Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-10-03
"DAT TADDEUS."

"DAI TADDEUSs'
"Ou dearl what shall doY Just wish
Hetty was here, or even Dick, though he
is such torment"
Poor little Elliel A whole week at
Grandma Peyton's had exhausted the end.
less stock of fun and adventure she was so
sure of finding in Kadesh. But there was
good reason for that now, because the
child was there alone-quite another
thing from summer vacation with Hetty
and Dick, and Ruth and John, to say moth.
ing of Robie and the baby
Dear Uncle viii was off on q long voy-
age. Grandpa Peyton was quite blind
now, and so old he wanted to sleep all the
time, and mustn't be disturbed. Grandma
was very handsome and stately, to be sure,
with her snowy caps and snowier curls,
her thick black silks and her lace ruffles ;
but somehow, she cared more for her for.
eign correspondence and the Blue stock
ing Club than for little girls. She didn't
understand them at all. Ellie's mamma
wasn't her own child; and Madam Peyton
had never known how sweet thing it is
to pet and cuddle and love a little tum.
bled -frocked, tangled-curled grille of her
own; if she had, she would have under
stood the wistful, longing look with
which poor homesick little Ellie greeted
her with good-morning and good-evening
kiss.
1t was all so cold and cherries and
proper, when Ellie wanted so much to
throw her arms round her grandmother's
neck and hug and be hugged, squeeze and
be squeezed, as Hetty and the boys were
doing at home with papa and mamma
and dear old Dinah
There was Mehitable Jane Johnson, who
reigned in the kitchen, to be sure; but
she was tall and angular and fierce, with
her scanty grey locks twisted into tight
little button on the top of her head. Igno-
rant and forlOrn to the last degree would
have been the child who should look to
her for endearment! If cleanliness is
next to godliness, Mehitable was long
way on the heavenly road. She was a.
ways 'jest lodShed up," and the fresh flavor
of soap that attached itself to her prem
ises as well as to her person would have
been a trusty landmark if Egyptian dark
ness had prevailed throughout the land
''Lud sakes alive, child! whar air We
moppin' for meow, I'd like ter know?
Here, don't ye go trackin' my floor agin;
I've jest got washed up from yer medder
muck and the flower mess ye brought in.
What possessed ye, I'd like ter know,
down that there swamp? Ye might "a
gone clean through ter the bottom, if Tim
hadn't heern ye yell, and hauled we aeout
Any way, yer shoes air halfway ter Chany
by tis timep'
81 guess, Mehitable, shouldn't have got
clean through, anyway, judging by the
amount of mud Tim put down on the floor
with me when he brought me home. 1t
was the lovely scarlet cardinal-tlowers l
wanted; any way, held on to them tight.
and you can't say they don't look pretty
in the old brown pitcher with the smoke
plant. They are just like streaks of
fire"
"Wa'al, ye're right enough both ways.
If ye'd follored yer shoes clean through
to Chany, ye'd both "a been dirty enough
by the time ye got there, and them
there cardinals air kind o. fiery, and pooty
too"
"Oh, Mehitable, can't you tell me some
thing | can do? l am so tired of being
alone Grandma says mustn't 90 out Of
the garden to-day; indeed, can't go any
where till mamma sends me some new
shoes Can't hunt for eggs?"
"Hunt for eggs! l du declare, Elizabeth
Adams Didn't Miss Peyton say she
wouldn't hev ye climbin' the wood-pile
and pOkin' reound the barn chamber no
more? Didn't ye hev enough yesterday,
I'd like ter know, tumblin' off the top
with yer clean dress, and yer new apron
full OF eggs, ter say nothin' of breakin' up
old Grizzel-top's nest. Would "a hatched
out next week fifteen as likely chickens
as we should "a had for Thanksgivin'.
And the muss we made of yer white dress
and silk apron! No, ye don't hunt no
eggs today"
"Please let me churn, then? I won't
upset the churn again. was making be-
heye it was ship on fire and we had to
work the pumps, and l turned too hard
and too fast You know l was real sorry
when the thing tipped over, and the cream
spilled out on the cellar floor"
"'Real sorro' don't pick up spilled
cream nor spilled butter. | guess I've he'd
enough of yer churnin'. Tell We what We
may do, though: Tins pickin' the pease,
and if yell shell 'em clean, and not put
the pease in the pod basket, l guess III
give ye q book to read as ii keep we quiet
one while"
"a book! a book! Oh, Mehitable,
haven't read book since | came here
Mamma wouldn't put any in my trunk,
because DR.. FELTON, said my eyes were too
big, and L was too white and wise.'
don't know what he meant but papa said
was TO 90 to grass for while, and
> IL.
Do you think may read it ?"
"Of course, child; "d'ye think I'd give
ye anything would hurt ye! It's my
book; had ii ever since l was gal no
bigger'n you. That and my Westminster,
and the Bible of course, are all my libr'y |
I can sit deown on the frOntdOor step |
mthats gone to grass, anyhow. | told |
Tim this mornin' he Jest better fetch his |
scythe reound fore Sunday, or he'd ketch |
it, sure"
Pea shelling was good fun, any way.
without the prospective bribe of a |
book; but, to deserve the treasure, |
Ellie devoted all her thoughts to |
the pease and the Just distribu- |
tiOn of pease to the pan, pods to the bas-
ket, with scattering assortment of each |
on the floor, to be sure; but they were |
clean dirt, however, even in Mehitable's |
eyes, who grunted satisfactorily, and pro. |
ceeded to keep her part of the agreement.
Oh, happy hour of perfect, unalloyed |
delight, possible only to childhood Ellie |
was u passionate book k-deVourer; mere |
print had fascination for her. Ii was a
family legend, better founded than some |
received traditions, that, debarred from
sschool-Dooks and story.books at one time,
1,1 lor some good reason, which, however,
ulu NOT prevent her from wearing a gen
orally disconsolaie and woe. become asnect
Ellie had been discovered one day after "a
prolonged search, fiat on the floor in the
attic, poring over a musty ships calendar
her face radiant with delight.
For whole week she had not opened 81
book Think of having Taaddeus of War.
sd,0, in four pudgy brown volumes much |
the worse for wear nlanad In har hands