thumbs.

"It just rains and rains," said Emma dolefully.

"Wains," echoed baby Paul.

Baby Paul had stopped swallowing his thumbs. What was it he saw in Emma's face? Was everything so bad?

"Yes, it just rains and rains," complained Ralph dolefully.

Baby Paul looked at Ralph, and saw the same thing he had seen in Emma's face. Oh, thing's must be very bad when big brother and sister looked so sad! It must be nearly time to cry!

Back of the children was a nice warm fire in the grate. The room was comfortable, but baby Paul missed something from the atmosphere. He could not have told what it was, but he began to whimper.

"Don't you go to crying!" said Emma crossly. "It's bad enough to be shut in by the rain without your crying."

Baby Paul cried softly to himself. Thumbs were no comfort now.

Emma went over to the window. She looked dolefully out at the rain. By and by she saw a man going into a house on the corner. The man had a case with him.

"Oh," said Emma to herself, "that's the doctor who went there yesterday! The Brown baby must be real sick."

The doctor stayed a good while. By and by he came out again into the rain. Emma ran to the telephone in the next room, and telephoned to the Browns. Yes, the baby was very, very sick.

Emma came back softly into the room where the fire burned so comfortably. Baby Paul was still crying softly to himself.

"The Brown baby is dreadfully sick," said Emma softly. "Oh, dreadfully! Lizzie Brown was crying when I telephoned to her. They don't know whether the baby will live."

Ralph and Emma looked at baby Paul. Both children had the same thought. Emma ran to baby Paul, and hugged him.

"Oh, baby darling!" cried Emma. "Baby darling, I couldn't stand it if you were sick!"

"Goo!" said baby Paul, looking at Emma's face. That ugly something that was in her face awhile ago was not there now. Baby Paul smiled. If big sister's face was all right what was there to cry about?

Ralph went to the window and looked toward the Browns. Then Ralph went to baby Paul and hugged him. Baby Paul crowed for joy. Big brother's and sister's faces were all right!

"You darling!" cried Emma. "Let's play menagerie for him, Ralph."

So pretty soon the little elephant and the fuzzy rabbit and the wooden dog and the lop-eared donkey were being hurried about at so lively a rate that baby Paul crowed and shouted for joy. What fun it was to be a well baby, when big sister and big brother smiled at him! And the rain just poured outdoors! But everybody was happy.

LIKE WASHINGTON.

"I wish that I could be as great
As Washington," said Joe.
"You can, my dear," his mother said,
"If you but will it so."

"But how?" urged Joe. "I cannot do
The things he did—to be
As great as he was would just mean
A General, you see."

"A General, my little lad,
You can be if you will.
A climbing boy can always reach
The summit of tho hill.

"But to be great, we first must be
Brave, kind and good and true;
And Washington was all of these,
Though but a boy like you."

"Perhaps," said Joe. "I'd better try
To be just good, and when
I am as old as Washington
I may be like him then."

—Written for Dew Drops by Helen M. Richardson.

A SCHOOLROOM SWEEP.

The girls at Dorothy's school—the little ones as