The daily gazette., 1876-05-06
The LITTLE STEP DAUGHTER.
BY A. T. KRYDER.

There take that for your pains, and
mind better the next time" angrily
exclaimed Allies step mother, as she
came up to to the trembling girl and
gave her blow on the eaS when she
found the coffee, that the little girl
had been told to brown, had shade
too brown color; "take that, repeat
ing the blow; land the next time
you'll hear of the broomstick" Allie
passed out at the kitchen door, and
crept around to the sunny side of the
barn; and, sinking on the ground, burst
into flood of tears and wept; long and
bitterly she wcpt.
1t was early March ;the wind whistled
chcerlessly by; heavy and somber
clouds, seemingly laden brimful of
rain, and sleet and snow, fitted fre.
quently across the suns broad disc
while the booming river, swollen with
melted snow and drifting ice, spoke ~
language e that sounded despairingly to
the desOlatc soul of the more than or.
phan child.
The little girls clothing, torn and
tattered, correspondcd lily with the
severity of the weather An old wooden
dress. reaching but little below the
knees, patched and repatched, with
sleeves made of new and uncouth ma
terial; shoes that were full of holes;
and faded pink bonnet, that her
sainted being! of whom she
had no remembrance save that of love
and kindness-had made for her long
years before, constituted her sole outer
clothing.
Sha Wantt h1oet uh,y eho,,ll ,l~ -
not weep? What else could she doo
AS one by one the silken folds Of me-
mory began to unwrap, and bright,
brief, blessed visions of her earthly
childhood home, of her mothers love,
and a sisters care and tenderness cane
careering as on angels wings before
her minds eye; what else could her
young heart dog what other relief had
it? it (the hearty that should be warm
ed by mothers love. and cherished
by mothers counsel; if that meets
with nothing but scorn. and contume
ly and blows-shut out from the com
mon need of sympathy and love--all
that makes life gloriouse
The cold, merciless winds swept
round her, and fearful shudderings
came over her, as the trlckling tears
froze fast to the thin sleeves of her
dress.
She is aroused by her step mother s
voice, calling "Allie, Allie my dear,
come in quickly" recognizing at once
in that tone of mockiDg kindness that
there are visitors within, Mechanically y
| rising, she obeys the summons, and
enters the house. She whs arrogates
to herself a mothers place, in her
falseness ofheart and obsee euiousness of
| tongue, encumbers her auditors with
twenty excuses for the girls fig hit, aad
continues as If astonlshment, "Why,
dear me, Allie, you've been down to
the river playing in the water; only
see how wet your sleeve is. You
should be very careful, and remember,
as Eve told you, to keep out out of
the water; you might catch your
death of cold," and she paused out of
breath.
And besides, my little dear"
chimed in a dignified lady in black,
with gold spectacles, its dangerous
about falling in"
member" says her father for an instant
looking up from the book he was intent
ly p-rusing, but in the earnestness
of his abstraction he forgot to finish the
sentence SO happily begun. Though
there may have been another cause, for it
was always so of late while certainly"
was echoed and re-echoed from mouth to
mouth around the room.
Naturally timmid, no wonder Allie
shrunk into u corner overwhelmed with
reproof. This afforded her step-mother
another opportunity, which she was not
slow improving, for another threatning
and reprof, and which ended with com
manI to awaken Willie. "Pm SO afraid
the dear little angel will oversleep him
self besides, don't think so much sleep
is good for children, do you Mrs. Mon.
croft ?"
"Oh. no." Immediately replied that
lady, and again another echo runs around
the room.
And what with attending to Willie and
bringing wood and water, and doing a
score more things at one, ,tea-time bi ought
"a misfortune worse than all to the weary
girl. This was request from the state
lyand dignified lady in black, with the
gold spectacles, for the little girl to bring
her work. bag from off the window. She
obeyed, taking Willie along, who, making
a grab, snatches it from her, and hlnging
his arm around with such violence that
the snuif-box flies out on the floor, scat
tering the contents far and wide.
And though Allies heart seems ready
to break, yet it furnishes occasion for
another boxing, with q warning to he
more careful in future.
And throughout that long evening
| and doubly long did it seem to the sick
gill for the fierce fever flashes were al
ready wasting her strength-it was
naught Tut toll, toll; tramp, tramp, to
the weary one, sick in body and sorrow
ing of soul. Pining for what? Not for
gaudy tinery, not alone for lost mother,
but for that love and sympathy that
should flow from soul to soul. as free and
shoreless as the waves of mid ocean.
Not until the visitors were gone was
Allie allowed any supper, but she loathed
the sight, and said she felt unwell.
80 you're sick, you hussy you, after
playing in the water all the afternoon
| guess you may go to bed; it's no use
sending for doctor, l never heard of
them doing children any good"
Allie crept up into the garrett on her
pellet of straw, aud was soon locked in
the EN- mbraces Of the friend to those who
sorrow with crime. But her sleep was
broken by fltful startinRs, and once she
awoke murmuring, Mother! dear moth