The independent. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Kan.) 1860-1874, 1862-10-18
for the gitae folks,
CHILDREN'S PRATTLE.

large party OF cniidren-TN.u poo
pies children and great peoples chill.
dren. The merchant was a man OF
good standing in society, and a man
Of learning. He was active, honest
and rich: a man Of intellect and
heart; but talked of most on account
of his wealth.
There visited at his home several
distinguished persons, both Of birth
and people of talent, and those who
came under neither of these heads.
But the present was IN assembly of
children, with children's talk; and
they generally speak like parrots.
There was one little girl excess
lively proud. She had been foolishly
fattered until made vain. Her ia
Their was Kammerjunker. "a title at
courU and she thought this was very
grand indeed.
4 am a court Child she said.
She might as well have said GEL
lar child, as far as she herself was
concerned. She informed the other
children that she was "born," (well
born, she meant;) that when people
were not 'born,' they could never he
anybody; and that however much
they might read, however clever and
industrious they might be, If they
were not born they could never be-
come great. "And those whose
names end in SEM are all low peo-
pie, and can never be Of any conse-
quence in the world. Ladies and
gentlemen would put their hands on
their sides, and keep them at a dis
lance, these 'sen-sens'!? And she
threw herself into the attitude she
had described, and stuck her pretty
little arms akimbo, to show how peo-
pie of her grade would carry them
selves in the presence of such CON-
mon creatures.
The merchants little daughter be-
came quite angry. Her father was
called 'Madsen,' and that name, she
knew, ended in SEM 50 she said as
proudly as she could:
But my father can buy hundreds
Of rix dollars worth Of sugar. plums,
and think nothing Of it. Can your
father do thati'
That's all very well, remarked the
daughter Of popular journalist,
but my father can put both your IA
theirs and all other fathers into the
newspaper. Every one is afraid of
him, my mother says; for it is my
father who rules everything through
the newspaper And the little girl
tossed her head and strutted about
4, if she thought herself a princess.
On the outside Of the half-open
door stood a poor little boy peeping
in. 1t was, Of course, out Of ques-
ton that so poor child should en-
ter the drawing-room; hut he had
been turning the spit for the cook,
and he had obtained permission to
look in behind the door at the splen-
didly dressed children who were a.
musing themselves, and that was a
treat to him.
He would have liked to have been
one Of them, he thought; but at that
moment he heard what had been
said, and it was enough to make him
very sad. Not one shilling had his
parents at home to spare. They
were not able to set up newspaper,
to say nothing Of writing for one.
And the worst was yet to come; for .
his fathers name. and of course, his
own name, certainly ended in ssen.'
He, therefore, could never become !
in this world. This was :
very disheartening; tho he felt as .
sured that he was BORN, it was i'm q
possible to think otherwise. This /.
was what passed that evening.
Several years had elapsed, and du.
ring their course the children had 4
groya up to be men and women.
There stood in the town hand.
some house, which was filled with
objects of art. Every
Dne went to see it. Even people
who lived at distance came to the 4
Town TO see it. Which prodigy, a. 3
nong the children we have named, j.
could call that edifce his or hers!- E
It is easy TO tell that. No; it is not .
70 easy, after all. That house be- =
onged to the poor boy. who became 4
,omebody. although his name did
ind in en,-Thorwaldsen! /
And the three other children, the
children Of high birth, money, and
literary arrogance Yes; there is
to be said about them. u
Thew are all alike. They grew upl
% be all very respectable, comforta-
BE. and commonplace. They were
sell-meaning people = what they
lad formerly said and thought was
,nly cuILDREx's PRATrLE. Hans
:. Andersen.
land .chiIdren's prattle' often a. =
MOUNTS 10 more than idle words. In
his little sketch from that best of