Alderman Krautz's Picnic

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Alderman Krautz was a philanthropist as well as a café owner. He loves children, but has none of his own. Once a year he gives all the kids in his ward a picnic. The great day arrives. Two big four-horse converted express wagons are filled with howling youngsters. At the picnic grounds the fun starts. A game of I-spy is in progress. The alderman is it; he catches a pretty miss of sixteen, his wife catches him but he escapes. The kids banter him for a swing. The occupant, when at a high point, is poised for a convenient lagoon, and Krautz gets an involuntary bath. After dinner the alderman and kids, led by Crogan, plays London bridge is falling down. It does, and the alderman is buried under a shower of kids. Blind Man Bluff comes next. Crogan discovers a hornets nest, and the alderman, too (with Crogan's assistance) and the busy insects put the picnic out of business. Home again, Krautz is swathed in bandages. No more picnics for a year, says the doctor. The alderman falls asleep and has a happy vision of Crogan and the kids.