The Snowflake herald., 1919-08-29
756e
cMagic Wand
BY ALDEN CHAPMAN
BY ALDEN CHAP

AS a summer boarder Marcus Dale
was general favorite He was about
twenty-five years of age and rather
pale and delicate looking, but that,
the Mortons understood, was due to
nervous breakdown from overstudy.
They say he is going to become a
great lawyer and is very rich" Mrs.
Morton told her nearest neighbor,
Wanda Bruce.
! Wanda had noticed the young man
! when he arrived. He took to the Nor
ton children, and these latter invited
over the Bruce brood of five, who came
back to Wanda with marvellous stories.
/ Honest, Wanda" declared her
/ brother Willis. "he made balloon out
Of tissue paper that went clean up out
of Sightl'
'Yes, added little Idalia, excitedly.
"and he'll go up to a tree and say,
Give me some chocolates, Mr.. Tree
and they'll fall right off into his hand"
"And he picks gum drops off of
blackberry bushes" affirmed wonder
/ eyed little Martha.
Wanda smiled, pleased and admiring
this stranger who was willing to de-.
vote his time to entertaining the chill
/ dren. 1t showed a good. kind heart,
/ and'One day when this amateur magi-
/ clan and lover of children came dash
I ing through a downpour of rain, lit
! tie one in each arm, Wanda saw him
close at hand for the first time and
realized how manly and handsome he
was.
After that, Marcus Dale divided his
I time between the two houses. Wanda
hoped that with the garnering of the
/ crops her father would see his way
clear to provide her with a new pretty
summer suit like Alma Trevor wore.
There was a spice of jealous rivalry in
| this conception, for Alma had made a
determined set at the handsome stran-
ger. although he did not seek particu-
larly TO notice her. a
81 am anxious to have you do some
thing for me, Miss Bruce" spoke Dale
one day 81 have always dab0led in
an amateurish way with sO-called
magic. and my ordinary tricks of leger-
demain have so fascinated the little
ones that / have sent to the city for
my parlor outfit in that line, and l
want yOu to gather in all the juveniles
in reach and give them party.
viii provide for the ice cream and the
like and we will try to give the tots
the time of their lives"
Wanda liked that 1--WE" and diligent-
ly carried out her part of the program.
Some older folks came to the enter
tainment, and were as pleased as the
little ones. Dale made quite pro
gram with his magic wand" He lured
numberless rabbits from an empty
bag. made a cake in q silk hat, found
a dozen eggs in the clothing of little
Willis. turned a stick of firewood into
a bewildering pot Of roses, and caught
a shower of bright. pretty toys, appar-
emily falling through the air from no
where
Little Willis got possession of the
magic wand later. and amused them
all by trying to bring sweetmeats from
trees and doves from all kinds OF
places. It was about week later
when Wanda's father. who had driven
to the county seat on business, re-
turned. bringing into the house long,
deep pasteboard box. He had picked
it up on the road, where it had doubt
less fallen from some touring automO-
bile.
''You take charge of it, Wanda" he
said. 'It seems to be some kind of
feminine fiummery in which he was
correct, for when. Wanda opened the
box there was revealed complete
bridal trousseau. She sighed as she
wondered if the time would come
when she could glow and gladden. over
like finery of her own. Mr.. Bruce had
sent word to the county seat of his
find and doubted not that the owner
of the box would sooner or later ap-
pear.
One afternoon all the folks had gone
away from the house except little Will
lis and Wanda. Willis was amusing
himself with a ribbon-decorated wand
Dale had made for him. Wanda had
given way to temptation she could
not resist. She had brought the trous-
seau outfit down to the sitting room,
where there was a large mirror, had
donned the attire and was surveying
herself at full length when, unnoticed
by her. Mr.. Dale came into the hall.
"Why, hello. Willis!' he hailed, in
his usual genial way. "All alone? And
working away with the magic wand!
I'm afraid have put lot of nonsense
in that bright little head of yours"
II tapped the chicken coop with It
this morning" vaunted Willis, "and
four rats ran out. See me! Appear
Appear!' shouted the little NEGRO
mancer, slapping the door with his
wand and repeating the summons he
had heard Dale employ when conjur-
ing material presentations from odd
nlaces. "Oh, see-it's fairy!"