THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: APRIL 1, 1917.
The Busy Bees
Their Own Page
4 S
APRIL I, of al! days in the year, enjoys i character of its own in as
- far as it and it. alone is devoted to the practice of practical joking.
For hundreds of years, exactly how many hundred we can not say,
since antiquaries are unable to trace the origin of the custom or to
say how long it has existed among us, it has been the business of
children to practice innocent jests upon their unsuspecting parents
and playmates, in order to make them appear what is called in France "pois
isons d'Avril," in Scotland gowks" (meaning cuckoo) and with us just "April
fools." Thus, knowing and mischievous little boys and girls (among whom
are doubtless many of the Busy Bees) fill their mother's sugar bowl with
salt, and the salt-cellars with sugar and gleefully watch the grimaces of the
rest of the family at the breakfast table the next morning, or they pin paper
placards on the coat tail of some passerby, or offer their friends delicious
looking chocolate Easter eggs which prove upon investigation to be made of
cotton dipped in chocolate.
Of course for successful April fooling, it is necessary to have consider
able coolness, nonchalance and tact in order to know in what direction the
victim is most ready to be imposed upon by his owif tendencies of belief. A
large amount of the fooling usually takes place before breakfast before the
family has had time to remember what day of the year it is.
This is the week of spring vacation so eagerly anticipated by the Busy
Bees and now they may plan their Easter parties to their complete satis
faction. Easter egg hunts, egg rolling contests, and egg blowing, when the
egg shells are pierced and the contents are blown out and the shells painted
with water-colors. Another contest which will furnish" amusement at such
a party is picking up an egg from a pile with a teaspoon and carrying it
across the room to a basket without breaking it.
Eggs were originally colored by boiling them with mosses and roots.
Blueing will make them blue, and coffee will make them brown, while pieces
of colored cloth which fade will color them. Then of course there are
numerous tints to be obtained by dyes made especially for the purpose.
The editor wishes to remind the Busy Bees of two important items, first
that the garden contest closes April 7, and that you have only one week in
which to send in your plans; and secondly, that everey Busy Bee should wear
a flag or see to it that there is oneplaced either in the window of his home, or
that it waves from the exterior. v
Helen Crabb of the Red side was last week's prize winner, while Ruth
Ribbcl of the Blue side and Sidney Winstrom of the Red side won honorable
mention.
Little Stories
(Prize Story.)
Appeal to Busy Bees.
By Helen Crabb, Aged 9 Years, 4016
North Thirty-fourth Avenue,
Omaha, Neb. Red Side.
The Boy Scouts do many acts of
goodness and kindness, mostly away
from home, so let the Busy Bees, both
girls and boys, do acts of goodness
and kindness in the home.
Here is one great way to help when
everything costs so much:
You know that children must be
fed and clothed and we also know
food and clothes cost money, and a
great deal of money now. '
Everyone of us can help our par
ents by taking better care of our
clothing, by playing such games that
do not cause too much wear on our
shoes and clothes, and by being care
ful not to soil or tear them by play
ing rough or dirty games.
Your parents will always give you
enough to eat, but when everything
costs so much you may not get what
you like best for every meal, so you
must be good and not complain, be
cause it would make your papa and
mamma feel very badly. You know
they love you, and are doing all they
possibly can to give you what you
wish.
It is from hearing my papa and
mamma talk that I know these things
and I hope that every little girl and
boy will help, as my sister, little
brother and I are trying to do.
' My papa and mamma think that
teaching this lesson to us now will be
a great benefit to us when we grow
up.
Little Busy Bees, won't you help
your papa and mamma by being care
ful and good? We are trying very
hard to do so. , , .
: (Honorable Mention.)1 ''
A Boy Hero.
Bf Sidney Winstrom, Aged 13 Years,
Newman Grove, Neb. Red Side.
"Jack, let us go wimming," said
Henry to his companion. "The river
is deep and the water is clear." Jaclt
THE GREAT SECRET
Novelized From tha Metro Wonderplay
: .. Serial of the Same Name, in Which Francis
X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne are Co-Stars
- BY J. M. LOUGHBOROUGH
'Author al thevNevHlaatioa al Clyde Fltch'a play, "Her sister," "His Backdoor
v Romance," and ether abort eterlec.
I
What Has Gone Before.
The Secret Seven, a band ot wealthy and
, brainy criminal!, beaded by a mysterious
Individual known to them only ai Tim
Orcat Meeter. are plotting to wrest from
Heverly Clarke, a beautiful girl, the vaat
fortune which haa been left to her by her
uncle, who waa a member of the powerful
band of lawbreakere. William Montgom
ery Strong, a wealthy young clubman, en
ters the life of Beverly, who Uvea In mod
erate clrrumatancea with her Invalid
mother, when he rescues her from kidnap
pers sent out by The Secret Seven, Strong
at first mistakes the motives of the girl
when, In fleeing from hirelings of The Secret
Seven, she Is found In a clothes closet In
lila apartment and he la compromised In
the eyes of his fluncce, Eunice Morton.
Afterwsrds he realises that she Is an Inno
cent girl, a victim of a vile plot, and he
becomea her champion. One Is seised by
the gangsters and carried to their rendes.
voua. Strong goes there In disguise, pnta
up a terrlno light with the thugs, and his
life la saved only by the timely appearance
' of the police, Beverly Is spirited away to
the den or a Chinese hypnotist, Dr. Olt Sin.
strong, disguised as a Chinaman, goes there
o save her and both are trapped. .
CHAPTER VIII. x '
A Clue From the Klondike.
' A reptile in the throes of a struggle
o the death with a formidable foe
wmetimes will attack itself and lie
icve it is maiming the enemv. This
s what that reptilian band, the Se
:ret Seven, was doing. Dr. Zulph,
luspecting that there was a traitor in
tamp, was determined first to put
' Strong out of the way and then to lay
hands on the one who was false. The
.Great Master, brains of the band,
was balking Zulph. He knew that
the murder of William Montgomery
Strong, man of wealth and promi
nence, would shock the entire com
munity and sound the death knell of
1 The Secret Seven.
Twice The Great Master had saved
Strong's life first when he ordered
his East Indian servant to release
him when he was kidnaped after the
casket ot tainted treasure had been
found in his h.me. and airaiii when
the sable hood went to hia airk heH
What was back of this working at
; cross purposes in the ranks of the
hitherto invincible Secret Seven I
I herein lay part of the skein of mvs-
tery that surrounded the great secret
of the all powerful organization. And
so The Secret Seven was battling with
itself like a frantic reptile. The
" Great Master represented the brains
f this reptile and Zulph the teeth and
:iaws.
Perhaps one faint clue to this
Strange situation in the strangest
by Little Folk
Rules for Young Writers
1. Writ plalnl? on m aide of tha
paper only and number tha pages,
X. ree pen and ink. Dot pencil.
S. Short and pointed article will be
given preference. Uo not UH over SOU
words.
a. Original stories or letters only will
be need.
S. Write your name, age and addreaa
at the ton of the ftret pane.
A priie book will be given each week
for the beet contribution.
Addreee all eommunleatlona to Chil
dren's Department, Omaha Bee, Omaha,
Mob.
asked his mother, who assented, and
away they went.
When they came down to the river
they found some other boys there.
They had boats and were having row
boat races. Jack had a boat called
"The Winner."
Jack said, "I will race with any
body here.
The boys sneered and said, "What
can baby Jack do?"
"I will show you what I can do,"
said Jack.
They lined up and the order to
start was given and away they went.
To their surprise Jack took the lead
and kept it. The other boys tried to
pass him, but it wasjio use, (or Jack
had won the race.
Then the boys said, "Let us have a
swimming race."
Jack said lie was willing. He was
ahead again, but as he looked back
when he reached the goal he saw that
one of the boys had gotten the cramps
and was drowning. The other boys
started to scream and swim for shore,
but Jack stayed and dived down, res
cuing the drowning boy.
The boy whom he rescued was the
largest of his playmates. After that
Jack was called the bravest of his
playmates.
When they talked about it years
later they called Jack "the hero of the
day" because he won the races and
rescued the drowning boy.
criminal band the world ever knew
may be found in a reverie in which
The Great Master indulged at the very
time strong and Beverly were
trapped in "the Dragon's Den." Sit
ting in his Hudson river mansion, he
picked up an old album which lay on
a table near him and turned the pages,
which were tilled with laded photo
graphs. ,
Iht turning of these pages brought
a turning back in the pages of mem
ory a turning to-years gone hy when
he was a prospector in the Klondike,
a young man full of health and ambi
tion, who was seeking gold from the
pockets of nature.
in this retrospection he saw an
Alaskan dance hall. He was 'Standing
at the bar. A girl, beautiful and
Cathetic in her innocence, sat on a
ench with bowed head, while the
other women caroused. Near her sat
Zulph, beside a woman, and that
woman waslane Warren, owner of
the dance hall. She was the same
Jane Warren who served as house
keeper for old Thomas Clark;,. Her
heart, in those Alaskan wilds, be
longed to Zulph. She gave him all
and asked nothing in return, save
love, winch was bestowed hv Zuluh
as a hypocrite bestows charfty on a
Dcggar.
Two miners enlered the nlace and
halted to gaze in undisguised admira
tion at the frightened dove of the
dance hall. The younger of them, who
was laden with gold, offered to bet the
other that he could win her affections.
Mis companion accented the waeer.
and then the younger man advanced
with confidence and seized the girl.
Realizing his curoose. she struccled
desperately, but he and his companion
only guffawed over her frantic efforts
to get free. Then the man who after
ward became known as The Great
Master stepped forward. He parted
the girl from her captors and faced
them angrily. .
The purchaser flew at him in a tor
rent of rage and received a crashing
blow on the jaw that sent him sprawl
ing to the floor. He did not get up.
Zulph and Jane Warren ran forward
to demand an explanation just as a
gray-haired woman burst into the
dance hall and seized the child.
"Mother!" cried the girl as she
clung to the newcomer.
"You must leave her here," said
Boys Who Play in
Glen woo J LloyHy
Most little chaps would sympathize
with a "feller" that didn't have a big
yard and lots of other little boys in
the neighborhood to play with, but
had to amuse himself among a lot of
grown-ups in a big hotel. Glenwood
Walden and James Stanley Lloyd and
little Kola.id Burbank, who live at
the Fontenelle, don't mind it a bit,
however. They manage to have a
great time anyway and are ever so in
terested in all the great and small hap
penings at the big hotel. The new
ness of things hasn't worn off yet
for Glenwood and James, who are
only 9 and 7 years old and have just
moved here from Spokane. Their
parents haven't decided which school
the boys will go to yet, so they are
having a good time in the interim.
Roland Wainright Burbank is a sort
of mascot for the fine, new hotel, since
he has made his home there almost
since its opening. His father, ,the
late W. R. Burbank, was the first
manager of the Fontcnclle.
(Honorable Mention.)
From Former Queen.
By Ruth Ribbel, 3529 Front Street,
vSan Diego, Cat. Blue Side.
I have received several nice letters
from the Busy Bees since my last
letter to the page and I will try and
answer their questions here.
Last Saturday we spent the day at
Coronado. My brothers love to fish
and the morning was spent at the reel,
and after lunch we put on our bath
ing suits and played in the sand and
rode the breakers.
The only personages on the beach
whom I could find out were Jack
l'ickford and Ins wife. Yes, he is
married and he looks just like Mary.
My little brother, who is 8 years
old and very wise and small for his
age, would rather fish than do any
thing else, and he will sit patiently
by the hour until he catches one for
each of us. He studies She "Anglers'
Guide" with the dcepcstlinterest and
can tell just what kind of fish can be
caught at this time of the year, the
kind of bait and size hook that is
necessary.-
Saturday he sat on the end of the
pier under a big sun hat fishing. He
looked so tiny, and everybody who
passed smiled at him. He didn't seem
to know there was anybody else in
the world. He threw his, line in a
school of ocean perch (Ins line had
five hooks on it) and caught three,
WHEN THE SANDS RUN
Zulph. "She has been hired by us."
"You must take here away if you
are her mother I" roared her protector.
"She is too good a child for this place.
Here," he added, flinging a bag of
gold at the man lying on the floor,
"I will ransom her."
And thus he met the "dove of the
dance hall," fell in love with her and
married her. The ceremony was jn a
roughly-built chapel, and before it was
over Zulph, one of the witnesses, got
up and strode away from the sacred
scene. The Great Master took his
bride to his hut. For many months
they lived hapily. Their joy became
more intense when a baby blessed
their union.
This far had The Great Master gone
in his retrospect when it was inter
rupted by a message which told him
Wmmm0mmmmTmt:miwiimmm I ill iaainiaSa.SfC--w
Lobby of Big Hotel
I I a
I It' I '
t, jJ
JMS ''I
' Roland Durhank
the principal, the janitor and the
teacher. The reason he didn't catch
more, he said, was that the rest of
the school ran home. During the
week he guards his cans' of worms
and clams (fish bait) as though they
were precious stones. He knows the
names of the different fish at sight.
We had som excitement on our
way home. We were riding so
smoothly and peacefully on the ferry
-boat that takes us from Coronado to
San Diego, when suddenly there was
heard a dreadful splash and scream
ing. I was sure a submarine had
struck our boat and my first thought
was for a life preserver. Everybody
ra,n to the railing and looked over,
and what do you suppose had hap
pened? A woman driver of an auto
mobile crashed through the chains
which are supposed to protect pas
sengers and automobiles on the ferry,
and hurled into the waters of the bay.
The parties were soon rescued, but the
automobile went down out of sight.
They say accidents of this kind are
not rare on the ferry, as they are
caused by pulling the wrong lever.
My letter is getting long, so will
have to write about our automobile
trips, the flowers and birds in another
letter.
Our SchooL
By Gladys Pcarce, Aged 11 Years,
Arnold, Neb. Blue Side.
This is my first letter to the Busy
THE KNIFE STRUCK.
Strong and Beverly had escaped from
"the Dragon's Den" after one of the
weirdest battles in the history of the
New York police department. It all
happened in this manner:
The Chinese henchmen of Dr. Git
Sin burst into the room where Strong
had been discovered with Beverly,
seized the clubman, carried him to the
basement and there proceeded with a
method of torture which only an Ori
ental brain could contrive. Strong
was bound to a chair. Near him a
large hour-glass was placed. A China
man with a long knife pointed to it
and told him that when the sand had
run out he would be killed.
Like the hero of Poe's story of
"The Pit and the Pendulum," he sat
wailing for the end. But while shift
ing sand seemed to be momentarily
eV'j'.rCV aVC v' t.
Bees, but have always read this page
and enjoy it very much.
I will tell you about our school.
There are only nine scholars, but we
have fun just the same. I am in the
sixth grade. Our teacher's name is
Miss Alta Robison. She is a fine
teacher and we all like her.
I also like to read books. The
ones I like best are Weida, Elsie
Dinsmore and Louisa M. Alcott's
books.
I wish some of the Busy Bees
would write to me.
Brave Sammy Jefferson.
By Marie Simon, Aged ii Years, Vail,
la. Red Side.
Sammy Jefferson was a poor
washerwoman's son. He was such
a bright boy at school that when he
was 13 years old a kind gentleman
gave his mother some money to send
him to a boys' school.
The boys in the school did not like
him because he was so poor. He
knew his lessons better than any
other boy in the school. They used
to tease him about his clothes because
they were so ragged. One day
Sammy was sitting by the bank of a
river reading about bravery when all
at once he heard the cry, "Help!"
"Help!" and he saw that Robert
Williams had been out sailing in a
boat which had tipped over.
Robert did not know how to swim
at all. One big dive and Sammy was
in the water swimming after Robert.
Sammy got him and brought him over
to the shore again. Robert was very
thankful to Sammy for saving his
life. Afterward; alt the boys were
kind to Sammy for showing his
bravery.
Signs of Merry Springtime.
By Alma Van Buren, Aged 12 Years,
121 West Twenty-seventh Street,
Kearney Neb. Blue Side.
Spring will soon be here. The sun
shine floods hill and dale with its
cheerful rays.
The robin is usually the first bird
to come from the sunny south, but
many robins stay here all winter. I
have seen six robins and have heard
the merry "cheer-up," "cheer-up" of
many others.
I have noticed that the sap of the
maple trees is dripping and that is a
good sign that spring is near. The
blades of grass are turning green and
tulips can be seen above the ground.
The buds on the trees are swelling
and soon will burst.
The children are flying kites and
roller skating, and these are early
spring sports. Everybody, or at least
most people, love the happy spring
time. Blue Side.
By Katherine Adams, Aged 10 Years,
, Box No. 431, Shelton, Neb.
Blue Side.
This is the first time I have written
to the Busy Bees' page. I always
read the children's stories.
I am in the fourth grade at school
My teacher's name is Miss Dugdale
and I like her very much. I get real
good grades at school, too.
I have six sisters and three broth
ers. We are scattered, as my mother
is dead, and we are getting along the
best we can. My big sister, Edna,
takes care of us.
I will try to do better the next time.
I hope that my letter will be printed.
History of a Sag Rug.
By Huel Monson. Aged 11 Years,
Box 50, Craig, Neb. Red Side.
First I was a large lamb. The lamb
had lain- in dirt and straw so I was
very dirty. One day a man came and
clipped me from the lamb. He took
me into tha house and told his wife
to get him a tub of luke warm water.
Then he put me into the tub anfj
shortening his life Detective Acker
ton and the police, led by Wee See,
were racing to the den. . Wee See
knew of a secret passageway, an
abandoned tunnel which led to Git
Sin's house. This subterranean 'chan
nel had in it a celestial contrivance
hich but for the knowledge of Wee
See would have balked the police.
It seemed to end in a wall of rock,
at the bottom of which was a pool of
water. But Wee See knew that by
crawling along the bottom of the pool
he could get to the other side of the
wall and thus reach the continuation
of the passageway. He told the po
lice. They floundered through with
him and on the other side ran into
a pack of Chinamen. They were
armed. The police drew their re
volvers. Fighting took place. All
occupants of the Dragon's den,, save
Git Sin and his wife, joined in it.
Git Sin was busy mixing a potion he
intended administering to Beverly.
His wife saw him and, realizing what
he intended doing, went to the base
ment, freed Strong just as the last
grains of sand in the hour-glass were
falling and, frenzied by jealousy, ran
back and killed her husband, while'
Strong hurried into the subterranean
passageway and joined with the po
lice in their battle. ''
The Chinamen finally were over
powered, and Strong and Beverly
were freed. After restoring Miss
Clarke to her mother he went to his
home, followed by Wee See.
"Well, my wily Chinaman," he said,
"life can now go on smoothly for us.
Miss Clarke is under the care of her
mother. I shall reward you handsome
ly, W ee See.
"What do you mean reward?"
asked the yellow servant. "In my
country when they do that they
J-bimeby chop honorable man's head
oft. I get long without great kind
ness." Strong did not reply. He was
thinking of Beverly. His mind dwelt
on their first meeting and of the ab
solute trust she had shown in him
ever since then. She was one girl
in a million, he thought. There came
upon him a picture of Eunice Mor
ton, of her duplicity and the unfair
manner in which she had Vritten him
breaking off their engagement. For
some reason he experienced a feeling
of relief that the engagement was
at an end.
It seems to be a part of life that
tragic events are nearest when the
pathway seems smoothest Strong
was destined soon to receive the big
gest blow of his existence. The
Secret Seven was planning that blow
The Secret Seven, which was fight
ing Strong and Beverly Clarke for
the girl's wealth, and was unwitting
ly biting itself, as does a frantic rep
tile in the throes of battle.
(End of Chapter VIII.)
Mdayook
Six Years Old Tomorrow (April 2):
Name. School.
Drahos, Marjory Franklin
Fawcett, Katherine Farnam
Gubi, Irene Vinton
Johnson, Florence.. Pacific
Mayers, Mary C.......St. Joseph's
Marey, Helen Ruth Lincoln
Nelson, Donald H.... Walnut Hill
Seven Years Old Tomorrow:
Ashmusen, Ruth Clifton Hill
Beard, Lillian Margaret. . .Central
Button, May Blanche Lothrop
Inda, Frank ...Dupont
Karbouski, Edward A... Highland
Miller, Stanley Roj-al Dundee
McCall, Mary Eleanora. . .Dundee
Reardon, Alice. .. .Monmouth Park
Reardon, Barney. .Monmouth Park
Eight Years Old Tomorrow:
DeBord, Rebecca Saratoga
Goodwin, Mable Central
Jacobsen, Ruth May Windsor
Kelley, Ruth F. . . Monmouth Park
Walsh, Louise Alice... St. Peter's
Wiles, Richard Sam Lothrop
Nine Years Old Tomorrow:
Cady, Milton E Lothrop
Coulton, William John. . .Saunders
Gelnicks, Alice Farnam
Moeller, Henry Lothrop
O'Donnell, Harry Sherman
Walthers. Ruth J Clifton Hill
scrubbed me for an hour or two. He
put me on a board to let me dry for
a day or two and then he combed me
out. He picked me to pieces and
took a card ancl combed me again,
making me very fine.
Next his wife made a long string
of me and then twisting me, put me
on a spinning wheel. There I was
made into yarn.
I was taken to an old woman who
knitted a sweater out of me. A
woman bought the sweater which she
wore until 1 was all worn out. Then
she threw me into a rag sack.
After a week the woman came to
the rag sack and took us out and be
gan to cut strips of us. She then
made us into a rug which she sold. J
now am in the parlor of Mrs. Brown's
house.
I hope to win the prize.
A Camping Party.
CUrr-a Alexander, age 11 years. 1616
South Sixth street, Omaha,
Neb. Red Side.
This is my first story and I hope to
win a priie.
One day last summer I was visit
ing my cousin in Grant, la.
We planned a camping trip in some
woods three miles from the house.
We got everything ready. Uncle put
a top on the wagon. We took ket
tles with us, a box of matches and
bedding, for we had to sleep in a tent
with only a little coal oil stove to
keep us warm on chilly nights. In
the afternoon the girls would go in
bathing in the lake and catch fish.
One day one of the girls caught a fish
that weighed four pounds. We did
not want to eat it, so we put it in the
wagon, thinking it was poison. One
Sunday morning we started for home.
We were glad to go, for we were very
tired. When we got home we ate our
supper and went to bed. We are go
ing on another trip this summer. I
will write again and I hope to win a
prize.
WillNvrite of Trip.
Jerome Diamond, age 9 years. 3421
North Thirtieth street, Omaha,
NeU Red Side.
I have been wanting to become a
Busy Bee for a long time, but have
been unable to write sooner, as I am
kept pretty busy going to school and
practicing my music I am in the
fifth grade, A class, at school.
I think the Busy Bees write some
pretty nice stories. I am going to
take a trip to Chicago in April and I
hope to write a nice story about my
trip when I come back. ,
The Little Indian Boy.
Jessie May Polley, age 10 years. 1049
East Sixth street, Fremont, Neb.
Once upon a time there was a little
papoose which an Indian squaw for
got when her husband was hurt. The
white people took it to their ho.use
and cared for it. One day when he
Twilight Animal Stories
"Bumper the White Rabbit"
By George Ethelbert Walsh
Bumper supposed this speech would
have a good effect and he waited eag
erly for one of the wild rabbits to
respond. But they were quitt for so
long that he felt despondent. Then,
to his surprise, a big rabbit rose
nearby and turned to his companions.
"Beware!" he said, "It's a trick of
Mr. Fox I We must run for it alto
gether!" Bumper didn't know just what the
speaker meant by this last sentence.
But he soon found out. There was a
rush and scramble in the bushes all
around him and then a dozen or more
rabbits appeared. They came toward
the rock like an army closing in upon
the enemy, leaping over bushes or
crawling through the underbrush.
For a moment Bumper was star
tled. He had a vision of being at
tacked on all sides by his country
cousins and driven ignominously from
the woods. But his anxiety was of
short duration. The rabbits reached
the side of the rock and disappeared
as if by magic.
Then Bumper understood. They
had made a simultaneous rush for
their burrow, knowing that this was
the safest place for them. When the
last rabbit had disappeared Bumper
hopped down and began looking for
the entrance.
Bumper searched on every side for
over an hour, but so artfully con
cealed was the entrance to the bur
row that he was unsuccessful. There
was no noise under the rock nothing
to indicate that there were rabbits
there.
Discouraged and down-hearted, he
was nearly ready to give up when he
happened to poke his head in the hol
low end of a tree whose roots were
was about 6 years old TJorat Indians .
came into the town and saw this boy.
They said to hinv"Wi!l you come and
live with us?" But the little Indian
boy said, "I will not live with you."
So the Indians went home and said
they would never go back again, for
his father and mother might put them
in jail.
The little Indian boy ran home and
told his father and mother, who- said.
"We are glad they did not take you."
This is the first time I have written
to you. I hope to see this in print
Sunday. I will write to you again.
The Repentent Boy.
By Josephine Polley, Aged 11, 1049
East Sixth Street., Fremont,
Neb., Red Side.
Once upon a time there was a bad
boy who mistreated the little girls
and boys who were smaller than he.
One day there was an old man go
ing to the store to get some food
When he lost his pocketbook on tho
sidewalk. A little girl going to school
saw him drop it and she started to
pick it up and give it to him when
the bad boy took it away from her
and ran off with it.
The little girl ran and told the old
man that he had lost his pocketbook,
that she had found it and the bad boy
had taken it away from her.
When the old man heard this he
said, "It was all that I had to buy
food with for my wife and myself,
and she is sick in bed."
The little girl told the old man
where the little boy lived. He told
the bad boy's mother and father, and
they said they would punish him.
When they found him, he had only
ten cents left and when he had found
the pocketbook there were two dol
lars in it.
His father gave the old man a five
dollar bill.
After that the bad boy was called
a good boy because he had given hi I
father a five-dollar bill as well as the
old man one. too.
He had taken the money out of his
bank.
This is the first time I have written,
but will write again.
Fairmount Park.
By Florence Seward, Aged 10 Years,
1634 Victor Avenue, Omaha. Red
Side.
Fairmount park is not so very
pretty, but it is natural.
When we went there we took some
pictures of the rabbits, but they
moved, so the picture avas not so very
good. Then we went to see Mr. Pea
cock and his wives. He took a good
picture, as he stood still longer, but
one thing was he wouldn't spread his
tail out.
We started to climb the bluffs. I
went ahead and of course had to. get
into some mud, with my best shoes
on, too. The road wound in and out.
When we were pretty near the top
we sat down on a bench. We took
our field glasses to look aronnd. We
could see the other bluffs, also Oma
ha across the riv er. We climbed .till
we reached the top, then we started
on another road down again.
When we were half way down we
found a great tree trunk that had been
hollowed inside. It was big enough
for a fountain.
When we came down we took a pic
ture of Mr. Bruin in his pen.
Please write to me, Busy Bees, and
I will answer you.
Spring.
By Glee Gardner, Aged 14 Years, 2605
North Sixty-second Street, Pen
son, Neb. Blue Side.
Have you noticed that inside the
gray-green buds on the trees there are
tiny green leaves? Do you know what
that is a sign of?
In the morning when you w,ake up
the air is crisp and cool and the bril
liant sun is shining.
People usually look rather de
pressed in spirit in winter, but now
everyone seems rather joyful and glad,
because, you see, spring is coming.
The snow birds have already flown
north and last Wednesday I heard a
lark.
The stray dogs and cats look fatter
than before, because when spring
comes there is always plenty for them
to eat.
Most pupils feel rather spry and
glad. Don't you?
Soon summer will be here and some
of us will go away for our vacations,
but just now what we are looking for
ward to is spring.
pinioned down by the huge rock. The
small heart of the trunk had decayed,
offering an entrance just large enough
for a rabbit to squeeze through.
Bumper thought this would be a
safe place for him to spend the night,
and he began crawling through. The
hole followed the trunk of the tree
downward for some distance. Then
suddenly it turned sharply to the
right.
At this point Bumper met an un
expected challenge. A big, gray rab
bit at the other end of the hollow
trunk thumped hard with his two hind
feet, and instantly there was an up
roar. Bumper had accidentally found
his way into the burrow through the
hollow tree trunk I -J
Stop where you are!" the rabbit
guarding the hole shouted. "What
do you want in here?"
"I want to greet my cousins." If
you don't let me come in Mr. Fox will
catch me after dark. I have no other
home."
"You're not a ' rabbit I" replied the
other. "We have no white cousins.
There'fe no white rabbits in the
world."
"But I'm one," returned Bumper,
amused by the same cry that had been
made by the crow and birds.
There was silence inside, followed
by a buzz of many voices. Finally a
weak, trembling voice said authorita
tively: "Admit him 1. It can't be Mr. Fox
in disguise, -for he could never crawl r
through .that hole. Admit him so 1
can talk to him.'' .
Evidently the speaker was one hjvlr
authority, for the other instantly
obeyed, and Bumper was allowed to
hop through the hole into the burrow.
Bumper Stories Boat KverT Vnj la Tba
JETOnlas Boo.)
