Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-12-21

Now the shoemaker had burned his
foot somewhat, In his anxiety to save
his bench and tools from the devour-
ing flames, aud though he wore a
leather slipper, the material was too
harsh and stiff TO be very acceptable to
his lame foot Little Tiny regarded
this as only a drawback 10 her happi-
ness. and often puzzled her childish
brain to devise some WaS to mend the
matter One morning, as sbe sat strip
ping the ietty berries from their twiGs
her sun bonnet thrown back. that the
wind might fan her brow the right
plan popped into her head all at once,
just as If the morning zephyrs had
brought It to her on their wings ad
clapping her hands, she exclaimed, %,
gOOdy why did mt I thiak of It be-
fore, [ wonders" And then she went
to picking huckleberries harder than
ever, If that were possible. When
noon came, and the factory bell, over
IN the village, rang, there was her lit
tie pail quite full Never before had
she had such good success 1T must
/ have been because she was working to
accomplish a great object which she
had IN view
After her dinner of bread and milk
was finished, she put on her neat little
giBgham sun bonnet, asked her father
/ for an hours absence, which the shoe
maker readily granted, fer he trusted
/ his little daughter. and then both
/ huckleberries and Miss IiBny disap-
! peared down the yellow. glowing road
that led villageWard.
How much are huckleberries.
! please ~ said an anxious little voice,
/ over the top of Mr.. Phipps' grocery
counter not long after.
Mr.. Phipps, who was proprietor,
clerk, and bOy-of-all- work. stopped his
occupation of ladling sugar from a bar
rel, to see where this tiny query came
from. He saw only a neat little girl,
with gingham sun bonnet. standing
there. 50 he asked,
Did you speak to me, ma am p
Yes sir. How much are huckleber-
ries, please 2
Wall, said Mr.. Phipps, buckle
berries are ten cents.
DO you buy them, sir
wall, yes I do. ButWhen we buy
'em we only give eight cents. / thought
you wanted to buy, miss
mo, l want to sell. VIII you buy
mine, sir" said Tiny, raising her brim- |
ming pail Of berries to The level of the
counter.
'Sartin. I'll measure EN- this min I
net, said Mr.. Phipps, running after /
his quart measure. He came back In I
a second, and proceeded to measure ]
the fruit, Tiny watching the proceed /
ings with anxious eyes.
Two quarts and pint, just exact I
ly, said Mr.. Phipps, with flourish of 1
his measure. viii you have the mon
ey, or do you want to trade?''
The money, If yOu please, . said
Tiny.
So Mr.. Phipps counted out twenty
cents from his money drawer, bestOW-
ing an extra penny in the little girls
hand, with the remark, That's for
picking them so clean. Going Ito
bring me any more, ma am p
es, sir, said Tiny, holding her
money very fast, and walking towards
the door. Butin the'doorway she sud
denly stopped
Want anything more ?? said Mr.
Phipps, with his head In the sugar
barrel.
Tiny hesitated, then came back.
Have you got any slippers p she
asked.
Slippers" said the merchant. mo,
ma'am, we don't keep EN-. Did you
want pair p
'NO, sir, said Tiny, shyly; but I
wanted to know how they were made. -
WALL I don't know, but my wife
does. She can tell you all about /;
and then, if you want cloth and things,
1 can sell EN- TO ye. Look here, said
Mr.. Phipps, anxious to do his little
customer a good turn, and sell his
wares, you see that house across the
road Wall, that's my house, and if !
you'll just run over there, she'll cut
you a pattern, and tell you all about it. !,
Then you can buy the things of me
But Tiny hesitated.
%, you needn't be afraid of hen"
said the grocer she won't hurt ye.
Thus urged, Tiny went to Mrs.
Phipps. The grocery merchant was
in the door when she return
Didn't L tell you so p said he, with
a complaisant smile, as Tiny displayed
her patterns. Now, what shall put
you up
Very gravely, and much as if the
welfare of the great Republic depend
ed upon her transactions, Tiny depOs-
tied the twenty cents which she had
just received upon the counter. The
grocer looked astonished.
What, sick ofyour bargain so sOon?' 4
he asked
20 no, sir; but, you see, l wanted to
ask you something Mrs. Phipps said
that the cloth and braid for the slippers
would cost d dollar. I havn't got any
money of my own. sir and how many
quarts of huckleberries would it take,
at eight cents, to come to a dollar,
please !?
Mr.. Phipps smiled. benevolently.
J ust twelve aud a pint. ma am, he
said.
is that all2" said Tiny, greatly re-
lieved !. . goOdy. that won't take
long. Now, sir, will you please keep
it, till [ get dollar
''Yes, said the obliging merchant
''any way to accommodate .
Unspeakably joyous, Tiny took her
pail and patterns and departed.
Mr.. Phipps watched the little figure
till It disappeared down the dusty road,
then resumed his labor, remarkiBg. IF
she amt the keenest little cOntTiver J"
And as the days passed, each bring
ing the little berry merchant the coun-
try grocer came at last to hail the hour
when she entered his store, always with
the same quantity, as the pleasantest
one in the whole day. The neat, hap
py little figure, tripping about among
the sugar barrels, and hams, and quin-
tails of fish, grew to be most refresh I
ing sight to his eyes.
Meanwhile, the shoemaker began to /
wonder how his little daughter could T
possibly eat so many huckleberries in (
her bread and milk, and what should [
take her so regularly to the village ev- /
cry afternoon But inst as he had T
made up his mind to speak to her about I
the matter, she suddenly stopped both I
her huckleberry picking and her mys- /
terious pilgrimage to the village, and 4
in few days the shoemaker had for I
gotten all about the matter.
But now came the little girl great /
est trial. She was not an expert at the /
needle. and her poor little thumb and /