SILVER BIRCH'S PART

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 82, 7 April 1928, Page 15

SILVER BIRCH'S PART

Mother Nature was very busy; she had decided to givo an autumn party in honour of her youngest' daughter, ' Silver Birch, and to ask Tho Man in ■ the Moon himself to conic. Sweet Silver Birch was the loveliest of all the forest trees. She stood alone in the middle of a-clearing. "This will make a. splendid ballroom," said Mother Nature. "Shall wo have new dresses for the party, mother?" asked tho trees. "Certainly, my dears," said their mother, and she began to dress them in beautiful frocks of red and browu and gold and yellow. Then she decorated the ballroom with long trails of scarlet creeper, and bunches of berries, and put couches of golden bracken and purple heather round the sides. "Now," said she, when all.was ready; "I must go and send off the iuvitatioris." While Mother Nature was away, the North Wind came romping along. "Oh, my!" said he, ."aren't we smart!" "Don't bo rude," said Silver Birch. "These arc our best dresses." But North Wind only* laughed. He ■was not a bad fellow, but he was apt to be : rather rude and rough. So what must ho do but begin to romp all round the clearing. "Oh, Oh! He's spoiling the'decora-I

tions! He's ten ring our frocks!" tried thb trees. "Mother Nature, come quickly; North Wind ia upsetting everything." "You naughty boy," said Mother when slro saw what North, AVind had douo. "What a mess theiiO is!" Tho decorations, were all torn down and scattered about anyhow; ail the trees had lost their beautiful I'roi'Us and, stood shivering in their old In-own petticoats, while the frocks lay in i';igti :md tatters all over tho ground. "Did yon do this V asked Mother Nature severely. "I only incH>.t il Cur-a lark," niultered North Wi'nl. hanging bis head. "Lark, mdi.-i.l!" scolded tho old tiaine. "Arnw you just put everything straight again ready for tho party." "Party1:" gasped North Wind. "Yes. I'm giving a party to-night; lint you shall not coniCj" and* off she Y,Tl\t. North Wind looked round helplessly. "J don 't uetj .vhat I can do, except just tidy up a bit," ho said. So br, set to1 work and blew all the 1 altered pievctf of \ho trees' frocks, tho lorn creepers and berries and bits of bracken out of the clearing. Just as ho finished-Jack Frost euiuo by. Hullo!" said he. You're looking rather down in the dumps. What's the matter?" ' . "Well," explained North Wind. ".Mother Nature got everything ready for a party here, and I was just playing round a little, and I spoilt it all. She told mo to put it right again, and I've done the best I could, but it doesn't look much like a party, does it?" "It looks," said Jack Frost, "much inoro like a spring cleaning. But, look-licre, I'll help you to make it look splendid if you like." "Oh, how, how?" cried Worth Wind. "You'll sec presently,"' answered Jack. "Just go and fetch some snow clouds, will you—fetch a; lot —big ones? I'll tell you everything when you come back." Wheii Mother Nature came back to Bee what her ballroom looked like, she liad the surprise of her life. On tho ground lay a carpet of snow, nicely frozen to make it firm for daiu:ing; bunches of icicles hung from every bush; strings of frost diamonds hung 0 ■•■ «■•-.< ■ 0

•/hercver there was a creeper to hold ♦ hem. The trees had each a frock oil iilvcr frost, edge with snow ermine; tho bushea had, cloaks of enuino; and even the ferns had a diamond ring oil every finger. * • "Will it do?" asked North Wind. "Do'?" cried Mother Nature. "It's splendid! You shall both tome to the parly." And then tho guests began to arrive. Besides the trees, Ilicro were, all the liirds and beasts; the North Wind and Jack Frost, and the Man in the Moon Himself. There was also an old, old man, who came in quietly, and sat down in a corner. "Mother, who's-that?" asked Sil!jsr Birch. "That's all right, my dear," replied Jlother Nature, "I know him; ho is expected." What a parly that was!! Quite the test: that.'even, the Man in the Moon k:i.d seen, but. at. lust it was all over. When day. ilawncd there "was nothing left of Mother Nnturn's party. Only the old, old man sal- alone in the midst of the '.-learing. His name was dialer.