American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-01-23

| Year I" coming in" and she wondered 10
| herself where the Old Year went TO, anu
| if anyone ever saw him go, ana wheie
the New Year came from, and If anybody
ever saw him come. 1t was puZzie-
| She determined however, that she
would watch this season and see for heT-
| self the Old Year ego OUT with her
own eyes. Therefore, when she over
heard mamma say to Aunt Josie one
| night, as she undrcssed the children,
"When Nelly goes to sleep well go
down to Trinity watch meeting ana see
| the Old Year out" Nelly just made up
| her mind she wouldn't go right TO
| Sleep" as mamma babe her, put sue
would stay wide awake ever SO long IN
stead, and then, maybe, she would sec
the Old Year go, too.
But after mamma and auntie had
| kissed her goodnight, ana she heard
mamma say to papa: You sit up iof
| US, the girls are tired, and look at the
children once in a WHILE" Nelly felt
very sleepy, Her eyelids felt SO heavy
they wouldn't stay open at all, not even
when she tried to hold them apart With
her fat little fingers and it wasn't very
long before Nelly was away off in that
beautiful country of childhoods dream
land. She must have been there some
time, for she had been having some real
good times with her dollies, VINO
always conversed with her III
real voices in that happy land
when, suddenly, with little start,
Nelly opened her eyes, and, sure
by mammals bureau. He was dark,
cross-looking old man, to be sure, anu
he seemed to be moving around very
cautiously Nelly saw him open the top
drawer and take out mammals new watch
that papa had given her Christmas. She
supposed, in sleepy sort OF way, tnat
must be Time he was taking along WIN
him. She did not stir or make any noise
but just watched him put things into
bag he held in his hand, and waited to
see where he'd ego" to, so as she could
tell Dollie Deane and Susy Silver all
about it next day. She lay very still
until she saw him move over toward the
crib where Baby Bum lay sleeping. On,
no; she couldn't let him take the baby too
Why, the New Year only brought him to
them last winter, and-no, no-the Oio
Year should not ego out" with their
baby!
Just then very shrill, piercing scream
startled papa. "No, nor it shrieked,
"you shan't have my baby brother"
From the library to the nursery was but
step, and papa rushed wildly over to
discover the cause of the cutlery. On
the stairs he met figure which pushed
past him swiftly and rushed rapidly
down the stairs and out of the door,
dropping package as he ran.
"What is it, Nelly? Speak, my dar-
ling! are you hurts" cried papa, with
pale lips, as he came toward the little
white-robed figure that stood beside the
crib.
"No, papa-but he was going to take
Bum, too, and l wouldn't let him-and
hate him, and I'll never watch to see an
other Old Year go out" and Nelly burst
into a passion of tears.
Papa understood now, and, seeing his
little ones were unframed, he babe Nelly
take care of baby, who opened his brown
eyes and seemed to quite enjoy the ex-
citement and dissipation of the hour,
while he should go downstairs to see II
there were any traces left OF the burg
lars.
1t was too late, however, to catch the
thief, but all his spoils were secured, for
the bundle he had dropped, in his haste
to escape, contained all the Valuable
booty he had selected.
Mamma Rugged her darlings close TO
her bosom when she came home ana
heard the story, and declared she would
never leave them again to go to watch
meeting" Nelly felt herself quite heroine
when papa told everybody next day how
brave she had been to give the alarm ana
frighten off the burglar. But Nelly still
declares, when she tells the story to her
playmates, that it was the Old Year she
saw ego out"-HearM and Home