Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-06-04

| vision OF delight Wnlcn SET AAA ,
feet of into a series of gymnastics, ana
these set the hens of into another Sc
ries more wonderful still, till the SOL
| emn old barn was in quite IerAlent
/ with their duttering, flying ana eaek@
/ ling Grandma found three eggs IN
| another hole in the NOV, two more lEl-
1 der a loose board, and one IN Das ( eb
/ of straw: and Pink held up her little
white apron, that would hold just two,
/ and carried them very carefully into
| the pantry, and grandma laid them in a
| large wooden bowl, almost full OF eggs
| already.
There's as many as ten dozen in
| that bowl, I guess" said grandma
90 it's a laying year for hens.
Is it 2" said Pink.
Pink's little brain was quite crowded
| with the multitude of new images that
had got into it, and her great knowl-'
| edge kept her tongue still, as great.
knowledge always does. She found
her mother upstairs, writing letter
to Papa Lawton.
Wat shall I tell papa about you,
Pink"
so, tell him I've seen water-pans,
and miIk-troughs, and Blackie nests,
and hem -eoOps, and horse-eoops-no :
horse-td6Les, and cow-tables, and every
thing; and I'm going to have a chick
en- of my own, when Blackie sets it out s
grandma says may; and o! tell him
it's a layin' year, and Blackie's settin'
in a funny little round hay-hole in the
8 Yes, said her mamma, "I'll tell
him. -
Pink was very happy, and jumped
up and down, and wIfsked round and
round, making her hair look . like an
oven-broom, as grandma said, who
Just then looked in at the door to ask
if they'd like a strawberry short-cake
for dinner, adding, / do wonder, Su@
1t II II \, -
stick out all over her head, like that. 1t
makes a perfect fright of her,"
50 o, it's the fashion, mother "
stThe idea of haYin' a fashion for
child of that agei It's bad enough for
grown folks to make mops of their
heads. I'd cut it off, the first thing I
did. 1t isn't healthy to have such long
hair-the strength all goes into it,
'sDoes it ?" said Pink.
Pink knew she ought to keep quiet
when her mother was writing, so she
tiptoed round to the work-basket, seiz-
ed the scissors, and began clipping her
hair, lock here and a lock there, as
was most convenient. The snip of the
scissors at length reused Mrs. Lawton,
who, turning round, saw the destruc-
ton.
"Pink Lawton, what are you doing
you naughty, naughty child ~
Its neutrality-suspicious. says SO
don't you want your little Pink to be
healthy, and get the strength all into
her?''
1t was irresistibIe-the comicaI look
of the half shorn hair and the demure
little face-and mamma laughed heart
lily; then, snatching the child in her
arms, she bent over the little head in a
passion of sObS and tears. Those eurls
were her first-born's first locks, and
each silky thread of them was more
precious to her heart than gold. They
o1T
of her hearts treasure would be lost,
lost forever; for no other curls could
ever be to her like those first golden
ones, bedewed by so many showers of
tears and kisses.
Never was hen watched as Blackie
was Pink went on tiptoe to look at
her on the nest, at least twenty times
in a morning. Such a prying into her
private affairs was enough to disgust
any sensible hen and Blackie being
very sensible hen indeed, of course was
disgusted.
'FWhat does that child want of me, 1
should like to know? Does she mean
to get away my eggs ? I'll let her know
that isn't so easy a thing to do ; indeed
I Wilt" and with this determation
swelling her motherly breast, Blackie
spread out her wings wider, and kept
a sharp lookout on Pink whenever she
came near.
I" Grandma, why don't Blackie get
through settin' DOWN. I'm sure it's
been long enough to eatch.' =
- To what o, to hatehfy and grand
ma laughed heartily. II there. was one
thing in the world Pink hated, it was
to be laughed at.
q BIackie knows all about this settin'
business a great deal better than you
or I do, Pink"
"Does she p" said Pink.
But when Blaclzie continued to sit
there day after day, making no visible
progress, Pink concluded she didn't
know; and one day, hunting up a
stick, she gave her little poke in the
side, which meant, 90 Hurry up there,
you lazy old thing!"
What a commotion there was in the
hay-mow after that little pokei
BlaclEie, raising herself up in all the
majesty of injured motherhood, her
| eyes flashing, her wings expanding,
and every feather in her body standing
up individually on end, gave vent to
such a succession of screams, hlsSes,
| and squawks, as would have driven off
a whole regiment of infantry. Pink,
| frightened out of her senses, ran
screaming into the house, never stop
ping to breathe till she had found
refuge under her grandmother's broad
| checked apron. Grandma, half fright
/ ened out of her senses too, tried in vain
to find out what had happened. All
Pink could say, amid breathless sobs,
was, " ackie-Blaekie-shef feathered
up at me sol"
go, twas Blackie, was it? What
did you do to Blackie ?"
"Nothing, grandma; 1 only just
tickled her little, so as to make her
set faster, and scratch me out my
chicken"
Grandma threw herself back in her
chair and laughed again; but as she
took Pink into her lap, wiped away the
tears, smoothed back her hair-What
1o.GA r,Fs II r a min
bread-man with round, fiat head,
arms at right angles with his body, and
very remark able legs and feet, Pink
was comforted. But she never after
wards dared to so much as step within
the barn-door. Blackie's victory was
complete.
Very early the next Monday morn
ing, grandma tapped softly at the door,
and asked,
Is Pink awake?"
E o yes; come in" said mamma.
I" I'm walked up, and washed, and
dressed, grandma, all but just my pet
ticoat and dress and shoes and stock
f ings. Nobody doesn't tie knots in my
l hair now. Isn't that nice, grandma y
- Yes, and you look like Christian
= child"
: "And Pm so healthy, grandma"
4 When the last string was tied, and
4 the last button buttoned, grandma LED
| Pink downstairs, through the kitchen
into the backyard; and there, right II
the middle of the yard, on the softest
r green grass that ever grew, stood
e Blackie, with six little chickens round
a her.
9 Pink's ecstacy was indescribable
n and well it might be, for there never
T was any thing prettier than those dar
d ling dots of chickies, taking their frs
bath of morning sunshine; and wheI
y grandma told her she might feed them
giving her the little basin of pudding
to carry with her own hands, her rap
ture was complete.
" so, how fast they eat, grandma; how
a hungry they must bel"
- "Of course they are who ever sav
r hen that wasn't hungry from tn
e time it came into the world till it wen
Y out? They do nothing but eat, eat, eat
4 from morning till night"
% "Don't they ?' said Pink.