could outside.

"Read _on_!" thumped the Blinded Lady.

My Father read on.

"This next one," he said, "seems to be about Soldiers!"

"Soldiers?" said the Blinded Lady. "Soldiers?" She sat up very straight.
She cocked her head on one side. "Read it!" she said.

"I'm reading it!" said my Father.

The most scrumptious sight I've ever seen in my life is
Soldiers Marching! I saw them once in New York! It was
_glorious_! All the reds and the blues and the browns of the
Uniforms! And when the Band played all the different
instruments it seemed as though it was really _gold_ and
_silver_ music they were playing! It makes you feel so
brave! And so unselfish! But most of all it makes you wish
you were a milk-white pony with diamond hoofs! So that you
could _sparkle_! And _prance_! And _rear_! And _run away_
just for fun! And _run_ and _run_ and _run_ down clattery
streets and through black woods and across green pastures
_snorting fire_--till you met more Soldiers and more Bands
and more Gold and Silver Music! So that you could _prance_
and _sparkle_ and _rear_ and _run away_ all over
again,--with _flags flying_!

"U-m-m," said the Blinded Lady. "That _is_ pretty! And spirited
too!--But--But it doesn't exactly warm the heart.--And no one but a boy,
anyway, would _want_ to think about soldiers every day.--Read the next
one!" said the Blinded Lady.

"Oh all right," said my Father. "Here's the last one."

"Read it!" said the Blinded Lady.

"I'm trying to!" said my Father. He cleared his throat and put on his
eye-glasses all over again. "Ahem!" he said.

"The most beautifulest thing I've ever seen in all my life
is my Mother's face. It's so----"

"_What?_" cried my Mother.

My Father looked at her across the top of his glasses. He smiled. "_Your
face!_" he said.

"W--what?" stammered my Mother.

My Father cleared his throat and began all over again.

The most beautifulest thing I've ever seen in all my life is
my Mother's face! It's so pleasant! It tries to make
everything so pleasant! When you go away it smiles you away!
When you come home it smiles you home! When you're sick it
smiles you well! When you're bad it smiles you good! It's so
pretty too! It has soft hair all full of little curls! It
has brown eyes! It has the _sweetest_ ears!--It has a little
hat! The jolliest little hat! Al