Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-11-27

Little Corporal,
WALTERS BIRTHDAY ADVEN.
TURE.
A little way from the High road is a
farm called Hemgard. Perhaps you re-
member he two pretty mountain ashes by
the red fence, and the we'll with the high
weli-sweep, and the garden with the beau
tlful berry bushes, which were ALWAYS
the first to become green in the spring
and further on in the summer hung clear
to the ground with their splendid fruit.
Back of the garden is a field with high
aspens, which sigh in the morning breeze
back of the field is the road, back of the
road is the wood, back ofthe wood is the
wide world. But On the other side of the
place is the lake, and on the other side of
the lake is the village, and around about
alternate fields and meadows, sometimes
golden and sometimes green.
Here IN the tidy little house with the
white win~dow-casings, the pretty porch,
ana the neat steps which are always
strewn with fnely-chopped juniper, live
ood, industrious, and orderly people.
Here dwell Walters parents, Brother
Fredrlk, Sister Lolita, old Lena and Jonas
and Caro- and Bravo and Putte, Murre and
kuckellku. Caro- lives in the dog kennel,
Bravo lives in the stable, Putte lives for
the most part in the hired mems Quarters,
Murre lives a little here, a little there, and
Kuckeliku lives in the little henhouse.
That is his kingdom.
Walter is six years old; he is soon 90
ing to begin school. He cannot read vet,
but he can do a good many other things.
He can mop like a crow, stand on his
head, turn somersaults, play ball, Jump
on a spring board, spin a top, catch fish,
ride down hill, throw snowballs, initiate
the cock, ride hobby-horse, eat bread and
butter, and drink buttermilk. He can
wear his boots down at the side, tear his
trousers, wear holes on his elbows, break
dishes, throw a ball through the window,
draw figures on important papers, pull
the cord Oft the spinning-wheel, tramp
down the fOwer-beds, and eat himself
sick with ~gOoseberries. For the rest he
has a good heart, but a poor memory with
regard to papa and mammals iniunctions,
and therefore he gets into a good many
scrapes.
You shall hear all about it.
One beautiful summer morning when
Walter woke up, his mamma sat on the
edge o. the bed and kissed him, and said
to him: To-day is the twentieth ofJulv;
God bless you, dear child!"
Just then his papa came in too and
kissed him, and his brothers and sisters
were already dressed, and Lena and Jonas
were seen in the door, and all looked so
merry and mysterious, and Caro- wagged
his tail as he was accustomed to do, jesse
Putte leaped past the bed, and Bravo
| nplDhp6 in tho y-ar1 anI K,rl-o1iG, ,,,oIo
a speech down there by the garden fence.
1t was constantly the same speech, there
was no variation; but it sounded very i'm
portant and that was the main thing.
Walter rubbed his eyes a little confused,
and laughed to himself. He knew we'll
enough what all this meant; it was his
seventh birthday.
In a t%winkling he was up and tried to
find his clothes, which he had thrown
down just az it happened the evening be-
fore, for our good Walter was very care
less, and his clothes were often in a heap
on the floor in the morning instead of on
a chair in an orderly way. But that day
he got rid of all seedlings, for his man.
ma handed him a suit of bran new sum-
mer clothes, a gray jacket, trousers, and
vest-it was something remarkable to be
dressed in a vest! Even the shirt lay new
and freshly irOned on the bed, the stock
ings hung entirely new on the back of a
chair, and the small boots, which had
been covered with mud the evening be-
fore, stood polished as for a great occa-
sion by the bed. 1t now went like a
dance to get fixed up, and the only singu-
lar thing was that Walter, in his haste,
put the right boot on his left foot, which
did not matter so very much.
Out in the diningroom was a birthday
table with flowers and wreaths, a large
cake and a ship with masts, sails, bow
spirit, and regular tackle. Jonas had been
working on it a long time, he who had
formerly been a sailor. Such a ship Wal
ter had long desired; his JOY wa. mex
pressible, and the ship must Immediately
have a name. 1t received a very proud
one; it was called Lunkentus.
This afternoon we will row u to
Granholmen," said his father with a nod,
land then you can see whether Lunkentus
is good for anything"
"Wouldn't it do just as well for Walter
to sail his ship in the wash-tub? | am
afraid of the lake" said his mother, anx-
iously.
Shall Luukentus sail in a wash-tub."
asked Walter, affronted and displeased.
1--WE will see how obedient you are"
said his father; you cannot row alone
on the lake, but you can take Lunkentus
with you"
Said and done. In the afternoon they
all rowed over to Granholmen in the
large boat. The weather was so fine, the
lake so calm, and the little fishes swan in
large shoals near the edge of the water,
and snapped up small Larvae which had
fallen from the trees into the lake. On
the shore were wonderful stones-some
black, some white, and some as if made
| for the sole purpose Of throwing. His