The daily Alaskan., 1914-05-18

the Chinese poem that ever appeared to express anything save the utter topsyturvyness Of that upside down land"
 Read the poem again while I trace out the story" urged Nellie. her finger on tue beginning Of the embroidered brown path that tricbIcd over the green satin garden.
 Grace laughed and oleyed. It was rather fun to indulge in these pretty fancies after a hard days work in the schOOlrOOm.
 "'The day is fair, like other days she began.
 "see, Grace? The sun Is shining That shows thut the duy is fair" in- terrupted Nellie eagerly. "SuoIIing up this brown path-see, my finger travels through the rose bordered paths-seek- ing for happiness and peace of mind. Those are represented by the lotus blossoms away off on another path. Be misses the turning and goes on, on, straight toward the sun dragon. The brown path goes right into the heart of the sun, and my stroller is swallowed up in the heart of the sun. Greedy fellow. He must have a hard heart, Grace" She laughed as her pretty finger prodded tue gold embroidered planet.
 That's because you're turned into a glowing jewel of delight" rot0rJed her friend gayIy.
 'T wish 1t were a glowing jewel of delight instead of a very ordinary sun." sighed Nellie as she arose and folded mp the gorgeous coat "There's the supper bell, and am so uutidy! Do lets hurry or we won't get bite 10 eat"
 After supper lt was a long, dull even ing. Though both of the girls were ap- parently reading. each one of them was thinking Of the beautiful green satin coat and how utterly useless it all was under the present circum- stances.
 Nellie carried her sober thoughts to bed with her. and for many hours she lay awake, wondering why Uncle Dan had sent her such am absurd gift when he knew thnt she was obliged to work for her living and that the mandarin s coat must be an eytayagaut accessory to her simple wardrobe.
 q cant understand ir," she mur- mured sleepily. "Mother always said that Uncle Dan was eccentric, but she said he was hard headed, practical and scOrned useless extravaganza, so Oh, I wonder, wonder"
 Now she was wide awake and sitting up in bed. In a second her feet were on the floor and she was pulling tle mandarln's coat from its place in her dresser She pulled down the shades and lighted the gas. Craze sat up in bed and stared dazedIy at her friend.
 What is the matter?' she demanded drowsily. Are you crazy, Nellie Hil- yer?"
 Nellie turned her head away from the blazing sun, aJ which she WAS dalutily shipping with her embroidery scissors. Her face was pink with eN- Citement and her eyes shOne.
 Grace Lane, l believe there really Is a jewel hidden under this embroidery she cried eagerly.
 Miss Lane opened her blue eyes wide and yawued. Then she houDed out of bed and sat down on the floor beside Nellie.
 Out of the raised interior of tue cm- broidered sun there rolled a Hr-e stone that caught the sordid gasl.gat and reflected it in javelin points of flame. Now it gIowed redly, paIpitar- ing; now it was a still, crimson pool of flame. It was as large as a hazel nut
 "It is a rubyw gasped Grace t@utly.
 Tt certainly isn't glass; admitted Nellie. "SO the poem did have a mean Ing after all, Grace. Isn't ic wonder ful? Uncle Dan was trying to see if l was clever enough to read the story on the back of the coat. Grace, do you know what this ruby rcprescntsT'
 Grace nodded checrfulIy.
 Wine wreathed cottagc-chickens- pony cart everything that we've dreamed about and never really eN- Dected to come true"
 Nellie was looking thoughrfulIy at the mandarin's coat She turned it over and examined the blazing suns on the sleeves and on either front of the garment.
 "Grace," she said quietly, "tlcre are four. smaller reproductions of the gar AHAsF RERER RRpnn