The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-10

nestled close by the bank of the foamy river alive with shiny fishes. A marrow, shady road close by the door Back of the house on the hillside clearing set thick with apple-trees, peach-trecs and the like, and loaded down. while the air was full of busy bees and every of the great dark trees up and down the steep mountains was musical with the song of birds
 Dot and Fuss and Dmples and Pudge-these the of the four little girls who lived in the log house. but where they got their names no one but their father could tell.
 It ten miles through the thick woods to the next house quite far to their first neighbor in the other drection and as this was sort ot stopping for the very few travellers who vent ured on horseback this portion of the Oregon Sierras, drew rein at the door and shouted Hello the housep
 In moment four little girls blossomed in the door-rosy. round-faced brown-faced unny-haired hearty happy Beautiful? They looked as If they might have escaped from the upper world and slid down the great snow-peaks to that little home by
 Might I stay?" There was welcome to the tired stranger in every yes, as four pretty mouths opened in chorus.
 Dot, the eldest strong, self-reliant little girl of ten years led my horse to the stable across the road; Dn1ples led into the cabin; Fuss brought water from the spring; little Fudge brought her apron full of chips from the wood-pile in the back yard: and all four bu.. preparing supper.
 The father came home; weary man, tall Hand and strong lonely-looking and very silent, and swung his gun and game-pouch on the great elk-horns over the fireplace.
 little hands kept ping the pine knots till the gloomy little cabin was light as day
 After hearty meal on wild meat, Indian corn; and fish, tie little girls cleared off the table, and then grouped about 1t with their books. But mo- they could not read They wanted to hear about the great big world-the world that was to them like fairvland I told them many wondrous things, the half-sad and very silent father sitting all the time back in the dark and alone
 By and by asked them to tell something ot their books And how learned they They knew much indeed of bools. But their geography was mixed All history, the Arabian Knights, novels of all kinds. all these were iumbled in their little Vac rt11r hey whispers as they glanced back at their father had taught them ever so much. They had never seen schoolhouse or church Once they y nao @ oeen van to woman--had come from far-oH country,-from Boston,-had married, settled in the woods there, away from all the world and only last year. haa died :,
 Seeing his children now sad as himself, as they thought of their mother the man rose. came forward kicked the fire till 1t bazed up cheer fully and suggested to the children that they should tell me some stories in return for mine puss as she clapped her dimpled hands and hitched up her chair, did all the others with their elbows on the table and their bright faces all at once as
 @Certainlv." answered matron Dot "we will make 'em up all by ourselves and you shall tell the hrst' only don't put in any bogy-nan or ghost to scare Fudge and drew her close to her side; while russ smoothed down her little gingiam apron hitched her chair again. and, clearing her throat, graVeiy began
 @Once upon time in Arabia--in Araba-where
 where ali the giants are born and brought up and educated, there great giant who had no castle So this great giant-he got up and took his club and set out to walk and walk till he could ind great castle, where he could put people Tn ana JOCK 'em up and-ahem-and eat em Well, he walked and he waked-ahem And he was barefooted and he had no shoes at all. And he was bareheaded and his hair was long-ahem ahem. And he walked and he walked till he to a great high mountain And he went up to the top of that high mountain, for he thought it might have castle on it. But he found there only great big flat rock on the cage of great steep precipice, with-ahem- a rail road running along in the valley below. Yes, the tbeahem-the Erie Raroadl Well, he lay down on the flat rock and went to sleep and in the night he walked up and went down in the valley to get something to eat For-for like all great and good giants he -ahem-always hungry :, Weh, ne fonnd a milkhouse and he drank up all the pans of milk, and he ate up all the fresh butter -ahenI and he couldn't find any bread and he hurried back to his big flat rock the mountain above the prec- rce, for he was getting very tired And he he lay down on his back on the big flat rock, with his hands ahodn' tight on his head, for he felt-ahem
 very queer We'll by and by he heard rumblin
 oh. such a rumblin And .hs was, oh, so certain his head was going to break ops And-ahe"-