The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-02-12

~Ae1A onu lilSu Iuey all sat GOWN 10 OIuuSk,
and Mr.. Cricket held baby In bis lap, and
carved the turkey too. OFT was beautiful.
1t makes my mouth water to think Of that
dinner. Idon't dare to tell of 1t at all. z And
when it was over baby sat on the floor just as
II he were the best baby in the world, play
ing with bali of blue yarn, and Kitty stood
in chair and wiped the dishes for Grandma
Cricket. -....
After the works done, you shall weave
some sunshine" said Grandma CrickeI. ,,s,,
they hurried and finished the work, end ma liz AZ
oil. Mr.. Cricket sat by the fire ann IcL ns want
baby while Kitty and Grandma CrieAes "ens
And there wasn't any beautiful, golden,
rodiont ioo,a sncI as kitty expected to see.
If rya inst . plain, old. wooden loom, and it
made Kitty feel disappointed, I'LL Grandma
Cricket told her that the sXeetess sunshine
was often woven in the giainest locms. All
you had to DO. was to move the Shuts back
and FORM ana sing, while the sunshine grew
the. rarest lace. So Kitty moved The shuttle.
and sung as well as she could, and a little
rope OF sunshine grew in the loom, just to fit
Ine papy, a radiant robe, such as angels might
rove 10 wear. And Kitty clapped her hands
IN JOY when it was do1e. There was some
more sunshine n the room, but it was very
tender and faint Gnlndma Cricket said it
might do to twinkle in Grandpa Crickets
face, and wake him up in the morning.
Then they took babfs robe and went back
into the kitchen, AID there was old Mr..
Cricket telling the taby story. This was
what he told: h,Nt1r'f 81 gsr asi ssa dsii.
'Once crow and pig started on jour
ney together bu1 the crow few over the tree
tops, and the lille pig couldn't keep up. So
the crow stopped once in while, and looked
back, and said, "Nimity, nimity, toodercorOo-
gin coodle down, coddle me donker! Doun
COON along, COON along! And the little pig
cried and said, Wee, weel Can't get over
the ground sills." That was all Of that story.
Kitty smoothed the little sunshine robe oy-
er her knees, and sat thinking By and by
she said, What are ground sillsPD -
"That can't tell" said Mr.. Cricket. q d
What does 'coddle me donker' mean? said
Kitty. "a .W0T1nfono a 100 y
81 cart tell that, either" answered the
good cd cricket. "It's an old legend of
Cricket Country. It's been handed down
through good many generations, so we've
lost the meaning; but we keep the story for
the sake of its poetical beauty. Nobody ever
learns it without coming to Cricket Country.
Its beautiful for soothing babies" -.
Baby was fast asleep by this time So
Grandma Cricket tucked him away in great,
soft bed, in a shadowy little bedroom, and
came out smiling, just as people always do
when they've been kissing baby.
Then old Mr.. Cricket stirred the fire, smil-
ing to himself, and When it was blazing to
suit HIM, he took long hickory splinter, and
poked one end of it into the Goals minute.
Then he held it up with little golden flame
on the end that had been in the fire, and said
DO you know how to play anything, little
Kitten?"
l"Yes," answered Kitty, II know how to
play thumbs up, and puzzle, on my slate, and
fox and geese, with grains OF corn"
well, we won't pNg any OF them, said
Mr.. Cricket, sitting down in his chair, and
holding up the lighted splinter; "Now listen
to me: A
Pass the brand from hand to hand,
While 1t still grows colder,
Till it's last spark goes out in the dark,
And a forfeit we'll take from the holder.
Lives in my hand,
n Dies in your hand,
And shall be glad; 7
+ Poophr"
"You see, Kitty" said Grandma cricket, in
terrupting him again, I'VE pass the brand
from one to another, each repeating the
verse while holding il, and if the brand goes
out when you say 'pooph,' you must pay a
forfeit, and if it goes out when say 'pooph ,
must pay a forfeit, and so on"
well, said Grandpa Cricket. rather sharp
'Nt hilh, ~ pays all tLldI IN LQ6 verse.
Now. Kitty, it's your turn x7aeav
!, so he handed the splinter to Kitty, and she
said the verse, with her heart humping for
fear she might have to pay some terrible for
felt. And sure enough it did 90 out when
she said ''pooph," and she had to give old
Mr.. Cricket good kiss which was not so
terrible, after all. Then they lighted it Iagain,
ana kept passing it around and saying the
tne verse real last, but it wouldn't 60 out; SO
no q E1rf af4 49, IT,
! THAT'S very beautiful play" said Grand
ma Cricket, when they got through, "and she
has learned it nicely; but it seems to me, you
and Kitty and the baby had better be start
ing. It's bad driving up through the hearth
alter dark" 4f,s'-.,-r - :, =
So old Mr.. Cricket went and got his horses
ana wagon ready again, and Grandma Crick-
ct kissed Kitty and the baby, and GRANDPA
Oricket put on his red mittens, and at last
tnsy started. Kitty heard lovely cricket sing
ing as they rode through the country, and
Mr.. Cricket told her ii was the little crickets
weaving sunshine for the next day.
''Tney weave more on Thanksgiving than
any other day." said the good old Cricket:
and that's why you haven't seen any ofthem
Baby was fast asleep while they rode, with
the soft sunshine robe folded upon his little
bosom, touching his white cheeks and hair
with tender light. I-gsHa
/ All at once, it seemed to Kitty, she had
grown ever so much too big for the little wee
wagon, and then she thought it stopped with
a horrible jerk and tumble, and then she heard
q big, deep voice, saying "Hallool o, Kittyw
And there was Kitty, safe at home, in The
little green rocking chair, by the fire, with
baby in her lap. And the sunshine robe and
the good old cricket, and the little wee horses
and wagon, were gone. But Kitty's Uncle
John stood there, laughing, and patting her
cheeks with his great brown hands.
They taught me how TO weave sunshine"
said Kitty, '"only haven't any loom"
And Uncle John took Kitty and baby
both in his arms together, and said Kitty had
always been little sunshine weaver, because
she was such a loving little sister, and such
q selfdenying little daughter. "The loveliest
sunshine," he told Kitty, always shines in
happy faces" g'sFa .aaIsisras8
I And then he said that aunt Ruthie would
MT hear of such little ones as Kitty and baby
being left alone all that long day, and SO she
had sent him after them.r1 sri r.
And SO the little sunshine weaver had
beautiful, bright, Thanksgiving day, after all.
s2K4 kG-Ltttte Corporal.
Portable Steam Engines,