BETH.
Her mama had promised to take her to a picnic, and for days little Beth could talk of nothing else.
The night before the picnic day Beth had caught sight of little round cakes, tarts, and a Washington-pie on the pantry shelf, and when her bed-time came, and she was up in her little room with mama, she asked so many, many questions that at last mama said:
“There, there, dear, you must go to sleep, so as to wake very, very early in the morning.”
After mama had left her, Beth lay for a long time thinking; and this awful thought came to her: suppose she shouldn’t wake “very, very early,” and so have no time to get dressed for the picnic!
In a twinkling Beth was out of bed. She pulled on her stockings. She buttoned the six buttons of each small boot, and as many buttons of her dress as she could reach. Then she felt around in the dark for her pink calico sun-bonnet. This she tied tightly under her chin. Then she crept softly back into bed.
How mama laughed when she came into her little daughter’s room in the morning! And how everyone else laughed! And now you know how Beth came to be called “Little Sun-bonnet.”
Carrie A. Griffin.