Pages for Laughing Eyes | Page 6

want four or five," said Mrs.
Brown to her lit-tle daugh-ter, An-nie, who had been help-ing her
moth-er in the kit-chen work.
Hunt-ing for hen's eggs was great fun for the chil-dren at Brown Farm.
Some-times two of them would go out to-geth-er, and each would try to
get more eggs than the oth-er, and be the first to reach the kit-chen with
a cap or hat full.
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An-nie placed a short light lad-der a-gainst a high beam in the barn,
climbed up and just as she reached the top, her bright eyes peep-ing in
through the hay piled up on the barn-loft floor, she saw a nice hol-low
place, some-thing like a small cave, where one wise bid-dy had
scratched out a co-sy nest for her-self, and laid some five large eggs.
The hen had gone out for a walk or for a lunch-eon, so An-nie took four
of the eggs, put them in-to the crown of her hat, and hast-ened back to
give them to her moth-er.
"May I not beat them up for you, with the whirl-i-gig beat-er, moth-er,
it is so much fun?"
"Yes, you may, An-nie, and it will be quite a help to me."
So on through the morn-ing the lit-tle girl found man-y a use-ful and

plea-sant thing to do. When the work was all done and an out-ing had
been planned for the af-ter-noon, Mrs. Brown said to An-nie, "This
lit-tle verse comes to my mind. I think one of my old-er chil-dren once
learned it at school. It is,
"Work while you work, Play while you play, That is the way To be
hap-py and gay. All that you do Do with all your might; Things done
by halves Are nev-er done right."
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THE LOST SKATES.
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"Oh, I'll go and see if the ice is firm," said Robin to his friend Marjie,
one winter's morning.
He went off carrying his skates, and when he reached the ice he laid
them on the bank, and then thought he would have a slide.
Marjie, who had followed Robin to the pond, caught up the skates and
went behind a tree and put them on, and was soon skating across the
pond. After a while she went to Robin, who was standing by the bank,
looking full of dismay.
"Why, Marjie!" he cried, "I never saw you come! I've lost my skates! I
left them on the bank and they are gone!"
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"Some wicked person must have taken them!" said Marjie.
"I would like to catch him," said Robin.
"Then catch me, Robin!" said Marjie.

Robin gazed at her. Then a light broke over his face.
"Oh, I see!" he cried: "you put them on while I was sliding! Well, now
we can take turns with the skates!"
Marjie thought, as she gave Robin a hug, that there was never a dearer
friend than he!

NO JOKE AT ALL.
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"Ha!" thought Tommy Purr one day, "Here's a chance a joke to play;
See him drop upon the floor All those books, and hear me roar!"
Chuckling to himself in glee, "I do love a joke," said he, Pushed poor
Whiskers, just for fun-- Down the books came, every one.
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But the biggest book of all, Happened on his crown to fall; Tommy
roared with might and main, Not with laughter but with pain.
Tommy now has gone to bed With a big bruise on his head; Vinegar
and paper brown Cover up his aching crown.
There in sorrow Tommy lies, Wishing he had been more wise; For
although those books did fall, His joke proved no joke at all.

WINTER HOLIDAYS.
O it's merry in the winter When the holidays come round, When the air
is crisp and frosty And the snow is on the ground.
Though Jack Frost may nip your noses, There is nothing that I know
Like a jolly game of snowballs, Making feet and fingers glow!

You can take your baby sister For a voyage in a sleigh; You can build a
monster snow-man That will pass the time away.
Then there's hanging up the holly And the Christmas mistletoe,
Roasting chestnuts in the firelight, When you can't go out, you know.
If you try, you can be happy In a score of different ways. O, it's
wonderful how pleasant Are the winter holidays!
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WHEN I GROW UP.
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"When I grow up my dress shall be All made of silk and lace, My hair
I'll wear in some fine style That best will suit my face; With rings upon
my fingers, too, And bracelets on my arms, I'll be the finest lady out,
With wondrous mighty charms.
"When I grow up, you understand, I'll always dine at eight, And go to