The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-07-26

4
washing and combing and brushing
which fell to his lot without a murmur
Or complaint.
"Now. Trottimus," said his mamma.
very seriously, when the last trace of his
misfortune had been removed from him,
I" 1 am going to put you up stairs in my
chamber for half an hour because you
disobeyed me and went into Betsey s
pantry where have told you never to
CO." And so she took aud chubby hand
in hers, and very slowly ana sorrowfnily
they went up stairs together.
81 will hing your little bell when
the half hour has passed." said
mamma Alice as she closed the door,
"and then # you feel like being good
boy you may come down." And SO she
lett him.
The half hour passed very YEARLY and
| slowly to mamma Alice, for it always
makes her heart ache to punish Trotti-
kins, even when he is naughtiest. But
| ut last the thirty minutes were gone and
| she went to the door and rung the bell
but no Trottikins appeared. Again
she rung it, then again; and then lit
tie voice said pleasantly:
"You needn't mind bout ringing it
again, mamma Alice. L am coming
down presently, but I'm pretty busy
just now"
"Busy?" What could the little mis-
chief be doing? Mamma Alice did not
stop to think, but ran up stars as quickly
as possible-and what a sight 1T was
which met her eyes
On the pretty little Persian rug before
her bureau sat Trottikins, his face glow
ing with triumphant smile behind the
bars and blotches of darkness which or
namented 1T, with mamma Alice's bottle
of French Dressing in one hand and the
dripping sponge in the other.
g thought I'd just fits my shoes
little" he said, in no way discounted
by her sudden appearance; "5ut the
backing runs round or fly, n L guess
I've got little on my stockings, too"
And then ANNA Alice sat down
on the floor in despair; for, not
only had Trottikins got good deal
more than ga little" on his pretty
striped stockings, but every article Of
| furniture and raiment within his reach
was ornamented with it, in splashes. and
dabs, and spots, and streaks and spat-
tiers, and Trottikins, from the tips of his
little pink ears to the toes of his ruined
stockings, looked as though he had been
indulging in shOwer-bath of ink.
When papa Fred came home at noon
he found mamma lying on ,he sofa in
the sitting room, with tie blinds closed
and the curtains down, and her head
bound up tightly in large white hand.
kerchief, while Trsttikins sat beside her,
quiet and penitent, in the character OF
chief nurse.
"Tve plagued mamma or'hy," he an
nounced with becoming gravity aud con-
triton. FIRST, [ whlted myself, and
then BACKED myself, and then split
her head. But I'm or'fy sorry, papa
Fred, n I'm going to be IA good roy till
it heals together again"
And so papa Fred and Trottikins had
a very solemn and quiet dinner to yether
and then papa went back down town,
and Trottikins, reinforced by Miss Davis
who had been discovered cozlly sleeping
IN Betseys clothes basket, sat down
again beside his mamma and was still
for fully two minutes. At the end OF
that time he grew restless, and gazing
around in search of some mployment
ne espied the great cut-glass cologne
bottle which careless papa Fred, after
bathing his mammals aching head, had
left wlthin reach of his boys little
fingers.
81 guess I'll put some more O. that
on mammals hapkfieh," said lrottikins
very softly to Miss Davis: and, sliding
her out of his lap, he took the precious
bottle in his two chubby hands.
Mamma Alice was lying half-asleep,
with her eyes covered 10y told of the
bandage around her head, and did no,
notice Trottikins' low remark; neither
did she know when he mounted upon
his stool In order to reach her more
easily, and stood holding the bottle close
to his breast with one arm, while with
the other hand he struggled with the
gronnd-elass stopper. Miss Davis was
the only one beside himself aware of his
intentions or movements, and she pre-
served discreet silence as she stood
beside him looking up at him curiously.
The stopper was obstinate, AS ground
glass shoppers are apt to be, and Trotti-
kins' little fingers were not very strong.
For few minutes it seemed as though
his eff ,rts would result only in failure /;
but at last the little fingers gave sud.
denly effective jerk, the stopper came
out most Unexpectedly, and, at the same
moment, the stooi under Trottikins' feet
slipped treacherously away, and down
upon mamma Alice's PROSTATE form
came Trottikins like an avalanche, CO.
logne- bottle and all, while the stopper
fell right between Miss Davis greer
eyes and caused her to emit sudden
howl of surprise and anguish as che
darted into the shelter OF the regions OF
the sofa, there to wonder at and medi
tate upon her young masters suddenly
hostile proceedings toward her unoffend
ing and dignified self.
, A moment later, mamma Alice, having
partially recovered her breath, sat NJ
, very straight, dripping and dishevelled
and gazed hopelessly at her drenchet
and unhappy son who, still grasping tn,
cologne bottle tightly-albeit it was to-
} tally empty and upside down-stood
before her.
Frederick Malcolm Poinaexter
she began, in voice tremulous will
emotion-and then she stopped sud
denly; he did look 30 very wet ant