Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-09-10
A BARBER SHOP.

81 do WISH" said Kitty, plunging her
pen so deeply into the ink that her next
attempt at writing blackened her fingers
SADLY do wish that when people
make copy books for little girls they'd
Just put short words in the copies"
"What is it?" asked Brother George,
looking up from his algebra.
Wisdom avoids the small begin
nings of evil and it's pretty long to write
and don't know anything about it," an
swered Kitty, mixing up her copy and
her opinion of it rather curiously. But
George understood.
"That allg I'll tell you what it means,
and then it will seem easier" he began,
patronizingly, for he rather liked to ex-
hibit his knowledge before his little sis
ter, who had great respect for it, This
time, however, she cut his explanation
short.
ooh! don't want to know now, cause
I'm tired of it; and any way Pm done
writing for to-day. i won't show it to
mamma yet, for Miss Rebecca's in the
parlor, and guess she's a nice visitor
for grown people, but she isn't bit nice
for children. She says they ought to be
seen and not heard and-there's Hetty
Mckenzie this minute! Wen go way
upstairs and have splendid time!" And
away Kitty flew, curls and sash stream
ing.
I'm very short time Mrs. Hetty Nc
Kensie had set up housekeeping in one
corner of the attic, with a fine row of
large pumpkins for chairs, sofa of pill
lows, and an elegant comfortable that
looked like an old chest covered with
shawl. She had three children-a china
daughter, who was cripple; a wax baby,
who seemed to have suffered from small
pox, and small rubber damsel without
any nose She had just finished dressing
them all when Mrs. Kitty, who lived in
a fine mansion in another corner of the
attic, came over to make her first call
Mrs. Kitty wore an old straw bonnet
that was several sizes too large for her
head, and trailing dress, that looked
wonderfully like one of mammals kitchen
aprons, fastened on wrong side before.
She carried very tattered parasol in
one hand and very fleshy rag baby in
the other; but she was quite grand and
stately for all that, as she knocked at her
neighbor's door.
GLOW do you do? I'm very glad to
see you," said Mrs. McKensie, politely.
Take seat" And she lifted a pumpkin
by its short stem and placed it for her
visitor.
"What nice chairs you have" said
Kitty, seating herself and fitting back
ward and forward. This one rocks
beautiful"
1t rocked rather too beautifully, for
the next minute it rolled over altogether,
and deposited Mrs. Kitty, her parasol,
and baby upon the floor. Mrs. McKensie
dropped down upon her sofa and laughed,
without trying TO offer any excuse or aid;
and the visitor picked up herself and
baby, looking little offended.
II don't think III buy any such chairs
for my house." she remarked. 81
shouldn't want all my children TO break
their heads tipping over in 'em."
"I'll send that chair right off to the
blacksmith and get it mended, said Mrs.
Hetty, returning to propriety. =" think
your baby is pretty good. 1t didn't cry
bit"
"Yes," answered Mrs. Kitty, quite
pleased again, I" it's the most sweetest
child I've got. Why, it's had the mumps
and the measles and the diptheory awful
bad. And once it fell and broke its
back, and never cried a wink when the
doctor set it,"
"Well, my little girls are real good,
too; only they've all got the scarlet
fever" announced Hetty. "What do
you think I'd better give em to make
'em well ?"
"Oh put their feet in boiling water
and give 'em lots of birthstone and set
ling powders. Thatll cure 'em in half
an hour" said Kitty, with an air OF wis
dom.
"But can't battle my china little girls
feet, cause she hasn't any" urged Mrs.
Hetty. "Her name Is Eliza Amelia; and
/ guess once, when she was little girl,
she sat down on the railroad track to tie
her shoes and the cars must have come
along and cut 'em right of. ANY way,
she hasn't any feet at all"
Kitty pityingly suggested that may
be il would do just as well to dip her
head in the hot water" and then the
two young housekeepers began to dis.
cuss other subjects, and some wonderful
directions for making pies and cakes
were very gravely given. Kitty was
about departing and was urging her
friend to come and take tea with her,
when her bright eyes discovered an end
of scarlet tape hanging from an old box,
and, forgetting her invitation, she ran at
once to pull the gay string from its hid
ing-place. a -,
Sfsn't 1t a pretty color, Hetty' III
make something nice with it."
"What 2" asked Hetty.
But Kitty had not decided. She first
twincd it around her rag-baby, then tried
it's effect looped upon the wall, and
finally wound it around broken broom
handle, and, fastening 1t at each end with
a pin, made the stick stand upright by
placing it in knot-hole in the floor.
II shall have it for great stick OF
candy growing in my front yard, she
said.
Candy doesn't grow" objected Hetty.
eyes, il does; cause candy and sugars
all the same, and George said sugar grew
in canes. And this is a candy cane, only
it hasn't got any knob at the top" ar
gued Kitty.
Hctty looked doubtful; but before she
had time to reply the attic door was
pushed open, and Tommy and little Bert
came i'm They were tired of pIayinp