Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-04-06
AMERICAN TELEGRAPH.
From the Friend of Youth.
My First Lessons I'm Arithmetic.
FROM AUNT ELLEN's AUToBIOGRAPHl


FROM AUNT ELLENs AUTOBIOGRAPHY
BY MARTHA RUSSELL.
There was pattering of little feet on the
gravel walk-then blue-eyed sunny-haired
little girl came bounding into the parlar, and
tossing her sun-bonnet and satchel on to u
chair, cried breathlessy-
"Oh aunt Ellen-aunt Ellen-only think
! am going to begin Arithmetic tomorrow! !
wish tomorrow would come. Pm SO glad J"
"And why so glad, little ButtercupD asked
the severelooking lady known as "aunt Ellen !"
by little Mary Lee and some dozen more little
roly-poly scatter-brained urchins. 1t was only
last night that | heard certain young lady
complaining that she was tired to death OF
study ..
Mary laughed, and, ensconsing herself snug
ly in the corner of tho sofa by her aunt's
side, said, earnestly 81 know, aunt Ellen; but
| meant Geography and Definitions and such
tiresome things. I'can't bear the thought of
them But Arithmetic is so different shall
have slate and pencil and Mr.. Mills says
shall sit on q high form with the girls in the
second class. know Ellen Mason and Grace
Turner don't like it bit, because Mr. Mills
has put me forward. They are always calling
me a little girl"-and Mary Lees face assumed
an expression of injured innocence, very laugh
able to behold-at least aunt Ellen thought so,
for she found it difficult to keep back the mer-
riment that dimpled round her mouth, as she
smoothed back her niece's hair, and said
at is really too bad-quite piece of i'll
breeding on their part, seeing that you have
arrived to the mature age of eight years and
three months!0
"Now, don't laugh, aunty. You know Just
as well as do what mean,n returned the little
maiden, coloring beneath her aunt's mis-
chievous glance.
"I don't see why Ellen and Grace should be
always putting me down as a little girl, when
they are only littlc-jjust little taller, and
not quite six months older. But Pve got ahead
of them now, and intend to keep there. What
nice times | shall have, aunty," she added, as
she wound round and round her soft fingers a
skein of her aunts crimson worsted.
AYE, and what a nice time shall have to
arrange my worsteds, if you tangle them in
that way, Mary; but, now, sit down there, and
see how nicely you can sort them, while | give
you n chapter from my experience in studying
| Arithmetic.
| The prospect Of story from aunt Ellen al
ways acted rs a sedative on the high-spirited,
fun-loving little Lees Even Fred, the Little
Corporal as Ed, the eldest of the troop, who
had Just got into Scott's Life of Napoleon, had
dubbed the baby" on account of his imperious
airs, was accustomed to draw his little arm
chair into the circle, and make many ludi-
crous attempts to sit cross-legged and keep his
blue eyes wide open, during at least the first
half dozen sentences of the gentle aunt's stories
So Mary was soon busily employed in sorting
| the tangled contents of her aunt's basket
while the latter gave the following reminiscenct
of her childhood:
"When was about your age, Miss Mary
| | began to long to become the owner of slate
and pencil. No schoolboy ever yearned for Q
pair of skates or q good fall of snow as | did
for these treasures. | thought of them by day
and dreamed Of them by night, for thought
| if only could study arithmetic, and fence off
each example on my slate by several lines, like
| Marion Allen, who was some three years my
senior, should be perfectly happy.
Hearing my father say, one morning that
| he should drive to New Haven that day, and
| knowing it to be the nearest place where these
articles could be obtained, | timidly preferred
| my request, making ut the same time such ear
nest promises of perseverance-a virtue by the
way, in which, | am sorry to say, was then con
| sidered somewhat defcient-and such solemn
| renunciations of picture-books and candies, tc
say nothing of much-coveted doll, that he
| Immediately yielded to my request. What q
long day that was to me! How anxiously
watched the hands of the clock, and the shad
ows of the poplars as they stretched across the
river and stole upward towards our gate, for
knew that when they reached the first step ol
the old horse-block, the sun would be lost be-
hind Tatoket, and father could not be far dis
| tent from home.
| "Once, mother suggested that my book and
slate might be forgotten. The thought was
1 c.1 hour oh 10 md
| kind could even admit it into her head felt
choking at the thought, SO begged her to tie on
nv hood and cloak and let me go rs far as the
bridge. to meet my father on his return. The
air was very sharp and cold but did not feel
| it, kept walking back and forth across the
bridge, with my eyes constantly fixed in the
direction of the city. At length, sweeping
round the shoulder of the hills, came the car
riage, and ran forward to meet it. My father
smiled rs he stopped the horse and assisted me
into the carriage, while cried eagerly My
slate and arithmetic Did you get them!
ale pointed to small package in the cor
ner of the carriage, upon which seized at once,
feeling very great respect for the delicacy
which had led him to keep it set apart from
the vulgar necessaries of life, such rs tea and
coffee, and sugar, with which the carriage was
filed.
"When reached home and had fairly taken
off the wrapping paper which enveloped them,
and found them perfect every way, not so
much as q speck or scratch upon them, was
the happiest girl in the country could not
bear to leave them, so when went to bed that
night, laid the slate in chair by the bed
side, and placed the book under my pillow.
at was long before | slept that night, was
oppressed with such q sense of dignity and inn
portance. Like you, was to be promoted to q
high seat among the older girls, and lay there
planning how good would be to the children,
for as such already began to designite my for