Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-05-29
Che :familu Circle.
What PIllywlnk Did.

Pillywink didn't do. for as his mother
sometimes distractcdly remarked, He Is
IN to something from morning till night. !"
;" Why did you call him Pillywink?"
Well. that is just what Aunt Lucinda
asked his brother Daniel one day, and this
is w hat Daniel told her:
"Why, you see, his name uSen't to be
Pillywink. 1t used to he RtSmus; bat
one day when Luther Jones WAS singin'
johnny S-hmoker-you know it says, Pill
lywillywink, DIS iss mem feier.'-well,
when Luther Jones came 10 that part the
baby laughed like everything. Luther
kept goin' back to it just for fun, and
everylime he said it, bahy' pretty near
90 into fits. So we called him little PLY
wink, an now he won't be called any
thing else"
Its II ridiculous, heathenish name"
said Aunt Lucinda.
He likes it," replied Daniel compos-
edy. $50 what's the odds?'
Aunt Lucinda was about TO reply when
she heard the subject of their remarks
singing lullaby tn his colored rag baby,
" Uncle Tom" accompanying himself
with his drum sticks. which gave strange
mufflrd sound, quite unlike their usu al
dralening chatter. Remembering that she
had forgotten to cover the bread which
>he had left upon the kitchen hearth To
rise, she ran out to attend to it.
Poor Aunt Lucinda! How did her eyes
grow large and black and awful, rs she
saw Uncle Tom reposing serenely in the
very middle OF her bread pan, the contents
of which Pillvwink was indu,triously stir
ring up with his stick
"Good land!' she exclaimed. taking
them from his chubby hands, and setting
him down hard in the rocking chair
well, it doesn't make any difference
what they call you, that's II fact"
P,llywink's heart sweled with sense
of injury The tears gathered in his brigll
eyes, queer little bunch came in his
throat. Poor baby How did he know
that that spft, warm, sticky something
which had almost made Il white man OF
Uncle Tom, would ever grow into y
delicious biscuit and mullins or li9ht
snowy loaves lie didn't know it, lie
only knew that his play had been spoiled,
and that he had been scol led.
He couldn't stand it. The troublesome
bunch grew larger. He looked ut Aunt
Lucinda with quivering lip, and wide open
blue eyes, in which the tears were gather
ing. Faster and faster they came-those
tenrs-they chased each other down his
rosy cheeks, and made his mouth taste rs
it did when his mother put too much sail
in the soup. He opened his mouth wide
then, and cried as if his poor little heart
were quite broken.
Aunt Lucinda wasn't hard hearted
woman. - he could scold with the best
of thcm,n she said; "but Il hand organ
was sweeter music to her ear any day thar
a babys CRY ing"
So She took Pillywink on her knee, an,
trolted him off To Bambury Cross; ther
lold him about little Jack lorner, and tn,
old woman who swept the cObwebS from
the sky, to which interesting rrcltals III
tried to turn deaf ear, but co ldn't-trie'
o keep green the memory of his wron4
by constant wafer. but found it growing
fainter and fainter still; and when tn,
old man dressed in leather, with his com
,cal " How do YOU do? was introduced
he buried his sorrow," quite out of sign
and laughed heartily.
Mo, no." he begged, clinging to hi
iuntie's neck, rs she was about putin
him down.
Well Just one morc,' and she incau
tiously told him this:
Preacher, preacher standing so high,
| What have you got in your pocket?
| Nuts and sweet apbl, s, and sugar plums gay,
| For The good lttle boys who are quiet To day
III TO, the bad chI zen who Whisper and play,
I've nothing but switches; now what do YOU say
PiIlywink laughed louder, pntting th'
faded checks with hi fat fingers Daniel
whose black eyes had been darling angry
9llncrs at his maternal lelative, whom Ii,
su,p cted Of sinister designs upon his lilll,
brothers peace of mind, now cundesccnde,
To smile.
lis that goose verse, Aunt Lucinda?'
e. think it must be-"
"We've got II preacher comm to Dodd
Greek next Sunday, an Pillywink Il 60
Won't you PIlIywnk?"
The baby nodded.
PIlIywink go! gasped Aunt Lucinda
Eyes. ma'am We always take him
replied Daniel pompously.
Aunt Lucinda WAS Yankee, and Dan
tel and Pillywink lived away out West
they did not have preaching every Sun
day, and when they did Of course ever,
one W Shed to hear it
1t had taken the mother a long time t.
overcome her east, IN ideas of the proprie
Lles-prejudices her husband called them
Many IL Sunday had she spent AT HON
with Daniel in her arms, when her yer,
soul onged for The sound OF The goo,
words which were comforting Others
When Pillywnk came she said 10 herseI
|" will be brave. cannot deny mysrl
longer. | will do rs the Romans" An,
50 Pilywlnk went to church.
You should have seen the little FELLOW
when they started off upon the followin!
Sunday morning The church was mil
or Two Oft, across the prairie; but what u
that when there were dozen horses with
in their call.
Never was there happier child than
Pilywink, when his father lifted him /,
whal he considered the seat of honor upol
old Gray S back. With papa S arm abou
him, and old Gray's name waving gent,
in front, he fe that perfect bliss was il
store and was jubilant.
dear ne! cried Aunt Lucinda; Il
you should let him fall. Hiram"
Old Gray never',l let him fall" quot
Daniel, gravely. "He knows him ever,
time" And well he might, if he tool
note of sundry smolhering hugs, or per
tinacious twisting of his name and tail b.
certain baby fingers.
4" | don know groaned Aunt Lucinda
"There's always II first time. Are yol
going TO let him ride SO, LucreliaP"
" He wouldn't ride any other way,
laughed Lucretia. who was PllywinkI
mother. Get in sister"
So they started; Daniel on his Indian
pony, riding side by side with papa TN,
his little brother, mamma and Aun
Lucinda following in an open buggy
drawn by Nelly Bly,"
How you would have enjoyed goin:
will them upon that pleasant June Sab
bath! The ride over the green. blossom
ing prairie, with the wind just stirring tn,
short grass blades and causing the flower
to wave their bright good morning." WA
something to make one feel the suuthin!
influence of mother Natures sweet brnc
dctlon, and to drive away even the mem
DRY of week day cares and perplcxities.
Even Pillywlnk seemed to feel this Il
first. lie rode soberly along watching tn
turtle doves rs they flew quite near him
or barking" to the musical "Bo
| WLiIa - nj th. ,,n,,,