Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-15
THE WEATHER WITCH'S WAND.

Cassie was a child who had great deal
of curiosity. She wanted TO peep INTO
every box. to open every bundle that came
to the house and to know something about
everyones business.
Cassie was f6, a senior at the hlgh
school. and, while an intelligent girl, her
way of pccping and peering into other
peoples affairs made her unpopular
When the class had picnic, most oil the
girls wished that she could have been left
at home, but such thing was impossible
So Cassie went
When the girls left her at tho tree to
guard the lunch she raised every basket
lid and investigated the contents. The
girls purses and bags she opened and
searched At last tired out. she sat down
to rest
Have vou finished poking your long
nose into the other childrcn's affairs
asked a strange voice in the limb over
head. Cassie sought TO locate the sound,
but the tree was no longer there; she was
sitting before n large, tall round tower
which rose out of the top of mountain.
Below her was vast PLAIN, and at her
feet only small space ON which the tower
stood
Il am the Weather Witch" said the
voice again Come in. YOU are just IN
time. need someone to look after matters
while am gone | lunch today at the
North Pole to see about the cold and SHOWS
for next winter My regular help Is sick.
SO on will do the Iuo
"But | know nothing about attending
to weather. = replied Cassie anxlously.
"You don't need to, laughed the
witch Il will tell YOU what to do -Iust
keep your eyes open and your mouth
shut and do what YOU are told but es--
pccially mind your own business and
don't try TO meddlc IN that OF Others =
Cassie entered The tower was hight
inside and all around the room were many
doors Over some was written RAIN and
over others Fair Weather, while on the
far side was the one with sign Of storms
and Snow
II am leaving in ten minutes. said the
weather witch, so listen. In this room Is
the fair weather. See that the door Is kept
open and docs not slam DO not open any
Of the other doors at all Just read or sew
and watch everything
In i moment the weather witch had
mounted her broomstick stecd and was
speeding away, mere spcck on the dis
tant skV Cassie walked about and pecred
az all the doors She wondered whot
thcv looked like inside Then she went
INTO the bedroom of the weather witch.
She rummaged in the trunks, pulling
clothing from the hooks, went all through
the kitchen and pantry and even down into
the cellar Into every box she looked and
into every drawer she peered.
Then she got tired and sat down
II might as well sec what is IN those
rooms, she said, springng TO her feet.
With rush she opened quickly every door
Out rushed big bale of storms With
a roar Of thunder and flashes of lightning
they Knocked over the fair weather bun
dies and sw1rled about wildly. The rain
poured, the other rooms were swept
away, torrent rushed through the place,
and in its grasp frightened Cassie was
caught
Down the mountain on the crest OF the
water she was carried and al last with y
toss and thud il cast her at the foot of the
picnic tree, almost drowned and a thor
oughly Tepentant girl.
"Oh. Cassie, she heard a girls voice
call YOU are asleep and dog stole our
cake, too. Get up. It is pity that you,
who so often attend 10 everyone 5 business
can't even mind your own. Now We have
no cake AT all -
Cassie did not reply. She knew her
lesson Yes, she was busy body and q
curiosity peeper
In future" she said 10 herself. II viii
sec TO my own affairs and not be so much
interested in those OF others. ! am glad
the weather witch taught me this lesson.
Within few months Cassie had
changed so that, instead of being unpopu-
lar, she was the best-liked girl at school.