Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1874-01-17
cHILDREN's COLUMN.
Little Prinkey. !.

ha@ RINKEY is little girl only
I'm eight years old; but of course
.N~.1A this is not her real name, for
SS& she Ii Elsie Willis, in sober
earnest. She Is so fond of ssprinking
up" as little folks call it--that is. IF
wearing flne clothes and trinkets--thaf
it seemed quite natural to give her such
a title. She tries ON every body else's
nice things as we'll as her. own, and pa
rades before the glass In them, and dis
pleases all her friends, for nobody likes
to have hls best things handled.
Ii is amusing to watch her get ready
for school. The night before, her hair
has to be braided in countless little
braids--no small task tor one Of her
older sistcrs-and In the morning these
ALI have to be taken out to make what
she calls s.crinkled hair.'' s.Such a
mop!'' as Cyrus, the brother, q few
years older, says, as she comes into the
breakfast-room with it flying around her
little face.
"Your hair would look much nicer in
two plain braids," says her father; but
Prinkey pipes out, 30, papa, all the
girls wear It so, and should look like
a fright with my hair plain?
After breakfast come the family devo-
tions, and am sorry to say that Prin-
sed Bible, but is thinking all the time
about her hair ribbons, wondering all
the time whether she had better wear
the blue or REQ one to-day, and quite
sure the red win look gorgeous" with
her green and purple plaid dress.
AS soon as she rises from her knees,
she runs upstairs to put the ribbon on,
and is Figuring" before the glass in
great style, as Almira, her eldest sister,
comes in to help her finish dressing.
t'Elsie! what vain little puss you
are!" she says, a little impatiently. tsIs
there no thought of anything but dress
in your head? Didn't you see how sad
ly mamma looked at you while papa was
reading, and you pulling at the front
locks Of your hair aud counting your
fonnces ?''
ssNo, 1 Ididnt!" says Prinkey, pertly,
81 wish had little spiral curls on top
| of my forehead. like. Rose Titivate!
wonder how she makes them"
s.Oh! she buys them by the yard, ard
stitches them on to her head-dress, and
the girls tell her that the best part of
| her head Is on the outside, fer she never
learLs a lesson, nor takes the trouble to
think about anything but what she shall
eat, drink and WEAR. am afraid you'll
be like her, Prinkey, when you grow
up. Do stop twisting about SO, or how
can tie your sash! Oh! what snim-
py face! just like the fashion-plates! !
wonldn't be in your place for anything,
Prinkey."
| But Prinkey only filters, and begins
| to flourish about the room, and twist her
skirt, and lean back to see-if she can
make it touch the floor behind, then she
| says. ''Oh, wish I was old enough to
wear a train"
Then Flora, the next younger than
| Almira, comes bounding in to say
Isn't this::enchanting? Uncle Parker
has just been in to propose ride to the
park this afternoon, and papa is willing
and we are to go in two carriages. FL.
sic, don't you be kept in to-day with
bad lessons"
| So the three girls hurry to school in
great spirits-the two older thinking how
| hard they will study to make the day
| seem shorter, and Prinkey thinking she
win wear her light-blue silk if mamms
| will let her. IL she only had the spiral
curls now! ALI the school hours hei
silly little head is busy about dress; sc
of course size does not study, but gives
the two nice apples she brought with
her lunch to little girl for whispering
| to her. the answers while she Is recit-
ing.
When school is over, how short the
three girls made the distance to theiI
| home.
"Unclc Parker" drives up to the Aooi
promptly on time, and takes In Cyrus
and Flora. and then goes for his owr
/ children. Then comes papa and the
other carriage, and all except Elsie ge,
in, and SO Richard, the oldest brother
jumps out to go and look for her. He
cannot find her. and so they suppose she
has gone intthe other carriage, and drive
away without her.
But where is Prinkey? Why, shut ur
in the large pariOrs fixing up her hail
1 in. style, and so absorbed. i'm trying Il
make herself look like Rose Titivate
that she forgets everything else, ant
does not even hear the roll of the car
riage wheels when they come up to tht
door.
But by and by she comes out, think
ing, Snow Pm all ready" and trips vi
there and finds only Martha, the cham
ber-maid, putting the room i'm order.
"Wby, Miss Elsie! how you scared
me! Where have you been? for tn,
folks have all gone. Your mamm.
thought you had got in with you
uncle, !" says she.
1 s.None OF your business" says Prin
key, beginning to cry, and dashing her
self down oil the sofa so suddenly tba
her hat flies off on the floor.
Then Martha is convulsed with laugh
ter. for Prinkey has been arranging hel
hair in Po,npadonr style. and looks like
a fright now really with the heavy falls,
roll on top of her forehead, and the hail
SO loosely drawn oyer it that it show,
through. She is very angry at Marths
for laughing, and calls her an ugly ole
thing, and snatches of the great falls,
roll and throws it at her, and says tina
1t Is the meanest thing in the world fol
all the folks to leave her behind Just be
cause she wanted to look a little bit de
| cent. 81
| Meanwhile the parties in the carriages
are having a lively time in their sepa
rate ways, though mamma is a Httl,
anxious to come up with the other car
riage, and when she does, about midway
of the Park, she sees. to her dismay
ry, yet Cyrus says, stSerVes her iust
1 right, for she is always fussing at tn,
glass after everybody else is ready
i 80, dear, she will be getting out al
my nice things and trying them on!
says Flora.
"We must 60 back for her." says hei
kind mamma, and they were soon at thu
door. But by this time Prinkcy has re
covered her spirits and gone to Ros,
1irivate's to learn the art of making spi
raj curls, so they drive there for her.
To their great surprise, she refuses Il
show herself, and so her mamma zoe,
into the house to see what is the matter
and finds her looking very sheepish
4 xrrtf 10, " Of t.nt
almost close to the roots. Little Susie
Tiuvate and she had shut themselves M
! in the kitchen, and heating u pipe-sten
very hot, Susie incautiously wound ths
hair around it, and "before she knew
it, as she said, she had the curl in hel
hand.