The Green Forest tribune., 1911-11-10
earning
 low

''l am especially anxious for Harold to come" read Harold's mother Dor othy has never had any one to play with except her father and me, and she doesn't know how to play with children of her own age. A more angelic child never breathed and Dick is eager to see what bit of well di rected spice will do for her He al ways has felt that she should have been born boy, you know So come soon."
 It was with timid obedience to her parents urgent directions that Dor othy, aged four, went forward two weeks later and gravely gave her Cous- in Harold welcoming kiss saying in slow and awestruck tones: You can play with my toys and the attic is all ready"
 l Well. come onl" shouted Harold. Then. pulling her ruthlessly by the hand, he started up the broad stair way for the stories above "The dears!" chimed the mothers in unison. Then the two settled down to discuss the various merits of their offspring, wondering how soon they might be called upon to explain to Dorothy just what it was that liar old meant by his boyish actions
 But there was no sudden summons | to the attic. Two hours later they crept upstairs to call the children to luncheon and to note Dorothys prog ress
 Harold was directing operations with the air of a general Dorothy sal near l by her angelic eyes blazing with ex- citement, shearing wildly her best dolls hair About her lay several dolls of various sizes, mercilessly bar bered, and on the floor were strewn the curs that had once graced the bisque heads.
 It was not this sight that made her mother start forward with a cry of terror and catch up her child in a fe- Yer of amazement Dorothy's curls had evidently been tLe first to fall They lay intermingled with the tang ed floss upon the floor
 Hes been teaching me to play, mother" cried Dorothy as she strug- gled free. Were barbers. and he cut off my hair like his and we've cut the dolls hair too. when they had any"
 During luncheon both children were gravely admonished and though rest less to q married degree they promised solemnly not to use the scissors and not to throw nything-Harold having suggested an imitation of an apart ment building fire that he had wit nessed where all the furniture had been thrown from the upper floors. Further, they promised not to pound anything, and not to paint anything but their own paint books
 Then with q, sigh from Dorothy's mother and a tender smooth to Dor othy's shorn head, the children were allowed to seek their own amuse- ment once more
 Harold doesn't mean to be destruc- tive" his mother said sadly. but bit proudly as well And he does obey. We can trust them now that they have our restrictions to go by It is his inventive genius for something new to do. He never played barber be- ore in his life It must have been oecause his father had his hair trimmed while I was buying my new
 t yesterday-a perfect dream, Ma fon! most extravagant willow plume and few gold rose buds"
 But such an investment, dear!" an- swered her sister Mime Renova has used my white plume. dyed green. on a high small toque." With that the subject of fashions was launched for the afternoon.
 Some hours later. because of the silence in the attic, they went in search of the cherubs. They were not | in the attic, nor in the nursery nor yet in mothers room. But there they found evidences of pilfering that sent terror to the mothers hearts and set them to calling loudly for their dar- | lings. Dorothy had rfled her mothers hat box The tissue paper coverings and the box lid were strewn about. but the hat was gone
 From the guest room the cherubs answered eagerly and innocently
 We're playing milliners shop." called Dorothy's high treAle. an eerie gleam in her usually soft eyes. liar old knows such lots of plays and I'm learning like you said to- And we're going to stuff some dolls pillows with these"
 On the bed lay the two hats. shorn of all that had made them models of the seasons most perfect designs. Up right on each stood a single wiry stick from which all the fibers of once lovely plume had been stripped. On the white counterpane lay a heaped up mass of green and rose
 Its some like excelsior, only soft er." shouted Harold. and in pillows 1t will be fine"
 Then. seeing the tragedy that lay in his mothers eyes. he scrambled to her side. saying eagerly: We didn't cut or throw or pound or paint, mother-"
 The rest was drowned in the slam ming door on the retiring figures of Dorothy and Dorothy's mother.
 Religious Nut Cracking.
 The Sunday before Michaelmas day saw. until recent times, a curious GUS tom at kjOoctoD-on Tbap,oc The