Littleton College - Chatterbox Yearbook (Littleton, NC)

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262 THE CTHATTERBOX. ready to be doled out. The prisoners will draw lots in order that there may be justice without partialityf' And how many cases have been tried here Z asked the Traveler with interest. Chi none at all, as yet. We are a law-abiding Colony. Prevention is better than cure. But we' re thinking o-f trying Mary Sledge. For what ? tilust for fun-to see if she would still smile. But you must see Mary. She has a most trying position here and is so cheery and brave thru it all. She has charge of the Nursery. It is not at all the usual kind of nursery. Her work is not merely to plan food and amusement for the chil- dren, but also to educate them for their chosen vocations and mold their features and characters accordingly. And the children are by no means cherubs. But you shall see. Here is the Nursery. And here are the children. They are the four Spratts, Bernice Hornaday, Lucie Ross, Helen Earn- hardt and Mary Mayo. When we first came they were so enamoured of the natives that we feared elopements and in- duced them to turn back the hands of their watches over lif- teen years, time. Cf course that brought them to their pres- ent condition of sweet young buds. Tell what you are doing for them, Mary Binfordf' Well, giggled Mary, here is Lucie with Chauncey. Ch, yes! Chauncey, too, returned to kittenhood. She is try- ing to train his tail to curl. lt's more fashionable in Mars. The Martians do not approve of straight tailed animals, and Lucie can not be separated from Chauncey. She is being trained in all the arts of gentleness and kindness towards animals. lVe have sent to earth for a number of cats, and with them are coming a small army of mice and several American cheeses. That provides for all and donlt you think they'll be a very happy family ?

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THE CHATTERBOX. 261 raphy correspondence with earth. Would you enjoy inspect- ing the garden until she is free 3 These are the chief Gardeners, she continued, when they had reached the flower beds, f'Gertrude Stantield and Sallie Johnston. 4'lfVhat are you doing 2 enquired the Traveler. Planting seeds, answered Gertrude. tWVe dig a trench and drop them in, and then cover them with mars. Cover them with Mars Z Cf course. On Earth you cover seeds with earthg on Mars, with mars. Some of my plants are blossoming. I give them all Latin- names, she added blushingly. Just ought to look at mine, interposed Sallie. Now, mine really amount to something. Here is a completely de- veloped Trigonometry formula. There is a perfect plan for an English paper, all ready to write itself out. On that bush yonder is a whole epoch in History, neatly recorded, abso- lutely memorized, and about to blossom. And beyond arc the psychological concepts all ready to be picked. Dull books begone! I tell you it's a fine garden! Come again. Now to find Annie, said Josie. 4'Oh! here she comes to meet you. Guess I'1n not wanted. Good-bye. Has Josie showed you everythingiv cried Annie disap- pointedly. I wanted that pleasure. Only the garden? You have merely made a beginning. Iiet us return to the mansion--This is the Supreme Court, opening the door into a sp-acious hall. At the far end, alone and dignified. sat Morada Farabow on a high dais. Judge Farabowf' said the President with great pride. 4'Sl1e has ruled with abso- lute justice in every case that has been tried. She has studied every phase of law and is master of her profession. - These, said Morada, coming forward eagerly, clutching a pile of sealed documents, 'tare the penalties. They are all

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THE CHATTERBOX. 263 Happy? echoed the child gleefully running towards the Traveler, the ldtten clutched tenderly by the tail. 4'Happy3 Kiss Chauncey 1 Who is yonder busy child Z asked the Traveler hastily. That is Helen. She is being subjected to severe training to prevent her turning into a question mark. She is a preco- cious child of a most brilliant and enquiring turn of mind and we are unable to answer her searching questions and well- founded arguments. A list of all her queries is kept on file. We are giving here a thoro college education beginning with the A.B. and going backward. It was her own suggestion, just as reasonable, she maintains, as beginning with the A. B. 0. and going forward. At present she is doing original re- search work on the problem of measuring cloth by the gallon. When she is regrown she will be able to answer her own ques- tions, a task which none other can perform satisfactorily to her. Her questions and answers will be published in book form and used as a text in the native schools. Now, tell me about this baby, said the Traveler, point- ing to a fat roly-poly infant playing on the iioor with a huge waste-basket and surrounded by heaps upon heaps of manu- script. Mary Mayo has literary aspirations. Our aim for her is that she shall be the editor of an interplanetary weekly. It will be a masterpiece of literary achievement. All the great minds of the planets will eagerly contribute. It will rouse the Universe with its brilliant editorials on arbitration and reciprocity and interplanetary commerce and-love! Oh! it will be the grandest success. The Traveler hesitated. Er-how can you speak with such assurance Z he queried, gazing quizzically and some- what skeptically at the dumpy, rotund bit of humanity wrig- gling at his feet. How do you know that that will succeed so marvelously Z 5