8 ACORN A Visit to the Land of Pretty Soon It was late in the evening, and the head that had been held over a book for some time began to nod. A hand came down roughly on the boy's shoulder and this question put: "Aren't you ever going to get your lessons?" "Pretty soon," came the answer, for the fifth time that evening. The fingers worked rapidly for a short time and then the head began to nod and the pencil fell from the hand. "This way for the aeroplane to the "Land of Pretty Soon." He gazed around in astonishment at the wonderful scenery for a few moments, then followed the way indicated by the little short man, with the curious glasses. "All aboard," shouted the conductor. The machinery began buzzing and off they went. They first passed over the city of "Do It Now," next over the city of "In Just a Minute," then over the city of "Might Have Been," and landed in the city of "Pretty Soon." Mr. Procrastination met them at the landing and took them for a visit through the city. They first visited the palace of "Promises Broken" and there they found many good specimens, some of the promises "I intended 10 keep," and others "Entirely forgotten." Next they went to the shop of "There's Plenty of Time." There they found various sorts of things. One of the most prominent was a "Good Deed That Was to Have Been Done" and just behind that they saw "The Habit that might have been stopped" and away over in one corner covered with dust they saw the "Kind word that was to have been Spoken." Upon leaving this shop they went down the street of "Opportunities Missed" and found it was entirely paved with "Beautiful Chances Lost." They walked on a short distance farther and what at first seemed to be beautiful, proved to be the suburb of "Misfortune" and on out farther the "Field of Misery" stretching away as far as the eye could see. With awe they stood gazing at the scene, when-- "For land sakes, aren't you ever going to bed?" And the dreamer awoke to find his lessons still unfinished. WM. HUTCHINSON, '14. ACORN 9 Sally dug her fingers into her tear-stained eyes. Poor ragged Mary Jane lay neglected at her feet. Anyone could tell Sally was in distress by the fact that Mary Jane was allowed to dangle, unheeded, in her soiled cotton dress. Anyone could tell that Sally was sorely perplexed, in that her stringy locks were allowed to straggle unnoticed over her face. Anyone could tell Sally was in some exceptional trouble by the fact that for the space of at least two minutes she forgot to hitch the ill-fitting woolen dress on the skinny little shoulders. At length, after a final sniffle, Sally wiped her eyes on the accommodating folds of her faded woolen and gathered Mary Jane into her accustomed place on the motherly bosom. "There, there, Mary Jane," she crooned, "Don't you cry, Susie shall go, don't you worry. Susie shall go. Hie you Jim Miller, come here, Jim! Jim!" "Hello, Sally, what's the row? You look like Nanny's cat after it fell into the milk." Small Jim went off into fits of laughter at Mis own private recollection. "Oh Jim," confessed Sally, seizing him by each bedraggled coat lapel, "We're in an awful trouble. Susie ain't got no bean. It's because we ain't got no fine house and 'cause Susie has to wear old drab ribbons on her hair and can't have no high-heeled shoes. But she's got to have a beau, and we've got to get it for her; Mary Jane and me and you. You'll help us, won't you, Jim?" Thus appealed to, Jim straightened himself, thoughtfully scratched his head and said, "Well, now and what's she got ter hev a beau fer?" "Well, you see," eagerly explained Sally, "Susie's real smart and pa's lettin' her go to High School. And the folks what's in her class is goin' to give a dance the night before Christmas and she can't go 'cause she ain't got no beau. She's fixed a dress of mother's over real pretty and so you see if we could get her a fellow what's a beau she could go 'cause she knows a real nice way to fix her hair and-Oh! but it's a beau. Do you think we could ask Santa Claus?" Sally's voice trailed off in a dismal wail. "He brought me Mary Jane last year only I didn't get her till morning and we've got to have the beau at night" "Nope. Yer can't ask him. Say, kid, don't you know about that old chap?" (Wide-eyed Sally shook her head.) "Well, yer can't depend on him fer beau I guess, even if he did bring yer old Mary Jane. But I ain't a-goin' to preach on him. So here goes. So long! I'll