Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-10-16
OUR BOYS ;
and GIRLS 5
THE PANSY MAN.


OF the farmhouse With big dishpan
and q huge Kitchen spoon and bang
ing began that meant serious bust.
ness 10 something or somebody.
Where are ye?" she called, paus.
ing in her tattoo just long enough to
make her voice heard. Where are
ye' Come on There's not a CLINT Of
light LEFT. and it's supper time" She
stood still and listened anxiously. but
there was not Il sound. The naughty
childer." she murmured, smile
creasing the tat folds OF her neck. A
stifled smoker came from around the
corner and with whoop six arms
grabbed her skirts and three voices
shouted, Il got here first! First
Jam"
"Ye cant all O. We have the jam
frst Now, how will We fix it to get
things settled and before We come
to the table and have to mind ye're
table msnners'"
III tllbOSt uiSl Nuhrt IlVtu Il
year.old voice still in the shelter Of
Nurse Norah's skirts.
"Ill choose-oh. knowa story"
sang second voice, as long.legged
girl swth a huge pink bow at the
other end (Sally always seemed to be
legs and bowl dashed into the house.
"Harold?" asked Nurse Norah,
shaking with laughter.
jam" said Harold with decision.
ITS, good. Then cake and then
story"
MY. brt ye're the smart one"
Nurse Nor h 81 d with admiration.
Come On, thin, md hurry & : While
light up inside"
With shouts the children flew to
make themselves presentable.
As they raced back down the stairs
fresh Nand crisp, Nurse Norah stood
by De tea table holding note.
"Oh, OH" came from Sally.
Mammals away" walled Harold.
"Yis. ye're mother will not be
honfe.. Hurry, childer, and ye kin all
have a good story before ye see the
sand man"
Teas was soon over and three heads
gathered around the STORY" chair
NorAh sat with puckered brows hunt
Ing for subject
Did we ever hear about the Pansy
Man now" asked Nurse N0rah,
whose eyes had lighted on a bcauti-
ful bunch Of the blossoms tucked in
sallys belt, NO, did yo niyer? And
youswlth a bunch of them on Well
once upon time in flower land there
was a nice. oh, a very nice man. He
was married ard he had home and
two beautiful childer, both guyrl8
with a side glance at Harold) and
everything seemed lovely. But there
came a day when everything was rot
lovely. The wife, who was as nice as
lie - and that's sayin' much - grew
paler and paler and thinner and thin
nert. and one day she gave a weesy
bit Of a sigh and fell to the ground,
and soft little breeze passin' by
took her, and they niver saw her
asiIr. That's the way in the flower
world The people do not die and be
put in the groundoh, no--they list
grow fainter and fainter and smaller
and smaller until they are picked up
by q puff OF wind and carried away.
We'll. the nice little man felt very
very sorry, indade. He felt ( 1T bad
he cried and ate niver a bit for a
whole week and that is long time
in the flower land. The two gurrls
wore very sad dresses Here, give me
pansy and I'll show ye. Do We see
the two plain leaves or petals at the
t0p?. Yis? Well them are the surrls,
the Door childer" Nurse Norah stop.
peds for a second or two to let the
tragedy sink into the listening minds.
and then went on with sniff.
IT wasn't many fairy years, tho,
before this nice little man who was
casJn. his eye about for some one to
Look out for his poor childor met q
wildly lady who had two daughters,
and to himself he said 'Ochone! It's
some Sone stint to me by st. Joseph,
and it's a fool | would be IL didn't
makeup to her. and he set to work
and was swate to the wildly lady and
her two gurrls they would have given
him All they had. That Is, he thought
they wouldn't wait and see what
happened.
We'll, he married the wildly lady
and took her home with the two
curtis dressed At to kill and for a
while he did think all was the colo.
O. gold. The two poor daughters did
still miss their mother, tho and they
did 1nll wear sober clothes, but the
new mother and her gurrls did dress
In the gay colors. DO you see now
,whete the petals be bright" Three