Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-06-04

| IL al easy A4elAAO1s dAAO
was very decisive.
See here, fellers," he said, "you've
| been sending a whole pack of notes to
me, and hollering Mr.. St. Clair, and all
| that. Now, | won't do mean thing with
out hrst warning; but, after this recess,
III put every note | get with that on it
on the teachers desk, and you'll get a
| Ickln' Tor writing notes in school. And
every teller that hollers after me is a
| coward II he won't haul off his Jacket and
tight me. III fight every one of you
one teller at time--and lick you, too:
you bet''
Upon that, Joe descended from the ros-
trum and was no longer troubled.
One day Mrs. Slipperkin came bound
ing home from school in the very best of
spirits. She threw her books on a chair
and her shawl on the floor and her hat on
top OF It. and cut a pigeon-wing right then
| and there, at the imminent risk of her hat
/ crown.
Rose, Rose!" said her mother.
Oh, you, Mrs. Slipperkin!" moaned
the aunt who has the headache.
What is it, Wosey?" said Mrs, Cop
pertip, who doesn't go to school. eff she
| did she'd speak plain,' as Mrs. SIipperkin
says.
"Rose" stopped after awhile; not from
any particular consideration for anybody
but because she was entirely out of breath
"YOu know FlOra?' she asked
Ono, don't!" said Mrs. Coppertip.
Haven't the pleasure" moaned the
aunt with the headache
Flora who?" said Joe; the great
race-horse ?"
e-horse!" said Mrs Slipperkin, in
dignantlV: do thinkin
"Do, by all MEANS" said the exasper-
ating Joe. "Who is she, anyhow"
" You know that new girl who sits front
of me with those pretty curls?"
Eyes" said Joe.
Well, that's the one; her name is Flora
Lane, and she's got two dolls, and blue
silk dress, and she's coming to see me
Saturday thermometer mother says she
can-and she's going to wear her blue
silk dress, and bring her dolls; and she's
awful pretty. Isn't she, Joe? And she's
my most particular friend; and, o ma!
can't We have some lemonade and
cookies?"
All this was in one breath.
"Whew!" said Joe, "can't girls talk,
thought"
"Dear, dear; hear that child" said the
aunt with the headache; how she runs
on, to be sure"
Can we, MAJ"
Eyes, [ guess So" said the mother.
isn't she pretty, though, Joe?"
"HO, huh!" said Joe. "Pretty! her
curls look like molasses candy"
"She's my most particular FRIEND"
said Mrs. Slipperkin, drawing herself up
with dignity.
"Well, amt molasses candy nice?" said
Joe.
"Ide," said the offended lady, "you
must make your children some new silk
dresses. Pm going to make each of mine
a brand new dress for the OCCASION
cob, dearr' said Mrs. COppertip
thinking of her pricked f1ngers), with dis
may in her voice, q really don't see how
l can"
"Ma'n help you; won't you, ma? And
aunty, too; won't you, aunty, nOw?"
Mrs. Coppertip, who would never have
asked, looked with soft, appealing eyes,
and so both "ma' and "aunty'' said
eyes," instantly.
Saturday came at last, as all days do
come, no matter how long the time seems !;
Flora came, too, in her blue silk dress,
and an enormous sash tied in a bow, so
eXcruciatingly fashionable and immense
| that Rose and Ida winked their eyes hard
| and tried not to look astonished. She
brought her doll-nearly as big as her
self-and also arrayed in the height of
| fashion.
"I thought you had two little china
ones, like ours" said Mrs. Slipperkin, in
a subdued voice.
ooh, don't make any account Of
! those" said Flora, in an extremely
grand" way, but [ put them in my
pocket" So she pulled them out, and
Mrs. Slipperkin was rejOiced to see that
they did not look half so pretty as 1da's,
to say nothing of her own.
"What are their names ~ she asked.
miranda and Eloisa."
"Mine are named Lille, Minnie, Mel
lie and Carrie" said Mrs. Slipperkin,
4" and Ide's are named Dora, Belle, and
| Evelina. Ide, she's Mrs. Coppertip, and
I'm Mrs. Slipperkin; now, what'u you
be?"
"Ill be Madame Labelle," said Flora;
"my mother knows lady named that,
and think it's pretty; don't your"
eyes," said Rose. "Now, let's take
our lemonade and cookies down by the
brook, and have picnic; l know where
there's rea' nice, messy place"
But the mother would not consent to
the lemonade being taken where there
were silk dresses, so they drank it all up
before they went, and carried only the
cookies. Flora put her big doll to sleep
in corner of the sofa.
They were right in the midst Of a
splendid time-the children were dancing
a quadrille on the moss, and the three
mothers were playing jacks on Mrs. Cop
pertip's shawl-when they heard Joe
calling to them.
"What do you aoGnt?' screamed Mrs.
Slipperkin.
"Come and look at my ship" called
back Joe; she's sailing beautiful
Glow her up heren' called Mrs. Slip
perkin, which Joe accordingly did.
There! isn't she lovely?" he said
"Whater you doing?"
"Our children are having a picnic,"
said Madame Labelle, smoothing down
her silk dress.
"Well, give 'em sailing trip" said
Joe. Bring yours along, Ide."
ooh, mol" said the cautious Mrs. Cop
pertip, who had her doubts as to the sea
worthiness Of Joe's craft. Pm welly
'bliged, I'm sure; but my children are
always sea sick on the water"
TShe had heard her mamma saw some
thing like this.
Mine are mott" cried the adventurous
Rose, land if they are they will have to
learn better"
"Come, Lille and Minnie and Nellie,
you can go, anyway; 1 don't know but
what the baby is too young to be trusted
out of my sight.
Madame Labelle, won't you let your
little darlings go, too?"