Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-05-30
Two Ways of Ending a Story.
BY EMILY HUNTINGTON MILLER.

Two Ways of Ending a Story.
BY EMILY HUNTINGTON MILLER
Bun had sore throat. That was the
reason she did not 90 to school, but sat
cuddled up in big rocking chair, with
a strip of red flannel about her neck
body but Bun in the little log house away
out on that Minnesota prairie. Papa
was a mail-carrier, and it would be dark
long before he got back with the great
leather pouch that must 90 on to the
Crossing in the morning. Mamrna-ah
when Bun saw her dear face last she did
not open her eyes with one smile for her
little daughter, and she thought she was
asleep. She knew more about it now,
but her heart had never quite done ach-
ing for her. especially when she was sick
and wanted so much to be cuddled and
petted. Lottie petted her sometimes, but
Lottie had not much time, for she was
only twelve years old herself, and such
busy little housekeeper She had gone
away now three miles across the prairie
to a good woman's house, to have some
warm clothes cut out for Bun, and some
flannel shirts for her father. Lottie
could sew like machine with ten patent
attachments and self-regulating feed, but
for cutting out [ really couldn't recon-
mend her. No one is expected to excel
in everything.
Poor Bun, with a big pile of wood be-
hind the stove, nice little dinner in the
cupboard, and her maltese kitty for COM
pany, got on tolerably we'll until towards
evening, when all at once the sky
thickened up with one of those furious
Minnesota snOw-StOrms-snOW every
where, and the wind hurrying it along
until it looked like a white river rushing
past the windows. Bun put some more
wood in the stove and curled her feet up
in the chair, rocking slowly and watch
ing the windows. Wonderful pictures
were growing all over them. The one
furthest from the stove was like lovely
grotto with silver columns shooting up
around the edges and great glittering
arches over a clear white lake in the
middle. The other was a forest of trees
and flowers with white shapes like
children among them, and on one side
stars raining down just as leaves fall in
the wind. Bun began to make stories
for the picture after a pretty fashion she
had con ured up in her odd little head.
"Once a little girl, bout as big as
me, was coming home across the prairie
and she came to woods; the woods
didn't used to be there, it grew right up
out of the ground, the little girl saw it
grow, all full of flowers and leaves, and
moss, in brook, and high rocks, high
erin the rocks in grandpa's lodges, and
everything was white and shiny. The
little girl walked and walked, and pretty
soon she saw an old witch woman sitting
on a-on a-looks 'zactly like tea
kettle, but [ guess I'll say it was a
stump; and the old woman shiyered and
shivered so you could hear her back
bones rafting together like a rattle
snake. And she asked the little girl to
give her the warm flannel she had in her
bundle, and the little girl didn't want
to, but she did-all but one little teenty
piece; she saved that to pin around her
cause her throat was sore, and she had
the Group besides And then she ran
away because she was frightened of the
witch woman, but the witch woman few
she had wings, four Of 'em, like grass
hopper-and she said, Little girl, your
fathers got lost way out on the prairie,
hOme.'"
"And the little girl sat right down by
the side of the brook, and all the cold
white leaves on the trees began to snow
down on her, and she got colder and
colder, and by'm by she was all buried
up in cold white leaves, and they never
found her."
Bun dropped her face upon kitty $
soft fur, and began to cry, quite over
come by the doleful picture on the Win
dow, mixed up with some thoughts that
Lottie might have lost her way, and her
father might never get home, and she
herself might freeze to death there all
alone. 1t was very still in the room
only for the tea-kettle whistling through
It's nose little fine shrill tune, and the
croupy old clock saying in slow, hoarse
fashion, BUM Bun! Bun! BUM"
ALI at once there was sound Of
stamping outside she door, CHEEKY little
laugh, and Lottie came in, tumbiing her
big bundle before her, and calling out:
Why, Bun, all in the darkr'
And kitty jumped down and made
herself into camel; arching her grey
back, stretching her claws and showing
her sharp teeth in great yawn Lottie
hustled about, lighted the lamp bright
ened up the fire, and set the tea kettle
where it had to stop whistling and go
about its business in good earnest. All
the time she talked to Bun in her own
merry fashion about her days visit, and
how jeremiah Peters had brought her
home behind him on old Whitley; and
Bun sat in the rocking chair nibbling a
sponge cake and forgot all about her
troubles. Lottie had brought home a
great bottle of new milk, rolled up like a
5 baby in the middle of her bundle. and
: two red apples in her pocket that Jere-
miah Peters bought at St. Paul on pur-
pose for her and Bun Bun thought she
!. would have hers roasted and Lottie
opened the stove in front and put the
: apple on saucer before the red Goals,
that Bun could watch If and smell If