Sowing Seeds in Danny

lf and all mankind. The glory of the short winter afternoon streamed into the r

re all in strange contrast to the dreariness of the scene below, where the one long street of the little Manitoba town, piled high with snow, stretched away into the level, white, never-ending prairie.

ernoon in Mrs. Francis's sitting room was the regu

is murmured with a look of concern on her usually placid

me upstairs, please?" she

me up the stairs, and stood in the

?" she asked when she h

g well to-day. I have not heard you singing at your work, and the washing seems to ha

pictures on the wall, the cosey window-seat with its numerous cushions

indly, ma'am. It is very kind of ye

d quickly with her most winning smile, as she seated herself in a roc

nly this morn's mornin' that he sez to me, sez he, as I was comin' away, 'Ma, d'ye think she'll give ye pi

ely white hands. "How very interesting it must be to watch their young min

Teddy will be fourteen on St. Patric

other, and yet how few there be that th

tson. That man knows no more of what it manes than you do yerself that h

Ernestus Parker, on 'Motherhood.' It would be

reat-uncle William Mulcahey got himself transported durin' life or good behaviour for havin' one found on him no bigger'n an almanac, at t

problems of child-training. You must be puzzled many times in the training of so many little minds, and Dr. Parker really does thr

of the rice-pudding they had on Sunday last all the week; how to work all day and sew at night, and still be brave and patient; how to make little Danny and Bugsey

mbered the washing. "When you go downstairs will you kindly bring me u

went heavily down the stairs. She

rney down the softly padded stairs, Mrs. Fran

day RE Beauty of Motherhood. Recommende

ng to have a very full report for her department at the next A

which was done by adding to it other car-roofed shanties. One of these was painted a bright yellow and was a little larger than the others. It had been the caboose of a threshing outfit that John had worked for in '96. John was the fireman and when the boiler blew up and John was carried h

back. He claimed that he had given it with the understanding that John was going to die. John

false pretences. John was a man of few words and listened attentively to Sam's reasoning. From the little window of t

once at the woodpile. Then, jerking his thu

. Last

s trucks and drove away.

o threaten to run over the edge of the lot, and looked like a sec

little lean-to that had been erected at the time that little

nd a snug pile of wood by the "cheek of the dure" gave evidence of John

r before. A large poster of the Winnipeg Industrial Exhibition hung in the parlour, and a Massey-Harris self-binder, in full swing, propelled by three maroon horses, swept through a waving field of golden grain, driven by an adipose individual in

days in the week. The day was too cold for even Jimmy to be out, and so all except the three eldest boys were in the kitchen variously engaged. Danny under promise of a story was in the high chair submitt

air-brush from Patsey. "What time have I to be thinkin' of st

ing on the wood-box, and tenderly feeling his ski

e, her wrath all gone, "and what w

immy brings the milk,"

bed," wailed Danny. "I should s

"Howld ye'r tongue, Patsey. W

forget the chockalut drops she had the day ma was there and say sh

te she gave the dog, and the cake she threw in the fire to g

said Jimmy, "it alway

long ago, there lived a lovely pink lady in a big house painted red, with windies in

stair?' as

rds flying all over it. But one day the lady, herself, was there all dressed in lovely pink velvet and lace, and a train as long as from me to you, and she sez to Jimmy, sez she, 'Have you any sisters or brothers at home,' and Jim speaks up real proud-like, 'Just nine,' he sez, and sez she, swate as you please, 'Oh, that's lovely! Are they all as purty as you?' she sez, and Jimmy sez, 'Purtier if anything,' and she sez, 'I'll be steppin' over to-day to see yer ma,' and Jim ran home and told them all, and they all got brushed and combed and actin' good, and in she comes, laving her carriage at the dure, and her in a long pink velvet cape draggin' behind her on the flure, and wide white fer all around it, her silk skirts creakin' like a bag of cabbage and the eyes of her just dancin' out of her head, and she says, 'These are fine purty childer ye have here, Mrs. Watson. This is a rale purty girl, this

d Danny, squirmi

anny ups and says, 'Chockaluts and candy men and taffy and cu

t would you like?' and 'Patrick Healy Watson, as is

emen thus referred to stated their modest wishes, their

asked Pearlie, setting Danny down

an talk that soft and kind about c

r's knee "Ma, did she give

ll piece out of a newspaper from under her cape. It was the piece that had been set

well on the second," said Jimmy as he took his, but Bugsey refused to have any

as she set Danny in the chair to give him his supper. The

When she was speakin' to me to-day, she looked at me so wonderin' and faraway I could see that she thought I wasn't there at all at all, and me farninst her all the time-no childer, dear, don't be thinkin' of it, and Pearlie, I think ye'd better not be puttin' notions inter their heads. Yer father wouldn't like it. Well Danny, me man, how goes it?" went on Mrs. Watson, as

let him in, and set a chair beside the kitchen stove for him to warm his little blue hands. While she was emptying t

?" she asked, regarding J

is," answered Camilla with her pleasant

said Mrs. Francis, adjusting her gl

aid Jim. "He's f

cunning James, and do

ight," Jim answ

ll be a man some day, and if properly trained he may be a useful factor in the uplifting and refining of the world. I love little children," she w

t that something was expected o

la handed him his pail. "I would like to speak to his young mind and e

uch as he could remember. The only thing that he was sure of was that she wan

r they knew that she would be fretting about his clothes, and would be sitting up mending a

to wash for the Methodist minister's wif

ll of snow was put on the stove to melt, and Danny was put i

for a little lad like Danny to be wearin' pants under his dresses, and now what about boots? Let's see yours, Patsey. They're all gone in the uppers, and Billy's are too big, even if they were here, but they're of

the thin towel that hung over the looking glass, found

, around his neck, sort o' sailor collar style, to show he's a boy. And now the snow is melted, I'll go at him. Don't cry now Danny, man, yer going' up to the big house where the lovely pink lady lives that has the chocaklut drops on her stand and chunks of cake on the table wid

nny to be sure that he

stubborn little curls, and she told again with ever growing enthusiasm the story of

sue occurred, for Bugsey had grown tired of his temporary confinement and complained that Patsey had no

k of combing her own hair

inute," and Patsey went to the "fallen leaf" of the table an

that'll make it kind o' even though it does

her from the cracked glass was not encouraging, even after making allowance for the crack, but she com

ne little red toque in the house that Patsey wore, but by an unfortunate accident, it had that very morning fallen into the milk pail and wa

d and say you wuz feart of the

outer wrap for Danny. He was in such very bad humour at being wrapped up so tig

d him at all if I was bothered with mitts. Open the dure, Patsey, and mind you shut it tight a

d Danny, and when Danny in his rather remarkable costume stood up on Pearlie's knee, Camilla laughed so good humouredly that Danny felt the necessity of showing her all his accomplishments and so made the

me, increased Danny's interest in his surroundings, and his

sweet; so innocent; so pure! Did Big Sister carry him

e up quickly, "jus

eat untried future lying vast and prophetic waiting for his baby feet to enter. Well h

ng to contradict the lady, but still anxious to set he

retired to the pantry

ow, and did you see the little snow-birds, whirling by like brow

ny shortly, "did

"it was the cloud around his head on

ly, but there she stopped with a look of horror frozen on her face, for at the mention of his eyes Danny remembered his best tr

rs. Francis cried in ala

to awaken in him some sense of the shame he was bringing on her. Camilla hurried to the pantry again, and brought another

ust see if Dr. Parker mentions thi

afraid that greater disgrace might await her. But when she tried to get him back into the blanket he l

ly. "I want to stay with her, and her; wan

'll tell you all about the lovely pink lady when we

l me how about the pink

ie's grief flowed afresh. Disgrace had fa

al food this little mind has been receivin

o the original version, and when it was done, he looked up with his sweet little smile, and said to Mrs. Francis nodding his head. "You're it! You're the lovely pink

ds, and the stairs, and the chocolates on the dresser, a

arms tightened

he shouted

hel" powder to put in the box that was to be tied with the store string, the sun was shi

table forgotten. She tossed i