MARY, MARY!

Evening Star, Issue 22685, 26 June 1937, Page 8

MARY, MARY!

Mary had been invited to a fancydress party and wanted to go very much. But Mother said, “ I don’t see ho,w you can, for I can’t afford to buy you a dress.” So Mary sat down and thought and thought. Yet no ideas came until Brother Tom, spade in hand, popped his head in at the window, saying, “ Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” “ It doesn’t,” answered Mary; “ hut you’ve given mo an idea!” And sho ran to ask her mother if she might borrow, so,mo things out of tho hig trunk in the attic. Mother said yes, and Mary darted upstairs. Out of tho trunk she pulled an oldfashioned green frock, a black silk shawl, an apron, a pair of mittens, and some bits of flowered cretonne. “There!” she said to herself, “ Those will d 0,,” and banged down tho trunk lid and ran downstairs.

“ Mother!” she cried excitedly. “ I’m going as Mary, Mary, quite contrary. I’ll cut the flowers from the cretonne and make a border .round the hem of the frock, and as I’m contrary I’ll wear my apron back to front and my shawl awry.” “You ridiculous child!” laughed mother. “ And oh, Tom,”_ exclaimed Mary, as her brother came in, “ I want silver bells and cockle-shells!” Tom thought a moment, then he said, “Wo could twist silver paper from tea packets into cones for bells, with beads to weigh them down, and cut cockle-shells from thick paper and paint them —like pilgrims wore in their hats.” “Of course,” agreed Mary ; “ and they would go round the flowers for a border.” “ I’ll help,” said Tom. So they spout a busy evening. Suddenly as they were working Toni started to laugh. “ Couldn't you curl

one side of your hair and wear the other straight?” ho suggested. Mary giggled. “ Yes, 1 could,” she nodded. “ And I could wear odd shoes, coo.” When the afternoon of the party came Mary dressed with care and went off happily, carrying Contrary Mary’s watering-can and very, odd shoes in a bag. In tho evening an excited and gay little girl burst in on mother and Tom. “It was a lovely party,” cried Mary. “ And there was a prize for tho best fancy dress, and my dress won it because the judge said it showed great ingenuity!”