The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-02-23
Kitty's Rebellion.
BY Jenny BRADFORD.

- Kitty's Rebellion.
ly,1 aW BY JENNY BRADFORD. er .
4 Oneyssultry summers afternoon, som,
lseyenteengears ago, little Kitty ran into th,
house from her play for drink of cool lem.
cnade which stood on the table. s9if
A please, mamma, - saidher mother as sh'
turned the, glass. siahN - .Sde'c in 4
4 j "Kitty tan't say pease, replied the little
i maid.s tas batbeDa ds3a hgsapeh sEo
Now Kitty had said ''pease'' hundred
times, and usually delighted in saying every
thing she was. told. She quite reveled in
conversational powers for a year and q half
old. For the first time in her shor. life she
had taken notion that she would not do as
she was bid So her mother set down the
glass funtasted, ,landthe child ran back to the
doorstep as before But it was very warm,
and presently the little, feet, came pattering
back, and the thirsty red lips were again fol
ue "Kstyi ~ pSlesSs.. ..Ili W
"Tahto say pease." So the baby went
away thirsty again. ,l,asa ..ssi.s .aesg
This experiment was repeated perhaps a
dozen times inNtke confse of the afternoon,
at FIRST playfuTly as it seemed, but as the wee
irebel began actually to suffer from the heat
and thirst rather than say "p!ease" it be.
Came rathera serious question how long she
would hold out. ...-.s.a,e,
Sup ,er time came, and Pet ran to her high
ichair. is"a'" 81 s,y.. IA = 5sia saEi 81.
mamma, lift Kitty up l."
"P1eose, mamma, lifs Kitty" said the
mother gently. ,-a
Z Instantly the eager little f,ce fell. Baby
shook her head -muttered 'tan't say pease,
and turned away. q
Her father and mother and the rest Of Che
children sat down to the table, but who could
eat supper while that poor little outlaw
stood. back by the wa moaning with hun
ger and thirst The mother yearned to take
her in her arms and give he. food. ana drink;
but how could she? The little one, knew
that one dutiful word would bring her all
she wanted, yet she refused to speak it.
The question was fairly at issue-should the
child obey the parents, or the parents submit
to the child? 1t is an old and common, di-
lcmma, and in thousan ds Of householdsthe
child carries the day; but Mrs. Hart did not
believe God meant that to be the. order of
the word. So she took her baby to her own
room, and set before. her very tcnderly sna
seriously her naughty behavior. She knet
down and prayed the Savior to make her
good and obedient; but after af, Kitty.
could not say pesssy sany,better than be-
FORE, At last, distressed and tired ont. and
fairly alarmed about the little creature, who
had not tasted drink since, noon, she carried
her to her father and begged him to take
the case in hand Mr.. Hart began TO talk
to the young culprit, playfully, nothing
doubling he should soon bring her round L.
tie gave her a great many words to speak,
which she did very readily till the fatal please
came along ;ithat she couldn't do. Year and
a half understood that to say that was to
submit. So he grew serious, and told cher
that he should have to whip her IL she did,
not mnid. Now Kitty and whipping were
two things never Thought of in the same
breath before. She had always been an un.
commonly sweet and gentle child, and no.
body had ever guessed how much grit was
latent In that soft little bosom. Nothing
else would avail, however, and the whi piping
had to come. Still the baby remained stout
hearted, and far from righteousness.
Feverish and exhausted, with prched lips
crying for drink, yet inAexibly refusing to
speak the word which would bring it. she
was put to bed in her crib. All the warm
night she tossed and moaned in her unquiet
sleep, or woke csying from thirst but even
then, sleepy and miserable as she was, she
would say, "Tan't say pease,'' when the
water came near. For the Father and moth
fer that was night of sleepless wretched-
ness, relieved only by pray er. They really
began to fear that the child would sooner
die than give up. s ye gsgs
| "Qh phshawi never mind the please
have her drink made" many father would
would have seid. "Poor little thing. I must
let the minding go until another time,"'
most mothers would have thought; but Mr..
and Mrs. Hart did not see itso. IF it was
like death for . will to yield after eighteen
months growth, what would. it be after
months and years efindulgepceH God had
committed. to them this soul Of his creating
to be framed for himself; If she could not
be made 10 obey her father whom she had
seen, how should she become obedient to
her Father in Hesvep whom she had not
seen? The very fact that her will was so
strong, made it the more imperative to their
minds that it should be brought under the
control Of consoience; they saw what a
cruel tyrant it would provo " left to hold
lsway. The longer the struggle was pro-
Itracted, the more likely it seemed that the
result would be final one, aud the more
important that the result should be right
Then the other children. who had been
watching this new phase of family history
with q Kind Of solemn dread--should they
learn that the authority they had been
taught to revere could after all be trodden
under the feet Of a babys It would not do
4 It had been clearly explained,to the lit
tie one Ithat'it was the Heavenly Fathers
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