The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1869-01-31
THE GATE CITY.
ron THE LITTLE f0IKB.
raE Pfsx cCes AaD sAUCHRs
BY susAx c0oIIDoE.

Jtv.s ! wsrn day in spring, and httl
NAV ana her Stamina wers out Of door,
Mamma On tie door-stsrs With her sewing
And Nay very busy under the lilac bush
making : Garden. Il was m 1asy garden 4
make, The spade vas nm iron spoon, th
ground soft and nice to dig in, snd the Gov
err, sprigs Of syfinga, snd japan qsince, IN,
Towering currant-6sst Jelle~, then .
white, ihen 1 red ono. They looked yer,
gay, and il was % nice, May thought, not 4
hsve any stupid waiting for seeds 70 come up
and grow, and blossom; but instead, to &c.
the flowers right away. To be sure, the ole
plan was better for ono reason-the plant,
did not fade 20 soon; but q al looked fresl
| and prosperous 30 far, and plenty more fow
ers were to be had for the picking, she de-
cided that, on the whole, this sort of garden
| irg WAS much better fun.
James, the hired man, was spading bed
not far avay; and Nay kept up constant
chatter, first with him and then With mamma.
The sky vas % biue, and il vas 20 deiieious
% hays the cold gone, and the lovely warm
be quiet . moment, and her little tongue ran
almost Of itselE.
"Oh, James," she cried out, oil ct once,
"Here il great hard thing 10 my garden,
and tie 70 far down that can't dig IT up.
It's . stone. know, an ugly, hard stone;
and il III kill oil the roots Of my plants.
mays plauts had no roots, but she liked to
play that they had. Please come and get it
out with your spade.
30 JAMES, who WAS very good-natured,
came ct once, and III . minute had turned up
q big spadefuil Of earth, with the hard thing
she complained Of in the middle of it. But
II was not stone for I'll that, and what do
you think it was? You might guess ten times
and never get it right. It was doll . tea pot
of pink china, with . piece of the nose
borken of and only half handle That was
. queer thing 70 dig out Of flower bed; WAS
it not?
May could hardly believe her eyes-even
when James wiped the dirt of With his coat
sleeve and put il into her hand. She car.
ried il to her mamma, with quite sober face,
and think she was trying 70 maks out to
herself that pink china WAS . sort Of veget-
able, and that. BY careful digging, she might
find the rest Of the set, hidden away in the
earth.
"Oh, mammal See the queer little thing"
she said. "Isn't it cunning2 It grew in my
garden"
Mamma took it in her hand. At first she
laughed; then she grew . little grave, and she
looked ct it with sort ofsweet, tender look,
. il she was thinking Of something quite diff
Ferent and great way of. At last she |
'tooped and kissed May and said:
II think | know q story about this little |
ea-pot. Wouldn't You like to sit in my lap !
while, and get rested after your digging, |
md let me tell it to your
Of course, May would she liked stories of |
II things, and mammas stories best of all. /
10 up she climbed, and when she was snugIy
Gated mamma began.
"Once upon . time there was q little girl,
nd she lived in this house where We live now.
What was her nsme?'' asked May.
Her name was Mary, bat they called her
lay"
why, mamma cried Mary, chow Gu
ons. My name is Mary, and they call me
|ay. Isn't that very funny, mammal
"Do you think 80 pet Well, they call her
ay. And once, when she was five years
Id, her uncle gave her birthday present
box of pink china cups and sAucers for her
oll.n
"Why, that is curionser yet r. cried May.
N FIVE years old, tool wish somebody
ould give 'em to me. We're the cups and
Iucers anything like this tea pot, mammal y
eyes, May, exactly like-in fact, this is
lie very teapot which belonged to the set.
here were ever 90 many pieces-cream ,
tcher, sugar bowl, and slop basin, twelve
Fps and ssucers, and twelve plates, and ,
feetmeat dish, besides . basket for bread
ID tall vase for the middle of the table,
& enough to Hold three blue violets at
ne. or two lilies Of the valley, or rosebud
ID leaf, if they we're very small. It was
autiful set, and little May thought 30, !,
sure you"
II should think she WOULD said May,
y she d be funny little girl"
swell dear the other little May played
cry day with -sSr tea-set. She had parties.
d asked her friends dollies to drink tea
til her dolly; and 1t was great fun to see
EN- sit oil around the table in their chairs,
tn cups and plates before them, and white
ates. The jointed dolls managed very we'll,
it those with stiff legs had 70 sit ever SO
/ of from the table, and have the mouth
lis cut up and brought to them. Ali the ;
lilies used totalk great deal while they ate
just like real ladies and they we're made
wipe their mouths with napkins, and be> o
we in the most genteel manner. The little Z
rls oil said there never Was such =
city tea-set, and May liked it better than
ything she had
1.-THE birthday came in the winter, soon Of
! Christmas 90 indoor games we're just
lat they wanted. But by and BY Spring Z
gan and it was about this time Of the year
1t one day May saw the gardener digging
great round bed in the grass plot. It was
1t very bed where you have been making
ur garden, only there was no lilac bush
IRE,
What is that great big hole for?" she
sed the man. I
I'm going to plant these flower seeds
IRE, Miss" he answered.
II hose brown things?' said May. 'Phaw
IRE not bit pretty
But they will be by and by" the gar.
ner told her. Each little seed will make
,r 20 many sweet flowers. in the Summer
4 will like to come and pick Them
May had never seen any seeds before 4
the idea Of their turning out so beautiful
8 very queer and interesting, and all at
CO bright idea came into her silly little
ad. 1T those little bits of brown things
n grow into 80 many big things under the
ound, she thought of course my tea-set
uld do the same and perhaps it would
me up dozen tea sets, and then
uld give Addie one. and Fanny, and a
'ssie. How surprised they would
/! And mamma, too-how she will
lgh when they begin to peep out Of the
rth. wonder if the handles will be the
st to show, or the spouts? Oh, what fun p >
nd so, without saying word to anybody, ?
she few to the nursery, while the gardner
Is away at his dinner, and before be came
ok the cups and saucers, teapot, milk jug,
d ell were safely planted in the very middle p
the fower-bed.
"Next day was rainy, so she could not go
TO the garden, but the day after the sun
4
Use awaited her when she got there. There
re no little labels stuck in the ground to 9
Ark the planting but, instead, in the mid. 7
E Of the bed, she saw great bush.
"Oh, Patrick What this ugly bush here
+ ?' she cried. tr
g ITS lilac, Miss. The master changed
! mind about the seeds, and had this put in