Brenda's Easter Visit

        ''Her name is Brenda,'' said daddy, ''and when I saw her yesterday she told me that every year at Easter time she went to the head nurse of the big hospital and found out the names of all the children. Then she went shopping, and it took her a long time to pick out things for little sick children. She picked out for each child a big round chocolate egg which rattled, for inside it there were little sugar candies; also a chocolate chicken and a chocolate bunny. She always picked out ones that had lots of expression too. Around the egg she tied a big red ribbon, around the chocolate chicken's neck she tied a bright green ribbon, around the bunny's neck she tied a bright purple ribbon. Then she put them in a little box and wrote on the box the child's name.

       ''Last year Brenda went to the hospital the day before Easter. It was far from being a pleasant day. There was a cold wind in the air and no sun.

       ''She arrived at the hospital just as all the little children had had their wounds dressed. They were lying in their little white cots trying to keep back the tears that wanted to come.

       ''Brenda asked the nurse if she could go inside with the gifts.

        The child's name in the first cot,' continued the nurse very softly, is Elsa. She has hurt her back, and no one knows how long she will have to lie there.'

       '' 'Elsa,' said Brenda, 'happy Easter. A little chocolate bunny, a little chocolate chicken and a big chocolate egg all said they wanted to wish you a happy Easter.'

       ''Elsa opened her half shut eyes and clutched the box. She opened it eagerly. There they all were! And the chocolate bunny did have the funniest expression! He would have made any one laugh, and his purple ribbon bow was sticking way up on one side with such a saucy expression. Elsa burst out laughing. Afterward the nurse told Brenda it was the first time she's seen Elsa laugh since she'd been brought to the hospital.

       ''Then Brenda took the rest of her boxes around to all the other little sick children. And such happiness as there was in the ward!''