THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Evening Star, Issue 9581, 29 December 1894, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

A Story. One rainy day the two little boys clambered up over Uncle Peter, as he sat'in his armchair by the window, and demanded- with one voice: '' A story! A story, please!" "Story, indeed !" responded Uncle Peter. "How many stories high do you suppose I am?"

Then the two little boys began to laugh until the room shook with their jollity. Uncle Peter's jokes were so very funny. " Tell one. Tell one, Uncle Peter," they shouted.

Uncle Peter laughed too. He planted one little boy on eah of his two broad knees, and began : " Well, well. Let me see. Did I ever tell you about Farmer Gray's cats ? " "No," The two little boys shook their two little heads both together. • " Sure ? Queer I never told you about Farmer Gray's cats. Well, old Farmer Gray was a great man for telling wonderful stories. Great stories they were, too—Farmer Gray's stories. Only, when you came to find out the truth about them, they were not so won* derful as you might think. " Well, one day old Farmer Gray came into the room, and he says; "' Terrible lot of cats down at our house. You ought to see 'era.' "' How many cats are there V said L " ' That's what I've been trying to find out,' said Farmer Gray. ' Fve counted them over and over and over trying to find oat how many cats there are, and I can't,' said he.

" ' Well,' said, «tell me and I'll find out for you!'"

The two little boys sat with their eyes and their mouths wide open, ready to hear and pronounce judgment on the number of cats. Uncle Peter looked down at them with a twinkle in his eyes. " You've seen lots of cats, boys ?" he said. " Oh, yes," replied the two little boys together. "Can you count?" Uncle Peter asked again, suddenly. The two little boys looked doubtful. "Ye-es, Uncle Peter," they answered slowly, both together. " Well, perhaps you can count up how many cats farmer Gray had at his house," went on Uncle Peter.

"I went into my kitchen," said fanner Gray, " and my kitchen has eight sides to it."

" Eight!" exclaimed the little boys, both together. " Yes, eight; because the corners were cut off," continued Uncle Peter, going on with Farmer Gray's story. " * And in each corner of my kitchen there was a cat silting.' Now, that made eight cats, didn't it ? "But that wasn't aIL 'ln front of each cat in that room,' said Farmer Gray, «there were seven other cats.'"

" Seven !" exclaimed the two little boys, both together. " Seven—Farmer Gray said so. *ln front of each of those cats there were seven other cats,' said Farmer Gray. «And there was a cat sitting on each cat's tail!'"

" Tail!" exclaimed the little boys, both together.

"That's what Farmer Gray said," insisted Uncle Peter firmly. " 'ln each corner of that room there were eight cats; in front of each cat there were seven other cats, and there was a cat sitting on each other's taiL' That's exactly what Farmer Gray told me." The two little boys- looked in bewilderment from Uncle Peter's face to the window, and from the window back to Uncle Peter'a face. They drew long, hard breaths. " Now, the question was," went on Uncle Peter, slowly, " how many cats did that make." *

The two little boys looked at Uncle Peter anxiously, but said nothing. " How many do you think I" asked Uncle Peter. "Do you think it was a hundred ?' * " Yes," replied the two little boys. "Well, it wasn't," said Uncle Peter; "and you can tell me easy enough if you try. Just sit still and think a bit, and tell me how many cats Parmer Gray had in his kitchen. It was just like all of Farmer Gray's stories," ruminated Uncle Peter; "nothing wonderful when you got to the bottom of 'em !" Tennis. He had a racket, and she had a ball. And they played at tennis, wee Nell and Paul; But which won the game we never could tell For " Bofe of us beated!" said Paul and Nell. —'Youths' Companion.' FOR LASSITUDE, TORPIDITY, SOUR STOMACH, INDIGESTION, HEADACHE, BACKACHE, Etc., Take a couple of Fletcher's PiUb every second night; they are a prompt and sure cure, and give certain relief. FLETCHER'S PILLS are a quick, sure, and reliable remedy for all complaints arising from torpid liver, indigestion, weak stomach, and impurities of the blood. They are prepared on rational and sensible lines, and do not contain a particle of calomel, gamboge, or any drastic purgative, but operate by perfectly natural means, by stimulating the liver and increasing: the flow of bile, and thus producing easy evacuations and natural catharses without the annoyance and pain of griping and purging. Beware of the many harmful substitutes on sale in many shops. None are genuine unless they bear the signature of F. Moore Clements on the outside wrapper. CLEMENTS' TONIC and FLETCHERS PILLS have become such household words that imitations are frequently offered. We contend that this imitation is the sincerest proof of their virtues, so see that yon always get the genuine, bearing the name and address of F. M. Clements, Newtown, Sy dcey. —[ Advt. ]