Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-09-05
OLD DIGGLYBONEs.
BY CLARA G. DoLLTvER.

You would think from his name that
he was old and wrinkled, bent and
brown, with q dreadfully cunning,
wicked face; but he isn't at all. His
cheeks are round and soft and downy,
and pink like peaches, and he has
such bright, innocent look, that he
walks into Your heart at once without
knocking.
We call him Digglybones because
he is so fond of the play in which a
dreadful wicked old man steals all
the lady's children and turns them
into pies; the poor lady, heartbroken
for her loss, goes to the bakers to
console herself with pie. She calls
for gooseberTy, but no sooner has she
received it than she exclaims:
"AIercy me! This is my daughter
AmeliaI' Then old Digglybones cries
out ''Pie. pie, pie" and chases her
home. If he catches her he gets
Amelia back, and the poor mother
has to go pie buying again.
You would never think that our
little round checked boy would be
able to run fast enough to make a
successful Diggly bones, his legs are
so fat and short, but he can catch the
uobuCI dIu SOs <AhiCAAd boNA ACNA
times out of five.
He has big sister named Rose; he
calls her Wosie with his little unman-
ageable tongue, and thinks she is. the
most wonderfully wise, perfectly
beautiful, dearest and best sister in
the wide world.
Wosie is eighteen and still goes to
school, where her anxious teachers
haven't half such a high opinion OF
her as Digglybones has; though they
can't help liking her after knowing
her little
There is a tall young fellow with
black eyes and a great mustache who
comes to see her sometimes, and
really believe that he quite agrees
with Digglybones in his high opinion
/ of Wosie; Mt least the little boy put
his naughty eye up to the keyhOle ol
the parlor door one day and saw the
/ black mustache as near Wosie':
mouth as his own sweet lips ever got
One fine summer morning while
IDigglybones was building an Indian
| fort with his blocks on the dining
room table, there came terrific pea
az the door-bell.
"Landl' cried grandmother, nearly
lcapiug out of her seat. "What dC
people want to ring that bell in tina
style for2 It's set me all in futter
Run to the door, pet
Grandmother doesn't call him Dig
! glybones; she thinks it is a dreadful
name.
When, after no small amount of tug
ging, he succeeded in opening the door
he found the pOstman there, not look
ing so very pleasant as he might, be
cause he'd been kept waiting so long
"Here, bub," he said, ''here's a lette
for YOU; aud don't let the grass grOy
under your feet another time"
Digglybones was so astonishe,
about the grass that he let the lette
fall ont of his hand, and did not shu
his mouth or pick the letter up unit
the pOstman had disappeared, an,
might have stood there longer if hi
mother had not called out TO him t,
shut the door quick, before the hous
was full of flies.
| When he took the letter into grand
mother the good old lady read the iii
rectiOns out loud:
''AIiss Rose Stillingfleet. City"
{ L4A1Aa cA4C oeAANts = tANoo lA4iA
from Mr.. Afford. 1 wouldn't wonde
if Rosie would give the best two bit
She ever saw to get this letter. Well
put 1t on the table IN her own room
dear"
| Digglybones trudged of up stair
with il, thinking all the time, as har,
as he could think with his busy Httl
brain; he had never breathed a vor,
of his putting his eye up TO the key
hole, for he had a strong suspiciol
that everybody, from grandmothe
down, would strongly disapproye o
such a performance ON his part: bu
he hadn't forgotten it all, and h
guessed" that Mr.. Afford, the Cwne
of the black mustache, was the mos
dangerous rival he had; and he though
to himself that Wosie would give tw
bits to get the letter.
After while DigglybOues knocke,
down his Indian fort and went out 0
doors TO play; he knocked at Jimm
Lees back door and asked Mrs. Lee
: in his sweet voice, Could pease jim
my come ont doors and play soldier?
, But Mrs. Lee said Jimmy had gOn
in town with his auntie, and wOuldn'
be back until lunch-time; so piggly
bones played soldier by himself for
little while.
] But he found it exceedingly dull t