The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-09

her earned liVlng Dy planting ana of her brother, 15 years old. her some of your chicks and three or four of your baby ducks? Mortals in that valley have nothing like them, and l am sure that they will solve her problem
 The Fairy farmer was so eager to help that he quit everything and ran to fetch Tot Tim a basket. in which one of the baby ducks was placed.
 Tot Tim was so afraid the little girl might see him, he had to act very secretly. There was a pond in front of the little girls home, with q big clump of bushes nearby. And 1t was 10 this elump of bushes Tot Tim flew, set his basket down, and then lifted the little duck out.
 How happy was the little duck! He waddled his little legs as fast as they would carry him right into the water, and here, after little while, Mary Belle spied him.
 70, you beautiful darling" she cried. clapping her little hands. Where could you have come from? Someone must have dropped you off their wagon"
 But although Mary Belle asked every farmer passing her house, of course. none of them had dropped the little duck. Bat in the mean while Tot Tim had gone back for the second relay, and finally when four little ducks had waddled out of the bushes the little girl thought some wild mother duck must have had a nest there. Still. when she went to look, not sign of nest could she see, but instead there were 15 fluffy little white chickens wait ing to be cuddled, one by one.
 To Find Her Mother
 "Oh, mother motherl" was ali she could think of, as she flew to the house to tell about her great find.
 Her mother was just as delighted as ever her little girl could be.
 "They shall be your very own chickens and ducks, and when they grow up and lay eggs and hatch little ones, all the money shall be yours, and you can do whatever you please with it."
 70, how happy l am!" cried Mary Belle, who ran to get her big brother to build tiny coop for her little brood.
 Of course, 1t was not possible for Mary Belle to know what marvellous fairy chickens hers were. But as they began to grow so much faster than chickens usually do, and were soe much more attractive, persons often stopped to try to buy them as they went by.
 But Mary was a little financier, and refused to let any of them go at first.
 Later, do you know what hap pened?
 Within two years. the whole yard was filled with chickens and ducks. and little Miss Mary Belle was the most talked of young lady anywhere near.
 For everybody who saw the chick ems was delighted to pay her 25 cents each for all eggs she cared to sell and 50 cents each for even little baby chickens!
 Then one day Tot Tim sent man along to look at the little home, with the idea of buying 1t. After the man got there, he fell so desperately in love with Mary Belle's mother that 1t wasn't long before he had won her consent to be Mary Belle's step father.
 As he was a big strong man. who knew all about farming, he began 10 make the little place teem with busi- ness, and to assist Mary Belle all he possibly could. And do you know that nowadays. though Mary Belle IS only 13, she already has $l,o00 in the bank from her poultry farm and when she goes to church on sunday she has 80 many dresses she some times has to stop to think just which one she will put on. As for hats and shoes, no little girls could be pret- tier And. thanks to the fairy chickens, she Is able to attend school every day, and when she grows up IS going away to college!
 Every now and then Tot Tim drops by to take a peep at her through the window. But there are no tears these days. and Tot Tim dances a lit tie Jig on the window sill to see how merry everything has turned out.