Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 May 1893 — FOR OUR LITTLE FOLKS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FOR OUR LITTLE FOLKS.

A COLUMN OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO THEM. VThnt Children Hava Done, What They Are Doing, and What They Should Do to Fau Their Childhood Day*.

Paul and the Soap Bubble. Two children were blowing bubbles, Paul said, “My bubbles are larger than yours, Mattie.” “You are bigger than I am,” replied little Mattie, “so you ought to make bigger bubbles out of your pipe, and my pipe is only a little one,” “My bubbles are pink and yellow and all colors, and they go sailing away into the sky like balloons* .Oh’, Matty! Perhaps our hubbies are fine balloons for the fairies to ride in. That pink-looking one is so large that I think it must be full of little fairies going to the golden land, where the sun goes to bed. ” “But Paul, the fairies would tumble out, for the bubble has just burst,” said Matty. “That would not matter at all,”

replied Paul, “lor fairies have wings and would fly the rest of tho way.” “I any fairies, and I don’t think they are there,” said Matty. “That is because you are not a Sunday child. Nurse says thatonly children born on a Sunday can see fairies —and you were born, she says on a Tuesday.” Matty looked unbelieving. “And can you see any fairies, Paul?" she asked. “No,” said Paul, “but I have read so many tales about them that I can think what they are like, and I often make little stories about them in my mind." “Tell me one of them, Paul,” said Matty. “Well, go on blowing bubbles, for that makes me think of them. ” So Matty blew several little bubbles that rose into the air, while Paul blew such a largo one that Matty gave a shout. “Hush, Matty!” said Paul. “The fairy princess is asleep in the large .bubble, and many court ladies are with her, singing to keep her asleep, fo* they do not want her to wake till she gets up to that little cloud up there. You can’t see It, hut inside that cloud is a golden castle- They have taken a large thrush with speckled breast prisoner, and will not let him go till the princess has come home.” “What has the thrush done?” “Ttfe thrush thought the princess was a butterfly, and he was just going to pounce upon her when a wood pigeon, who knew better, drove him off, and drove and drove till they came to a cloud, and then the fairies seized upon him. They will keep him till the princess is safe at home, and theQ he will fly away.” “Oh, dear! oh, dear! the great bubble Is bursting!” said Matty; and so it was. And'at that moment a thrush on the tree behind them began to sing. **Oh, ded*! oh. dear! Is it the thrush from the golden castle?” asked Matty. “I dare say It is,” said Paul, “and the princess is safe at home. ” “How glad the king and queen must be!” “Yes,” said Paul, “and all the fairy people!”—Exchange. Jip and the Bird. ! Every morning when ,1 go to Baby Nason’s house Jip is looking out the window. He always smiles in a nice doggie way and nods his head. This morning Jip did not see me. He was feeding a dear little bird. Baby Nason gave Jip her biggest piece of cracker and told him to crumb it up fine for the dear littte

bird's breakfast. Tbe dear little bird was glad. “Thank you,” tbe little bird twittered to Jip. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Then tbe dear little bird sang Baby a pretty “thank you* song, and Jip

held the cracker in his mouth until the little bird was ready to eat the (rood breakfast Baby Nason sent but. I hope the dear little bird will fcoma again. —Babyland. New Game for Children. “Hunt the Whistle” is a new game tor little folks. It requires a certain number who are ignorant of the game. Those who know it make a large ring. The others leave the room and are admitted one at a time. At a signal one enters. • She is told to enter the ring, kneel down and confess to the mother confessor. She kneels and buries her face in the mother confessor’s lap. She is then asked some questions that bfear on her likes and dislikes, her friendships, faults, or some other actions, as “Who ate the frosted cake?" Thin question gives time to fasten on ta the back of her dress a whistle attached to a string. She has, of course, denied the charge. She is then asked to prove her innocence by discovering who blew the whistle* As she goes around the ring the children steal up behind her and blow the whistle/ The sound is always behind her, and her frantic endeavors to trace the sound are funny enough. As soon as the trick is discovered a fresh victim is ushered into the ring.

How Persian Boy.* Walt Upon Guests. • If you enter a merchant’s house in Persia or pay a visit to a Persian nobleman, the master of the house offers you coffee just as soon as you are seated. If you stay an hour, he will give you one, two or three cups. The coffee will be -brought in by young boys, who bow low und lay their hands upon their heart as they present it to you. The coffee will be served in cups of Persian porcelain, which arc handed to of other cups 1 of metal, to keep them from burning your hands. The outside cup is called a zarf. It Is made of copper, silver or gold, heavily set with precious stones. The Persian lads who serve the coffee stand behind the chairs of the guests, so as to politely replenish the cups as soon as they are emptied. Incenluug Kaffir Boy.. The Kaffirs are great swimmers. They can do things in tho water which other boys would look upon wish astonishment. For example a Kaffir boy could ford a stream, shoulder-high, running' as swiftly ne if shot from a torrent. The way they accomplish tho feat is this. Just before entering tho water they get a huge stone, sometimes as heavy as themselves, and with the help of a companion placo it upon the head. A weight like this gives tho boy balance and he can keep his footing against the heaviest stream. If ho were to drop the stone, he would be so light-that the water would sweep him off his feet And this is just one of the Kaffir tricks to accomplish things against tide and flood.—New Yoik Ledger.

BLOWING THE SOAP BUBBLES

SINGING A “THANK-YOU" SONG.