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

FARMERS IN 1877.
Men all in debt.
[ Wives in a pet,
Boys ulere musvleo.
Girls puffs and rufHes,
And everybody cheated.
TOTS, THE PEACE-MAKER.
Tots was just upon the point Of
stepping into bed, when an idea struck
her.
| 1t had been trying day for Tots al
the way through. From morning un
til night this insignificant member OF
the family had been in difficulties, and
a source of much discomfort to herself
end other people. It was hot, every
hody was cross, and Tots, whose re-
sources in the way of entertainments
was limited, had had great troubles tc
dispose Of her time. In the morning
she had gone fishing in the duck.pond,
with a crooked pin for 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 its 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 storm Of decun.
citation upon her head that the unsuc.
cessfal angler, who had expected moth
ing but congratulations upon her nar-
row escape from drowning, was dis
gusted. Aunt Susan dressed her, and
Tots suffert j SO much during the oper.
alton that she vowed never to go nee ::
the pond again.
After dinner she had wandered OUT
to the arbor, underneath whose leafy
J roof Flo Stanton was playing with her
clergyman.lover's 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, too
well behaved 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, To4s
thought she might venture upon q 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 a burden. Tots
began to look upon the world as a
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 Il 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 | her bread
and butter and strawberries certainly
did theic part toward raising her spir-
its. B 1t after supper came the cul-
.ninat ig disaster Of the day. In a
thoughtless moment, Tots, in spite ~
the warnings of past experience, W.
dered into the kitchan. The kitten ,cv
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 a hundred piec. Aunt Susan wit.
"essed 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 owe
come. So she toddles upstairs, lays
aside the garment she has worn dur.
ing the day, and buttons herself into
her bifurca+ d night-dress,
Then it is that the idea comes to her.
-ots, notwithstanding her tender
ears, is devoted to fictitious litera.
IRE. 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.
off," 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 nuisance and boxed her ears. 1t
lust have been very nice to live in
re little house with Dodo and Jip. /
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 cunningest lit
tie cottage, with an old woman for a
housekeeper.
"1t 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 hea1t-acne 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 small BODY
turning some1 s2ult into the middle
of his room.
II caught my toe and tumbled," ex.
plains Tots, assuming an upright posi-