Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-08
Seeing Eyes

took trip together to the Pacific
coast. AS the farmhouse where they
were boarding was seven miles from
post Office, no blue-uniformed post
man came to their house two or three
times day with fat brown leather
mailbag slung over one shoulder
but instead, a mail-box, perched atop
post, stood by the roadside, and
every afternoon about three o'clock
an old black horse hitched to a "tor
buggy toiled up the sandy hill, and
Fred Clarke, the genial country post.
man, deposited letters and papers in
the creaky-lidded box, hoisted the lit.
tie red tin flag, and drove whistling
, on to the next mailbox. His coming
was incontestably the event Of the
day. Dinner was at one; everyone
was through and the dishes done by
half-past two: and then the inter
minable half-hour to wait for the mail !;
No one could settle to anything until
the old blacktopred buggy had come
and gone.
Come down - the road, Aunt
Madge, and wait for the mail" begged
the children one hot August day.
"All right. agreed Aunt Madge,
pleasantly. Suppose. after this, in
stead of waiting on the porch, we do
wait under the big maple tree by the
gate-and." she added with sudden
thought. lets call this our game
half-hour' Run in, Jack. and get the
steamer rug on the foot of the couch,
and bring it out for us to sit on"
'Now what is the game, Aunt
Madge?" asked Dorothy, eagerly,
when all Were seated comfortably
under the cool, big tree.
well" began Aunt Madge, slow
ly. ''let me see. I think" after a
minute of thought 81 think-yes,
know what I'll cal. our game! 1t
shall be the Seeing Eye game, and we
can play chapters and chapters of
it," she went on with sudden eager
ness, Eat least one new chapter Of it
every day, and as much more as we
like"
What a funny name!" said Ted.
Sounds queer. Don't all eyes see,
'cept, of course, blind people's?"
mo, my DEAR was Aunt Madge's
calm reply. Every few people have
seeing eyes. Most people have take.
things-for-granted eyes, but it's only
once in the greatest while that any
one has seeing eyes. unless his eyes
have been trained by somebody. l
wish we could all have seeing eyes by
the time we go home this fall. I'm
sure mother would notice the change
We've been here a
week, haven't we? And each day,
during our half-hour wait for Postie,
we have played an Oh Dear game.
I heard oh dear why doesn't
he Gomez and oh dear, will he ever
Gomez and on days when poor Postie
has been a little late such chorus
Of Oh dears! So let's give up the Oh
Dear game and begin the Seeing Eye
game. III stay here and time you,
and in five minutes each one OF you
see how many different kinds of tree
leaves or tree needles you can collect. :
Don't run. because the sun is hot" !
OF scurried the three children, eyes
bright. feet nimble. /
Five minutes!" called Aunt Madge. !
Don't pick another one. You must
stop the second call time
Now, Jack. spread yours in row
At this end of the rug; and Ted, this
End is yours: and Dorothy, bring yours
here by me-" said Aunt Madge, when
he children were once more gathered
around her. when your exhibits are /
leatly arranged you may each tell
ne how many you have, and how
many of the leaves you know"
81 have six, Aunt Madge," said
Dorothy.
Seven" came from Jack.
And Ted proudly added, mine"
"Well it seems as if Ted had the
most seeing eyes this time for gather
ng. doesn't it? But We'll see who
las the most seeing eyes for recog.
lizing the leaves. How many Of
ours can you name, Dorothy"
"This is an oak, isn't it," began
Dorothy; land this one pine needle,
md this one fir twig. and is this a
'irch? I don't know the other two"
"All right, except the one you called
fir twig. wonder if the boys know
What it is? And perhaps they will
now the two leaves that you don't
now" {
Zone of the leaves is an elm" said
ed, "but I don't know the other, and s
thought that was fir twig, too" ,
so did l." admitted Jack
Now look, and learn, all you seeing /
yes" laughed Aunt Madge, gayly. I
Fir needles lie fiat from the twig, but I
pruce needles grow all the way g
round, and you see these do grow q
II the way around, so they are not c
r, but spruce. And the leaf that
one of you know is an ash. Ash ~
'ees are lovely in the fall. with their =,
inches of scarlet berries. Dorothy =
new the birch leaf but I wonder if :.
ny of you noticed how its stem is
attened little bit one way where it
,ins the leaf, and flattened the other S
ay where it is hung to the stem?
hats why birch leaves are always a
eady to dance so prettily with the
asst breath of air that scarcely stirs S
lie leaves on the other trees a
"Why. I didn't know that said Ted, t.
never noticed that leaves are fast
Jed on in different ways" g
yes" answered Aunt Madge, "and
s wonderful. And the more you use II
,ur young ewes the more surprised {
,ull be all the time, and the more G
onderful yOu'1 find everything every s.