The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-06-17

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went home, taking with her the Oldest
boy. Willie, who could do but little, if
anything, to help in the care of either
his mother or his brother.
All this time she had said nothing to
Minnie about her last great failure in
doing what she had been told to do. She
trusted more in letting her know Just all
the evil that had resulted from her care
less1ess.
Every day, for a week, she took Min
ME to see the sick woman, and then one
bright morning they went to find the
house all darkened, and the nurse wo-
man told them she had been dead
since four O'Clock"
Mimic was shocked enough. Do what
she could, she could not shut away from
the ears of her memory the words of
DR.. Metford
"Sorry sorry think if she had had
the medicine last night she might have
been saved run of fever" And some
thing kept telling her that but for her
own negligence Mrs. Rop might still
have been living. She kept hearing the
words of her auntie calling out to her
that afternoon, as she started off for her
cloak and hat
"PGs the basket In the hall, dear, and
then you'll not forget to take it ;" and
she remembered how she had hated Just
to go across into the dining-room for
the basket, feeling so sure she would
not forget it, and it would do Just as
we'll where it was.
"But, oh did forget it and she
died because I did not do as aurtie told
me Il"
She cried herself Co sleep that nj ght
and dreamed that she was a murderess,
that all the people in MaysviIle followed
her about, pointing at her, and saying,
'You killed your auntie's wash woman"
Then she dreamed that the dead woman
was lying in bed with her, and that she
put both her arms around her, and they
were so cold and then she put her cold
lips close to one of her ears and WINS
pered:
50 You wouldn't bring me my medicine
and so had to die, and now 1 am going
to sleep with you always"
When Minnie wakened with q scream,
which her auntie heard away down in
her room, and which caused her to go
quickly up to Minnie's room, whose
she found her sitting on the floor close
to the door, Minnie told her dreams
and sobbed so piteously that Mrs.
Wheldon felt sorry for her and sure
that this must certainly cure her of
this bad habit of hers.
And Minnie was better for a long.
long time, but as the time grew long
and the remembrance of Mrs. Reps
death grew fainter she again relaxed
into the old way, which did almost
seem to have been a part of her nature.
She was now almost fifteen, a good
student, though very often she was
obliged to remain and learn her lessons
when other of her mates were at play
because in this too she was prone TO
put of getting her lessons until abso-
lutely obliged to do 80.
The day of which I am writing now
she had been kept in through every re-
GERS, and besides this had been publicly
reprOved by her teacher, and as usual
und er such extreme cases she was much
mortified and had resolved all IN her
own strength that it should never be so
again. Again her auntie had a severe
headache and had retired early, leaving
her niece and William Rop (whom they
had kept with them during the five
years that had interviewed since his
mothers death) to study their lessons
for the next day before they too should
go to bed.
Hardly had her auntie gone up 10 her
room when Rilda opened the door and
said:
6 Miss Minnie, have to go up. street
awhile with Mrs. Deans girl the work
is all done up, but put some kind
hngs for the morning fires into the
steve oven to dry will you look in at
them once in a while until the fire gets
down and see that they don't catch fire
and burn the house down ?"
Yes, Rilda, all right I will watch
them"
Rlda went out, put on her things.
looked into the oven, turned over the
kindlings. and then opened the sitting
room door again.
g Miss Minnie, you are sure you'll
not forget the kindlings ?"
OF course, Rilda Co go long and
not bother so much |"
Minnie was busy trying to learn her
algebra lesson for the next day, and in
minute had forgotten the kindlines.
Presently Willie finished his lesson,
and, yawning in a manner that was
more enjoyable than graceful, said he
" guessed he'd go to bed if Minnie
wasn't 'fraid."
"'Fraid, Willie ! OF course I'm not
afraid. Uncle Rob will be home in
twenty minutes, anyway"
SO Willie went to bed, and Minnie
went on with her lessons. She had
finished her algebra, but was getting a
lesson in her geometry Low, and was
studying aloud after the fashion of
school girls when committing their les
sons at home.
"To find the solidity of a cone or
ovramid vvbether roy1Dd or souara Or
triangular.
First find the area of the base,
whether round, Sd"
She stopped and listened. Had
Rilda come back p For the first time
since she had gone Minnie now thought
of the kindling wood.
Mercy to me whst if they've all
burnt upi Won't Rilda be mad ?"
She. still listened; there was some
noise in the kitchen. 1T must be
Rilda II
She would peep in and see. She
stopped first to glance at the rule, and
wens TO the door repeating, "Square,
round, oblong Or triangular, by some
Pa a-ugh T.
1t was smoke, heavy, dense, black
smoke that met her fall in the face Az
she opened the door into the kitchen.
This is dreadful What shall do?
forgot those kiudlings and they have
set the house on fire."
True enough, the kindlings had ig-
nited, and some of them falling out of
the oven had burned into the pine fioor,
the fire catching at the braided rug to
incrs ase its strength until it had reached
a splint- bottom chair that stood on the
rug and against a cupboard. Over the
door OF this hung a table-cloth, upon
which had been spilled some tea at sup
per, and Rilda lad riDsed it out and
hung 1t Cd the cupboard to dry. THIS
caught the flames readily, and alto
gether, when Minnie remembered to