Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-11

clover leaves.
oh" said little Richard. II think
Bunny would like some of this nice
clover"
So he picked great big handful of
clover leaves for Bunny, and that
very minute he discovered something.
"One, two, three. he shouted. "The
clover is one, two, three"
And, sure enough, there were one,
two, three little round green parts to
every single clover leaf.
Just then a brown chipmunk ran
along the stone wall, and began to
chitter, chatter.
II know" said little Richard, you
don't want me to get any nuts. But
know where the nut trees grow as
we'll as you do"
Over the wall went little Richard
into the woods where the hickory.nut
trees and the butternut trees and the
chestnut trees grew. There stood
big chestnut tree. Its branches were
dotted with green burs like prickly
round balls, and the ground beneath
was sprinkled thickly with brown and
green burs. Most of the brown burs
were empty, for Jack Frost had nip
ped them before they left the tree,
and the nuts had tumbled out. Little
Richard began to hunt among the fal.
len leaves for the little brown chest
nuts, but he looked and he looked and
he could not find one.
Greedy little squirrels" he said,
'you have taken them all. must
come out earlier to get ahead Of YOU"
He was so interested in hunting
for chestnuts that he had forgotten all
about one, two, three. But that very
minute he discovered something.
Zone, two, three!" he shouted. The
chestnuts are one, two, three"
And, sure enough, there were one,
two. three brown glossy chestnuts all
nestled snugly side by side in half
open burr with a lining like brown
satin. 1F
So he picked up the bur very care
fully in order not to prick his fingers,
and started for the house to show his
mother the one. two, three clover
and the one, two, three chestnuts, and
to tell her about the one, two, three
wooden bars.
. On his way he stopped at the barn
to feed Bunny the clover. Close by
the door-sill lay yellow wasp. numb
and nearly dead from the chilly fall
air Richard bent to pick 1t up, and
that very minute he discovered some
thing. T..
zone, two three" he shouted. "The
wasp is one, two, three"
And, sure enough. the wasp's little
body was divided into three parts, just
as II thread had been tied around 1t
in two places.
Little Richard ran and gave Bunny
his clover. and on his way out he
tumbled over the milking stool. And
that very minute he discovered some
thing.
zone. two. three!' he shouted. "The
milking stool is one, two, three"
And before he had hardly picked
himself up. he heard little faint,
NEW. new" from the hayloft.
whats that?" said little Richard.
II think it's my kitty cat calling me-"
So up the narrow stairs climbed
little Richard into the great, dim.
dusky haymow full of sweet-smelling
hay
"Mew." he heard again, and he
stumbled over the hay to the place
where the sound was.
"Oh, OH" cried little Richard. For
there was Mrs. Kitty and three dear
little kittens.
Richard could hardly wait until he
reached the house. 20 mother he
called, come and see the new kitties."
And he forgot all about one, two, three.
But a little later when Jerry came
home from school and began to count
so proudly. little Richard remem-
bered.
81 can count three" he said. 20
n,~+ho". lo+r Of things are one. two.
three"
Then he showed her the clover leaf
with its three little green parts. and
the pricklv chestnut bur with it's three
little brown chestnuts. and the yellow
wasp with a body in three little parts.
and he told her about the three wood
en- bars. and the milking stool with
three legs.
"That's Just fine" said his mother
"And I know another one, two. three
that you saw In the barn UP IN the
hay
"Oh. oh, yes" cried Richard. Il
know one. two. three little new kittens.
the little black one and the little
striped one and the little gray one.
And. sure enough, there were one.
two. three little kittens up in the nay
with old Mrs. Kitty.
'Jt was such fun, mother. to learn
to cc~nt one. two. three said little
Richard. -Emily Rose Bent, in the
Mothers Magazine.