Ethel Morton's Holidays

rs enjoy themselves," was Mrs. Morton's greeting to Edward

g man of about twenty-five, a doctor whose profession, as yet, did not make serious inroads on his time. "W

Hallowe'en color. The girls insist on my explaining all their fin

er should have thou

ainment by taking part in the minuet. He shook hands with Mrs. Morton and Mrs. Smith and then submitted to having his eyes bandaged. He was

ustom in Scotland where fairies and witches are very abundant, for the ceremony that we

a smothered voice from

we're doing the correct thing. Of course, we all want to know the future and particularly whatever we can

ied Dicky. "I know the pe

reeted this assertion

asked Helen, her arm

arry Mary," he

at this, and Roger went

nd straight ahead for anywhere from ten to twenty steps. That will land you right in the mi

inquired Ge

bout until you find a stalk

abbage," compla

information. If it's long or short or fat or thin

" exclaimed Margaret Hancock. "I certainly hope

's going to have-or she-by the amoun

n-t-l-y that not a grain of

can find out with perfect accuracy whether your bel

e a cabbage," insisted Margaret, who did

y, James and Helen, George and Ethel Brown, Gregory and Margaret. Come on, Della," and he led

where they all possessed themselves of stalks which they straight

eyes. Fate cruelly witholds these important facts. I regret to say that I wooed her so vigorously that I shook off any gold-pieces she

that she was really a candidate for the attentions of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Anima

ort and fat that she could see no relation between it and anything human and threw it out of

ing beauty among them all," sighed Ro

om a cabbage?" demande

achelor or a widower or not marry at all," cri

'luggies'," said Della

Brown arranged three saucers upon it. "In one of them I put clear water, in another

but hesitated when she found

suspiciously. "I shouldn't like to have an

p the fingers of your left hand into one of these saucers. If it proves to be the one with the clear water you'll marry

re changed after each trial, so you have to touch the same o

autiously dipped the finger tips of her

reeted th

widower," th

rs and Della made another trial. This t

anything," decided roly poly

o be her future helpmate, for her fingers w

" said Della thoughtfully. "I couldn't bear t

haven't got a foot in the grave just y

had heated it for them and set it down on a small table on a tea pot stand, so that the heat should not injure the wood. Taking a large key in his left hand he dipped a spoon into the lead with his right and poured the contents slowly through the

hing else," said Roger who had done it first so

Mine looks more like a cabbage than anything else. You don't think it can mean tha

n are going in for gardening now. By the time you're ready to sta

hile the rest of us are doing something else," said Hel

the others grouped themselves about the open f

, is to go alone to the kiln and p

nslated into Rosemont la

xcuse for him. Translated into Rosemont language it means that yo

y so

into a new ball. When you come near the end you'll

, I'll

ture wife and a hollow voice from out t

good a chance for Roger to put in

front of the looking glass that's on a little table in the corner, and eat an

ll, but to have an unknown creature pulling my yar

there's a stack of barley. It's really corn, but we've re-christened it for tonight. You measure it

you'll hear loud shrieks from little

s side by side on the hearth. "One is Della and the other is Ethe

asked Della, hear

onscientious Ethel Blue interrupted herself to correct her grammar. "If we burn cosily side by side we'll stay fr

d both girls sat down on the rug

slender chestnut is Margaret and this big round one is Mr. Stalk of

with the rest and they watched

hel Brown. "Here is Roger and here is Ethel Brown.

ught fire and burned steadily side by side without any demonstrations, and every one looking

and sent them all flying to see who was in trouble. Dorothy was found comi

ng voice, "my future husband will be worse than Margaret's cabbage man. T

ly, while James hobbled to the front door and announc

emanded a cool voice, and Roge

eople asked for Roger

nything happene

in your absence. Just te

it through the kitchen, into the dining room where it smiled over Dorothy's shoulder,

er than your years," was

ung moon two figures were seen wrestling. It was evidently a good natured struggle, for peals of laughter fell on the ears o

my future bride to rush into my arms, something did rush into my arms, but I'll leave it to the opinion of the meeting whether

went back to the hall to bob for apples. Roger spread a rubber blanket on the floor and drew

other with a tempting raisin tied in the middle to encourage them to effort. It was forbidden to use the hands and tongues proved not always reliable. Now Dorothy se

One knelt at one side of the tub and the other at the other, and each had his eye, when it was not full of

he red one," g

e unable to fix their teeth in the sides of the slippery fruit until James drove his head right d

eted James, Tom and Roger tossed in

rmured Helen as Tom won his apple by

ing to forget your hair

o dry it," Helen answered. "I'm content to l

sail upon the same ocean that had floated the apples. They had cracked English walnuts carefully so that

egory, coming down stairs, eating the fruit that he had not been abl

We must each put a tiny flag of some sort

pin through a scrap of corn husk and

fferent for each one. Mine is a black-al

d for each to

that he set up for a mast caught fire almost as soon as the candles were lighte

at the flag of the U. S. A. can never perish,"

candle burning clearly and each little craft tossing on th

watch these boats and see which ones stay close together and which go far apart, and

y our nuts did," cried Ethel Blue, and she slipped

's craft had no more mishaps. It slid alongside of James's

oing into partnership, old man,"

floated on independently, only Gregory's coming to an untim

whisper as a sound like the wind whistling through pine trees fell on their

voice retreated-"Almost as if it were going into the kitchen," whispered Margaret to Tom who happened to be next to her. The only light in the room came from a pan of alco

ard:-"Gather, gather a

the table in just the right number. Into the dim room from the kitchen came two figures dressed in

voice as she and Ethel Blue marched around the table and placed one dish b

world are sowens?"

utter always make the Hallowe'en supper, so we looked up in t

they're safe?"

us if anything happens," laughed Jame

began a distribu

ins, tasting his cake slowly, and pronoun

by Americans, and we thought they were pretty good, sm

girls agreed with them, though they were not quite so ent

rious lands and hot gingerbread made an appetizing meal

two instead of a party. I want to tell the people here who a

're working for the Christmas Shi

tmas Ship, but that is only o

nitials mean?"

Army so we have the United Service in the family. But that is just a family pun.

idea of doing a kindness e

something else. Why I told you about it now is because we planned to

es?" aske

uldn't very well be a service club and do me

ng gates i

normously entertaining to hunt up your gat

ed that perhap

ead of bad ones, and if any of you knows anyb

me," said Edward Watkins admiringly. "Let's s

ok a jack-o'-lantern to light the way. Roger also carried a kit that bulged with queer s

," she commanded as

eet first,"

e's going to do Mother and me

taking care of their furnace, together with his mother's and his Aunt Louise's, in order to earn money for the expenses of the Club, and he h

does much, to tell the honest truth. So here's where we sing two songs for them," and without waiting for any possible object

ice soared high, Tom's croak made a heavy background, and the more or less tuneful voices of the others added a hearty body

t porch when they come down in the morning. They've had Hallowe'

town. Here the girls left two of their bundl

elen explained to Dr. Watkins, "but they aren't the sort of people you can give things to openly, so

both were almost crippled with rheumatism and sometimes the old man found the little daily chores about the house hard to do, and often the old woman longed for a little amusement o

d stack up the wood that's lying round here whil

, led by Dorothy, sang cradle songs and folk songs and a hymn or two, w

gone to bed," gu

ing awake, though," s

hat they turn off a lot of it, so at the end of half an hour the old peoples'

n the way back to the house the U. S. C.'s came across the trail of a Hallowe'en party of the usual kind, and they pleased themselves mightily by hanging two

the cutting of a cake i

first," announced Mrs. Morton, who had prepared the cake

, one after the other. To the delight of all

suitable arrangement the ring co

uld have meant that I'd have to wait a long tim