Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-02-27

After the lesson Faye fingered a NC
ment to listen again to the hollow,
echoing sound the piano made IN the
nearly empty room.
All at once she heard Fern say to
mother out in the dining room
mo, mother. l haven't been in the
store room today"
Faye caught her breath sharply.
What could Fern mean? She wanted
to rush out and say, why, Fern. l
saw you there" but held herself back,
thinking, Il must give her a chance
to tell it herself"
Faye" called mother, "have you
been in the storeroom today? Some
one has let the cat in, and he has
knocked down the monkey carving
and broken it."
The precious carving that Uncle
George had brought form Japan!
Often and often Fern and Faye had
studied the three queer little mon
keys, one holding his paws over his
eyes that he might see nc evil, anoth-
er covering his ears that he might
hear no evil, and the third holding
paws over his mouth that he might
speak no evil.
At last Faye spoke. eyes. mother,
I opened the door a little ways before
1 thought, but 1 shut it again and real
quick, and 1 don't think Tiger could
have gone in without my seeing him."
she said, looking hard at Fern and
wondering why she didn't speak. But
Fern was busy tying her shoe and
didn't even look up.
WELL" said mother. at last. per
haps l let him in myself And she
went out to get the glue pot to see if
the carving could be mended.
20, Fern" began Faye, why didn't
you tell?"
"Tell what? There wasn't anything
to tell"
There was, too, Fern Shepard.
You know you hid in the storeroom
that last time and o know l saw
you there"
"It isn't true. 1 hid behind the
piano the last time"
"You didn't"
II did"
Mother, coming back with the glue
pot, heard the sharp tones, which
had grown louder and louder.
When she had listened to both sides
of the story, she gazed into each an
cry, excited little face. 1t was evil
dent that both the twins thought they
were speaking the truth.
Il cannot understand it." she said,
but l think you must somehow have
been mistaken, Faye"
Faye's face famed scarlet. Didn't
she know what she had seen?
1t was a long, miserable afternoon.
Faye practiced at her piano lesson
twice as long as usual, and then
helped mother dust some of the fur
niture while Fern practiced; but over
and over in her unhappy little mind
she kept saying, How could she tell
such a story?"
Toward the close of the afternoon
mother called Faye and asked her to
go very carefully into the storeroom
and bring the tack-hammer.
AS Faye opened the door she gave a
start. for again she met a pair of
startled brown eyes and saw the blue
sailor dress and the white hair-rib-
bons.
And then all at once she discov-
cred that the big mirror from the
bed room had been placed against the
wall opposite the door, and that what
she had seen was the reflection of her
own face!
1t was a very happy little Faye that
brought the tack-hammer back to
mother, and when later she and Fern
were standing arm in arm before the
table where mother had placed the
mended carving, she said, soberly:
Il think there ought to be four lit
tie monkeys, instead of three, the 9th.
er one holding his paws over his fore
head to remind us that we should
think no evil."-Lily Marker Allen, in