Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-09-10
4 BARBER SHOP.


attempt at writing blackened her fingers
sadly" L 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 t'spretty longto write
and don't know anything about it" an
| swered Kitty, mixing up her copy and
her opinion Of it rather curiouslT But
George understood.
That all? IIltell 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 a great respect for it. This
time. however, she cut his explanation
/ short.
"Oh! | don't want to know now, cause
I'm tired of it; and any way I'm done
writing for to-day | 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 a splendid timer And
| away Kitty flew, curls and sash stream
| ing
In a 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, a sofa of pill
| lows, and an elegant comfortable that
| looked like an old chest covered with a
shawl She had three children-a china
daughter, who was a cripple; wax baby,
who seemed to have suffered from small
j L,
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 a trailing dress, that looked
wonderfully like one of mammals kitchen
aprons, fastened on wrong side before
She carried a very battered parasOl in
one hand and a very fieshy ragbaby in
| the other; but she was quite grand and
stately for all that, as she knocked at her
neighbours door.
How do you do? Pm very glad to
see you," said Mrs. McKensie, politely.
"Take a seat" And she lifted 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 a little offended.
Il don't think I'll buy any such chairs
| for my house." she remarked. Il
shouldn't want all my children to break
their heads tipping over in 'em."
"Pll send that chair right off to the
blacksmith and get it mended," said Mrs.
Hetty, returning to propriety. G | think
your baby is pretty good. 1t didn't cry
bit"
Yes" answered Mrs. Kitty, quite
pleased again, it's the most sweetest
child I've got. Why, it's had the humps
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,"
"WelI, my little girls are real good,
too; only they've all got the scarlet
fever" announced Hetty. "What do
L
'em we'll 81
Cob! put their feet in boiling water
and give 'em lots Of birthstone and set
ling powders That'll cure 'em in half
an hour" said Kitty, with an air of wis
dom.
"But I can't battle my china little girls
feet, cause she hasn't any," urged Mrs
Hetty. Her name is Eliza Amelia; and
l guess once, when she was a 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 it 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.
Isn't it a pretty color, Hetty? I'll
make something nice with it."
What ?" asked Hetty.
But Kitty had not decided. She first
twined it around her rag-baby, then tried
| its effect Iooped upon the wall, and
! finally wound it around a broken broom
| handle, and fastening it at each end with
! a pin, made the stick stand upright by
placing it in a knot-hole N the floor.
:" | shall have it for a great stick of
candy growing in my front yard" she
said
g Candy doesn't grow" objected Hetty.
eyes, it 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.
Hetty looked doubtful; but before she
had time to reply the attic door was
pushed open, and Tommy and little Bert
came in. They were tired of playing
| alone, and had come upstairs to see what
the girls were doing.
| What are you playing? Wen stay
up here too" said Tommy, gazing about
the room. "Halloo. there's BARRIERS
! pole"
NO; it's candy" said Kitty.
Well, it looks like a striped pole,
any way. Oh! I'll tell you. Let Bert
| and me have 1t to keep a barber shop
with, and then you bring all your chill
/ dren to get their hair cut"
! 1t was a very amiable neighborhood,
4 for the two families at once moved into
! one house, so that Kitty's corner could
be given up for a BARRIERS shop. Then
they procured a chair, towel, some
brushes and a basin of soap-suds, and
business commenced briskly. The num-
| Der of children the two ladies brought,