Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-03-05

From Our Young Folks.
GUssy's Co1stin 9.
BY Anna BoYNToN AvERILI.

brought it home with her too. Her
fingers ached desperately, to be sure,
and the tears came through her nose
unaccountably, and there was bruise
on her forehead but all this was of no
account whatever.
Evening after evening she had heard
the Joyous shouts, and watched the
darling sleds, with her face pressed
against the pane, and her whole soul
in sympathy with the noisy throng,
until she was struck dumb with Joy by
her fathers announcement that she
should go, for once, with Gid. Her
mother began to protest mildly with a
: g Now William !" and Gussy was kept
quivering in suspense for five minut es
while the subject was discussed. Her
father urged that the evening was fine,
and that Gideon was fully competent
to take care of his little sister; and her
mother consented finally, with many
cautions to Gideon, and with promise
from hin that he would slide her five
times, and no more.
Gussy is a most unwieldy little
dancer, but she usually expresses in
tense Joy by kind of clumsy gymnas-
tic feat which Gid calls dancing. She
hops as high as she can raise her little
fat body, comes down solidly on her
heels, or loses her equilibrium reck-
lessly and rolls in glee. Upon hearing
her mothers decision, she betook her
self to her fayorite exercise with such
zeal, and laughed and sang, and Rugged
and kissed them all by turns so raptu-
rously that it did their hearts good to
see her.
1t was such a new and wonderful
experience, however, to be out under
the cold, brilliant moon and the wink
ing stars, walking with Gid among the
shadows, the houses, steeples, trees,
and fences all unfamiliar in the weird
Gght,-that she grew quite still and
aWe-struek.
While they climbed the hill, the
coasters came dashing past them,-
boys and girls, large and small, but
none so small as she. In vain she
looked for Kitty Plummer or Dovey
Haines. Meg Cameron was there with
her superb new sled, the Queen of
the Hills - but Meg was ten, an only
daughter, and far too proud to care for
little four-year-olds. While Gid settled
Gussy comfortably on the sled at the
top of the hill, Meg, adjusting her
oYsTshoe, looked on scornfully.
u should think your mother would
keep such babies at home.n
Gid's eyes flashed, only nobody saw
them. There was always war between
these two. She hated him because he
was the only boy in school who would
not reply to her taunts and he de-
splsed her because she was saucy, and
was girl. Ii a boy went beyond the
bounds of forbearance, it was some
times extremely gratifying to force HIM
up to the mark, and exact fair play
according to the school-boy standard.
A girl could be equally exasperating,
and at the same time be exempt from
the deserved punishment, thus becom-
ing doubly obnoxious.
he only stood up silently now, and
waited until the 'sQueen of the Hills .
was on her way; then, as he glided
after, with his chin over Gussy shout
der, he whispered, 'fNever mind,
Chick, she's only a girJt3 And Gussy
was altogether too young and too hap
Ply to resent this implication.
Meg's fling was only one of the lit
tie pr1cks which children as we'll as
grown men andwomen have to endure
and little triumph followed it too,
for old Pointer distanced the "Oueen
of the Hills and all the boys set I'D a
shout at the sight.
That slide counts one, and twas
good one; WASH Pitt, Gussy % shouted
Gid, triumphantly tugging her up the
hill again.
9 Yes, piped Gussy back, for all the
coasters conversed at the top of their
lungs i never went SO fast! We've
vents fast as the wailwoad u
This time all the sleds came I'D at
once, and were to start together for a
race; but Gid, mindful Of his mothers
eautlon, waited till they had all gone
down, and then started alone with
Gqssy. with all her delight, she was
little tlmld as yet, and grasped the
sled tightly, cautioning him to ego
stwait. 2
:" shall go straight, Gussy," he
assured her 6 See, [ drag my foot
SO, and steer just as true as a dart.
: may skeer some time. mayn't I?n
she questioned, catching her breath as
they began to go faster and his answer
was lost N the huzzas at the foot OF fine
hill. So VIZ
This makes two!" he said. turniro
the sled and climbing back eve can
have three more Can you keep tally,
Ducky7n
Yes, she answered, looking ND at
the stars g wish twas forty eleven !
Is many as the stars is don't you,
Gld " At this moment a sled came
daShlng down and, swerying like fash
20 avoid another sled coming up.
Sfazed Gld's passing, and interrupted
her tar-8azing by rolling her off into
a drift
Are you hurt, Gussy asked her
brother, catching her up.
= Moo !. she answered, rather nm
certainly " only b'ieve my elbows
full er snow y
Never mind little snow if that's
all, we're ali right again" And, tuckino
her down on the sled, he pranced of
with her so comically that she soon
forgot the overturn in her n,errimenf
at his antics.
Now the road was very wide, and in
the exact middle of the sliding track
was gigantic "jounce," which the
boys affected and the girls Stunned.
Gld, although he slid carefully on the
slides with Gussy, vas aching to plunge
over that identical jounce. And he
secretly resolved that, after he had
given her five slides, he would put her
II nj, Lucy Shows care, and go down once
The next slide the boys all hitcbed
their sleds together, Hugh Cameron
ahead, IN spite of Meg's protestafions
and steered straight for the iounce
shouting, "Clear the track fran :
coming and only Gid and Gussy
just as the train got swiftly pndor
way, the cry of "A team a team .
was raised, aud Gid saw with snTnriso
horse and sleigh at the foot Of the
hill. 'iie
The snake Like train gliding down the
hill with the uproariou8 cries of ssTnrn
out Hold on y friobto,,n,7 IL