The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-06
LETTERS IN THE SAND.

4
Walking little way back from the
waters edge, toward the grove of
trees. Dorothy came to a flat stretch
of white sand that seemed to have
queer signs marked upon its surface,
just as one would write upon sand
with a stick.
What does it say?" she asked the
yellow hen, who trotted along beside
her in a rather dignified fashion.
How should known" returned the
| hen. II cannot read"
"Oh! Can't you?"
Certainly not; I've never been to
/ school, you know"
well, 1 have" admitted Dorothy;
but the letters are big and far apart,
and it's hard to spell out the words"
But she looked at each letter care
fully, and finally discovered that these
letters were written in the sand:
BEWARE THE WHEELERS."
That's rather strange" declared
the hen, when Dorothy had read aloud
the words. What do you suppose the
Wheelers are?"
Folks that wheel, I guess. They
must have wheelbarrows, or baby
cabs or hand-carts." said Dorothy.
perhaps they're automobiles" sug-
gested the yellow hen. There Is no
need to beware of baby-cabs and
dangerous things. Several of my
friends have been run over by them.
1T can't be auto biles," replied the
girl, "for this is a new. wild country,
without even trolley cars or telephones.
The people here haven't been discov-
cred yet, I'm sure; that is, II there
are any people. So don't b'lieve there
can be any auto'bilss, Billina."
Perhaps not" admitted the yellow
hen. where are you going now?"
over to those trees, to see If l can
find some fruit or nuts" answered
Dorothy.
She tramped across the sand, skirt
ing the foot of one of the little rocky
hills that stood near, and soon reached
the edge of the forest.
At first she was greatly disappoint-
ed, because the nearer trees were all
punita, or cottonwood, or eucalyptL S,
and bore no fruit or nuts at all. But,
by and by, when she was almost in
despair, the little girl came upon two
trees that promised to furnish her
with plenty of food.
One was quite full of square paper
boxes, which grew in clusters on all
the limbs, and upon the biggest and
ripest boxes the word Lunch" could
be read, in neat raised letters. This
tree seemed Ito bear all the year
around, for there were lunch-box
DlOSSOInS on some OF the branches, ana
on others tiny lunch-boxes that were
as yet quite green, and evidently not
fit to eat until they had grown bigger.
The leaves of this tree were all pa
per napkins, and it presented a very
pleasing appearance to the hungry lit
tie girl
But the tree next to the lunchbox
tree was even more wonderful, for il
bore quantities of tin dinner-pails.
which were so full and heavy that the
stout branches bent under their weight
Some were small and dark-brown in
color; those larger were of a dull tin
color; but the really ripe ones were
pals of bright tin that shone and
glistened beautifully in the rays of
sunshine that touched them.
Dorothy was delighted, and even
the yellow hen acknowledged that she
was surprised.
The little girl stood on tip-toe and
picked one of the incest and biggest
lunch-boxes, and then she sat down
upon the ground and eagerly opened
1t. Inside she found, nicely wrapped
in white papers, a ham sandwich, q
piece of sponge-cake, a pickle, slice
of new cheese and an apple. Each
thing had a separate stem, and so had
to be picked off the side of the box;
but Dorothy found them all to be de-
Thousand she ate every bit of lunch
con in the box before she had finished.