“I love you when I’m near to you,
        And when I’m far away;
    I love you when I am at work,
        And when I am at play.”

    And then she shyly, sweetly raised
        Her loving eyes of blue—­
    “I love you when you love me best,
        And when you scold me, too.”

    The mother kissed her darling child,
        And stooped a tear to hide: 
    “My precious one, I love you most
        When I am forced to chide.

    “I could not let my darling child
        In sin and folly go;
    And this is why I sometimes chide—­
        Because I love you so.”
                                —­Sel.

* * * * *

A runaway umbrella.

There was a big umbrella with a pretty twisted handle, that belonged to father, and he carried it down town on rainy days.  There was a little brown-eyed girl, who was four years old her last birthday; that was Marjorie.

There was a mischievous south wind that would be quiet for a long time and then come with a quick gust and blow, oh, ever so hard and play all sorts of pranks on people.

Then, there was a lady who sat on a porch not very far from Marjorie’s house.  These four together made a story, and that’s what I am going to tell you about.

It was a beautiful sunny day and Marjorie was going out in the front yard to play.  As she went through the hall there, by the hall tree, stood the big umbrella.

“Wouldn’t it be fun to take the umbrella and play rainy day?” she thought.  So she reached and picked it up.

Through the door, across the porch and down onto the sidewalk she ran.  She worked a long while before she could get the umbrella to stay up.

“Now, I am a big lady with a long dress and I am going over to the store,” she said to herself as she gathered her little short skirt up with one hand, and held the umbrella up straight and fine with the other.  Walking carefully, “because it is so muddy,” she said, as down the street she started.  Pretty soon a gust of the mischievous south wind came along and lifted the umbrella right out of Marjorie’s little fat hand and took it out into the middle of the street and set it down.

Forgetting the rainy day, the long skirt, and the mud, off the curbing she jumped, and ran for the umbrella.  She had almost grasped it again, when along came another gust of wind, and down the street bumity-bump went the big, open umbrella.  Marjorie started to run after it, but over and over it went so much faster than a little girl could run, that it was soon far out of her reach.

[Illustration:  She walked carefully because it was muddy.]

Then she began to cry.

“Catch it, oh, catch it!” she screamed, as she ran.

The lady I told you about heard the cry, and looking up from her reading, saw the big umbrella go rolling past, followed by the frightened, crying little girl.  Down the steps she ran and out into the street after the umbrella.  “Bump,” it went up against a telephone pole and the wind left it there.  In a moment the lady had it in her hand.