Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-17

m Hchildishl She'll never be anything bu
" a chfld-never; she has no reasoning fac
ulties at all. When my grandfather wa
. displeased with me, he never scolded m
for the fault of the moment, but inyeigheC
. against me IN the piece as the draper woult
say.
"Did you ever talk nonsense at her ag'
t, ever play with a penny doll, and sing t.
a kitten2 I should think not"
81 was of a very different disposition
: said my mother gently.
L AYE" said the old man, ''that you were
Why, 1 wouldn't trust this child, IS ]
trusted you. for the world; you we're quite
a little woman, could pay bills, or take
charge of keys; but this child has no dis
cretion-no headpiece. She says things
g that are wide of the mark. she's-well,
my dear, l didn't mean to vex you-shes
a nice child enough, but bless me she never
; thinks, and never reasons a about anything.
He was mistaken. l was thinking and
|, reasoning at that moment. I was think
ing how delightful it would Be if l might
! have the cellar keys, and all the other keys
hanging to my side, SO that every one
could see that [ was trusted with them
and 1 was reasoning that perhaps my
mother had behaved like a little woman
because she WAS treated like one.
"My dear, | did not mean that she was
worse than many other children" repeat
ed my grandfather; "come here child,
and I'll kiss you"
My mother pleaded by way of apology
for me-"She has a very good memory"
memory! ave, there's another disad-
vantage. She remembers everything
she's a mere parrot. Why, when you, at,
her age, wanted a punishment, if 1 set
you twenty lines of poetry, they'd keep
you quite for an hour. Set this child
eighty-knows EN- directly, and there's
time wasted in hearing her say EN- into
the bargain"
Il hope she will become more thought
full as she grows older" said nv mother.
81 hope she will-there's room for inn
provement. Come and sit on my knee,
child. So this is your birthday. Well,
/ suppose l must give you some present
OF other. Leave the child with me, my
dear, I'll take care of her. But l won't |
detain you, for the proofs are all ready.
\ Open the door for your mother, Orris.
All you'll never be anything like her
never"
did as he desired, and then my grand
father looking at me with a eomical grav-
ity, took out a leathern purse, and dived
with his fingers among the contents.
"When l was a little boy, as old as you,
nobody gave me any money"
Encouraged by his returning good hu-
NOR, l drew closer, and peeped into the
purse. There were as many as six or
eight sovereigns in it. I thought what a
rich man my grandfather was, and when
he took out a small coin and laid it in my
palm, 1 could scarcely believe it was for
me.
"Do you know what its is, child"
"a h~alf-sovereign, grandpapa.n
"Well do you think you could spend
it27
20 yes, grandpapa."
30 yes" and sne opens her eyes "Ah,
child, child That money was worth ten
shillings when it was IN my purse, and I
wouldn't give sixpense for anything it will
buy now 1t has once touched your little
fingers
"Did you give it to me to spend exactly
as I like, grandpaps p
"To be sure, child-there, take tits
nothing worth to you, my dear
"Nothiug to me! The half-severeign
worth nothing to mel why, grandpapa ?"
Nothing worth mentioning; you have
no real wants; you have clothes, food and
shelter, without this hal~f-sovereign." !
30, yes; but, g~randpapa, l think it
must be worth ten times as much to me as I
to you l have only this one, and you have
quantities; / shouldn't wonderif you have
thirty or forty half-sovereigns, and n great 8
MANY shillings and half crowns besides, to
spend every year" '
al shouldn't wonder"
"And l have only one. | can't think, !
srandpapa, what you do with all your
money. If l had it l would buy so many !
delightful things with it" I
"No Doubt kaleidoscspes, and magic
lanterns, and all sorts of trash. But for l
t~unately you nave not got it; you have |
only one ~half-sovereign to throw away" I
"But perhaps 1 shall not throw it '
away; perhaps 1 shall try to do some l
good with it" |
ado some good with i'll Bless you, my S
dear, if you try to do some good with it, :,
| shall not call it thrown away" Il
1 then related Whist 1 had been reading, y
and had nearly concluded when the |
housemaid came in. o
She laid a crumpled piece of paper BY a
his desk, and with it a shilling and a 6
penny, saying:
There's the change, sir, out of your 5
BILL t
Ny grandmother took it up, looked at t
it, and remarked that the shilling was a ?
new one. a
Then, With a generosity which l really
am at a loss to account for, he actually, s.
on the spot, gave me both the shilling v
the penny. u
There they lay in the palm of my
hand. gold, silver, and copper. He then :.
gave me another kiss, and abruptly dis II
me, saying that be had more wri-
ting to do; and 1 walked along the little
passage with an exultation of heart that G.
a queen might have envied, to show this II
of wealth to my mother. a
l remember laying the three coins upon u
4 table, and dancing round it, singing, tt
"There's a golden opportunity y
and there's e silver opportunity r and d
continued this exercise till / was u
quite tired, I spent the rest of the morn
.ng in making three little silk bags, one
Tor each of them, previously rubbing the u
penny with sand paper, to make it bright Il
and clean. v
Visions and dreams Aoated through my fl
brain as to the good was to do with this a
property. They were vain-glorious, but
rot selfish, but they we're none of them n
and need not be recorded. The Il
next day, just as my lessons were finished, sc
papa came in with his hat in his hand SIS
he was going to walk to the town, and 81
offered to take me with him. "
1t was always a treat TO walk out with IL
my father, especially when he went to al
,he town. ! liked to look in at the shop a:
windows, and admire their various con-
.ents. CT
To the town therefore we went. NY ia
was going to the Mechanics Insti- TT
ute; and could not take me in with him, oil
Dut there was a certain basket-maker, b
With whose wife / was often left on these
oceasionsi to this good woman he brought
ne, and went away, promising not to be "
ong.
And now, desr reader, whoever you h
nay be, l beseech you judge not too p
of me; remember l was but q Sc
child, and it is certain that if you are not 4
, child yourself, there was a time when =
ron were one. Next door to the basket ;
makers there was a toy shop, aud in its :
l espied several new and very
handsome toys.
Mr.. Miller's window looks uncommon
raw" said the old basket-maker, observing