The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-01-28
" Worked and Won."

nook as the bare feet sprang forward
to obey the summons.
CT gave you work, and l doubt If you
have touched it yet. "
" 1t is done, mother.
"Done then why have you not been
back again. 1t is for me 70 bake, and
brew, and mind the child, while you
rest"
Griselda slipped in through the door,
and stopped on one knee, to hold the
crying child" to her breast and to kiss
his wet checks.
"Julie will learn it best after all, 1
expect" was running through her mind,
as she fastened wheels to the mite of a
coach to make it ego" and played sex
press" until the child rolled over and
over, humping his head in his unguard-
ed delight.
"Where are your thoughts wool
gathering now, that the child must bat
ter the floor"
She lifted him, laughter and tears
chasing each other over his face, and
tried to forget that Julie and the rest
were probably at that moment Juggling
away at the task which was set for the
prize, and tried to forget the little hard
ruts that made trying and rough the
path of her life.
Rocking backward and forward on the
rickety chair, humming snatch of a
gay little tune, the child's chubby arms
around her neck, she found him after n
while quite asleep, and after seeing him
snugly tucked III his cradle-bed, she
skipped along the passage, the first lines
of the prize task upon her lips, and hope
coming up in her heart that maybe after
all she might win.
SIS it sleep you want, that you go to
the atticl"
The eyes fell and the feet stood still
before the glance of the mother, with her
brisk air and her keen eye.
"School in the mornings and idleness
in the afternoon There is no time for
idleness to-day. Scour the hearth, and
polish the knives and bring water from
the well"
Griselda only laid her hand on her
little, painting heart, and turned, sadly
enough, to polish and scour instead of
porting over the crooked thumbed book
in the attic corner.
81 will do them well and quickly" she
thought to herself. There is some
thing left of the sunlight yet" And her
fingers polished and polished and
secured, and the pump handle briskly
flew up and down. So Griselda was
done, and she tripped softly to the top
of the house, and was soon lost over the
crumbled old book.
"Grselda Griselda !" shrilly echoe
mp the stairway.
81 never, never can do it Nobody
cares if / lose or win oh, it is sad when
nobody cares" This she half said, half
thought TO herself, as she ran down the
stairs 81 will manage it somehow, line
at time"
idle, idle, worthless child! Bring
faggots and mend the fire take up the
ashes. The hearth not secured and the
ashes untouched and have you busted
to-day 2"
Griselda ran for the faggots and
mended the fire, and swept the ashes
bare and clean, and peeped in each cor
ner to find the dust, line after line III
the musical rhyme passing through her
mind like the notes of a song. And as
she stood with her buster in the middle
of the floor she thought, 81 will work
and study and win the words are beau
tiful enough to learn without prize"
SO all that day, and the next and the
next, the mother fretted and scolded,
and the child slept and woke and slept
again, and Griselda studied q line ut q
time in the odd minutes one by one.
In another house block away, Julie
Stevens rocked backward and forward
in her pretty damask chair.
81 am tired" she said, holding her
paper doll of arms length over he1
head.
care you ready for the examination
and the prize 2"
"No, Merton Stevens, you know am
not"
"How should / know 2"
"You just know we'll enough L have
not begun yet"
Somebody's going to miss it then.
"No, somebody IS not. Clara's away
and Meta is sick, and there is nobody
else in the class that does much bat that
odd-looking girl with mean clothes"
"Maybe the odd girl will get it..
Mr.. Stevens please talk of some
thing you know better about. Sh,
learns, / know, but do you really thinl
Miss Douglass would give bit of priz,
to barefooted girl z"
lis the prize to be for fine clothes 2
Julie, too indignant to answer, opene,
q book with an injured manner. and
Merton had not been making a kite witt
wonderful hobs, and the paper doll ma,
not been so tempting, and if she Ina,
not been so sure of Miss Douglass goo'
will-so sure of the prize-she Nigh
have made Roadway much faster ant
better.
But the day came when parents an,
children gathered at the school house
and fond mothers looked tenderly OF
their little girls as the questions wen
around and the lessons were heard
Griselda, as she stood in her brow
frocb among the gay dresses around, an,
with downcast eyes and trembling lip
said her part we'll, thought how pleasan
il would be to have "s0me one to care 70
her." Perfect in her answers, perfect i