Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-05-22
Che family Circle.
rom Golden Hours for May
Little FlOunce.

FlOunce was MT her real name so blue
eyes, black eyes, and gray eyes, you need
not look so surprised. No, indeed, Flounce
was only the name that her naughty Uncle
Yves had gwen her. Now, he himself was
named for the good Mr. Wesley, who
started the Methodist Church, and who
was great as well as good and wise out
this - Wesley was MT exactly like the
one have just told you Of; for, at the
tune Of which | write, he was a merry boy
Of seventeen, who did n ore at getting up
tricks thanany thingelse Really, I. ounce 5
uncle was so full OF fun that nc could not
stand still, and could hardly walk straight
He was so stout-loOking that every body
who knew him well, called him a The Little
Dutchman; and poor Flouuce, whom he
loved to teaze, used to say he was the
~ latest trouble " she had. But am for
getting to give the young lady any other
name | do MT believe it would do for
me to tell her real, true name, for her
cheeks might get very warm and red when
she saw it in print SO Ill call her Clara
Bell.
Miss Clara lived with her papa and
mamma in a small, old-lashioned town in
Western Pennsylvania. 1t was very
pretty place in the Summertime Tor
there were bright, green trees along the
streets, and many pleasant yards and lawns
IN front of the wooden houses, and the
little birds were not afraid to come aud
sing to the people in place where there
we're flowers, aud grass, and trees so that
altogether it was as nice home as any
one could wish. But, although Summer
was so delightful, he Winters were very
long and cold, and little Flounce sometimes
wished, then, that she could founce away
of somewhere to land of sunshine ami
red roses. Dear me have pretty nearly
written you a sermon instead OF telliu. .
story but | will begin now in good
earnest"
One warm day in July, SO warm and
dusty that people went about wIth their
mouths wide open, trying to GET a breath
OF fresh air into their lungs, this story OF
mine came to pass Flounce had her
mouth wide open, any way and as She is
to be what wise folks in books call my
heroine [ suppose | must make note OF
1t. On this particular day Miss Flounce
and her three year-Old sister May, nick
named also - Tots why | am not able
to say-were in a romping humcr, very
unlike the older members Of the family.
who went slowly around the house hunting
4 spot to keep cool in.
Tots, said Flounce, in little May ;
ear, just after dinner, you wait till mann
ma goes to take her nap, and papa and
Uncle Yves 20 down town, an you an NELL
have just a splendJerouS time" Tots ia
not exactly know what " splenditerous
might mean, but concluded that, OF course.
1t must be something nice, so she grinued
her cutest little grID, and said, Doodle
Tor 90, Founce - 10 plain English, this
means, - Good for you, Flouuce but
Miss Tots did not know much about gram
mar yet, 50 we will have to excuse her
strange way Of talking English
A. soon as every body was quite out
Of the way" FIounce took May by the
hand and hurried her down to the old ap-
ple-tree, where they had their "pls y-house:
III en- she whispered SO low that even the
robin, who had built his nest Just above
their heads, could not hear one word she
said, though he stuck his small face out
from among the leaves, and peeped at them
while he tried his best to listen.
As happen to know our young friend
secret, I'll tell it to you.
\ few days before the Que OF which /
speak, there had been a great thunder
shower, and, as the storm was diving away
some little, golden sunbeams came danciug
out from the sky, and some falling rain
drops caught them, and made a beautiful
Of them. OF course Flounce
wanted to know what the rainbow was
made of, and her mischievous Uucle Yves
told her that it was formed Of very precious /
stones, of many different colors, that who /
ever could find 1t would be rich forever
after, and that he and she some time would /
pack up lunch and start off to hunt it.
Uncle Yves did not really suppose his /
bright-eyed niece would believe him, or he |
would not have told her such story; but /
she did believe every word of it, and made /
up her mind that she and Tots would start /
as soon as possible on a hunt for the rain /
bow This was the wonderful plan which .
Clara Bell made known to her little sister
as they stood under the apple.tree on that
bright afternoon in July. Let US see how
the little travellers succeeded in taking .
their trip.
When they reached the garden gate,
Founce saw that the road was entirely too /
dusty for her pet Tots bronze shoes, So she /
picked her up as though she were nothing
but a bit of an apple-dumpling, aud |
away with her clasped tightly in .
her arms. She had not gone far. however,
until she found that Tots weighed a good /
deal more than the biggest of dumplIngs
and, much to her own and her wee sisters .
iismay, there was no other way than for
her to turn about and take tho homeward .
track.
g Tots" said Flounce, eoaxingly, fl
-rot home with you real fast, will YOU stay
At the playhouse and play with KITTY /
Snow till L come back III give you half
IF the pretty, shiny stones if you will"
Poor Tots put up her lip as though she
wanted to cry at this speech but she
oobbed her tired head, as much as to say.
= Yes j." so Flonnce left her alone in the .
garden with the white kitty, and started .
Df again. .
This time she got along pretty well. .
though she had some trials TO bear; as for
instance, whenever so many little black and
yellow dogs jumped out at her. making
such queer noises that she really thought
they must be sharpening their teeth to take