The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-01
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THE SOAPSUDS GNOMES

self by the side of the bed and began:
 
 Once upon a time
 Bobbie's eyes fairly glistened. To his way of thinking, every good story always began that way.
 Once upon a time. there was lit tie boy who just wouldn't wash his face. My, how he did scream and twist and squirm and whine every time his Nurse so much as turned on the faucet in the bowl! Every night and morning Nurse had to fairly drag him into the bathroom and, goodness me, what faces he would make and how he would yell about soap in his eye and in his ears!
 One night this little boy, whom we will call Bobbie-you don't mind. do you. Robbie ?-had a most terrible dream. Awakening from a sound sleep, 1t seems, he rubbed his eyes and stared-and stared. Right there, perched on the footboard, was the most peculiar looking creature he had ever seen.
 Its body resembled nothing so much as a big, round soap-bubble; and it was shining too. with all the colors of the rainbow, just as a soap-bubble does in the sunlight.
 Around it's head, turban fashion, was wrapped a wash-rag; and its hands, attached to pipe-stem arms. held a cake of coap and a tiny scrub ping brush.
 Poor little Robbie gave one look and started to scream. But up went the hand holding the scrubbing brush in a gesture that commanded silence.
 "Humph!" laughed the Soapsuds Gnome-for that was what he was "Humph, Look fellows, he's yelling before we've even begun to scrub him. All ready? Then come on! Grab him!'
 And, with his command out sprang host of creatures just like him. In deed. there must have been most a million of them. And they seized poor little Robbie by his arms and legs and his hair, pulled him out of bed and carried him into the bathroom.
 "Overboard with him, fellows!" cried the leader. "Well give hlm something to cry for!
 And something to wriggle for!' put in another.
 FOOT 13ODblt. opldSiis eN'' NN-SS dumped him right into the big bath tub, half-full of water! Bless you he was so amazed, so frightened, tha he simply couldn't scream, though h' tried his best to.
 Now" commanded the leader ol the Soapsuds Gnomes, "get busy Make 1t thick. too!'
 And with that, every Gnome reached down into the water with his hand that held his cake of soap ano began to move it rapidly back ano forth. up and down. They were mak- ing the suds-and they were making it thick
 "Goodness me, what splashins i there wasl And how the churnine of the many tiny hands in the water quickly brought the suds to the top Higher and higher the soapsuds rose until they seemed to poor Robbie lying flat on his back, like huge noun i tains rising about him.
 Just then Robbie made one last des. perate effort to cry out and succeeded | in getting his mouth open. But in stantly-splash and kerfop! = a Gnome had leaped onto Bobbie's cheek and clapped his soapy hands right over the open mouth. Ugh! How bit ter and--and-soapy it did taste!
 That's enough, young man." the Gnome exclaimed. That's enough for you; now you'll see how it really tastes to get soap in your mouth! We aren't as kind as your poor Nurse and we don't care what happens to you,"