A mischief-maker is old Jack Frost,
His pranks are many indeed;
He comes and goes with the speed of the wind,
But who has ever seen his steed?
He comes when the nights are clear and cold,
And the wind has gone to rest,
He comes with his magic wand,
And few things stand the test.
He rides o'er fields of waving corn,
And leaves them sere and dry;
He touches the flowers with his magic wand,
And they wither away and die.
He spreads on the walk a coat of ice,
That unwary feet may slip;
He freezes the leaves, the trees and grass,
And holds them all in his icy grip.
He pinches the apple's ruddy cheeks,
And the children's cheeks as well—
Oh, of all the mischief that Jack Frost does,
Who could ever tell?
But still we love this mischief-maker,
We could not do without him;
We think his little plays and pranks
The very best thing about him.
A STORY OF TUBERCULOSIS
PART I
Mary, did you and Tom see the poor, sick woman on the cars when we were going to visit grandmother last week? Did you see how pale and thin and feeble she looked? Did you hear her coughing so often that it seemed to hurt her whole body?
How sorry we felt when we knew she was so sick. Don't you remember that Uncle John, who is a doctor, told us that she had consumption. Uncle John talked of the poor lady and of the dreadful disease which she has. He called it by two other names, tuberculosis and the "Great White Plague."
I'll tell you just what he told me, for Uncle John said that even little children should know about this disease and that they could help to prevent it.
He said that a very small plant, so small that we cannot see it with our naked eyes, causes this terrible sickness from which so many, both old and young, die. These plants are so small that a thousand of them could be put on a pin head and still not crowd each other there. These little plants are like tiny rods and are always found in the saliva or spit of a person who has consumption. When Uncle John wants to see them he uses a very powerful magnifying glass called a microscope. You have seen this microscope in Uncle John's office.
Long years ago, a great German doctor tried to find out why so many persons, young people and little children, died of this terrible disease. Finally, after long years of study, he found that these tiny plants are the cause of all this disease and sorrow. He also found that these plants are different from the plants in our gardens, for they grow best in dark, damp places where there are warmth and the kind of soil suited to them.
These plants never blossom, but they grow and make more plants of the same kind.