The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-04-19

FARMERS IN 1877.
Men all in debt,
Wives in a pet,
Boys uitre Iuovlce,
Girls puffs and rutRes,
And everybody cheated.
TOTS, THE PEACE-MAKER.
Tots was just upon the point OF
stepping into bed, whenan idea struck
her.
1t had been trying day for Tots all
the way through. From morning un.
til night this insignificant member OF
the family had been in difficulties, and
source of much discomfort to herself
and other people. It was hot, every
body was cross, and Tots, whose re.
sources in the way of entertainments
was limited, had had great troubles to
dispose Of her time. In the morning
she had gone fishing in the duck.pond,
with a crooked pin for a hook, and q
ball Of worsted for line. After wait.
ing patiently for her prey for some
time, she had tired of this amusement.
owing to it's non.success, and deter.
mined to 90 after some water.lilies.
When Tots grasped the water.lily, the
board upon which she rested her tiny
feet slipped from under them, and Tots
was summarily precipitated into the
pond. When she appeared at the farm
house, her bedraggled condition
! brought down such a storm Of decun.
citation upon her head that the unsuc.
cessf0l angler, who had expected moth.
ing but congratulations upon her Dar-
row escape from drowning, was disr
gusted. Aunt Susan dressed her, and
Tots suffert i SO much during the oper.
alton that she vowed never to 90 nee y
the pond again.
After dinner she had wandered OUT
to the arbor, underneath whose leafy
roof Flo Stanton was playing with her
| clergyman. lovers heart, as if there
was so little pain in the world that she
could afford to manufacture more.
To listened to the whole interview,
and watched the minister 60 away, to-
well young woman to inter.
upt the tete-a.tete. But after having
furtively watched Aunt Flo cry as if
her heart would break, for the two
hours succeeding his departure, TOTS
thought she might venture upon lit
tie consolation. 1t really was too bad
that her well-meant efforts only result
ed in a pair of boxed ears, and abrupt
orders to Ego away"
Then life became burden. Tots
began to look npon the world as
melancholy place. There was nothing
10 do. and everybody was too full of
their own affairs to r:y her any at
tention. 1t was q CLEAN of brightness
when the bell rang for supper. In
spite of her WEAKNESS and general dis
gust with sublunary affairs, Tots still
retained her appetite, Al l her bread
and butter and Strawberries certainly
did thei: part toward raising her spir-
its. ]S 1t after supper came the cul-
ninat 'g disaster of the day. In
thougntless moment, Tots, in spite rcc
the warnings of past experience, wp--
dered into the kitchan. The kitten jcv
under the stove, aud Tots made rush
to take possession Of her pet plaything.
Her foot slipped, she fell against the
table, and a big china dish went
humping, bouncing, ,crashing,on to the
floor. The altar on which burnt
sacrifices were da - -fered lay broken
in hundred piec@ Aunt Susan wit.
nessed the whole transaction, and in
two minutes Tots was seized, spanked
and sent to bed.
There is nothing to do but yield to
Fate and Aunt Susan. They are com.
'bination too strong for Tots to ovt :.
come. So she toddles up.suairs, LAY 8
aside the garment she has worn dur
NJ fho <}uxy onI h,,f%o,,c I, :.>Ao
her bifurca+ d night-dress,
Then it is that the idea comes to her.
lots, Notwithstanding her tender
ears, is devoted to fictitious litere.
..lre. She cannot read herself, bu
she takes great pleasure in listening
20 Aunt Fanny, who sometimes enter
tains the family by reading aloud.
Their last author was Dickens. and
Tots imagination has been greatly ex.
cited by the beautiful story of David
Copperlield and his child-wife, little
Dora.
"lf," says Tots to herself, II could
only marry somebody. Now Dora was
jus as good for nothing as am, and
yet Dodo loved her, and nobody called
her a nuisance and boxed her ears. 1t
lust have been very nice to live in
-le little house with Dodo and Jip. l
wonder if could find anybody to mar
ry me?"
Then, all of a sudden, Tots thinks of
the minister. His name is David, and
he lives all alone in the cunuingest lit
tie cottage, with an old woman for
housekeeper.
cit would be just the thing" thinks
Tots. I'll ask him."
With Tots, to plan is to execute.
She Withdraws the foot with which
she has begun to scale the heights of
the bed, and goes to the window. The
moon shines brightly. She ism bit
afraid. In two minutes she has
scrambled over the roof of the shed, =,
seized the bo1gh of the old apple.tree,
let herself quietly down to the ground,
and is on her way to the minister's
house.
The Rev. David Thornton, sitting
gloomily in his study on the ground
floor Of his house, and fighting mar.
fully with the heart-acle caused by a
girls careless words, is suddenly
Startled by two white legs tearing their
way through the vines that grow in
front O., window, end a small body
turning some4 52llt into the middle
of his room.
81 caught my toe and tumbled," ex-
plains Tots, assuming an upright posi-.
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