Anonymous

“ Now there was one thing Mary Ellen had always wanted more than anything else and many times had reached up her little hands for—the red and green parrot on the bronze perch. But though the bird had an equal curiosity about the baby, Mama Nan would never let Dom Pedro be brought near her child for fear that cruel hooked bill might bite! ”

“ Suddenly, one morning Mary Ellen appeared to have an idea in her little head. She had been left on the rug with her playthings. There was no one in the room except the cats and Dom Pedro. The cats raced about, and Dom Pedro scolded: “Scat! Scat! Less noise I say!” Mary Ellen took no notice. She set off, hitching along, for the door open into the hall. As soon as she was over the threshold she started on a fast creep for the stairs.
“Young Woman!” Dom Pedro called. Mary Ellen crept on, the cats frolicking along with her. ”

“ THE BIG CAT-BASKET.
One was her first birthday celebration. It was not like any that any other little baby ever had. Little Mary Ellen had a birthday when she was six months old!
The youngest of the four great-grandmothers, Mrs. Persis, was talking one day with Madam Esther, the next-to-the-oldest great-grandmother. “It is time Nan’s baby had some kind of a celebration,” said she. “Why not let her have a birthday the day she is six months old?”
“Who ever heard of such a thing!” Madam Esther gasped.
“Why, we have!” laughed Grandmother Lee, Mary Ellen’s father’s mother. ”

“ The big white house was in a state of excitement. The grandmothers were downstairs all day. Mrs. Persis was sure she had felt the tooth for a week. All had to touch the bit of sharp pearl. “I believe the little rogue knows she is biting us,” Madam Esther said as Mary Ellen let go her finger with a gurgle of a laugh. She pointed out a tiny red spot on her finger and declared the tooth had made it. The others came and gazed, and Papa Dick said grandmothers were queer beings.
But he and Mama Nan “felt” the tooth, too, when once they were alone with Mary Ellen. ”

“ Mary Ellen’s mama looked as if she would cry. Papa Dick said, “I wonder what these grandmothers will do next!”
Mary Ellen’s next celebration was on New-Year’s Day. Nothing would do but that the Baby must make New-Year’s calls. Her mama feared she might take cold from “drafts,” being carried in and out of so many rooms, but Papa Dick said, “O, bundle her up!”
So New-Year’s morning Mary Ellen was dressed in her long white cashmere cape-cloak and her white velvet hood, and was carried about the house, up stairs and down, to call on her grandmothers in their own rooms. ”

“ Mama Nan said “no, she is to learn not to touch things.” But after the parrot, the vase of flowers was the first object the baby took notice of. Mama Nan would take a flower out and give to her, then set the vase back, shake her head and say slowly, “Mary Ellen mustn’t touch!”
“Mary Ellen is a little human being,” she said, “and knows just as well as I do that I mean she is not to touch the vase.”
“Yes,” said Papa Dick, “and because she is a little human being she will some day investigate that vase for herself.”
MARY ELLEN DIDN’T LIKE WATER.
And now that day had come. ”

“ One of the first things I remember, Jimmy, is my cat. She is a very big gray cat with a ringed coon tail.”
“Got a name?” asked Jimmy.
“She has. Big Betsey. Big Betsey goes to the country in summer. Mama wouldn’t think of leaving her behind to look out for herself. And we think, Jimmy, that Big Betsey always knows on what day we shall start. We think, Jimmy, that she understands a great many words that we say.
“Last summer she had a very smart handsome kitten, a great pet with us all, and we think Big Betsey understood us when we said we did not think the kitten could be taken too. ”

“ At last in her mighty effort she drew her little knees up under her, lifted her little back, and away she went, creep! creep! creep! and with a very red face and a gurgle of delight grabbed her doll and cat. Then she tumbled down on her face again. But finally she got herself turned over, and lay there on the carpet, contented.
And there she still lay, gurgling and cooing over dolly, when Mama Nan came in, and Grandma Camp. Mama Nan stared at her baby, then at the rug where the ivory rattle and pillows lay, then at Mary Ellen again. ”

“ A-watch for mole or mouse.
Tu-whit, tu-whoo! tu-whit, tu-whoo!
They never fly for joy,
And soar about the sky
They sail, and pounce, and sail—
These Owls with their strange cry:
Tu-whit, tu-whoo! tu-whit, tu-whoo!
Back to your hollow tree,
You birds that have no song!
No child would like to be
An Owl for very long.
Tu-whit, tu-whoo! tu-whit, tu-whoo!
THE NIMBLE PENNIES.
Draw two circles, a small one at the top, a large one below and behind it, as in the first two designs. Draw around a small cent and a large copper cent (or two-cent piece, or silver quarter) . ”

“ I don’t much think they’ve scratched her, but they might have—just think of it, Dick!”
Papa Dick smiled. “Awful!” said he. “No doubt, Nan, they came in purposely to eat your baby up!”
The grandmothers smiled too. “Nan! as if our cats would hurt Mary Ellen!” said the youngest grandmother.
“Well, you can all laugh,” said Mama Nan, “but I think six cats are much too many in a house where there’s a baby.”
THE TIGER CATS.
“Six cats is rather many,” laughed papa, “but then there are six grandmothers, too, you know, to keep them off.” ”

“ THE WAYS NORAH LOOKED.
“Once there was a man, and he looked just like this,” and Norah twisted her under-jaw around to the right. “And his wife looked like this,” and Norah twisted her jaw to the left.
“And they had a boy who looked like this,” and Norah drew her under-jaw in back of the upper one; “and a girl that looked liked this,” and Norah threw her under-jaw out beyond the upper. ”

“ Day coaxed again, “Down-y, down-y, now!” the wonderful “instinct” began to stir. She held on to the landing, behind, with both hands, gave a quick hitch, and set her little self on the next step below all right. And down they got her at last, with great fun.
“Nan used to go down that way, so fast she seemed to be just sliding down,” said Nan’s mother, “and now she is so scared about Mary Ellen!”
A BABY NO LONGER.
Well, the day came at last when nobody was worried to find Mary Ellen going up or coming down quite alone, holding to the baluster by one hand, and perhaps a cat on the other arm. ”

“ She ran skipping over the green grass, tossing her little arms and singing “da-da! da-da!” at the top of her voice. Her yellow hair was blowing all about her face and shining in the September sun and wind.
Her father caught her up, as he came in through the gate. “O, ho!” said he. “Running away, is she? Not a baby any longer, but an independent little girl!”
Ella Farman Pratt.
“LITTLE SUN-BONNET.”
They called her “Little Sun-bonnet.” I will tell you why.
BETH.
Her mama had promised to take her to a picnic, and for days little Beth could talk of nothing else. ”

“ Posy’s cat had a very short, stubby tail, while she liked very much better to see long glossy tails, and wished every day of her life that her tail was long and handsome.
In her dream she was sitting on the gate-post, and had a long glossy tail that reached all the way down and lay on the ground, and was so beautiful that rats came into the yard to look at it and admire it.
“I wish dreams could come true,” said Posy.
THE DREAM.
“Ow-wow-ow!” ”

“ THE JOLLY YOUNG ELEPHANT.
One day when the Show was passing through a village, one of the young trick-elephants heard a little boy laugh out suddenly. This elephant liked little boys; he had a roguish look himself and could take a joke, and never acted “mad” when some mischievous little visitor fed him an empty peanut shell. ”

“ Unlike all other bears, the Polar bear’s feet are shod with hair—short hairs set so close that one can’t see between them even with a magnifying glass. With this hairy sole to his feet, the Polar bear can walk on the smoothest ice without slipping. ”

“ There were cookies, yellow and brown, of all shapes and sizes, and doughnuts both round and square.
“Carl! Where in the world”—began mama.
“Yesh, isn’t you glad?” interposed Carl. “They was all gibbed to me for you, and every buddy sent their love!”
This is how “Keecoo Carl” came by his name.
Carrie A. Griffin.
A rattle is enough for me,
For I can make as much noise,
With my own mouth and fists and heels,
As babies with lots of toys! P. S. C.
LITTLE SALLY’S ANIMAL STORY.
“Do you know any stories?” was the first thing Jimmy said to his little cousin visitor. ”

“ A-playin’ wiv such a shiny black stone— (Lilybud to mama.)
“But, mama! oh, mama! come quick—I dess,
I dess I have dot sumfin bad on my dwess!” P. S. C.
The House Mouse (Mother, or teacher sings:)
1. A child comes lightly about the room with hippity-hop step.
2. Several children come out and hippity-hop about swiftly and gaily.
Sometimes a child at night
Awakes from slumber sweet,
And seems to hear the step
Of fleeing elfin feet. (Child sings:)
’Tis I, the merry Mouse,
The little bright-eyed Mouse
That dwells within the house!
Tis I! ’tis I! ’tis I! (Mother sings:)
A rush as of a troop! ”

“ Or perhaps she had studied it all out on her rug. Learned men are trying to pry into the minds of babies now, but as yet none has discovered very much as to what a baby thinks of, or whether it thinks anything. ”

“ Between verses, they gather and sit in line as swallows gather on the ridge of barn roofs or on telegraph wires, previous to migratory flight. During the singing of the third verse, the children gather in line forming a solid body, two leaders somewhat in advance. During the singing of the fourth verse, the children, keeping close together, march around the room and out through the door, the mother or teacher waving farewells.
(Mother or Teacher sings:)
What does disturb the Swallows? ”

“ Mary Ellen had never seen anything struck, but it was a very fierce little blow she gave the puddle of drenched flowers. Then she set off with her big rose for the open door into the hall, and up the stairs she went, and nearly twice as quick as on the day before.
Ella Farman Pratt.
THE LITTLE SAND PAIL.
“No Kit, no toys. I think children don’t need their toys at the beach.” So said Kit’s mother. ”

“ Fluff was a gentle milk cat. White-face was a fierce mouser. White-face would often bite and claw her sister, but Fluff never bit and clawed back.
Once, however, Fluff bit and clawed first, and there was a fight, and Fluff—but that’s the story.
Papa Pinkham had caught a gray mouse in the wire cage-trap. It was so cunning Posy begged to keep it, and Papa Pinkham left it in the cage-trap and went off to business. Posy fed the mouse with five kernels of corn, and then went to dress her doll Lilybell for breakfast.
FLUFF ALSO ADMIRES THE MOUSE.
Fluff had been looking on. ”

“ There was a sudden hurry inside, and the door opened, and Mary Ellen and the six kittens went tumbling in together down on the floor. Great-Grandmother Day cried out, “The Good Lord preserve us!” and sank back in a chair.
The next minute she had caught the child up. Mary Ellen was crying lustily, for she had bumped her nose in a very bad way, and as Great-Grandmother Day sank back with her in the chair again, doors flew open all about and grandmothers came flying along from all quarters.
MAMA NAN LOOKED WHITE.
“What is it? ”

“ She and Big Betsey went in a basket, and had part of my seat. This is The End, Jimmy.”
“It’s a very nice animal story,” said Jimmy.
M. Dunleath.
The Big Night Birds.
(Marching Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten.)
Mother recites or sings each verse; children sing tu-whit refrain. A pair of big disks to surround the eyes adds much to the pleasure of the “owls”, easily made of common crimped paper. A pair of tufts, to stand up like the feather “horns” of certain species, may also be worn.
1. Children march with mother behind pointing at them and singing. ”

“ Still, if we choose, what is to prevent? I’ll ring for Nan.”
They were all in Miss Persis’ room, the large southwest corner room, in their rocking-chairs, sitting in the sun. The cats lay in the big cat-basket, basking in the golden warmth.
When Mama Nan came in, her mother told her the plan. “Did I ever hear anything so absurd!” cried Mama Nan.
Papa Dick said, “Why not?” and helped the plan on.
So Mary Ellen had the celebration. It was held in Mrs. ”