The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-04-20

She tried to shut her eyes to her SURROUNDINGS
but It seemed to her that the very air itself vbrafet
with mystery and excitement. She saw that I'll,
mouse was. being put into specially fine order anc
she noticed that every little while she caught Whit
OF something particularly good from Bridget's oven
4he noon meal was silent one. No one seemed
to want to talk AS yet there had been no mention
that was Barbaras birthdays indeed all reference
to the SP had been dropped for several days
AT two o'clock Mrs. Drew suggested that Bar
ba ajrp put on her pink-sgrigged muslin, saying:
Then you viii be all ready if we want to 90 and
call on Bessie and her aunt little later--we will
Barbara was scarcely dressed before Frank called
her into the library o@'''u
:. Puss, have two puzzles here. Come in and see
It you can work them out"
20 into the library Barbara went, trying all the
while to keep her feet from dancing and her lins
from smiling-as if she didn't know that Frank
usually had other things to do than to stay at home
IN the middle OF the afternoon and ask her to play
The library door. was fast closed-Frank had seen
to that-but still Frank talked on, patiently turning
and twisting the thing in his hand-as if he thought
sne could be interested in bit of perforated paste
distinct knocks on the floor above the library
That those knocks meant some thing Barbara did
not doubt for an instant She had not long to wait
before Frank spoke.
"Oh" he said suddenly, as if he had lust Thought
on the table Suppose you run and get it; will YOU,
With skip and bound Barbara was half across
the room before he had stopped speaking They
were all there, of course-her ozvp Surprise partv
just the other side of the paror door, watching and
waiting How delightful it would be to surprise
them! P4tSS
She quickly to the door and threw it wide
OPEN S1h,.. -.
there no one therel
All the light and Joy fled from Barbara's face as
she looked about the silent disappointing room
G Gould it be that they had not known after all?-
that they had not guessed what she wanted?
Over by the window Barbara saw a big table
laden with packages and curous-oolng card of
pasteooard loot or more long Was that the
puzzle FRANK asked her to get? Very slowly she
crossed the room and picked up the card.
For Barbara, she read, written in her brothers.
clear, bold hand Each one is an SP. We got all
we could think of. We hope that somewhere you'll
ind the one you want"
Barbara could have cried. The table was heaped
with packages-big, little, and medium sized-but
she knew without opening single one that her own
beloved 81 was not there; for surely one could NOT
with string!
She opened one package, then another. then
third In spite Of her disappointment smile crept
to her lips, then a laugh-then another as she saw
more and more of the contents Of those packages
Some OF the things wonderfully pretty and
Just what she wanted Of their kind; others she did
not know even by name-but that each was an "SPn
she did not doubt at ALL for had she not Franks
assurance of that?
There were thirty-fve packages. and this is what
they contained:
spoon, spool, sponge spoke a splint a
spiasher, spindle, spigot, spike stamp, silk
pettcoat some sugarplums, sweet pepper
dead fortunately, and in neat little boxj sperm
candle, speler, spread, small sphere with a
map OF the world upon it, spiral spring, sweet
PieNe' spice cake some sweet peas, some spag-
hett, some soap, some spectaces, silver pin. a
sweet apple sour apple, some slippery elm, a spade
and spear Tin minature), spurs and some
slippers
IN the midst of this array when she heard sub
dued chuckle from the upper hall. The next instant
there came the CHATTER Of feet down the stairs and