Mothers Birthday

Last Saturday was Mrs. Dale’s birthday. Polly had embroidered a wonderful cushion as a present the cushion was dark-blue with three red roses in the centre. Polly had bought some silk thread with her own pocket money many weeks before.
  And such lovely threat! Yellow, green, orange, red, pink, white, black, lilac, blue and grey!
  She embroidered the cushion after school while mother was cooking in the kitchen. Nobody knew Polly’s secret. Mother was very pleased. She had not even suspected that Polly could embroider so well. She thanked her daughter and kissed her warmly.
  Jimmy the Carrot gave her a present, too. He drew a parrot on a sheet of paper, a very beautiful parrot with a blue head and red wings. The parrot’s beak was yellow and its tail was bright green. Its claws were as black as coal and its breast was lilac.
  Mother was awfully pleased. She kissed her dear boy many times and said that he would be a famous painter. But the Carrot did not want to be an artist, he preferred to be a groom and ride horses.
  Father also gave her a present. When mother saw it, she clapped her hands like a little girl. She could not even speak for a few minutes. Jimmy could not understand why mother was so delighted. “Mammy” the Carrot said, “why are you so glad? Its only a pair or stockings.”
  “Why, honey,” Mrs. Dale exclaimed, “they are not only a pair of stockings, they are very beautiful and very expensive.”
  “Why are they expensive, Ma?” Jimmy said.
  “Because they are made of glass. Even Mrs. Jackson has not such a pair of stocking.”
  “What? Made of glass?!” Jimmy gasped.
  His eyes were wide open and his mouth as well.
  “Be careful! Don’t touch them!” his sister warned him when the boy wanted to take them out of the paper-bag.   “All right!” the Carrot said. “I know they may break. Mammy says they are made of glass.”
  And Jimmy did not touch thestockings.