The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-01-30
From the Friend Of Youth.
CLEARING UP:
HOW THE WHITES LEARNED THE
SECRET"
BY MARTHA RUSSELL.
CONCLUDED.I

The invitation was given, and accepted. Ii
| was busy day for all hands in the widow
, Testers room; the wash was over at an early
| hour; the floor scrubbed until it was white as
the well-scoured dressers above Abba's keen
eyes detected every particle of dust upon the
| furniture; and Sarah's hands were not less
busy in arranging her box of playthings, and
amusing little two-years-old Nathan, who, in
his zeal to aid her, not unfrequently displaced
them all, and caused her TO bestow upon him
long lectures on the propriety of "leaving
things where he found them" But the chief
ornament of the room was Abba s rose, which
had arrived that morning, and stood in the
wndow-its rich, creamy buds swelling and
bursting in the warm sunlight 1t was OF
ooptsf, IRE 0Jsi object to which The ale 49,. Z.
their vtsiters was directed and Abba was
somewhat vexed when Mrs. White, after a
slight G lance, turned from it, with the remark,
that it was very pretty bush, but nothing
TO be compared to some she had when she lived
at home with MAJ" but Letty's genuine admit
ration made ample amends for the mothers
dlsparaging words.
She turned to it again and again and when
Abba, in her gratifed pride, told her how they
were raised from slips, and actually took her
scissors and cut off a nice green shoot, and put
it down in the pot, according to the instructions
OF the donor, she raised her eyes, dewy with
gratitude and delight, to her companions face,
and said, earnestly
elbow good you are to me. | never had
anything to call my own in my life, and shall
think so much of this"
"What pretty eyes Lefty White has,"
thought Abba Lester, as she replied
"Wel, you shall not say that much longer,
for am pretty sure this will live, and, dare
say, we can find something that will answer
for pot"
What is it that you girls are plotting
there ?" asked Mrs. Lester, pleasantly.
sob, Abba is going to root slip of her rose
for me. Only think, mother, won't it be nice
place for it on the broad sill to our window I"
Nonsense, child, you have no time 10
spend over roses besides, the sun never shines
into our room," and, with this damper on the
child's enthusiasm, Mrs. White turned to our
hostess, and began to lament the unpleasant
ness of her apartment 4" Here you have the
sun all the morning." she said, "while there
might as well not be any sun for all we ever
see OF it in our room, and sunshine makes a
room so pleasant" she added, glancing round,
"There, see, if your little Nathan is not actu-
ally trying to catch sunbeam on the wall
yonder! iTwould i've long time before he
would find one to catch in our ROOM"
Nobody can catch sunbeams, or do any
thing else, without they try. 1t is a business
little Nat understands pretty well" replied
Mrs Lester, smiling.
"Then, | wish he would teach me-" said
little Dick White, (who, with a child's keen
perceptions, had for some time been making
| his own observations upon things,) siding up
to Mrs. Lester, and hitching up his pantaloons
from which one of the buttons had given way
in an effort to lift Sarah's box of playthings
81 wish he would teach me, so that could
catch some to put down in our room. 1t is SO
dark and dirty there"
Mrs. Lester took no notice of Mrs. Whites
:" Fie, Dick" but drew the child up TO her, and
taking button from her work basket began to
sew it on in the place of the missing one, while
she said, pleasantly
$50 you would like to learn, my lad.
| Well, it requires some patience, but | guess
Abba and Sarah and Nat can teach you"
If you can teach us to make our room look
like yours, Abba" said Lefty, who had been
listening to Mrs. Lester, I" wish you would.
| AS Dick says, it is so dark and dirty there
that can't bear TO 60 back"
Why don't you clear it up, them" replied
| Abba, in the same low tone which Lefty had
used. /" A little soap and water would make
a world of difference, and have a notion that
is what mother means by her secret. You
might have as many sunbeams as we do, if
they could only get through your windows"
But mother won't let me. She scolds
if leave my work moment, even to sweep
up"
We must manage to do ii sometime when
she is gone away, then. The very next time
she goes out, let me know, and | will come and
help you"
After this visit, Lefty tried hard TO sweep up
the room, and make it little more decent, but
her mother scolded so constantly about her
waste of time that she at last grew vexed, and
gave it mp in despair Dicks head still run
upon Mrs. Testers promise to teach him about
the sunbeams, but his mother put stop to his
questions by telling him rather tartly to 8" hold
| his tongue !" she wondered how Mrs. Lester
could put such ridiculous nonsense into a
child's head"
So things went in the same untdy manner
until Mrs. Lester looked into the doorway one
morning, and said that their neighbor, John
Digby's wife, was very sick, indeed, and they
had been after her 10 come and sit by her that
day; but as her little Nat had been quite sick
the night before, she had come TO ask Mrs.
White to go in her place.
Mrs. White readily promised to go, for she
was bit of gossip, and rather liked going
out; besides, TO do her justice, she was kindly
disposed woman. She was not many rods
down the street before Abba Lester made her
appearance, armed with dish of soap and
her scrubbing brush and broom. Busy enough
Were the two girls for the rest Of the day, as
any one will believe when they consider what
there was TO do and busy enough was little
Dick in bringing water, and picking up bits OF
old barrels and hoops To heat it, while occasion
ally Mrs. Testers round face, like full moon,
appeared in the doorway to cheer them.
The windows occupied Letty's special at
tenllon, and great was her delight when the
dusty, ragged old paper curtains gave place to
white ones-coarse cotton to be sure, but white
as the hands Of widow Lester, whose gin they
Were, could make them-and she saw the
bright sunlight streaming in through the now
transparent glass Ii was almost shutdown be
fore they completed all their arrangements, for
Abba Lester was not satisfied until Dicks face
and hands had been thoroughly scrubbed, and
his rebelous hair put into some sort of order
n matter that required some patience, for he
was in too high spirits to stand still more than
minute at time; and, then, when every
thing was so nice, il would never do To leave
l.etty's hair SO irowzy. She had Bit Of blue
ribbon at home which would be just the thing
10 tie the braids; so home she ran after il. and
L.. Il. FL a.