Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-02
EthePs Darnino Balls,

When Ethel came home from school she saw her mother sitting in the bay on chair beside her. Ethel drowned 70. dear!" she said:
 T forgot it was Wednesday after noon and told May that I would be over.''
 Hurry up, .Ethel!" May called from across the street. Ask your mamma. .''
 Ethel turned and shook her head Cant ccme,' she said. T know it's Wednesday afternoon. and I've got to darn my stockings"
 She came in and hung up her hat. and got a cookie to eat, washed her hands and face. and was so long in getting around to the sitting room that mamma called.
 Isn't my little girl going to help me this afternoon
 Then Ethel came in and sitting down rather hard on her little rocker, took up her pretty re. iarning bag mann ma had made for her.
 'I just hate to darn!" she said. Over one, under one, over one un- der one, just like we used to do in the kindergarten" CEtheI was ten, and had left the kindergarten far behind ] all black and ugly, too"
 We'll said mamma, smiling pleas antly, If it would make it more inter- estlng, you might make your threads yellow one way and blue the other.
 Ethel laughed at the idea of a blue
 = ings. When she had stopped laugh ing, her frown was gone. She put her hand in the bag and brought out her thinble and ball of darnins cotton then she reached in again for her alarming -gourd
 A puzzled look came into her face IS she felt for it.
 Why. what's in here instead of my gourd she asked, then drew out a
 Mamma looked surprised as she could be.
 Why, that's strange" she said. but l think I sIould like a ball I could eat afterward'
 Well. said Ethel, 'I do, too"
 She slipped the orange into the first stocking How the bright color shone through the holes,
 Ethel darned away at her best rate, and soon finished the two pairs of stockings.
 Now. we'll eat the darning- ball." said Ethel, gaily as she peeled it. But mamma said she had eaten one inst before Ethel came home, so 1t was all for her.
 T knew you put it there" Ethel said.
 Do you really?' mamma said, laughing.
 slow coming home. getting her things off, she felt her bag to see what it would be. This time it was a big. red apple, and the next Wednesday it was ct ISInOn- Wn1cn she made into lemonade after it took the place of her darning-bal. On the next Wednesday 1t was a ponegranate and she learn ed how to break it open and pick out the red seeds.
 All through the fall there was some new kind of ball every week
 One Wednesday she had just finish ed eating a big. russet pear which had been her darning ball. She put her arms around Tnamma's neck and gave | her good kiss and said. "I guess Pm | ready for my old gourd again, now i mamma
 Mamma shook her head. "No," she | said. T gave your gou-d to Mrs | Perrys baby for d rattle and when | they went home he cried 10 take it so L let him. I think you'll have to | get along with apples and oranges yet 1 for awhile.
 Mamma spoke soberIy. but her eyes were laughing and so Ethel was not so very much surprised at Christmas to find in her stocking a beautiful polished wood darning ball with a lit tle bundle The ball unscrewed in the middle and inside it was all lined with velvet and made cunning nest for a beautiful silver thimble with 'EthcP' engraved on the rim
 BEATRICE ABLEMAN, Age II.
 Norwich