The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1872-12-27

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you Ginger Blue 2"
All of you my dear young friends,
may not know what receiving calls
means, so l will tell you. In some
large cities and small ones too, it is
customary with many gentlemen to
make the first day of January, a day
for calling upon their lady friends, and
wishing them Happy New Year. On
that occasion, the ladies dress very
finely, and smile very sweetly, while
their little boys and girls are permitted
to come into the parlor, if they will
promise, to touch none of the beautiful
things on the refreshment table.
For you must know in most Of the
houses, table is spread; with fruit
and flowers upon it, and cake and can
dy., and a turkey p,etty near as big AS
your baby brother. These things the
big folks open their mouths for, and
the little ones open their mouths at
The children, if they have heen we'll
taught, arc not expected to ask for any
thing from this table until the second
day Of January, then they have all
that's left, and I can assure you it Of
ten amounts to great deal. I've
known some of what was left over,
from New Years Day to amount to a
doctors bill; and pretty big one too.
Well Mamie O.'s father and mother
live in the city of B: Mamie is four
years old January 1873. She is a
golden haired, plump little thing, and
to see her bright head as she dances in
the sun, you would, surely think it was
a shining yellow buttercup nodding to
the sky. Ginger Blue, is the pet cat
of Miss Nan. She is splendid cat,
tell you! and can jump over Mans arm
no matter how high she holds it from
the floor. She used to lie for hours,
on the rug beside the fire and once, Nan
said, when she picked her up, there
was tear in the corner of one eve.
I'll tell you why the tear was in her
eye; shall 4?
Ginger Blue was once the happy
mother Of twenty-oue beautiful children.
She didn't live with Mamie then, but
in a little country town off in Pennsyl-
vania. She was very proud Of her
blooming cats, but looked with peculiar
fondness on her youngest son, who was
such gaod scholar, and SO smart in
every way, he had been named by his
mothers mistress Thomas Pepper, and
Ginger Blue had made up her mind
that Thomas Pepper should make his
scratch in tie world.
But one d;reful day, a lady came to
the house where Ginger Blue, lived
and was so pleased with Ginger's ap-
pearance, that her mistress said, "you
may have her if you wish; the house is
full Of cats" terrible pang shot
through the heart of Ginger Blue ut
these words. Out of the house she
s:ampered aud when she had called
all her children to her, she tod them,
tn t she was soon to leave them furev-
err. | have heard that the kittens set
up such a dispairing wall, at the sad
news, that it reused all the good people
in the neighborhood, to such al extent
that they attempted to quiet the mourn
ers, by throwing out to them several
excellent tin pans, and a variety of
half worn boots and shoes, which
strange to tell only seemed to make
them meow the N, ,re. Thomas Pep
per as you may imagsne grieved the
most of all and Ginger Blue, sighed
mournfully, as she thought that soon
he would he an orphan. with no mother
to keep his handsome coat clean and
glossy; or to tell him when his whiskers
needed triming. The next day she
was taken away to B. and shortly after
was given to Mamie, by the lady who
brought her from Pennsylvania.
| Nan was very fond Of her kitty, and
Ginger Blue tried to forget she was a
stranger in strange land. But often
when lying on the rug before the fire,
the recollection Of her absont son Thom-
as Pepper, would fill her heart with
sorrow and send tear, to triekle from
each eye. -.-@
Well, some Of you may think I am
going to forget all about the Happy
New Year, which Mamie was singing
to every one was to come tomorrow, "
and SO l will hurry back to that young
lady and to Brooklyn.
"Nannie" asked her father at sup
per, s'Nannie what shall l tell Santa
Claus to put in your stocking tonight?
"a push-behind-carriags for my
dolls, answered Nan.
"Any thing else p
eyes; an opera cloak
"What on earth, Nan are you going
to do with an opera-cloak?' .-
"Why wear it to the opera Of course
said Nan with dignity.
BY and by, she grew sleepy, and was