THE BRUSHWOOD BOY Girls and boys, come out to play : The moon is shining as bright as day! Leave your supper and leave your sleep, And come with your playfellows out in the street! A CHILD of three sat up in his crib and screamed at the top of his voice, his fists clinched and his eyes full of terror. At first no one heard, for his nursery was in the west wing, and the nurse was talking to a gardener among the laurels. Then the housekeeper passed that way, and hurried to soothe him. He was her special pet, and she disapproved of the nurse. "What was it, then? What was it, then? There's nothing to frighten him, Georgie dear." "It was it was a policeman! He was on the Down-I saw him! He came in. Jane said he would." "Policemen don't come into houses, dearie. Turn over, and take my hand.” "I saw him on the Down. He came here. Where is your hand, Harper?" The housekeeper waited till the sobs chances to the regular breathing of sleep before she se out. "Jane, what nonsense have you been teg Master Georgie about policemen?" "I haven't told him anything." "You have. He's been dreaming about them "We met Tisdall on Dowhead when we wer in the donkey-cart this morning. Praps thars what put it into his head." "Oh! Now you aren't going to frighten the child into fits with your silly tales, and the master know nothing about it. If ever I catch yo again," etc. A child of six was telling himself stories as b lay in bed. It was a new power, and he kept :: a secret. A month before it had occurred to h.to carry on a nursery tale left unfinished by s mother, and he was delighted to find the tale as it came out of his own head just as surprising as though he were listening to it "all new from the beginning." There was a prince in that tale, and he killed dragons, but only for one night. Ever afterwards Georgie dubbed himself prince, pasha giant-killer, and all the rest (you see, he could nor tell any one, for fear of being laughed at), and his tales faded gradually into dreamland, where a ventures were so many that he could not recai |