Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-10-17
LITTLE MISS MIyINS.
By RUTH CHESTERFIELD.

BY RUTH CHESTERFIELD.
The row of elms that guarded the long
street had put forth no leaves, the chill
winds seemed to have come directly from
the White Mountains without stopping to
warm themselves, and the flower lovers
looked despairingly into their gardens,
lamenting that it was yet too early to
commit the seed to the cold bosom of the
earth.
''No sign of spring yet" people said,
one to another.
But down in Love Lane things were
different. There the wind stole, softened
and perfumed, through acres of pines
and hemlocks, ard through the oaks and
NAPLES, the alders and blueberry bushes
were still leafless, there were queer little
plants and vines at their roots which
showed that the life forces were at work
below.
While contemplating these things from
my perch on the feLce, / suddenly be-
came conscious of another presence, and
turning my head, saw a small being,
standing with folded hands, gazing into
my face.
My first thought was of wood nymphs
and water-naiads; but no, these ETHEREAL
creatures do not wear red calico gowns
per-toed shoes, so / made bold to address
this singular apparition, as if it had been
an ordinary mortal.
"How came you here. childs Are you
lost?"
80 no, ma'am," said she; 'I'm on my
way up to town. There, do believe I've
dropped one of 'em," and she began fum-
bling in her pocket and shaking her short
skirts.
"What is it you've dropped?" Iasked,
| dismounting from the fence.
81 thought I'd dropped one of my
cents; but haven't; they're al there.
I've got five cents to buy pencil with"
said she, with the air of millionaire
"I'm learning to write"
81 should think you'd rather write with
pen"
Il tried that, but spattered myself all
over with ink; so father said I'd better
have pencil"
81 suppose you can write your name"
"Not exactly; but I'm big enough to,
should think" said she, looking quite
mortified.
"You are not more than seven or eight,
are your
"I'm seven last September. My sister,
two years younger than me, can write big
Os and Ms. My name begins with NJ
MlNlnS, tHdI my ndIne.
"Mivins what?" l asked.
''It isn't Mivins anything; it's my
name, and fathers name, and all our
names"
80, understand. So you are Miss
Mivins. Do you live up town."
mo live over in that red house. The
| chimberly is Just on a line with that tall
pine Don't you see ?"
Miss Mivins, correct as she was in her
speech, did say chimberly, but there are
| few of us who have not some little un-
conscious popularity of pronunciation.
Finding my companion so entertaining,
determined to continue my walk with
her, which she perceiving, surveyed me
with a rapid glance, which said: "You
are well dressed am not" But she
made no other allusion to it than by re-
marking, with a smile:
81 have hole in my mittens."
/ saw that she had, and one in her shoe,
also.
"You are not quite old enough to mend
your own mittens yet," said !, apologeti-
| cally.
80, yes, 1 am. 1 mend all my clothes,
Mother has enough to do to keep the lit
tie ones tidy" said she. 81 don't need my
mittens to-day, but it seemed cold when
/ started"
"It's very backward spring." said /.
81 hardly ever remember such spring"
said she, as if looking backward over un-
numbered seasons. "Why, last year l
found May flowers before the snow had
| gone, and now it's the last of April, and
/ haven't found one."
"Have you heard the frogs sing ?"
mo; guess they haven't crawled out
vet"
"They like their winter quarters too
well to desert them but there's harbin'
ger of spring-a checkerberry-the first
I've found" said /, offering it to Mis-:
Mivins; an offer which she respectfully
declined, saying that she knew where thu
ground was red with them"
"Me, and Jane, and Martha went ou
the other day and got quantities. of them,
said she.
By-and by we came to body of water
which she explained was Flynn's mill
pond q picturesque spot, which it oc
CURED to me would figure well in a pen
Gil sketch. / wondered that in my wan
derings I had never come across it, bu
Miss Mivins was taking me back to towr
by a route very different from that by
which / had come out. She told me thai
she had a raft on the pond, and could row
herself all over it-a statement which
put with that other about keeping he
own wardrobe in repair.
Too soon we exchanged the pond, thu
woods, and all the sweet influences oi
nature in her freedom, for the cold, bar
ren primness of the village. / saw Mis-
Nivins enter the store and deposit he
4 five cents on the counter, which was jus
level with her head, and then left her
regretful that our acquaintance had 81
soon come to an end.
a 1t was not till the middle of May that
} again visited Flynn's pond, which / did
sketch book in hand.
r MY friends little four-year-old son
Conny, was clamorous to go with me
! which his mother encouraged, saying h
! ! would entertain himself and be no troubl
: to me, and she liked to have him ou
e doors in pleasant weather; and, honest
coming to the rescue, she added, 81 wan
t to finish putting the flOunce on my dres
: this afternoon, and he's such a tease whe
a I'm busy"
So Corny and 1 went down to th
e pond, and in among the pines and ches
J. nuts / found spot which afforded ia
s more ravishing view than that which ha
!. at first struck my eye. The trunk OF
z fallen tree was my sofa, and from 1t
5, could see the mill, the piles of logs wal
II ing TO be sawed, and the water rushin
: over the dam, while beyond was hous
% and out-buildings, all relics of previou
4 century, and in themselves constituting
z picture which any artist might be glad
transfer to canvas.
\ 1nav 1x-a -o6 ",