Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-05-15

were quite happy, and loved each other de-
yotedly; so that, to all appearances, every
thing was for the best, and for the greatest
| happiness of the greatest number
For if the Misses Guernsey had not been
the Misses Guernsey, who in the wide
world would have been the mothers OF the
Parish DOLE Not the pastor, evidently,
nor the pastors wife, nor any OF the dea-
cons. Miranda would have been more
than an orphan; she would never have
been put together. And there she was,
| with beautiful head sewed to a beautiful
body, an accomplished fact, and blessing
to all beholders.
Mranda's life was full of variety. Part
of her time was spent in a long, narrow
box, the abode of peaceful meditation.
! Then came periods of glowing happiness,
when she was held in plump little arms,
| and pressed to youthful bosoms; when
| dewy little rosebuds showered kisses upon
| her, and all her charms were praised. For
when the children of the parish came, IN
small detachments, to spend the afternoon
at the parsonage, the first question asked
was, please, Miss Guernsey, can we see
| Mirandy?" In after years, many little
maiden would remember with a smile or a
sigh, the happy days when the beautiful
"Mirandy'' had been her first and happy
love-
While the Parish Doll was thus gather
ing recollectiOns to herself, her mothers
were pursuing the even tenor Of their way.
The winter had passed, the spring had
come as usual; and there were no signs in
the heavens. Yet events of the first mag
nitude--
But let us begin at the beginning.
One morning Miss Arabella was sitting
on the kitchen-porch, preparing rhubarb
for pies, when she perceived a girlish fig
ure walking hastily across the green com
mon in front Of the church. The figure
came nearer and nearer, and finally stop
ped at the porch
Miss Arabella looked up, and met a pair
OF great, round, black eyes staring at her
from under a much battered hat and a
profusion of flying red hair.
please, ma am, be you deaf? ' asked the
traveller.
No, am not Why do you ask ~
"'Cause if you was, | would have to
hOller. Miss Brown she is as deaf as i
dOor-nail"
what do you want?" asked Miss Ara
BELLA
Then the girl dropped a little courtesy
and answered demurcly-
please, ma'am, | am the new girl if
you will take me, l ain'tmuch to look at :;
but | am real smart inside"
I'VE do not wish for GIRL"
'No ma'am; but | want to come and
work for you, cause You have got the big
doll, and you amt mean folks"
How old are you? and what is your
nance"
81 am going on fourteen mostly. And
my name is Polly, | guess"
And what else can you do?"
Mostly everything, when | want to. I
have had 'spcrience"
Indeed. And how did you get it,"
Get it? Cause | couldn't get nothing
| else You see'-very confidentially- my
father he got killed, or suthin: and my
mother She took sick and died And there
| was. So | ruined away, and got some
where; and | worked, and cot sent off
| So | kept a-going from pill and to post,
and here | be | hate Miss Brown, | do
And so, if you like, can't | come here"
" It is very wrong for you to speak so Of
Mrs. Brown"
No, it amt, cause its true. She says
I stealed her old shawl; and / didn't: |
don't never steal nothing. | only took it
for my little Maggie as was sick"
She is one of my dolls she is. / have
six of them; and | make them myself,
do. You see, folks as hasn't got nobody
wants somebody: its kind Of encouragin'
But they keep real quiet, and won't 'sturb
| youa bit. Then | am SO bad, perhaps you
can make me good. Miss Brown says |
am case"
Miss Arabclla reflected a little while.
| Then she talked with the family and the
result was, that Polly came to the parson-
| age, bringing her dolls with her.
The dolls were made Of newspapers,
clothed in rags, and by no means bcauti-
full. But Polly loved them quite seriously.
How can you tell them apart:" asked
Miss Arabella.
"Oh. easy enough Some Of them
are taller than each other, you see !;
and them two are both twins. Then, when
feel like it, [ take them out and read
| them; them papers is full of tragedies and
accidents and things"
| How she had learned to read was mys-
rv; but she had decided taste for liter
,tture and the fine arts. Among her few
treasures was an engraving representing
the Garden of Eden before the creation Of
man. She called it the "picturc Of Adam
and Eve, and took particular pains to cN-
Didll, that YOU CdI Stc -lud1l anu Nv I
just now, cause they have gone some
where else"
To such an enthusiastic, artistic spirit,
| to behold Miranda was to love her, and to
| love was to worship. Indeed, it was the
| only thing she did well, besides eating.
| She broke as many dishes as she conven-
| iently could; she told as many stories as
she could invent; and at church she set all
the children laughing, by making funny
| faces, and looking like a martyred saint
| the moment she was detected.
Miss Arabella, and the whole Guernsey
| family, groaned under the intliction; but
what was to be done9
Polly decided that question. One fine
morning in August Polly was nowhere to
be found She had gone away during the
night and left her dolls motherless.
She will return soon,' said Miss Ara
bella. But she did not return; and search
was made for her. No one had seen her
no one could find her.
| When we have done our best, and gone
as far as we can, we must leave the rest
to Providence At the end of two weeks
Polly was left to Providence. Events
were gathering fast; and the Misses
Guernsey may be pardoned if their own
affairs engrossed their thoughts.
Miss Cornelia received her yearly letter
But such a letter! She did not read any
of it to her sister; she only stated that
| Philip Dean had been invited by one OF
his old friends to spend few days at the