Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-09-30
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1FAIRY TALE Il
IynARY GRAI1Al1 BONNER
o. 80 AuTfsos
MEAN POISON IVY.

I'm mean" said the poison ivy.
Yes, I'm mean, and I'm glad of it. If
were sorry for it l might try to
do better, but l am not sorry for it,
Therefore, don't try TO do better.
There are times when / don't poi
son creatures. That isn't because |
am feeling any nicer but because
I'm not just feeling like working at
that moment. ! may be taking a nap
or something of the sort.
But l did a fine thing last year.
/ made two children sick with the eff
fects of poison ivy for longer time
than / ever had before.
Il really had a good summer. /
made them feel so poorly, o, so
poorly.
81 poisoned a great many. Lots and
lots of children and grown-ups. too,
did poison.
"They didn't know just what / look
ed like And they went around get
ting ferns and plants and touched me.
ha, ha.
"They went in swimming in part
of the lake, near swamp where
had decided some of my family ought
to be.
Il just was in SO many places and
did so much, much harm. 1t was
splendid, perfectly splendid.
81 was proud of my record. But
somehow there were not the same re-
suits this year. l didn't have quite my
usual good luck"
Pm glad of it," said the little gnome
who was listening to the poison ivy.
"What Why, you wretch" said
the poison ivy. "What do you mean
by saying such a thing?"
Il mean TO say it because l think
that way. I'm glad when you aren't
successful" said the gnome.
But just what have we ever done
to you?" asked the poison ivy.
Nothing" said the gnome.
81 don't understand at ALL" said the
poison ivy.
"Of course you wouldn't" said the
gnome.
"Why, why, why?" asked the poi
sui IVY lay CApldlL.
"YOu have never done anything to
us" said the gnome, "but it wasn't be-
cause you didn't want to, it was be-
cause you weren't able to-"
'"That, of course, is true" agreed the
poison ivy.
"And you weren't able to do any
thing to us because we belonged to
the fairyland people"
"That is also true" agreed the poi
son ivy again.
"But we don't like you because
you're mean to people, and we don't
like things which are mean even if
they aren't mean to u.s."
"That seems strange" said the poi
son ivy.
''Of course it does to you," said the
gnome, for you're too mean to under
stand"
you're so mean you don't like us to
have good luck" said the poison ivy.
Because we like people and chill
dren and because we like nice plants
and leaves which are pretty and which
don't do anything which is unkind,"
said the gnome.
"But l will tell you why you hadn't
so much luck this summer" continued
the gnome.
''Do you know the reason?" asked
the poison ivy. "Will you tell me
so something can be done about it??"
''Ill tell it to you, but nothing can
be done about it, for it is where peo-
pie can get ahead of you, and your
mean ways, with their sharp wits.
"They grew in city park this sum-
mer, in part where lots and lots Of
people walk every day, and near
vegetable garden where lots of city
people took turns in working over it,
some of your family, poison ivy! They
marked that it was poison and they
put a wire cage over it.
$50 people learned what you look
like and they're going to do that more
and more so that people will not get
poisoned because they'll know you and
get out of your way. And more and
more children are looking up your pic
lures in big books so you won't get
the best of them, ha, ha," ended the
gnome happily.