Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-12-05

To be sure, Sadie's reasons for thank.
fulness might have been little bewilder-
ing TO anybody else, but they were clear
enough to her mind; and when she
thought about the last one, such a happy,
loving light shone over her round, freokled
face that it seemed almost beautiful. AS
for the dinner, she thought Rob, who
worked out IN the country, might man
age to get turkey, or at least nice fat
chicken, and some pumpkins, and jug
of cream, and those would be orthodox
materials for splendid Thanksgiving
feast, She had Just "done up the best
table cloth that very afternoon, so stiff
and glossy you might almost fancy it to
/ be real damask. Mrs. Bennett would
lend her big glass dish to put the ounce
preserves in, and three more spoons, so
there'd be enough to go round, and then,
perhaps, Sadie thought she would invite
the minister. She did wish il would
snow, real thorough snow storm, that
would set the sleigh bells to tinkling, and
make people feel CHEEKY and glad i'll spite
of themselves. Somehow it seemed asst
Everybody always felt down hearted in
/ Bmgeton. To be sure it wouldn, 7 be par,
ticularly CHEEKY for Johnny and Davy, if
the wind should happen to blow snow
spray through the cracks in the roof down
on their bed up garnet; but then they
often wished they were soldiers, and
could sleep out doors, and soldiers
wouldn't care for snow.
why, Rob Willisr' said Sadie, all of a
sudden, hearing the door open. Not that
she was surprised to see Rob, for he al
ways came home on Saturday afternoons,
but because he carried over his shoulder
like bag of meal-a little mite of a
girl about as old as Kit, but not rosy,
and plump, and wholesome looking, like
her. She had wan little face, with a
queer, grave, ch-enduring expression,
and large, flabby ears, with miserable
sore behind one Of them. Her old, coarse,
homemade flannel skirt hardly covered
her poor, rough, red knees; she wore no
stockings, and her shoes were much too
large. A piece of an old blanket shawl
pinned over her head com leted the attire
Of the forlnrn-little creature on that bleak
November day
Rob planted her on her two feet beside
the stove in stiff, awkward fashion, for
all the world as if he were setting fence
post, and, looking at Sadie with a queer
twinkle In his eyes said:
II thought I'd take girl to raise-that
is, Just to raise till next Monday. It's
Widow Spinners little girl, You know,
Widow Spinner came from the poor house
last winter to work for Joshua Grubbs'
folks; and when she died in the spring
folks said she'd had to work herself to
death. Mrs. Grubbs said she guessed
she'd raise the little girl, ~ would be a
cheap way OF gittin' help in few years.
And, Sadie, you Just ought to see how
she raises herl I'm sent over to GTubbs',
sometimes. on errands, and I've seen
things that fairly made me grit my teeth.
She's gone barefooted, this little mite,
here, in the frosty weather, till her feet
are all cracked, and chapped, and Bills
tered, and bleeding. I've seen bloody
specks in her little bits of footprints, my
self" Rob was in no mood for joking
now; he stood up very straight and ear
nest, telling his story with a fever OF pity
and indignation heating his brown face
so deeply in earnest that ne didn'tknow
how queer some Of his words sounded.
81 do believe they haven't pulled the
snarls out of her head for months and
MONTHS" he went on, in his eager voice,
NOR washed her face; and they just push
and scat her around, 8 ii she were some
good-fornothing little cat. And you see,
Sadie, got to thinking when | was over
there this morning, What if that was our
little Kit 9 and it made choking in my
threat, somehow, just to think OF 1t; and
by and by it came into my head to bring
her home, Just for little comfortable
visit with US over Sunday, and | asked
Mrs. Grubbs about it, and she just
laughed, and said all right And, Sa-
die, I,want you to doctor up those little
feet"
Sadie seated the child comfortably by
the fire, and listened to Rob's story with
her big gray eyes flashing, and every now
and then shook her head in an ominous
way, Just as she always did when she
heard anything that mortified or excited
her
"I'd show 'em, if ! ever went therem
she said, when Rob had finished. "Id
tell 'em was astonished at people doing
such cold blooded actions! just because
her mother came from the poor house to
work for them, and they don't know Of
any relations to come around and find
out how they're carrying on. III cure
up her feet. Mrs. Bennett gaze me some
sulve that cured Davy's stubbed toe in
two days, and it's wonderful. She got 1t
of an old peddler woman whose name
was Mrs, Lilly, and We call ii Lilly
salye.'
Then Rob went out to see about the
wood for Sunday, and presently Kit came
out Of her nap full of wrinkles and dim
pies and fun, and tried her Tery best TO
make her visitor talk, but she wouldn't
only once, when Kit said something
that sounded funny, she spoke out stuT.
Oily just one word, ''Well!'
There was the usual SATURDAY. night
''scrubbing time after supper, Of course;
not scrubbing the floor, but johnny, ana
Dayy, and Kit, from the crowns OF their
heads to the sOlcs Of their feet; and when
they were all tucked away in bed, sadie
batAei Nancy--Rob said thai vas the lit.
tie WATTS name-and teuderly dried ana
Amounted the sore feet with her famous
LILLY salve," then bound them with soft
bandaces, andrubbed oil on the poor chap
ped knees and when that was done,
dressed her in one Of Kits clean white
night gowns, and held her upon her lap
till the wan cheeks grew rosy in the warm
freight, and poor wee Nancy fell into
the sweetest sleep she had known since
her mothers arms had sheltered her,
By and by Sadie laid her IN bed
and got her basket Of patching.
Rob was trying to save money enough
out Of his wages to get a new roof put
on the old house, and one end OF 1t
weather-boarded, for it was dreadfully
hard To keep warm, even now in the
early November weather and 50 they
couldn't buy new jackets and aprons,
and Sadie had to sit u! nights and mend
! and mend. till her eyes grew heavy, and