American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-06-01
VOL. NNII.

Hon, to show me the last new tooth. ii,
didn't want TO open his mouth but h,
might as well have yielded gracefully, frs
rs last, for she opened it any how; and
though he kicked, and loundercd, ant
cut the air with his legs and arms, told
her that l saw it, and it looked like tiny
white pearl.
Just when she was telling me how heI
other three children cut their first teeth
one on Il shell, and one on silver hall
dollar, we heard the unfortunate little
notchcd dish fall. and clink like the ring
ing of coin, and my heart leaped to my
mouth, for knew it was broken, and
| knew what the result would be.
There was scuffling of little feet flying,
and of little heels in the air, and that very
instant the boy baby with the pcarl-of-a.
tooth was thrust under his mothers arm,
as Franklin carried his roll, the lat,
Greasy, pink legs sticking straight out,
and mother and baby darted out like a
streak oflightning, and before l could say
a word, the offender was caught with a
long out-reached arm and the blows fell
| thick and fast. One blow would tip her
in one direction, and she would topple
over like frozen plant that had thawed
and wilted down; then another blow
would bend her over in another direction.
She was doubled and twisted out of all
shape trying to dodge the blows from the
strong, horny hand that had grown as
muscular as a blacksmith's.
| "Ill learn you to be careful, you worth
less, good-for-nothing little jade, you"
screamed out the angry mother. ooh,
! I'll be careful! I'll be carefult' cried the
poor child, her hair all tossed up over her
head until she looked like a wild beast.
| didn't know what to do; my eyes
glowed and blazed, and 1 was too much
excited to be fettered down to the use of
Ian in /
abused, hurt, angry, and it was no time
| for words of remonstrance. l knew l
| should so far forget myself as to be I'M
womanly, and do more harm than good
so rose and started home without a word
of goodbye.
| Katy heard the click of the gate latch,
and looking round with very ugly, pur-
ple-red face, stammered out: ''Why, don't
be in hurry, Rosy"
| ''I'll call again when you are more at
leisure" She looked as though she
would sink out of my sight gladly, and
taking advantage of her discontinue, a
| temptation which l could not resist, /
said bitterly, but in as silky tones as l
could assume, 81 am glad that your valu-
able glass dish was SO easily and cheaply
mended, Katy"
am afraid the CHASTITY smile that went
| with the congratulation was horrible
caricature, becoming the face of demon
perhaps. Oh, l have no patience with
this class of 1nhuman mothers
| Right among the big, white-armed syca-
mores at the end of a wide green lane is
white house. 1t looks so home-like,
with the lilacs pressing up against the
windows, and the hop-vine, over the old
gate, toppling over, and all a-tangle with
! pretty promises. The garden was a-flane
with flowers, some low and pressing fatty
upon the rich loan, some running up in
gay, peaked spikes, and others looking
like bright winged butterflies that go
gadding all over the palings.
Just below the kitchen, among the plum
trees and willows, is deep cash in the
hill side, green as emerald, in which is
hidden the spring.
Here, with her married daughter, lives
an old lady whom l ought to meet every
time that get the blues. 1t would make
me ashamed of myself, and of every
murmur that passes my lips. Oh the
birds were singing, and trilling, and
warbling, and chatting in the bushes and
trees, and all overhead and around
seemed made up of odd bits of sweet
melody!
My heart was made glad and strong
and paused, with one foot on the cool
door stone, and drank in of the marvel
Gus beauty. Indeed, almost felt, for a
minute, as if l were beautiful, handsome,
but Just then 1 heard long-drawn
''w- h-h-ah ~ and I caught my breath
and turned away from blue skies, and the
song and hum and murmur of bird and
bee and brook, and tip-toed softly into the
| open room and tapped at the halfclOSed
door of old Aunty Canfield's bedroom.
ooh, don't knock, just come right in
know who you are; l saw you long ago
coming down the lane, peeking at this and
that and t'othcr as though everything in
the world was new, and l was so 'fraid
you'd pass by and not come in! But do
tell me what you found in that bare old
lane?" and the old lady spoke pretty
sharply.
ooh, / found a good many things that
were new" said l ''why, l saw rails in
that old fence that were so blotched and
overland and covered with moss and Itch
ems, that they looked too pretty to be al
lowed to waste away, all out doors alone,
when there are ladies in the cities who
would be so glad to have them to make
nice things of.
Then l saw great broad mats of white
violets-just compact beds of them, beau
tiful, and in another place grew blue ones,
and in another pale yellow. Why, that
old lane is just treasure, Auntie ~
ooh, but amt violets just common
cock-tights, or Johnny ,jump-ups - said
she. 81 mind used to have to whip my
young 'uns when they were little; they
would go out to the lane and gather their
hats full, and then sit down on the floor
and pretend they were playing cock fight
with them, hooking them together, and
pulling them apart, and making them pull
heads off, and it alters ended in their
selves fighting, and i would have the
whipping to do. Deary me =. none o
your vi'lets for me, as you call EN-. And
my opinion is that any woman wouldn't
be very smart. who would want rail
an old messy rail inside of her house in
any shape whatever" and here she
laughed until her old fat sides shook like
jelly.
didn't like to be Laughed at, but | was
glad that the whimsical old lady could
raise "A laugh, even if it was at my ex-
pense Soon her daughter came in.
Susie was glad to see me, and gladder to
see her old mother so funny and noisy.
Then the old lady told Susie what we
were laughing at, but somehow Susie
couldn't see anything to laugh about.
She said she had always wanted cone
frames, and moss baskets, and such pretty
things, but her way had been hedged up
so that she had no time to devote to any
thing else than homework. Her father
and mother and husband had always
treated her wishes with contempt, and
told her that one good roll of her nice,
hard, yellow butter was worth more than
all the fol-de-rols that silly women spent
their time in making.
| said, "Well, Susie, we will select two
of those mossiest rails out in the lane,
and get the boys to help us make crosses
of them, to put in our yards, to train