Twenty Nickels

"TWENTY NICKLES" By George Blair Glade A shrill whistle finally announced the departure of the Priesthood Outing Special. Ten minutes late, waiting for the belated ones, the train started for the canyon. Fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, filled the six coaches. A smiling radiance beamed on every face. Children's questions, mothers' smiles, babies' chatter, and the hearty laughter of men, mingled with the heavy labor of the engine, gladdened each expectant heart. It was a clear day in June. The sunbeams, piercing the dusty windows, played upon the tanned cheek of Harold Bozarth. His manly features ennobled the khaki suit he wore. Children returned his warm smile and some ventured near to touch his hand. By his side, dressed in dainty picnic attire, sat his sweetheart. On her lap nestled a runaway baby from down the aisle who chatted and laughed when they played with her. As the little Miss wobbled back to its mother Harold and the Girl smiled. A happy love filled their hearts. Not a selfish love, but one that seemed to embrace all around them. Arriving at the park the train came to a creaking stop. Hurriedly, the children bolted1 out. Some returned for hats and luncheons. As Harold neared the door he saw a man and boy hunting under the seats. He stopped to aid them. "Have you lost something?" he queried of the boy. "I dropped a dollar." A wild look troubled the youngster's face. ' "Don't you know which way it rolled?" asked the father, impatiently. But the lad didn't. Feverishly they searched. Harold joined them on his hands and knees. But the dusty corners failed to give it up. To Harold the boy's countenance seemed to change to a tearful sadness, the impatience of the father to a grave anxiety. He noticed, for the first time, the rough hands of the man, which seemed more so, because of the dirt from the floor. He saw the clean but home laundered collar, the worn but neatly patched suit. Suddenly the engine roared and the cars lurched, but at the same instant Harold found the dollar. "Here it is!" he shouted; "bounced up in this little crevice." "I'm sure glad you found it," the boy grinned; "Pa gave it to me to carry, and I'd have felt awful if I'd lost it." The man was not profuse in his thanks but the anxious: lines left his face as he carefully dropped it into the gaping mouth of an old empty purse. "Made me a bit blue for a minute," he confessed; "it was all we had, besides our tickets."

"TWENTY NICKELS" 633 Leaving the train the man gathered his family around him, reassuring his wife with a nod. And Harold found the Girl waiting for him, with a smile. It was a happy day. Fathers surprized their sons with feats of agility and exactness. Cotton coming from the trees fell like confetti on the scene. Harold finished second in the elders' race and the Girl pitched horseshoesi brilliantly, only to lose on the last toss. At noon Harold saw the little family at lunch. A bottle of pop was at every plate and the baby played with a balloon. The children relished the food which looked fresh from a country garden. He thought how different from the dainty menu She had prepared. All day the family and the dollat haunted him, until, late in the after- noon, when he saw the smallest maiden spending what he thought must be the last nickel of that wondrous dollar, his eyes filled with tears. The day over, all too soon, the special left for the city, carrying a tired, but contented burden. Babies slept. Mothers smiled at torn shirts and soiled dresses. Fathers nursed bruises and aches. Harold glanced at the Girl. She seemed as fresh as in the morning. He wondered if she ever wearied, if the smile would ever be dimmed. "We've had a glorious picnic!" she breathed at parting. "Yes, indeed," he smiled. Suddenly, she caught him unawares: "Harold, you gave the, man that dollar this morning, didn't you?" He would have denied but her eyes told him that she, too, had felt the joy of life this day. "Yes," he admitted, "I did." "I knew it! I knew it! I've felt it all day. It was noble and good of you, Harold." "Oh, no, it was just a dollar." "Yes, to us it was just a dollar, but to a family of seven — it was twenty nickels." Salt Lake City. May Days May is a month of rejoicing, for the tears that April shed Have transformed the earth which seemed desolate With flowers o'er which we tread. May is a month of promise for the Summer that is to come Ladened with fruits from God's store-house, When plenteous harvest is done. Forgotten the chill of December, forgotten the ice and snow. For our hearts demand pleasant reminders In the beautiful things that grow. The Winter has his graces and many enjoy his moods, But the sunshine of May, and the bright warm days Hold promise of roses and June. Rogers, Arkansas. MRS. OTIS GEISE