MIDGET'S LOVE PUZZLE.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 273, 19 November 1887, Page 3 (Supplement)

MIDGET'S LOVE PUZZLE.

Showing How " Heaven Lies About Us In

Our Infancy."

How a tot with pleasing ingenuity told her love is related in the " Christian Weekly." The little story is enough to warm the cold cockles of a cynic's heart:

Mrs Blanchard was entertaining some friends in the parlopr one evening, when she heard a small -oice she knew so well saying: "Please 'sense me, mamma." Then she saw a little figure standing in the doorway in a white nightgown, with tangled curie and bright eyes, too bright for 10 o'clock at night, thought Mrs Blancbard. Midget ran across the room tp the refuge that had never failed her—mother's arms " Mamma, dear," pleaded the little nightowl, "I have just learned to-day how to tell you I love you in such a beautiful new way. Please, may I show you ? I'm so 'fraid I'll forget by morning." Midget held up her dimpled fingers. " Now,everybodydo jusb as I do,','she said, gleefully. "Hold your thumbs together so, now the next fingers the same way, but the next to that you must double in tight." She held her chubby fingers in this position, the palms together, the thumbs lightly touching, also the forefingers, but the second fingers folded so that her rosy nails and the dimples that stood for knuckles touched, then the third and fourth fingers met at the tips as the thumbs and forefingers did. " Now," cried Midgeb id great'delight, how far can you go from niirse ?" and she parted the thumbs as far as they would go. " Now how far from cook ?" and the forefingers went apart.

Then in suppressed glee she carefully explained, "You must skip the folded fingers and go to the next. Now, how far can you go from your dear, sweet mamma ?" she cried in great triumph. And odd it was that those queer little fingers would hob separate, and the more you tried the closer they were, not Midget's tiny fingers, bub papa's strong ones and Judge Mills's wrinkled ones. And as long as the second fingers are held in bondage the third ones wiU not separate. Try it.