e General-in-Chief used to go behind the Church and
Cry"_ 125
_"The Young Khan and Khant entered the Kingdom with a
Magnificent Retinue"_ 131
_"She was Going to Take the Case into Her own Hands"_ 135
_"The Imam put His Head to the Floor"_ 139
_"They began to scream, 'Oh, the cow! the cow!'"_ 143
CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY.
The little girl came into her papa's study, as she always did Saturday
morning before breakfast, and asked for a story. He tried to beg off
that morning, for he was very busy, but she would not let him. So he
began:
"Well, once there was a little pig--"
She put her hand over his mouth and stopped him at the word. She said
she had heard little pig-stories till she was perfectly sick of them.
"Well, what kind of story _shall_ I tell, then?"
"About Christmas. It's getting to be the season. It's past Thanksgiving
already."
"It seems to me," her papa argued, "that I've told as often about
Christmas as I have about little pigs."
"No difference! Christmas is more interesting."
"Well!" Her papa roused himself from his writing by a great effort.
"Well, then, I'll tell you about the little girl that wanted it
Christmas every day in the year. How would you like that?"
"First-rate!" said the little girl; and she nestled into comfortable
shape in his lap, ready for listening.
"Very well, then, this little pig--Oh, what are you pounding me for?"
"Because you said little pig instead of little girl."
"I should like to know what's the difference between a little pig and a
little girl that wanted it Christmas every day!"
"Papa," said the little girl, warningly, "if you don't go on, I'll
_give_ it to you!" And at this her papa darted off like lightning, and
began to tell the story as fast as he could.
Well, once there was a little girl who liked Christmas so much that
she wanted it to be Christmas every day in the year; and as soon as
Thanksgiving was over she began to send postal-cards to the old
Christmas Fairy to ask if she mightn't have it. But the old fairy
never answered any of the postals; and after a while the little girl
found out that the Fairy was pretty particular, and wouldn't notice
anything but letters--not even correspondence cards in envelopes; but
real letters on sheets of p
|