The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-05-05
The GOd-send Box.

One miserable, rainy day, Bob anl
Will put on their rubber boots and Wen
a-fishing. / wanted dreadfully to go
but they wouldn't let me. ] meant tt
have some fun though, and asked grand
pa if I might go into the east attic anG
rummage. He said eyes" And then
was glad / had not gone. Trouting il
fun, L know, but to pull over nice, old
musty things is just splendid! So l ran
at once to great red chest, that filled
almost one end of the room, to see what
1 could find in it. 1 always wanted to
get a chance at it, for it made me think
of the "Mistletoe box" and / thought
there must be something strange shut up
inside. On top, there was pile of old
papers and things that didn't care any
thing for, but pretty soon found fun
ny little red box, with queer gilt pictures
all over it, and on the top this funny in.
scription "For Percilla, mye little
God-sende." pulled off the cover, and
there was the dearest little tea-set you
ever saw, or what was left of one. For
the spout of the teapot was gone, the
cover of the sugar bowl was broken, and
only two cups and three saucers were left.
On one side was the picture of China
man sowing tea. He was all in blue, the
ground under his feet was pink, and the
sky over his head was green. Then on
the other side there was a gilt wreath
with blue vine and leaves, and inside of
that some gilt letters, but they were all
twisted together so couldn't make them
out. But 1 took the box and ran to the
shop, where grandpa was at work, and
asked him to tell me all about them.
Poor grandpa he almost cried when he
saw what 1 had, and took up little cup
and put it on his finger, which it fitted
Just like thimble. Then he said
"I'm sure l didn't know there was one
piece of the set left; they belonged to
my sister Percilla. Don't you see her
initials here-'P. BIZ" aud he pointed
to the twisted lettars.
"Why, grandpa didn't know you
ever had sist.r Il. Do tell us about her,
and how she came to have O real china
tea-set with her name on it like a wo-
mans"
"Well," said grandp', "perhaps you
didn't know that my Iather (your great
grandfather) was q sea captain, and m de
many long voyages to the East. He had
three boys, Johnny, Stevie and myself,
an 4 though he loved us dearly, he al
ways longed for little daughter. When
he came home from voyage and brought
sgi to each of us boys, there was al
ways mysterious box or bundle which
was never opened, but put carefully away
to await the coming of the little girl
whom father felt sure God would, some
day, send us. When he was about to
make his last trip, mother begged him
not to go, but stay at home and take care
of the boys, who she said were getting
too big for her to manage. He laughed
and said "Well, wife, dry up your
tears, and give you my word that after
this trip I'll stay at home all my life and
thrash the boys until they are forty, if
you say so" Then mother laughed and
father went away, to be gone at least
three years.
Before the first year was gone, God
did send the little girl, and You can't
think how glad we were, nor how we
longed to have father hear the good
news. To be sure we wrote many times,
but in the few letters we got from him
he always complained of not having
heard one word from us since he sailed.
So it went on, until he had been gone
more than three years, and he neither
came nor wrote, and we all began to fee
anxious and worried about him, while
mother never smiled, and got thin anG
white. Prilly was our one comfort il
those days. Father had said that when
ever she came she must be called Pcrcilli
in memory of his mother, ami we made
il into Prilly, for Percilla seemed too
stately for our little sunbeam, as w,
called her. We used to make her say
Dear father, welcome home,' over ant
over, to keep up mothers courage, q
well as our own, which was fast oozin,
away.
Finally there came, one day, alette
from woman in Nantucket, saying tina
father was sick at her house /; that he
husband, who was captain of a whaling
vessel, had picked him up, in mid-ocean
in an open boat, and that his mind wa
gone, and though he had had, sine
then, good care and good doctor, h
was no better, and she thought mothe
had better come as soon as she could. j
seems the captain had known father year
before, and that was the way they kne,
where to send for his wife. We'll
mother went, of course, and can te
you it was pretty long summer for u
boys, for she was gone q long time. Blu
at last she came home, one night, wit
father, so thin and pale, and with such
dull, vacant look in his eyes we neve
should have known him If mother ha
not been by his side. Prilly heard u
say mother and she came out to tn
doorstep, in her white nightgown Qc
she was in bed), and with her blue eye
and beautiful yellow hair, all Lit up wit
the last red sunbeams of the setting SUI
looked just like the picture of one {
Gods angels. And 1 guess faith.
thought she was one really, for whel
in obedience to sign from us, she p,
ont her arms to him and said DE,
father, welcome home,' he looked su
prised, and said, Did God send yc