The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 20 January 1916, Page 61

The Family Circle

WHAT ABOUT TO-DAY? - ■ We shall do so much in the years to come, But what have we done to-day ? . We shall give our gold in a princely sum. But what shall we give to-day We shall lift the heart and dry the tear. We shall plant a hope in the place of fear. We shall speak the words of love and cheer. But what did we speak to-day ? —Boston Pilot. WHEN GRANDMA WAS SCARED. ‘ Don’t be cowards, children,’ said grandma, as . she looked over her glasses at three eager faces, whose owners were waiting for one of her twilight stories, their delight and reward for especially good behaviour during the day. . “’Course not!’ proudly exclaimed the two boys; ‘ soldiers don’t have cowards for grandchildren.’ But little gentle Annie nestled closer to grandma and said nothing. ‘ You are right, boys—you’ve got good blood in your veins,’ replied grandma as she looked up lovingly to the portraits on the wall. ‘ But that, alone, won’t make noble men of you, unless you do noble deeds yourself.’ ‘ Was you ever afraid, grandma, when you was a little girl?’ whispered Annie. Grandma’s arm went more closely around the frail little waist of her darling. “ Yes, dear,’ she said, ‘ I think I was actually afraid of my own shadow.’ Then as the children gazed in astonishment at their strong", brave grandmother, who was noted for her daring, and celebrated for many heroic deeds, she said smiling : * I will tell you how I conquered my foolish fears. We lived in a small New England town, and, being an only child and much alone—for mother 'was a busy woman —T grew up full of . fancies, imaginations, and fears. Mother never knew it, nor anybody else, for New England children hide away their deepest feelings from their very dearest loved ones; and besides, I dreaded being laughed at and so I kept all my strange thoughts to myself. I was always “seeing things’’ at night,’ proceeded the old lady, ‘and in fact, was so troubled by my nervous fears that I could not grow like the other children, and remained small and thin—a poor, little, timid child that my heart aches to remember.

' One afternoon in summer, mother was suffering with a headache and had gone to lie down, and in the silence, broken only by the notes of birds in the elm trees without, I went out to the back porchmy favorite placeand, sitting in my little rocking-chair, began to build air-castles. I built them in the sky—turret and roof, glistening walls, reaching higher and higher, shining stairs and gleaming windows and doors of ( wondrous depths beyond. Oh, how I can see them now!—those "silver palaces",in the sky. The wind, nqw and then, rustled the curtains in the great square kitchen,, and finally an-unusually loud sound of fluttering draperies caused me to turn and look within the windows of the room. The sun had set, and the cool shadows rested in the corners. We used it as a livingroom as well as kitchen. Mother's sewing lay in a fpretty basket on a little round table by the window, "and a great bunch of roses stood in a pitcher on the mantelpiece. But what was that away off in the further corner ?—that awful object that was coming toward me waving its thin arms ! I nearly shrieked aloud; then, recollecting that mother was asleep, I stifled my scream and gazed in silent fright. At last, I resolved, " I'll find out what it is. I won't be so -fraid in our n own house." ; .So, I rushed forward, my heart beating like a sledge-hammer. . I seized the

object, and—what do you suppose it was?... Why, my pink sunbonnet and mother’s thin, grey shawl; hanging on a nail in the corner ! Oh, how 1 laughed ! I made up my mind, then and there, that whenever I was afraid of anything again, I would go directly to it and find out what it might be. From that time I began to grow strong and well, and my nervous fears vanishednot all at once, Annie dear, but gradually, and very surely.’ . The boys declared they ‘wouldn’t be afraid of a girl’s sunbonnet,’ but little Annie said softly: • - Grandma, when I’m afraid again, I’m going to say, “I know you, pink sunbonnet, you can’t scare me.” ’ YANKEE ADVERTISING. An interesting example of American enterprise and originality of idea is disclosed in the following story told by a Yankee who supervised a museum in New York : One morning a stout, healthy-looking man came into my office and begged some money. I asked him why he did not work. He'replied that he could not find work, and that he would be glad of any job at a dollar a day. I handed him twenty-five cents, told him to go out and get his breakfast and return, and I would give him light labor at a dollar and a-half a day. When he returned, I gave him five common bricks.

‘ Now,’ said I, ‘ go and lay a brick on the sidewalk at the corner of Broadway and - Ann street; another close by the museum; and a third diagonally across the way at the corner of Broadway and Vesey street, by the Astor House; put down the fourth on the sidewalk in ,front of St. Paul’s Church opposite; then, with the fifth brick in hand, go rapidly from one point to the other. Exchange bricks at every point, and say nothing to anyone.’ ‘ What is the idea?’ inquired the man. No matter,’ I replied; ‘all you need to know is that it brings you 15 cents an hour. Attend faithfully to the work, and at the end of every hour by St. Paul’s clock show this ticket at the 'museum door; enter, walk solemnly through every hall in the building; pass out, and resume your work.’ 1 With the remark thatdt was all one to him so long as he could earn his living, the man placed the bricks and began his round. At the end of the first hour the sidewalks in the vicinity were packed with people, all anxious to solve the mystery. The man then went into the museum, devoted fifteen minutes to a survey of the halls, and returned to his round. This he repeated every hour until sundown, and whenever he went into the museum a dozen or more would buy tickets and follow him. He continued the • round for several days—the curious people who followed him into the museum considerably more than paid his wagesuntil finally the policeman, to whom I had imparted my object, complained that the obstruction of the sidewalk by the crowds had become so serious that I must call in my ‘ brick man.’ GETTING A LINE ON THE NEWCOMER. ‘ Recently,’ says a Sydney man, ‘ I was afforded an amusing instance of the artlessness of childhood. * Louise, one little girl on the next porch, was evidently engaged in cultivating the acquaintance of another little girl, a newcomer in the neighborhood. ‘ “What’s your name?’’ shouted Louise. ‘ “Elizabeth,” was the answer shouted back.: “W-hat’s yours ‘ “Louise. The name of the people that lived in that house before you was Berry.’ * “Our name is Parker.’’ ‘ “Ours is Taylor. You didn’t know the Berrys, did you?” . ‘ "No.” “They were something awful for borrowing.They used to be sending over to our house all the time

for everything you could imagine. Your folks don’t do that,' do they?” ; V ' C; /. “‘No.” ■ ‘ v-'-'T' ‘ ‘‘She said they don’t, mamma.’.’ ’ . THACKERAY’S MISTAKE. It is stated that Thackeray did not know the meaning of G.P.O. In his Irish Sketch Book this ignorance led to one of the biggest * bloomers ’ in literary history. During the novelist’s Irish tour he was constantly encountering pillar-boxes labelled ‘ G.P.O.’ He inquired the meaning, and somebody pulled his leg. He went home and wrote as follows : ‘ So blind and extravagant is the devotion of the people to the great demagogue that they have actually erected along the highways pillar-stones with the inscription “G.P.0.,” which means “God Preserve O’Connell.’” The error was discovered in the London printing office, and Thackeray preserved from a mistake which would have raised a laugh that would have gone round the world. ■ ~ HIS REAL TROUBLE. Tommy’s Aunt; ‘Won’t you have another piece of cake. Tommy?’ Tommy (on a visit) : ‘ No, I thank you.’ Tommy’s Aunt: ‘You seem to be suffering from loss of appetite.’ . ' Tommy: ‘ That ain’t loss of appetite. What I’m suffering from is politeness.’ THE CAPTAIN’S EXPLOITS. It was a company field training. The captain saw a young soldier trying to cook his breakfast with a badly made fire. Going to him he showed him how to make a quick cooking fire, saying * Look at the time you are wasting. When I was on the coast I often had to hunt my breakfast. I used to go about two miles in the jungle, shoot my food, skin and pluck it, then cook and eat it, and return to the camp under the half hour.’ Then he unwisely added: ‘Of course, you have heard of the west coast?’ * Yes, sir,’ replied the young soldier, ‘ and also of Ananias and Baron Munchausen.’ HORRIBLE MENTION. On the last day of school, prizes were distributed at Peter’s school. When the little boy returned home, the mother was entertaining callers. ■ ‘ Well, Peter,! asked one of the callers, did you get a prize V . ‘ No,’ replied Peter, * but I got horrible mention.’ NOT YET DECIDED. The centenarian was being eagerly interviewed by reporters, and was asked, among other things, to what he attributed his long life and good health. . Well,’ the old man replied slowly,' ‘l’m not in any position to say right now. You see, I’ve been bargaining with two or three of them patent medicine concerns for a couple of weeks, but I ain’t quite decided yet.’ : AT THE VILLAGE CONCERT. At a.village concert in aid of the Belgian refugees, the collection was taken half-way through the proceedings, to enable the chairman to announce the result at the close. Just before the public announcement was made, Farmer Closefist asked one of the collectors on the quiet,-how.. much had been realised. ‘ £4 19s 7d,’ was the reply.

‘ Oh, dang it said the farmer, handing the surprised collector sixpence, u add this to it—five pound will look ever so much better! ' " . ' * / Outside, after the meeting, a brother farmer approached the philanthropist with the. remark: ■••••.. .‘r ‘ Here's your half-crown, old man. I thought I was quite safe in betting that they wouldn’t raise five pounds. And it was a close shave, too, wasn’t it?’ ‘lt was so,’ agreed Farmer Cldsefist, as ha pocketed his half-crown* SWEET REVENGE. A small boy, with the most of his face apparently hanging on one side, went to the office of a dentist and requested him to pull an obstreperous tooth. The dentist, after examining the tooth, picked up the forceps and was about to wade in when the patient interposed. ‘ Say, Doc,’ said he, just a little trembling, * look out the window and see if any boys is there, won’t yer?’ Mercy, yes replied the dentist, stepping across the room. Two dozen of them! What do they want V * Revenge,’ answered the small patient, with . a soulful sigh. ‘ Them’s boys what I have lickdd. They followed me down here to hear me holler.’ A NEW SCIENCE. In a Philadelphia family recently the engagement of a daughter was announced. A friend calling was met at the door by the colored maid, who announced ‘ No’m ; Miss Alice ain’t at home dis aft’noon—she’s gone down to de class.* - ‘What class?’ inquired the visitor. ‘You know, Miss Alice is gwine to be ma’ied in de fall,’ explained the maid, an’ she’s takin’ a cou’se in domestic silence.*' SHE RECOGNISED HIM. Young Hibbard was exhibiting some photographs to a charming girl, with whom he was very much in love. ‘ This one,’ he said, handing her a picture,- * is my photograph with two French poodles. Can you recognise me?’ ‘ Why, yes, I think so,’ replied the young woman, looking intently at the picture. ‘You are the one with the hat on, are you not?’ A POSITION OR JOB. The talk was on the subject of distinctions, and this little story was recalled by Senator Lee S.- Overman of North Carolina, . In an Eastern city there was a young man who was not very ambitious. The kind of work that he was willing to do was not forthcoming, and the result was a regular attendance at the cigar, store. . - ‘Hello, Jim,’ solicitously remarked a friend, meeting the young man on the street one ‘afternoon, ‘ have you got that position yet?’ . ‘No,’ responded the youth, with an appropriate sigh, ‘positions seem to be very scarce just now.* ; ‘Still, I wouldn’t give up old boy,’ kindly encouraged the friend. ‘lf you can’t get a position, why don’t you look around for a job V .