The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-09-27

/ - In0y are nOS halE ROOu enOu8I
for YOU" she replied; 4" but i
you would accept them, twill please
me"
al took them from her hand, anC
at once pronounced a eulogy OF
| dandelions,f assuring my blushing
modest little friend, Patty, that i
| dandelion seed, had only como over
to US from England or Franco, OF
any other part of Europe, dandel
ions would be all the rage, and
would haze o choice place among
the choicest flowers of the garden
Patty told me she thought sc
too, "for Mrs. Archibald Archer
who lived in. the great splendid
house near them, had some little
homely, dull-blue fiewers in her gar,
den but she thought everything OF
them because the seed was imported
from Europe"
CATER doing full justice to dan
deliOns, / took the bouquet, and put
it into tumbler on my desk.
You pay my dandeliOns a great
deal of attention" said Patty, in a
certain quaint way, peculiar to her
self; and, of course, / assured her
and most truthfully, too-that
both she and the dandelions deserv-
ed all possible honor. Then, for
getting that j was a tired school
master, offered her a chair, with
all the galIantry of agallant young
gentleman; begged her to be seated,
that we might have a pleasant chat
before the school-bell sounded. She
sat down timidiy, and q certain fear
of me eheld her in restrain { at frst; but,
in answer to many friendly Inquiries,
she told me more about herself than
1 had ever known.
We are very poor" she said,
land it isn't likely we shall ever be
any other way. I have to work p1et-
ty hard" EHsEsIE MO
After a minute, during which
she seemed to be thinking, She add
ed, with that same quaintness of
tone and manner peculiar to her
when she was speaking seriously {:
But I don't know as I ought to
speak so. It don't sound very wo-
manly" saaa
&" Womanly !" I exclaimed. Bless
your heart, little Miss Patty, how old
are you p
womanly."
"Good heavensi" I exclaimed to
myself. Womanly at twelve; and
I not manly at thirty p .
"I looked admiringly at Patty, for
I always admired virtues, woefully
deficient as I was in the practice of
them. H. #FseEF -EE-EF
''Patty,' I said, new idea sud
denly seizing me, wouldn't you like
it if some rich man would adopt
you? I don't mean a man who was
rich, and nothing more; but a kind,
affectionate man, who would make
daughter, a pet of you"
" Patty's brown eyes-as brown as
her face and hands-were in a mo-
ment fixed on me. and 1 felt as if I
were being looked out of counte-
nance.
"Ohi do you think, sir, that I
would go away from home and leave
them all to get along as well as they
could? Why, I couldn't do such a
thing. They couldn't keep house
without mel"
"Not keep house without you
How can that be, Patty, when you
are not quite twelve years old ?''
" don't like to talk so much
about myself" replied Patty, mod
estly twisting the corner of her pock-
et-handkerchief, to relieve her mod
est timidity. But, oh! you have no
idea how it is with us. I have q lit
tie baby brothers and he's only just
begun to creep. Then there's my
little sister, only three years old, and
another brother seven. There are
two more of us children, Tommy
and I. Tommy is two years older
than | am, and the smartest boy /
ever saw, and just as willing as he
can be to do everything, so that he
could amuse the little ones; but you
see he hash t the time. Father, You
know, tries to support Us by keeping
garden, and Tommy has to help him
to raise the vegetables. So a great
deal comes upon me.
"And sometimes" added Patty,
with q puzzled look, ''I don't know
what to do. George is only sixteen
months old, and must hold him
when he wants me to. But Katy
thinks she's baby, too; and / don't
wonder, for she's only three years
old. Sometimes try to hold them
both, when Katy cries, aad begs me
to take her; but my lap is hardly big
enough for them both.
s'Patty paused a minute, and
seemed to be thinking. Then she
asked me, in all confidence, as if she
supposed I was qualified to answer
her What would you do if you
had q baby brother and little sis
ter only three years old, and they
both cried to be taken up into your
lap? Now, what would you do As
schoOlmaster, had solved a great
many problems; but stood almost
a2hast at this question. AT last, with
much working of the brain, I an
sWered ra --r----sa
"Run away, I'm afIa'd, PatJy."
'HFhe little face, sober and old
with care, was suddenly covered with
q laueh. and Patty replied = g Oh!
no. sir; you wouldn't. You only
think so. You'd Just say toyourself
! that 1t was your work to hold two
babies, aud you'd try to do it; and, if
you were tired at night, when they
were fast asleep, you'd say to your
self: dts good kind of tired,
! and I've been doiDo tha very hest 7