OUR DAY IN SWEDEN

DEAR COUSINS:

WE HAVE always wanted to see how skis are really worn, and we were very glad to go to Sweden and see them. The Swedish mansion is directly across from the Canadian building, so our foreign travel is being made very easy for us.

We went into a blue room, after we had seen all the ships, and steel things, and the beet sugar cones, which made your mouth water just to look at them.

The walls of the blue room are covered with a cloth made from wool, and colored blue, the very bluest blue you could imagine. Then we saw the nice deep hand-painted chests which we thought would be perfectly fascinating to have in our attic, to put all our brocaded satin dresses in, so that our children could dress up in them as we do in our grandmother’s things. There are old-fashioned wool rugs made with a hook which pulls wool through a foundation. We have seen Tillie Nelson’s mater make them in Minnesota.

Their furniture is black oak, with wool tapestry for covering, and there are some beautiful bookcases, and hand-carved book-ends, and some beautiful book-bindings.

We looked a long time at the wonderful pictures of snowstorms painted by A. Schultzberg, 1914. We both like them better than any paintings we have ever seen. We almost expected to see little Mrs. Cottontail hop out from under the snow-laden spruce trees, or to hear a chickadee bird sing his winter song from one of the branches. We have resolved to study art. A beautiful statue, carved by Alice Nordin, entitled “The Goddess of Love,” is in that room, and seemed to us very beautiful.

There were some bronze chandeliers which we know would interest big brother, they were what he calls decorative, and some china which sister would rave over.

We came away feeling that Sweden is a very large and useful nation, and a homey and comfortable sort of people. We said so to father, but he said, “Yes, yes, children, I am glad you felt that, because they are that and more.”

We knew by his tone that he was thinking, so we were careful not to chatter and disturb him.

Your loving cousins, JANE AND ELLEN.

DEAR COUSINS:

FAIRY-LAND was never more beautiful than the Fair is when the lights are on in the evening, with all the big searchlights and the colored lights going at once. Then the Tower looks like the queen that it is, with its thousands of sparkling jewels. There is something majestic and silently mystical about it, as it stands with its head among the stars. There has never been anything like it, and there will never be anything like it, and while, like other great things, it may have faults, it will live forever in the hearts of the little children who have seen it.

Once in a while, as a special treat, Madame World has an evening of fireworks, in addition to the illuminations which she provides for her guests every evening. We went out late one afternoon, and stayed out for them.

Out on the Marina, or water-front, there is a big machine which controls the searchlights, and from there the whole Fair is illuminated.

When the lights are turned on, and stream far up in the sky, it looks as though the Goddess of Light and all her subjects were holding high carnival in the heavens. Sometimes the lights are all colors of the rainbow, and when they are turned on Golden Gate it looks as though all the color sprites from the coral caves were sailing in from tropical seas to dance at the carnival.

A most beautiful color effect was arrived at by puffing great white clouds of steam from engines, and turning on them the colored searchlights.

The fireworks were, however, the crowning surprise. First they were the ordinary Fourth of July kind, just skyrockets, which, bursting with a loud report, fling stars and bouquets of flowers in the air.

We liked them very much, as all children like fireworks, and were quite satisfied that we were having a lovely time, when Boom! a big rocket exploded, sending balls of fire high up in the air, and do you know, out flew Old Mother Hubbard and her dog Tray, Mary and her little lamb, Little Boy Blue and his flock of sheep, the old woman who went up in a basket, the pig which flew so high, and the cow which jumped over the moon, not to mention a ballet dancer, and whole flocks of geese, and strings of flags, all the old story-book folks, not little things which you would have to guess about, but real large-as-life characters whom you would at once recognize. Now if some one will explain to us how they could pack them all into a skyrocket, we shall be satisfied.

To complete the entertainment, the aviator then went up in his aeroplane and gave an imitation of a comet tearing through space.

Your loving cousins, JANE AND ELLEN.