Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-08-20
NANNIE'S LAMPLIGHTERS.
BY MARY L. BoLLEs BRANCH.

"a cent for every fifty!' said Mamie to
herself as she cut some pretty blue and
pink paper into strips and twisted them
up. 81 shouldn't wonder if I could earn
| a dollar before long. Mamma wants them
in every room in the house. These will
be the beauty ones, and she can put
them in vase in the parlor.s Old letter
| paper will make good enough ones for the
sitting and kitchen, but newspaper
is too slimpsy." l ai ia#
So Mamie talked away to herself while
| her busy fingers made the scissors fly,
| and the little heap of pretty lamplighters
| grew apace. But it was not long before
| the blue and pink paper was all used
| up, and then Mamie took breath and
| counted afsl afa u.s. ta. - e
"Only sixty" she said at the end, sur
prised that there were no more, and then
she started OFT to ask her mother if there
were any old letters for her to cut up
In the hall stood her brother Harry
with his cap and overcoat on, all ready to
go out as. arsf M -
"Hullo, Nanr' he said. "I'm going in
town by the train to spend the day at
uncles. You tell moth er I've finished
my prize essay and copied it, and I'm
going to take it with me to read to Sam"
ooh, do let me see it, Harryp exclaim-
ed Nan, who knew very little about
| essays, but always wanted to see what
ever was going on.
ooh, | can't now, sis,' said Harry, who
| was already half out of the door, 'sit's in
my inside pocket, buttoned up tight, and
| I'm in a hurry u. ~. rra 5,
Master Harry, master Harry!" cried
Jenny, the hOusemaid, from the library,
| "whatever'll l do with the hape of papers
ye've left all around on the floor? The
howly saints knows never seen the likes
| afore. Is it kaping 'em yell be?''
mo, no." sang back Harry's voice
| from the porch, Give got all through with
them. They're no good. Burn them all
up, Jenny"
"Oh, maybe they'll do for lampli ght-
ers!' exclaimed Mamie, hopefully. "Wait
minute, Jenny" ess, a.
And she ran to the library. There lay
the bits of paper scattered all around just
as Harry had thrown them down after
copying. Some were written with pen,
some were scrubbed over with pencil
marks, a great many. were all crumpled
up, but there were quite number of sheets
smooth enough and good enough for Nan
MES work.
You may have all the GRUMPY ones to
ii''nS Htoo WiCli, oOHlly,a Saul ~ dlluy
and I'll take all the smooth ones. I do
believe there'll be enough to make thou
sand Oh, Jenny, do shut the windows,
it is so cold, and the wind blows the pa
pers about"
q always has the windies open when I
sweeps" said Jenny, stoutly, and Mamie
had to gather up the best sheets in hur-
ry, and take them to the warm sitting
room, where she fell to work again with
the scissors as busy as ever
"The unknown great!" she read slowly
from the top of one Of the papers. "What
big letters Harry makes. I'm sure [ don't
see'what he wanted to copy these again
for; they look we'll enough Oh, yes, I
know now; it's cause he made so many
hlots."
Nannie's hands fairly ached before long,
she worked SO hard; but pretty soon the
papers were all cut up into strips, and she
began twisting. Practice makes perfect,
they say, and her lamplig hters looked very
round and nice. Even mamma, who was
fastidious, praised them when she came
into the room. Dear me, what quantity
of them there were when Mamie came to
the end. Two great vases full for the sit
ting room, more for the parlOr, and an i'm
mense number for the kitchen, to save
Jenny's matches. 7e, srr ..H s
But there were only fifteen cents worth,
after all, and Mamie began to think it
would take her all winter to earn dollar
She dropped the fifteen cents into her
bank and then rested from her labOrs with
a story-book for company.
1t was just growing dusk when Harry
came home. He did not sing or whistle
as usual, but threw down his hat and coat
in corner, and said in despairing tone
that he was the unluckiest fellow on
earth.
sWhat's the matter 2" asked mamma
"Some one has stolen my prize essay,
and [ never never can write it again in
time!" said poor Harry almost in tears.
"Why, my boy. how could such thing
happen?"
''Well, mother, it must have been some
one in the cars sat near the stove and
it was very L OF and | had to take off my
overcoat and hang it over the back Of the
seat [ remember now there was an ill
looking boy sitting on the seat behind me
and he must have taken it out of my pocket
I put my coat on when we reached the de-
pot, and never missed the essay till I got
to uncle's house. 1t has made me Just
about sick all day."
ooh, what a wicked, aoicked ac5cked boy"
cried Mamie, full of sympathy.
"What could the boy possibly want Of
ito" said mamma, thoughtfully; are
you quite sure you took it with you,
Harry ?"
"Why, of course I did, mother" said
Harry, very positively. II worked away
at copying it up to the last minute, and
just got it done in time. [ put it in my
overcoat pocket, and ran most of the way
to the cars, it was so late" ne.
But his mother still thought he might
have forgotten it, and would not be con-