Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-05-29

said to the Tree: You are queer;
Your trunk is all packed, bat fear
You can't leave until spring
When-a curious thing
You must still remain standing right
here
To a green red Blackberry said:
II know you are green when you're
And you're red when you're green,
But to say what mean
Is enough to befuddle ones head"
| Nixon Waterman in St. Nicholas.
THE LUCK OF LITTLE RUTHY.
Ruthy Ransom lived in a little
frame house on the bank of the Ale.
| gheny River Her father was clerk
in the village store and her mother
kept chickens to help out" for tho
owner of the store did not pay Ruth's
father very much.
| Her father had given her lot Of
little pictures, all fastened together
in one big page. He told her they
We're to cat out, and paste in her
scrap book. ooh, mol" Ruthy had
said, they are much too pretty to
touch?" And SO she saved them.
1t was now nearly Easter. Ruthy
was sitting in the dining room re.
viewing her spelling lesson. Supper
was over and the dishes were washed.
She could hear her mother putting
them away on the shelves in the kit
chen.
Where is father?" she thought.
Then she heard him come in the kit
chen and begin talking,
How many have you?' he said.
ooh, plenty" replied his wife. "That
is not what is bothering me"
81 know what it is then-dye!"
YES" she said. Gould you get me
some?"
There isn't speck of dye in the
store. l sold the last package week
ago"
ooh. pshaw! It's too bad! If could
only think of some other way of max.
ing eggs pretty. SO they would be
Easter eggs and not just plain every
day eggs? Can't you thing of some
way?
why, yes; If you had some paint
you could paint them" suggested
Ruths father.
Beautiful! And if .,ere an ar
list. / could not only paint them,
but also paint pictures on them, If
is a very big word.
Then they were both silent.
Ruthy heard her father go out again
Then she heard something that sound.
ed like sob. She slipped out of
the dining room door and up the
stairs.
Paint pictures on .fthem-pictures
on them She kept hearing it over
and over in her mind. Easter eggs
with pictures ont" She had never
seen any kind OHM Easter egg with
pictures on it and the idea fascinated
her. She kept thinking of it again
and again.
When she reached the little room
where she and Jenny. one of her
younger sisters, slept. she tip-toed soft
ly, for Jenny was already in bed and
fast asleep.
1t was dark, bat Ruthy was more
than eight years old, and, there is
nothing to be afraid of in the dark,
anyway. On box by the door was
her precious scrap book. She always
kept it there. From between its COW
ers she drew something like sheet
OF stiff paper. She passed her fingers
over it lovingly, feeling the glazed
side with the raised picture on it. 1t
seemed to her that she could see
plainly all its many forms and colors
Here was little rose; there was
tiny wreath of flowers, and now her
fingers touched the figure of tiny
prince with his funny little hat his
tight knee trousers and his wee slip.
pers with big bows. She kissed the
paper, then tenderly tucked II under
her arm and carried il downstairs.
Here, mother, take this, she said.
But why have you brought me that,
darling"
why, heard what YOU and father
said about the eggs There are lots
of tiny little, dea, little pictures here
that you could paste on the eggs
But | shall not need all these, dear
est. will just cut out the very
smallest and paste them on. And you
shall help me-"
Next day Ruthy and Jenny and Car
rie were all playing dolls together.
"Oh!" said Ruthy, Suppose we should
have eggs with pictures on them this
Easter!"
I'D like to have an Easter egg with
a picture of dolly on it," said Carrie.
Il think an egg with ring of little
roses around it would be prettiest,"
said Jenny, land Maud would like
bunny, knew, cause she always hugs
her dirty little rag rabbit"
Ruthy could hardly wait for the chill
dren's bedtime, she was SO anxious to
begin work. Then after supper she
helped cut out pictures and pasted
them on the eggs. Oh, what fun it
was!
These eggs will bring high price,"
said her mother, smiling, "and know
of one little girl who will have new
straw hat if they sell we'll"
oh, guess you mean me!' cried
Ruthy delightedly, as she kissed her
mother good night.
The next morning Ruthy's father
carried large box of Easter eggs to
the store to sell, and every one who
saw them bought at least one, SO that
they were gone before night
Easter morning there was dear
little nest at each place on the break
fast table. In Carries nest was an
egg with a dolly picture on it; Jenny
had wreath of roses, and little Maud
bunny. Rlth's egg had picture
of sweet little girl on it, and writ
ten in red ink were the words: ITO
a generous little maiden"
And in her chair was a big box and
in the big box. under a governing of
tissue PAPER was a beautiful brown