Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-01-17
A Selfish Little Girl; or, the French Doll.

ny LESLIE ruoRNg.
You never in all your life saw such doll
as Aunt Libby brought little Kate Cooper
from Paris. In the first place, it was as
large as Rates own baby brother, with the
loveliest china-blue eyes that would open
and shut, coral eardrops in its pretty ears,
clothes that would button and unbutton,
and come off, real little pink kid boots, and
pink silk stockings, and French hat all
trimmed with roses and buttercups. And,
in addition to all this, there was small
leather trunk, with beautiful clothes. Kate
could hardly believe she wasn't dreaming
when Aunt Libby presented that lovely
vision to her sight.
"And is it all my own" said she, breath
lessly.
"All your own, every bit of i'll" answered
Aunt Libby, smiling.
And Kate caught up the doll under one
arm, and the trunk under the other, and
ran off as fast as she could to her own ROOM
Little Selma, the next youngest sister,
looked soberly after her.
81 wish Aunt Libby had given it to any
one of us girls except Kate" said she.
Why 2" asked Aunt Libby.
Because" answered Selma, "Kate is so
stingy. She never lets any one play with
her things If we so much as touch her
work-box, or her books or her dominoes,
she sets up a cry: Don't you'll ruin this
you'll spoil that =" and Selma frowned and
raised her voice to an unamiable shrek, in
comica mimicry of her elder sister. ave
call her Stingy Kate!'
"That is very bad fault" said Aunt
Libby, but dare say she will let you play
with it sometimes"
"No, aunty, she won't" said Selma, and
Bessy, and Annette, all in chorus.
am speak to her." said Aunt Libby.
| For she supposed the children were only
| finding fault, as children will do with each
other But to her surprise, when she spoke
to Kate, she pouted.
81 don't like the girls to be playing with
my things" said she.
"But, my dear, they will be careful not to
| hurt them"
al don't care-theyre mine!" retorted
Kate.
as that any reason no one else should en-
| Joy them"
| "They're mine !" said Kate, ga nd no.
| body shall play with them but me-"
| "Kate," said Aunt Libby, 81 am afraid
you are growing up a selfish little child"
And Kate went sulking back to the nursery
| The next day she went over to spend the
day with her grandmother, and left Ange-
lima, as she had named the French doll, on
the very top shelf in her dressing closet, so
| that none of the girls could reach it. But
it SO happened that Nina HARDWOOD came to
play with Salina, Bessy, and Annette, and Of
course, asked to see the big doll.
"Mamma," said Salina, "may we show
Hates doll to Nina?"
| Certainly" said Mrs. Cooper.
But we cant reach it," said Salna.
| So Mrs. Cooper got it down, with injunc-
tons to the children to be very careful not
to soil or hurt Angelna's lovely waxen coun-
tenance or beautiful blue cashmere dress
which was the one that Kate had selected
for her to wear that day. And, can tell
you, the children had a splendid time with
Angelina.
But Kate came home, unfortunately, lit
tie earlier than the other three had expected
her, and discovered them in the very act of
a dolls tea party, with Angelina at the head
of the table.
Kate flew into the magic circle, cuffed
Salinas ears, pushed Bessy over, threw a
dagger glance at Annette, and caught An
gelina to her breast.
she angrily.
|
dis that the way to speak TO your little
brothers and sisters ?"
"But, mamma, they've got Angelina
al told them they could play with her il
they would be very CAREFUL" said Mrs
Cooper. 81 did not know that my little
daughter was so deplorably selfish as to
want to keep her pleasures all to herself"
al don't care" said Kate, " they shan't
have her again. I'll hide her."
So the next time she was invited out to a
school picnic, and could not take Angelina
with her, she sought all around for a good
place of concealment for the French young
lady, But Salna, Bessy and Annette hac
nimble feet and sharp eyes, and there
seemed no possible hole or corner into which
} they could not penetrate.
"And it would just spoil all my day.
pleasure" thought selfish little Kate to her
self, "if thought they were playing will
Angelina all the time | was gone. AnC
mamma won't promise not to let them hav,
her. | think it's real mean of her"
There was the barn chamber; but theI
the children often came there to play, wheI
they wanted TO make more noise than was al
owable in the house. The hen house; but cool
a., often sent Salina there to hunt eggs, wheI
she was going to make an omelette or a cake
The garrett; but the boys always kept thei
broken toys and tools up there, and wouldn'
: at all mind saving Angelna's head off, o
amputating one or two of her limbs, If the,
CHANGED to be in the mood. Where SHOULD
she hide her precious treasure? Only TO
a few hours. She should surely be back a
five o'clock.
}. At last, roaming up and down the garden
with Angelina aud the trunk in her hand
, she espied big heap of brush, trimme'
cedar boughs, weeds and pine-cones, whicl
Robert, the gardener, had piled all together
An idea sprang into her head,
t "Ill hide Angelina and the trunk here
q under the cedar boughs,' thought she, jump
ing for Joy "No one will ever think 0
looking for her here. And besides, tn
boughs are so clean and fresh, she won
I get soiled bit, especially if put her i
d her box"
So, safely packed in the oblong pasteboar
box, in which she had come from her Pa
u isian home, Angelina was safely hidden vi
;, der the green cedar boughs.
4 And then Kate dressed herself and wen
'. TO the picnic.
y And the selfshly disposed little girl actt
> ally enjoyed herself great deal more at tn
It picnic from the knowledge that she had hiC
" den her doll away, so that it could not POI
d sibly afford any pleasure to the three littl
!. sisters at home
~ 1t was few minutes past five ocloc
when she walked down the road with Eli
Shipfeld on her way home.
n. "'Come with me, Ellie" said she, as the
"a paused at the gate, "and I'll let you look |
y my new doll that Aunt Libby brought IN
~ from Paris !"
e. Eliza consented at once, for she had hear
i a great deal about this famous doll, and WI
10 curious to see it. But as they entered Il
!! gate great column of smoke assembled frol
10 the direction of the garden.
II "What's that 7" said Kate to Eddie, h,
Is brother, who was transplanting little aste
es in his garden bed.
N. "lt's only Robert burning brush," sa
at Eddie.
re Let's go aud look !" cried Shipfel
id " | think it's real fun to burn brush"
id But Just then, TO the surprise of Edd
he and Ellie, Kate gave piercing scream
any doll !" she cried out " o my beau
full doll"
Dr. For the pile from which the fiery tongu
Ter OF flame and dense columns of smoke {
Is, cended, was the very place In which, I
lis safe keeping, she had deposited her precio
Angelina.