The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-12-01
The Last Day Of Vacation.

Through all the sunny morning any
one familiar with their habits would
have noticed that sort of gentle
melancholy seemed to brood over the
pool of the alllgators. There had been
five or six wrestling bouts, but they
had been conducted in half-hearted
way as If simply INDUCED in to assist
digestion. There was no go and dash
about the performance.
Finally even these hollow attempts
at play were given up, and rippleless
silence took possession Of the pool.
All the alligators, big and little, ar
ranged themselves in row, and shut
ting their eyes, Just rested the points
CT their long noses on the bank. They
might have been SO many pieces OF
green bronze.
Some people think that alligators
cant count; but even the smallest al
ligator knew the day of the month,
and that was the last day in that dear
outdoor pool. Tomorrow they would
be pushed and showed and prodded
and poked into winter quarters. For
the little alligators that spelled
school, horrid word For the older
| alligators 1t meant long stretch of
days with no nice hot sun, no nice big
pool nothing to do but sleep and eati
And for the oldest alligator of all II
meant teaching!
Was 1t any wonder they were all
greatly depressed? But it is absurd
to spend the last day of vacation in
vain regrets. So when the Oldest and
largest gator crawied slowly out of
the pool to the center of the pen, all
the rest opened their eyes at once,
just as If he had said, "One, two,
three, wake up!" When he had
stretched himself at full length, he
opened his mouth and made sound
like escaping steam. Come on, all Of
you" he said. Lets have one more
game OF pyramid
Did you ever see alligators play
pyramid? 1t is the Oldest game in the
world, invented By the first alligator
that eevr lived. He taught it to his
children long ago in the land of
Egypt, and they in turn taught it to
their children. Only the alligators
and crocodiles, their cousins, know
how to play it properly.
When the Oldest and largest alliga,
tor had stretched himself at full
length, the next largest in the crowd
crawled on top Of him, with his head
turned toward the big ones tail.
Then both together gave the same
steam-hissing sound, and then the
nezt largest crawled up, and the next
and the next, until on the top Of the
pyramid sat quite little gator, with
eight larger fellows underneath, all
head to tail. Then they all let of
steam together to attract the atten-
ton Of the other pyramids, none of
which was larger than seven gators
high
Then began the really difficult part
Of the game. Old Samson Alligator
started to crawl slowly round the pen.
II there were any hillocks in his path,
or stones or uneven places in the
might suppose, but even went out OF
his way to so over them. AS he felt
the load slipping to one side or the
other, he would let off a steam, which
is the way aliigators laugh to them
selves. At the fourth hump, alligator
number eight, who was next to the
top, fell off. But little gator number
nine just managed to keep his seat.
That pleased him very much, for it
Is the rule Of the game that the top
ones should fall first, and as number
eight had fallen before him, he could
stay on his back and ride round until
al the rest were shaken off. This.
naturally, took some time, and as all
the rest fell off in regular order mum.
Der eight was In bad humor at his
mishap.
"Oh, you're terrible smart, know,"
he said. ill-naturedly, to little number :
nine. "Just you wait till tomorrow,
when you begin school. Perhaps
you'll find you don't know SO much,
after ALL" But at the very mention
of school his ill-humor vanished. AT.
ter all, misfortune makes one kinder.
He, too. had to go to school. When
the keeper brought supper he had en-
tirely recovered, and good-naturedly
made place for the smallest gator
next to himself, and did not gobble
more than four-sixths of the food that
came their way.
"To-morrow's full of trouble" said
the keeper to friend. We've got TO
move all these alllgators. It's a lob,
There are so many now that we will
have to separate EN-. Take out some
of the big ones and put em in a sepa-
rate corner"
At this all the little alligators
nearly died of excitement. Suppose
the teacher would be taken? Thev
scarcely slept all night, and those that
did dreamed of tank where there
wasn't teacher and 1t was ALWAYS
vacation. Henry Dick, In the Youths
Companion.