Gilpin observer., 1919-09-04
DADDY.JfYfN|NQE
FAIRY TALE +.
SAVING A TAIL.
1y Nary Graham Bonner

Nancy had been a little bit worried
over Sir Benjamin Bacon's right eye
which had looked at her in such
funny way the day before.
I'm sure that pig thought 1 was
up to something she said to herself.
And that evening she spoke to her
aunt, the mother of Jack and Marian.
II don't believe that pig thought we
wanted to give him n party at all,
though the other pigs may have
thought so. But he acted as though
we We're Just doing it to appear fine
and as though he didn't think we We're
at all"
"Oh," laughed Marian's mother, and
Jacks mother too, for that matter, 81
imagine the pigs We're glad to have n
party and didn't stop to think why you
gave 1t TO them!"
Now, Nick was in Jacks class in
school during the few days of the chill
dren'S visit, and Nancy was in Mar
ians.
1t was after school the following day
that Marian said she had something
quite special to do at home, and she
wished Nancy wouldn't bother to hurry
back but would stay and play with
the other girls.
She behaved so queerly about it that
Nancy couldn't imagine what was the
trouble. Cant | come along, too?"
she asked. but Marian said:
'Td feel much better if you played
with the others"
-,,cb,l ,,,, 60 N;,iy nc c,n, n c
he came out of school.
"Oh, Nick" she said, Something is
the matter with Mariau. She be-
haves so queerly. She said she want
ed to have me play with the other
girls, for she had something special
to do ut home. She really wouldn't
let me go home with her. I would
have been mad only she was Just too
queer for anything. l don't under
stand"
"Jack was the same way, Nancy !;
let's 20 back, anyway and see what
is up"
They hurried down street, running
| most of the way and then turned down
another and ran almost all of five more
blocks to reach their cousins home.
Nick went halfway down the hall
when he bumped straight into Jack
coming up from the cellar stairs. He
was holding in his arms the little fox
terrier Marian had just bought week
before with her birthday money. The
dog was only tiny puppy still, a love
ly little soft white puppy with one
brown ear and one black one and two
black spots on his soft white back.
"Oh, did Buster get hurt?' Nick
shouted. Buster, of course, was the
small. gay, naughty, happy puppy.
mo. he didn't" said Jack. "And
It's none of your business, anyway.
You're visitors even If you are our
cousins. And we'd planned about this
long before you came"
That's So" said Marian, who came
up behind Jack. "if we want to have
Busters tail cut, it's no ones busi-
ness but our own. 1t was just like
you two to find out somehow"
Going to have his tail cut?" gasped
| Nancy, and burst into tears.
| "Yes, fox terriers look absurd with
long tails" said Jack; Everyone says
so. And. besides, he'll be all well in
week, quite WELL"
"And for the sake of little STYLE"
said Nick, his teeth clenched tightly
together, you'd let that dog suffer for
a whole week. I just wish could cut
off part of your arm, that's what I
do"
THE bones are soft" murmured
Marian. He'd look foolish with tail,
so everyone says"
What do you care what everyone
says?" screamed Nick; you are two
horrid, cruel children, and If you don't
let that poor puppy, who has never
done you any harm, and who is at your
mercy, alone. Wen never be your Wis
itors any more. and you'll never be
friends of ours. We mean 1t, too"
And they did mean it, for they
didn't care what anyone thought Of
them as long as they saved the puppy
from being hurt.
But after Nick and Nancy had told
Jack and Marian of the suffering 1t
would mean for Buster, OF course they
didn't do such cruel thing. They
weren't really cruel, only they didn't
know that such thing hurt dread
fully. They had never been told the
real truth, and they were glad they
had heard 1t in time!