American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-08-23
NAMES LAMPLIGHTERS.
BY MARY J.. BOLLES BRANCH.


"a cent for every fifty" SAT-; Mamie to
herself as she cut some pretty blue and
pink paper into strips and twisted them
up. Il shouldn't wonder if | could earn
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. Old letter
paper will make good enough ones for the
sittingroom and kitchen, but newspaper
is too slimpsy."
So Mamie talked away to herself while
her busy fingers made the scissors fly,
and the little heap of pretty lamplighters
the blue and pink paper was all used
up, and then Mamie took breath and
counted.
"Only sixty" she said at the end, sur
prised that there were no more, and then
she started off 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
town by the train to spend the day at
uncle's. You tell mott er I've finished
my prize essay and copied it, and I'm
going to take it with me to read to Sam"
"Oh, do let me see it, Harry!" cxclaim-
ed Nan, who knew very little about
essays, but always wanted to see what
ever was going on.
"Oh, l can't now, SIS" said Harry, who
was already half out of the door, cts in
my inside pocket, buttoned up tight, and
I'm in a hurry"
Master Harry, master Harry!" cried
Jenny, the housemaid, from the library,
"whatever'll do with the hape of papers
we've left all around on the floor? The
howly saints knows 1 never seen the likes
afore. Is it kaping 'em yell be ?"
mo, no." sang back Harry's voice
from the porch, '.Ive got all through with
them. They're no good. Burn them all
up, Jenny"
"Oh, maybe they'll do for lamplight-
ers." exclaimed Mamie, hopefully. "Wait
minute, Jenny"
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 ofshcets
smooth enough and good enough for Nan
MES work.
You may have all the Grumpy ones to
make fires with, Jenny" said Nanny,
and I'll take all the smooth ones. do
believe there'll be enough to make a thou
it is so cold, and the wind blows the pa
pers about"
Il always has the windies open when
sweeps" said Jenny. stoutly, and Mamie
had to gather up the best sheets in hur-
~, 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. Pm sure don't
see what he wanted to copy these again
for; they look well enough. Oh, yes, l
know now it's cause he made so many
hlOts"
Nannic'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 lamplighters looked very
round and nice. Even mamma, who was
fastidious, praised them when she came
into the room. Dear me, what a 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.
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 ii despairing tone
that he was the unluckiest fellow on
earth.
"What's the matter?" 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 OF and | had to take off my
overcoat and hang it over the back of the
seat | remember now there was an i'll
looking boy sitting on the seat behind me
and he must have taken it out Ofmy pocket.
| put my coat on when we reached the de-
pot, and never missed the essay till | got
to uncle's house. 1t has made me just
about sick all day"
ooh, what "a wicked, ,cicked, ,oicked boy"
cried Mamie, full of sympathy.
"What could the boy possibly want of
it," said mamma, thoughtfully; "are
you quite sure you took it with you,
Harry"
"Whv, of course l did, mother" said
Harry, very positively. Il 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"
But his mother still thought he might
have forgotten it, and would not be con
tented until she had gone to the library
ana searched for it herself carefully, all
in vain.
Harry was moody and depressed.
There was onSdly more before the time
when the essays were to be handed i'll,
and he had been more than II month
writing and rewriting this and bringing
it to perfection.
Couldn't you copy it again from the
old shects?" suggested his mother.
90, no, you know | can't, mother" said
Harry, drcarily. ~ altered it ever so
much the last time wrote it, and put in
new things No, | never can write it
again, never
1t WAS hard case, for Harry had in
dulged in such high hopes about his