THE RIVER

BY ELIZABETH M. DUKES (AGE 12)
(Honor Member)

THE throstle in the flowering thorn
Poured forth his heart in joy,
While dabbled in sweet Avon's stream
A barefoot country boy.

He sent his fleets of paper boats
A-sailing down the stream,
And many a lovely nook he knew
In which to idly dream.

And, I dare say, full many a time
The water brightly clear

He envied; for it left that town
A million times a year.

I think he plucked an iris there,
Fresh from the river-bank;

Or threw a stone, to watch it break
The quiet, as it sank.

Perhaps the river now has lost

Young Shakspere's bright reflection

Perhaps the willows by the bank
Have lost the recollection.

But April comes, and, on the thorn,

A throstle sings at last;

And still the river gently tells

Of Shakspere and the past.

THE OPEN DOORWAY

BY OLIVE E. NORTHUP (AGE 14)

(Gold Badge. Silver Badge won November, 1914) FOR nine days and nights, the great ocean liner Czarina had wrestled with the winds and waves of the Atlantic on her way from St. Petersburg to New York; but on the morning of the tenth day, every one on board was

"HAPPY HOURS. BY ELISE SEDBERRY, AGE 14. (SILVER BADGE)

thrown into a state of excitement at sight of a long, thin line of gray lying low against the western horizon. To little Ivan Ostrakoff, leaning against the railing which ran around the crowded steerage deck of the Czarina, this distant line of gray, which was soon to broaden and deepen into the fertile shores of North America, meant the beginning of a new life and new hope. Many and many a time in his dreams of the future he

had imagined this new country as a place where each man was his own master, where the rich did not oppress the poor, and the poor might, if it were their will, rise to the highest station in the land. Here the doors which led to learning were always open, the gates to knowledge always stood ajar, and in the heart of every American burned the desire to live a higher and better life.

Thus, as the great steamer moved slowly into the harbor of New York and the outlines of that great city loomed up black and powerful against the sky, Ivan's heart beat faster and his breath came quicker, for he realized that at last his dreams had come true-America, the Land of Opportunity, lay before him! Soon the

Oh give me the river, the river in summer,
Away from the world and its strife;

And down in the nook where the flowers are blooming,
I'll drowsily squander my life.

Oh give me the river, the river in autumn,

When the purple-gray haze tops the trees,

And the woods that are decked in their wonderful glory Seem to sigh to the tune of the bees.

Oh give me the river, the river in winter,

'T is all frozen over, you see,

And all that I need is my skates-and a sweetheart, To glide down the river with me!

THE OPEN DOORWAY

BY NAOMI ARCHIBALD (AGE 12)
(Silver Badge)

It was a hot night in August. The family had all gone to bed, leaving Katie, the cook, to shut and lock the door. But poor tired-out Katie had fallen sound asleep in her kitchen.

The house was in a lonely place, and a poor weary

tramp, not knowing it was so late, came to the door to ask for food, and permission to spend the night in the barn. Finding the door open, the temptation was too strong for the poor fellow, and he went in and lay down on the couch, perceiving that the owners were all asleep.

He had not been sleeping more than two hours when he was awakened by a slight noise; he soon realized that it was some other intruders like himself, but with more serious designs. They were burglars, and were just congratulating each other on finding the door open. The tramp got up, and, going softly to the door, said:

,,

THE OPEN DOORWAY

BY SUSANNA PAXTON (AGE 12) (Silver Badge)

"HONK! honk!" Every member of the household sat upright in bed. "Honk-k-k-k!"

The hired man and Father met at the foot of the stairs, still crawling into their clothes.

Each had recognized the sound of the horn on the family auto, and had started to the barn. They found the stable door leading into the room where Beauty, the children's new pony, was left untied at night, securely locked.

"Who is there?" The burglars, thinking it was the owner of the house, ran away; and the tramp, after resting a while longer, went off too.

The family, coming down in the morning and finding the door open, said to each other how lucky it was that no one had come in, little knowing all that had passed through the "open doorway" during that night.

THE OPEN DOORWAY

BY L. MINERVA TURNBULL (AGE 15)

WHEN I see a door ajar, I always wish to peep in. The very fact that it is open makes me feel that there is something worth seeing beyond it. And that is the way it is with the St. Nicholas League-it is an open doorIway that is inviting every one to come inside; and I, like many others, have accepted the invitation.

There are only pleasant surprises that meet me beyond this open door that I have just entered. First, there is the invitation to delightful and congenial work, for certainly every one would be interested in some branch of the League. Then the great lesson of patience is taught by the League. Any one who sends in a contribution must wait almost four months before he can discover if it is good enough to win a prize! Perseverance is also taught by the League, for "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, again." Next, the League has offered me its beautiful motto, "Live to learn and learn to live." And the last thing that the League has given to help me on the road to success is the promise of reward, for every one likes that, although many do not acknowledge it.

Considering all this, I think that the St. Nicholas League has more advantages to offer than any other "open doorway."

The garage room, a new addition built on to the old barn, was connected with the pony's room by a single door.

To their amazement, this door was wide open, but all outside doors were locked. Beauty was munching hay at her stall. After a thorough search for tramps, the men shut the connecting door, locked the outside ones, and, much mystified, went back to bed.

The next night the same thing happened. Father again went to the barn, only to find the outside doors locked, but the door between the stable and garage again

open.

The third night Father and the hired man spent in the

garage.

We live in a large white house in the country.

I am lame, and cannot run in and out of doors like most children.

In front of my room is a wide balcony, with a glass door opening on it.

I love to watch the wagons pass, loaded with hay and cotton. I can also watch the negroes at work in the cotton fields. They pick big bags full and drag them to the ends of the rows, emptying them into large baskets. But, best of all, I love to watch the birds. Once in a while, I see an empty oriole's nest, swinging in the breeze from the branch of a tree.

As the dinner gong sounds, Mary, the cook, comes up with an inviting meal on her tray. She moves a small table near the open door. When I have finished eating, my crumbs are all scattered on the balcony for the birds. Not long ago, one little bird ate crumbs from my hand. They enjoy these crumbs in winter, especially.

I am in a wheel-chair, so I can go out on the balcony at any time. From my open door I can see the bed of bulbs Father set out. He had many different kinds, so they would not all bloom at once. Later, he fills this bed with red geraniums. I always send some of these to my sick friends.

My uncle brought me a little dog who had been taught to beg. He never hurts kitty when they play together. My mother often sits with me and points out things I would not notice.

Do you wonder I like to sit in the open doorway?

THE OPEN DOORWAY

BY CAROLYN FANNY ROGERS (AGE II)

YES, it was the open doorway that caused Cæsar's misbehavior. In the first place, Cæsar's owner, Mrs. Brown, wished to go to a certain play at a popular theater. Now you must know that Cæsar was a big collie, and a spoiled pet.

He followed his mistress into the theater, gravely indeed for the amount of mischief he had in his head. While Mrs. Brown was at the box-office purchasing her tickets, Cæsar was busy investigating. Unfortunately, a performance was then taking place.

A soloist was singing sweetly, the orchestra was playing softly, and the whole house intently listening, when Cæsar poked his too inquisitive nose in the open doorway.

He walked slowly down the aisle to the orchestra and sat down. The music was sweet, very sweet indeed, but Cæsar evidently did not think so, for he threw back his head and let out one pitiful and distressing howl.

The soloist reddened, stopped, and turned away dis

gusted. The огchestra played violently to drown Cæsar's unwelcome voice. The audience tittered, and, in short, it was a very bad mix-up, caused by an "innocent pup."

At this instant, Mrs. Brown appeared, looking for her dog. Seeing the commotion he was causing, she hastened down the aisle to him. Cæsar, greatly disBY WILLIAM H. SAVIN, turbed at the noise, AGE 14. (SILVER BADGE.) saw her, and made great leaping

"AT YOUR SERVICE."

bounds up the aisle toward her, landing stiffly on his four legs.

Mrs Brown got hold of the dog's collar and hurried out. But, dear me! Cæsar was taught a lesson when he got home. The soloist felt, the orchestra knew, and the audience decided, that an open doorway can cause a lot of trouble.