Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-20
A STORY OF ADVENTURE.
BY A. L. SYKES.


The children sat around the fire listening
to the Friday evening story that Ralph was
telling.
Glad it's not my turn said Harold,
from his seat on the rug. 4 don't know
any stories of adventure
Let me tell! Let me tell!' shouted
Robby, who was just seven.
"Oh, you are too little" they all cried.
NO, I'm not; I'm bigger every day, and
1 can tell a Precious story of adventure
So he told 1t, and somebody thought 1t the
best story of them all.
The Story Robby Told.
Once there was a patient woman who
lived away off in the woods. She had seven
children, and their names were Annie and
Bonnie and Charlie and Dora and Ethel
and Frank and George. and they asked
their mother why? Why? Why? Whyf
Why? Why? Why" all the time Every
minute somebody said Why" and at last
she wasn't patient any longer and she said:
Boys go out In the woods and play, and
they said, "Why?" and ran away very
fast Then she said, Girls run out in tho
woods and play" and the girls said,
"Why?' and ran away as fast as the boys
When they got to the edge of the woods
where they always played, they found that
they could not get in. for the vines were
like big. strong wires. and they said Why?
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"
but nobody answered them, and In a min
ute all the others saw that Annie ana
Dora were in and running along the teeny-
tonty path, but the rest couldn't find the
place.
Annie and Dora ran until they came TO
an open space in the woods. and all around
in the trees sat birds-crowds OF them
and they all screamed: You had little
bird In a cage. Why did you take his
'squisite tail feathers and put in your doll
hats? Why?"
Dora and Annie cried and cried, and
said they didn't think. Then all the birds
swooped down On them and when they
swooped up again each one had a long
gold hair In his bill and Dora and Annie
didn't have a single hair left on their bald
heads. So they ran home.
Then Charlie and Bonnie got in. and
walked and walked till they came to nat
place full of white sand, with the sun shin
ing on it, and on the rocks around sat mil
lions of hundreds of red squirrels and
black squirrels and gray squirrels ana
striped squirrels, and they pointed their
paws at Bonnie and Charlie and shouted,
why did you take our piles of nuts last
autumn? Why? And then all the squirrels
leaped on Charities and Bennie's shadows
chat lay all black on the white SAND, ana
pinched them and scratched them, and It
hurt Charlie and Bonnie more than if the
squirrels had scratched and bit them. But
the more they cried and jumped, the harder
the squirrels scratched and bit, until there
wasn't a speck of either of their shadows
left and the two bad boys ran away as
fast as they could.
Then Frank and George and Ethel got
in. and they were the littlest, and kept
tight hold Of hands and looked for the
others Bimeby they came to a great big
field and it was full of ants and grass
hoppers and bees and wasps and bugs ana
squirrels and rabbits and birds and they
all stood in a great long row, and said.
WHY don't you try to be good little chill
dren? Why? You should set your big
brothers and sisters good 'esanrple,' and
not tag along and do just as they do. Why
don't you try? Why? You may go now,
but we don't bleve that you can ever say
anything but Why again And the three
ran home as hard they could.
They found Charlie and Bonnie putting
niles of corn and seeds and crumbs and
nuts under the trees for the squirrels, and
they were crying very much because they
told them she was sure their shadows
would grow again If they worked hard
and were kind. and didn't ask WHY all
the time.
Annie and Dora, with their heads tied
I'D in handkerchiefs, had let their little
birds fly out of the cage, and they were put
ting strings and thread and cotton on all
the bushes so that the birds could build
nests for their mother said their yellow
hair was sure to grow If they did their
work well, and were kind and didn't ask
"Why?"
But when the children asked George and
Frank and Ethel where they had been they
cried and cried. and all they would say was
Why? Why? Why?" over and over
They can't say anything else" said their
poor mother at last
."rhey are silly billys." said Charlie. and
then he said very quick and loud: DO you
want your suppers?" and before they knew
1t they said. Yes! Yes! Yes" So they
all went In to supper and worked hard and
were kind anu never said Why when
their mother told them anything forever
after-and that's all.