Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1891 — CHILDREN’S COLUMN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CHILDREN’S COLUMN.

A DEPARTMENT FOR LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS. Something that Will Interest the Juvenile Members of Every Household Quaint Actions and Eright Sayings of Cute Children. Wanted—A Dlttle Girl. Where have they gone to, the little girls, With natural manners and natural curls? Who love their dolls and like their toys. And talk of something besides the boys? Little old women in plenty I find, Mature in manners and old of mind, Little old flirts who talk of their “beaus,” And vie with each other In stylish clothes. Little old belles, who at nine and ten Are sick of pleasure and tired of men, Weary of travel, of balls, of fun— And find no new thing under the sun. Once, Jn the beautiful long ago, Some dear little children I used to know—• Girls who were merry lambs at play. And laughed and rollicked the livelong day. They thought not at all of the “style” of their clothes; They never imagined that the boys were “beaus;” “Other girls’ brothers” and mates were they; Splendid fellows to help them play. Where have they gone to? If you see One of them anywhere send her to me; I would give a medal of purest gold To ono of these dear little girls of old.. With an innocent heart and open smile, Who knows not the meaning of “flirt” and “style.” —Ella Wheeler Wileox. Frightened by a Pumpk'n. Harry Wilson lived with his father and mother on a farm, and being a country boy was a brave little fellow. So, one evening, when his mother asked him to go over to a neighbor's house on an errand for her, he started off cheerfully, although it was neatly sundown. Harry was kept longer than he expected, and did not home until after dark. Then shadows in the fence corners and the bushes along the country road looked queer in the starlight, and the stillness was apt to make one nervous. But Harry whistled merrily as he trudged along, and looked straight ahead toward his home. When he had gone Kbout half way he chanced to look over into a field on one side of the road. There he saw among the young corn, which was just shooting up above the ground, a figure that looked very much like the giants which the fairy books tell about. It had a

great, big head, with wide eyes like Obals of fire, and a terrible square mouth that seemed to be eating fire. How Harry did run toward his home I When he got there he was trembling like a leaf, and told his father he had seen a “bug-a-boo.” Mr. Wilson said there was no such thing as a “bug-a-boo.” He went back with Harry, whose little legs shook with fright as he followed his father over into the cornfield. “What is it father?” Harry asked when they got nearly up to the “bug-a-boo.” “It’s only a ‘jack-o’-lantern,’” said Mr. Wilson, and he laughed heartily at Harry’s fright. Harry found that the“jack-o’-lantern" was a large pumpkin which had been hollowed out, and eyes, nose and mouth cut in the rind. A lighted caudle stuck inside of it shone through them and made them look like fire a short distance away. The neighbors’ boys had made it and stuck it up on the top of a “scare-crow” which had been put in the field to keep the crows from stealing the young corn. The boys were very sorry when they heard how Harry had been frightened by it; but Harry said he was glad, because it taught him never to ran from anything without knowing what it was.— G. Kettlewell, in Our Little Ones.