The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-27

ReS-~|-~%t~@se ing Jacob into q sofa corner and push ing table in front of him so that he could not escape. "Sit down. You have had heavy load to carry. Human heads are not light, not light
 How queeriy you talkl said Jacob why do you call cabbage head human heads7"
 -Ah. 'you do not know what | bought from your motherl" laughed the woman. She opened the sack. put her hand in and drew forth human head. which she held up by the hair. The boy was almost senseless with fright. He could not understand how this strange thing had happened. He thought with dread that his mother would be sent to prison if anybody were to learn of 1t.
 T must give you something now be. cause you are so nice" muttered the hag Be patient for little while. l will make you a broth that you will remember all your life"
 She whlstied again. 4 great horue of guinea pigs garbed like cooks rushed in. They wore aprons and had great ladies and carving knives in their belts. Behind them came a swarm Of squirrels They wore Arabic costume and green velvet caps and evidently NGA6 AAttHCn ARRA CAA4ANGds AOt ettGJ climbed swiftly along the walls and brought pans and bowls. eggs and but ter. herbs and flour andl carried them to the hearth.
 The old woman moved so brisk1y on her cocoanut shells and was so busy that Jacob knew she was going to cook him something extraordinarily good. The fire famed nightly, the pan smoked and spread 6 delicious aroma through the room The old woman raced up and down. the guinea pigs and the squirrels followed her. and as often as she passed the pan she peered into 1t minutely.
 Suddenly 1t began to bubble and hiss. The foam rose over the edge. She poured 1t into silver bowl and set 1t before Jacob.
 "So, little son. said she. Fat this broth, sand you shall have everything that you liked so we'll on mel You shall become a good cook. too. so that you shall have a tradef But the herb mo. the herb you shall never find. Why did not your mother have 1t in her basket?" h
 The lad did not understand what she meant, but his attention was soon de- voted entirely to the broth. His mother had often cooked dainty things, REEN be compared with this As he was greedily devouring the last few drops Of the delicious dish the guinea pigs lit sticks of incense. Blue clouds Of smoke filled the room. They wreathed themselves thickly around him. rhe incense began to stupefy him. He tried to shout. in order to wake him- self up. but he sank back again and slept soundly.
 Strange dreams came to him as soon as his eyes closed. He dreamed first that the old woman was taking his clothes away and replacing them with a squirrel skin. It seemed to him that he was able at once to climb and leap like the others. Then he dreamed that he became one Of the servants and found the squirrels and guinea pigs very well~behaved, polite persons.
 His first service was to polish the eocoauut she'll sh oes He dreamed that this lasted for q year. Then he was promoted to more artistic work. He and some other squirrels had to catch the notes in the sunbeams and sift them through the finest of sieves. The old woman had nc teeth and all her bread was made of them.
 After another year had passed ha was promoted again and joined the
 
 water for her. She had no crude wat Or supply liko cistesn or a well. The squirrels and Jacob had to dip tho dew out of rosebuds. As she drank n great deal the water carriers had hard work.
 After another year. 1t seemed to him in his dream. he became a house ser vant and obtained the responsible of- fec of floor cleaner. As these were glass which showed every breath, it was an exactinE duty. The floor rags to their feet and then dart about titI tho glass was perfectly clear.
 It was not until his fourth year that he reached the high honor of admis- sion to the kitchen. He served from the lowest position of kitchen boy through all the ranks till he became tho chief pastry cook and attained such experience and skill that he was amazed at himself. Pastries of two hundred essentials, herb soups com posed of all the herbs of the earth, he learned to make them all and he made them all perfectly.
 Thus seven years passed. One day the old woman slipped out of her CO., eoanut shells and took basket and stan to go out. She ordered him to stun chicken with herbs and have 1t roasted for her on her return. He did it according to all the rules of art. When he went to the herb room. he Htw wall c:c set whose door was half opened, something that e had never noticed before. He looked in and saw four neat packets from which flowed z powerful and dellektfU, odor
 He lifted the lid Of enc basket and saw ar heVb af nest peculiar shape ami color. The stems and leaves were blulsh green end bore little flower that was burniyg red and edged with bright yellow. He looked thoughtful iy at the little flower. The odor re- minded him of something. All at once he remembered tha. 1t was the same odor that had come from the broth. IIr sniffed at the herb. The scent was Sc strong that 1t made him sneeZe.
 The sneoze awax sned him. He found himself lying on the sofa and he look ed around him In amazement. What dream" said he 70 himself "I could swear even now that had be- come a squirrel aad companion of guinea t'gs, and that learned to be great cook! How mother will laugh when I tell her! But won't she be angry because went to sleep in a strange house?''
 The latter. thought made him start up to hurry away. His limbs were quite stifr from sleep. especially his neck, which was so lame that he could hardly move his head. He had to smile at the sleepiness which still controlled him. Every moment he struck his nose against something as he moved around the room on his way to the door.
 The squirrels and guinea pigs sur rounded him, whining and moaning. and followed him to the door. He in-