Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-02-26

You would hardly believe how little
she is; SO round and small, that peo-
pie, when they pass her, turn around to
look once more, and smile little they
know by the very look in her roguish
eyes that she is the greatest romp in
the city, and she knows it too, and
doesn't care.
Somebody, her fond mamma, | sup
pose, being no judge of character, had
named her Dora such sweet, mild
name being plainly thrown away on
our little Tom-boy, her big brother has
shortened it to Dick she likes it., she
says, and feels like kicking anybody
who calls her Dora or Sis. OF course,
only q Tom boy would feel like kick
ing.
She goes TO school she commenced
the very day she was six, for her
mother declared she couldn't stand
it" all day any longer; since she has
been at school, she has climbed over
the school house fence twice, quarrel
ed and made up with every boy in the
class, quarreled with every girl, and
only made up with two, killed chick
en- in the next yard with stone, and
committed multitude of smaller of.
fences, too numerous to mention.
I'm afraid the teacher likes her, and
is 10th to punish her; she used to put
her on the boys side, but Dick looked
out through her fingers, (she pretend
ed to be crying) and laughed with her
neighbors showing her preference 50
plainly that the teacher determined to
punish her some other way after that.
One day, when Dick had been very
naughty, she took out her long rattan,
and called her up to the desk; fully in
tending to forgive her on the first ap-
licatiOn.
But Dick made no professions out
went her little plump hand as bravely
as could be; not hesitating moment.
"Dick," said the teacher, (even the
teacher called her Dick,) II don't
want to whip you"
Dick looked the teacher straight in
the eye, and never said q word.
''Do you want me to whip you,
Dick!" she said, after waiting mo-
ment.
The little girl shook her head she
had been very brave, and still held her
hand straight out, but the teachers
eyes looked so kind, she began to melt !;
she even felt q tear away in the cor
ner of her eye.
"Tell me you will be good, said the
teacher, putting down the rattan, "and
I'll forgive you this time."
"rll try to be dood," said Dick ; she
said it in a very low voice, for she knew
that that tear had slipped out Of the
corner of her eve. and was creeping
down her soft cheek; and she didn't
want the boys to know that she was
crying.
"Very WE'LL" said the teacher; and
somehow, whether it was the shining
tear creeping down the soft cheek, or
the round little hand held out so brave
ly, or some other reason l do not
know Of, the teacher never took out
her rattan, and said, "Come here r to
naughty Dick again.
One afternoon she played truant.
It was . shocking thing for little girl
to do, even il she was little Tom-bOy
and she heartily repented of it. and
was determined from that day, never,
never to do it again.
She had been to her lunch, and was
lettering back to school, thinking all
the time how hot the school-honse
would be that day, and how much
nicer it would be to stay out Of echOol,
and play 'Robbers and Police" with
Joe Lewis and the washer-woman's
boy Tim.
Yet she never thought of playing
truant, but just walked slow, and chas.