THE BARON'S PRIZE SMILE AWHILE LEONIDAS THE DUSK. POP-IN-CHOC OUT WITH JACK FROST

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 12, 13 July 1935, Page 20

THE BARON'S PRIZE

SMILE AWHILE

LEONIDAS

THE DUSK.

POP-IN-CHOC

OUT WITH JACK FROST

THE coachman of. the Baion took a pinch of snitft from a liny painted-■! box between his thumb and linger Ca horrid 'habit he had acquired irom his master the Baion) and paused in. the middle 01 a sentence. '..■-;. , • , , I 'Ahf Dut it will bo magnificent It will be.....-.'...? Words seemed to forsake the coachman of Die Baion, and perhaps he'thought the. action j of. taking the pinch ol sauil might express what he; could not. j Little Jacques, listened, all eyes, all ears. It was .only now and again that his smait cousin, the coachman of the Baron, \ visited his humble j lelations. Not that he was> a pioud man, but lie waa a busy one. As a matter of iact, deep m his hcutl this, little street .attracted. Henri, for .m the Baron's household he was. only Henri, one of mejiny servants. .Here* - from length to length ol the row of poor houses, Hoiks came to their.. doorstep .each time they heard that the coachman ol the Baron _ had Little; Jacques took in once more his cousin's grantileur. "Mo foil" he would say over and over again as he gently touched -first-the velvet of Henri's •.■breeches, then .the silk of his tall hat or the shining leather ot his high', boots. . .' . • •'-. .. , .3 .'■•■ .1, And 'them his sriuHbox, with the little, painted ipeorile on it! ■: How-'bfte'n had: Jacques', made his street xbmpjkdons. laugh-as he mimicked his cousin Henri .with a small empty-.tin! fnom! which ne produced imaginary snuft" -in a lordly;;.manner. -In ajiflash "he".t;SuM ■"Change ■- his voic'fe'his walk, until Henri was-almost .before tlient. >v :■*■■■ ■, --■.. Wh9.t'an actor the boy would make! What , an; > act or indeed he-diet-make, tile grown-ups thought whenever they watched h*n, while Jacques, aware of.their presence, would scamper.off, somersaulting down the road, or swarm'up the nearest lamp-post. . . "■''•' Today Cousin Henri -was describing to Jacques something that was to take"'place on the' Baron's estates. >•• . ■•.); ' :-.:■ -y There was to be a- mighty;' fete, made up-, of, all the fine lords and ladies :'6f France. There was much dissatisfaction;.'; Cousin Henri said, among the poor people, and it'was daily growing:.' The Baron was of those'people who foresaw: terrible troubles /.ahead: if sejrious steps were not takeiri: This fete was, 'to be held to relieve some of the sufferings of the poor., There" were-to be great doings and._'-for. tbp first time the Baron's estate,was to be thrown open to the public "See," said Cousin Henri, "here are some coins which will enable you and your mother to enter and see the sights. And do not forget to stay to see the big procession. For towards closing time the children of the grandees are to march in a fancy-dress procession. Thena will be many kinds oil costume, and the Barori-is giving a handsome piize- for the best ' On the day the sun shone brightly over the wide grounds of. the Baron. Music played, and grand ladies and gentlemen walked about in silks and satins selling - things -to humble folk. Jacques Virank it all m. What games he would play afterwards, imitating all these fine people! : -Hisihaßbyclbffies'certairily were a mtle cbnspicuouA"' Twice a gendarme had.accosted him. asking if he had a ticket to.eater. Each- time ; Jacques held _up the half he had had returned to. him, and the man had said no more, though' he had stared well. Jacques's njiother had been able to find a neat bonnet and shawl which had belonged' to her mother, so she was not noticeable. '.'•'■ ... And then suddenly far away the grand . procession - ibegan to iorm. It was to start in half" an" hour.-And at the sSme' moment -a thought formed itself in Jacques's maid. . What.a.fine.idea!,{But dared he?i Ah, dared he? There was something he must borrow in order to. do wftat he thought • of doing. He had seen it in the road just outside the gates. No, he waa ■ afraid he dare not do this thing.. But then the mischievious imp which always seemed at little Jacques's elbow gave that elbow a little nudge, urging him on < and to. him: Why not? _,i ..:..■:. .■■■■.:. ■ ■ Five minutes later, when his mother turned, to speak So him, Jacques was nowhere'•t6'"beJ''seeri: She hunted: about' for him ■'for: a little while, and then, as the procession was beginning, she determined to see it before searching' further. Jacques had found a better view, that was aIL ' --'■•, ' *, ,• , t Over the short, smooth, grass the children,came, one by .one, the highest in the land. They were dressed as fairies, gipsies, kings, queens, pirates; some were in skins,- wearing- the heads of animals; some wore feathered frocks likel"birds;'there were mermaids, soldiers;-courtiers. •- ; • And-then Jacques's-mother was aware that some way -off the.someone,. w^ciDrtingl Wlid;=was; making the' crowd 'laugh, and;, clapj with; -pleasure.:-; TIW-"tprocession;--was-passmg the- Baron. He- and-"his lady-were seated- inf a'high carriage where they had a good view in order to judge well. Again that laughter! Whoever it was had reached the Baron's carriage, and a great roar went up from the crowd. ' : An, they were coming nearer! And then Jacques's mother moved a few steps forward. Among all this grand and fashionable collection of children in the procession was her own son! . ■ He was wearing the same clothes he had worn just, how, only he had torn them in greater rags He had made his face grimy, and had pulled his shabby round cap down over his eyes. In his hand he held a crossingsweeper's broom, with which every now and again he swept invisible dust away from all around him. When the crowd laughed, he laughed too, and sometimes waved his hand, : - ,■ : ; "How good!" the people iri the crowd said. "He might almost be a real crossing-sweeper. How good! He looks like the son of the Marquise de Salincour." v ~. ■ '.-■.. ..-...- ■ \ ■..

And so the whispers' and the rumours went on.; And then in about half an hour's time another rumour went round—the prize was to go to the crossing-sweeper! '-. -••.'.• - : : ■ Jacques's mother was in quite a state over it! What would happen when it was discovered that the.child was only a street urchin? She got near the Baron's carriage. They were evidential making, the presentation, for a shout went up from the crowd, and the IBaronne was [caning forward Jacques's mother could see the feather plutmes wave as she bent down to that someone who was so small that 'at fiast it did not appear who it was. Jacques's mother tip-toed__up I_;yes,1 _ ; yes, there was her little boy. The Baronne^was--fta*te!""nlsTa purse. ~Timp^sbf"wha^ ,_ : But her Jacquea-"was being equal to the occasion. He took the.purse, with his free ha^d; with the btner. he' was grasping his cap, .wbach he. swept. ; to the ground/as hejbowed,like a courtier.. Then; "he turned a.-'smiling face to the crowd, wKich cheered. • ■/" ''■-■•-,■' >..r ■ It was said that when the Baron and his ..wife were told that the., performance 7 was a" prank of a street urchin they thought it of ..the., f.-eatest jdsts they ; had ever heard, arid they laughed over it niany;times.. "That' boy-will .not.miss.^^ maiiy opportunities,"-tbe^-Baroci. '*£fd. . :"' HenfX the coachmaji, decided that if Jacques (^ntinued had-begun he might one .day attain to a position worthy of his own, r 'arid he. and' Jacques's mgtfief together suggested to Jacques that his prize money, should be thfe-first stepping-stone to teach1 him* ajtrade.:'^1 ;-;--:>;- - Aftd*again Jacques did not miss the opportunity .that, camels way.

; : v 'SMILE AWHILE. ' ' I JtKS.".Smith had' tried' long and hard to get .1 maid, and it .really ;,se_emcd ( as if .at last she was to'bb' successful.' " ",'.'.:. ;.: "I hopo you - will' settlei down her 6 " with us." she said.". "But ; you..'.seem to liave left <l»lte a lot of • situations;" - ' "Yes, mum; quite .; so," URrocd the prospective maid. "But I didn't, leave ones of llicm of my own free will." A GOOD JUDGE. T|ie new golfer had a good idea of his jiliiy. ■ "How do you like my game?" hu asked his caddy one day. "I suppose it's ■ all rifjlit, sir," said lhu 'caddy, "but I i>refor-~fiolf." THE EDITOR'S REGRETS. I The writer of experionco i waa giving some advice to a young author of this acquaintance!. "A thing worth remembering," ho said, "is lo giva to the world the best you havo, and tho best will come back to you." ' "I have, and it has," said'tho young man. as ho thought of his growing. plle.-of. rejected manuscripts. ,i ; • ! SMILE AWHILE. j Two youths, were discussing a mutual ■ a<Jqualntance. ''.''■■ , ■ ■'.'... . . "The colossal cheek," said one. "Ho actually told me he "cnnl'd get a~job with anyone he pleased."' ' "Then why hasn't he got one?" Queried the other. . .__ ...„._. „!.■.„.. i "Ho", hasii't-pleased anybody yet." - -—•

(Original.) The stars come drifting down the milky way, Just before tho evening.mantle falls, The moon in solitary Klory lays,

Tho dusk is lonely and it calls., The sweet, cool scent of night steals slowly

round. The deep, sweat forest with its great, green trees, / Klie weasel sleeps upon tho frozen ground, And thea tho dusk goes gliding o'er tho seas. ■ . "MENDELSSOHN" (13),

This is the name of a fine game, which you canplay: cither indoors or outdoors, Thejplayers are formed into two lines facing each other, with a distance of about four.yards. between. The boys stand in one line; and the girls in the other. The girls, are .blind-, folded, and are each- given a chocolate. /

The boys stand with their mouths open, and the- girls have- :tb find their partners and., put the-chocolates into their open mouths. This is not at all easy, as they soon discover.

It is not pi ten tfiat.one iman : can save his whole country ■from ruinv but Leonidas ose^ofjt^ie' great real heroes bit .history." .He .-^as ffie.-King of Sparta,-a province of ancient Greece, andin the year 480 B.C. he fought one of the most wonderful battles ever known. •

. Xerxes, King of Persia, was invading Greece with a vast army of two and a

"Winter has many beauties. "Waking in the morning..! jump out of bed and hastily dress. Opening the door I find myself once more out in refreshing 'air. The grass is covered with frost and all the windows have queer pictures painted on them. All this makes a picturesque sight,;t6,be sure.. After breakfast I taKe a 'stroll through the woods. There I see tall trees waving their sombre arms in the chilly breeze. Here and there are clusters of red berires, which look very pretty indeed. Going further on I come to a pretty little stream, which is covered with gre.en lily leaves."

half million men. The whole' of. Greece was terrified and their wonderful civilisation was threatened: by this dreadful invasion from the Bast There was no tune to get a big army together before Xerxes would be in their country, and so'Leonidas volunteered to defend a pass called Thermopylae^.against the invaderSj with only 300 Spartans and two .or; three thousand other Greeks to help him. '■

'MAY .QUEEN" .(14)

Thermopylae was the orrJy pass through the mountains Xerxes could use to enter. Greece. Seeing only a handful of men in front of him Xerxes asked the Spartans to give" 'up their arms/ Leonidas answered, "Come and take them." Xerxes' messenger, told him the Greeks were combing their hair and playing games, and Xerxes thought they were mad until ;a Greek in his camp told him this -wias their custom before, battle . . ■

For'several days these wonderful men kept back the great host of Xerxes until the Persian. Empqror was almost desperate with rage. Then a wicked Greek traitor showed him a secret pass which Leonidas had guarded with a few_men which the Persians" captured. Leonidas and his Spartans could still have-escaped, but they chose, to fight to the end because" an Oracle had said that either Sparta or a King of Sparta must perish to save Greece. ' The Spartans and the other Greeks went out to meet the Persians in the open. These had to be driven with whips to face tin's handful of brave men who were finally all killed, but who had saved their country by this long delay. So when someone speaks of Spartan--courage, remember the true story. oli Leopidas, . ,

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