The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-03-02
Little Girls.

l cannot well imagine home more
incomplete than that one where there
is no little girls to stand in the void of
the domestic circle which boys can
never Fill, and to draw all hearts with
in the magic ring of her presence.
There is something about little girls
which is especially lovable; even their
wilful, naughty ways seem utterly void
Of evil when they are SO soon followed
by the sweet penitence that overhows
in such gracious showers. Your boys
are greatnoble fellows, generous, loving
and full of good impulses; but they are
noisy and demonstratiye, and dearly
as you love them, you are glad their
place is out Of doors; but Jennie, with
her light step, is always beside You;
she bring the slippers for papa, ana
with her pretty dimpled fingers un-
folds the paper for him to read; she
puts on thimble no bigger than q
fairy's, and with some very mysterious
combi nation of doll rags fills up a
small rocker by mamma, with won
derful assumption Of womanly digni-
ty. And who shall tell how the little
thread Of speech that flows with such
sweet, silvery lghtness from those in
nocent lips, twines itself around the
mothers heart never to rust. not even
when the dear little face is hid among
the daisies, as SO many mothers know.
But Jennie grows to be woman,
al 80, 81, Il.
from the half-latched door Of child
hood till the girl blooms into the ma
ture woman. There are the brothers
who always lower their voices when
they talk to their sister, and tell of the
sports, in which she takes almost AS
much interest as they do. while in
turn she instructs them il all the
little minor details of home life. OF
which they would grow up ignorant if
not for her And what a shield she
is upon the dawning manhood where
in 50 many temptations lie. Always
her sweet presence 70 guide and in
spire them, check upon profanity, a
living sermon on immortality. How
fragrant the cup Of tea she hands
them at the evening meal; how CHEEKY
her voice rs she relates the little Incl
dents of the day. No silly talk Of in
cipient beaux, or love of young men
met on the promenade. a girl like
that has no empty space in her head
for such thoughts to run riot in, and
you don't find her spending the even
ing III the dim parlor with question
able young man for her company.
When her lover comes, be must say
what he has to say in the family sit
ting groom with father and mother, OF
if ashamed to, there is no room for
him there. Jennie's young heart has
not been fled by the pernicious non
sense which results in SO many I'M
happy marriages or hasty divorces
Dear girl, she thinks all the time OF
what a good home she has, what dean
brothers, and on Bonded knee Graves
the blessings of Heaven to rest on
them, but she does not know how fan
very far, for time and eternity hel
own pure example goes, how it will
radiate as a blessing into other homes
where a sisters memory will be the
consecrated ground of the past
Cherish, then, the little girls dim
pied darlings, who tear their aprons
and cut the tablecloths, and eat the
sugar, and are themselves the sugar
and salt of hfe Let them dress and
undress their doll-habies to theii
hearts content, and don't tell then
that Tom Thumb and Red Riding
Hood are fiction, but leave them alone
till they find it out, which they viii
all too soon. Answer all the funny
questions they ask, and don't make
fun of their baby theology, and wher
you must whip them do it so that i
you should remember it, it would moi
be with tears, for great many little
girls lose their hold suddenly before
the door from which they have just
escaped is shut. and find their way
back to the angels. SO be gentle with
the darlings, and see what track O
sunshine will follow in the wake o
the little bobbing heads that daily fine
great many hard problems to solve.