Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-01-23
JAMES CROUCH CURE

Vic dALtIHObil dlItI Tue non"
days Jamie felt all out of sorts. He
had eaten a great deal of turkey. and
far more candy than was good tor
him. and that probably had something
to do with the way he felt | am
sorry to say he spoke rather GROSSLY
when his little cousin Jean, who was
spending the holidays with him tried
to run his electric train and bent one
of the wheels, He moped around and
said he wanted to be let alone when
Jean begged him to so outdoors to
play in the snow. Jean looked as tho
she were about ready to burst into
tears.
Jamies grandmother looked up
from her knitting and saw how I'M
happy and cross the children seemed
to be. Putting her knitting away. she
asked, Il wonder who would like to
hear story?"
Jamie sat up in his chair Jean
swallowed the lump in her throat and
looked more cheerful At the same
moment they both said. Il would"
and laughed
Grandmother pushed back her glass
es and smiled Lets see, now what
shall it be-"
She looked all around the room
When her eyes came to a dish of
stuffed dates on the table they
stopped.
How would story about dates
do?" she asked.
"Fine!" cried Jamie, looking at
Jean. That's the kind OF story
love, don't you. Jean?"
Il never heard story like that"
Jean replied. but Id like to hear
one"
Dates, sweet and brown. were
eaten by little children thousands of
years ago, tor the date palm is one
Of the Oldest plants cultivated by
man. Three thousand years ago the
date palm grew and bore fruit"
"Where?" jamie wanted to know.
Sin the countries Uf the far East.
probably Arabia or southern ASIA"
grandmother replied.
"Why, that's where the three wise
men came from isn't it," Jean asked, /
remembering the story OF the Babe
in the manager, to whom the wise men /
in the East were guided by a star
Yes, and perhaps among the gifts (
they laid at the feet of the Christ /
Child were dates" grandmother said
The children looked at the dates .
thoughtfully.
Grandmother went on. THE date
palm is very high, sometimes reach
ing a height Of 100 feet or more. 1t
is an odd looking tree, too, for it has
no leaves except at the very top,
where it spreads out in a wide, feath-
cry bunch. The leaves are very long,
sometimes ten feet long. Up among
the leaves the fruit grows"
DO they grow on little stems, like
apples" Jamie asked.
mo. the dates grow in big punches,
weighing from fifteen to forty pounds
And single tree vii! often have ten
or fifteen lunches"
why, grandmother, one tree would
have an awful lot Oh dates On it" eX.
claimed jamie,
yes. some date trees have as high
as 500 POUNDS of dates, ANA they bear
for hundred Yeas, too"
How pretty the uecs must look
when they bloom,' said jean. What
color are the blossoms, grandmother
"A clear white" she answered. Il
often think how lovely the date palms
in blossom must look to travellers on
the desert, who are worn and weary
from their hot journeys across the
sands You see, the date palm some
times grows in Gases on the desert.
You know what they are, don't you?"
They are water holes in the des-
ert" answered Jamie, eagerly. But
| should think the hot air of the des
eIt would kill the trees"
mo, the date palm must have hot.
dry air TO thrive. with lots of water
at the roots. So you see an oasis is
just the kid Of place. for it. OF course,