently the children agreed. Staying up late and driving homeI Think of 1t! Besides" said one of the men, we're due at GilPs hunt on Saturday, you