Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-04-16
The Baby's Picture.


The Baby's Picture.
Miss Arethusa Peppard was out of tenn
per. She said she was mad" But it
must have been mild kind of madness,
for her pleasant voice had only a dash of
sharpness, but no fire cleaned from her
soft brown eyes. But she Oas out of tenn
per; no doubt about that, and no wonder.
She had left her mite of cottage early
that April morning, and gone over to New
York to shop, and in the very first store
she entered-a store crowded with people
buying seeds and bulbs and plants-her
pocket book, containing her half-monthly
allowance, had been stolen, and she had
been obliged TO return to Summertown
without the young lettuces and cabbages
and onion sets and parsley and radish
seeds that she had intended the very next
day to plant in her mite of a garden. And
every day lost in u garden in early spring,
us everybody knows, or ought to know, is
II loss indeed, and there's nothing in the
world so eXasperating to an amateur gar
dener, us everybody also knows, or ought
amateur gardener: Good morning, Miss
Peppard. How backward you are this
year! Your radishes are just showing.
and we've had at least Il dozen a day for
three days past. And our parsley's up,
and our onions doing nicely, And you
used to be so forward!'
SO Miss Peppard, who was II dear little
sweet-faced, wonderfully bright old lady,
living in the neatest and most comfortable
manner on IA small income, with a faithful
colored servant woman n few years young
er than herself n roly- poly dog, Il tor
toise-shell cat and three birds, had two
reasons for being sorely veXed. the loss Of
her money and the loss of the days which
she had expected would start the green
things agrewing.
All the money had, she said to Peteona
called Ona for short-as she rocked
nervously back and forth in her rocking
chair, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks
flushed. only wish | could catch the
thief. I'd send him to jail rs sure rs
grass is green
OATS sho' enutf, Miss eppar'-Peteona
always dropped the I'D an it'd sarve
'em zack'ly right, wen dey '0ar kctched,
to be drug to de lookup by lie heels. Then
after II slight pause. which was Ona's
way, she added an after-thought Dono
dough; s'pose dey might rs well take de
pore wretch by de head
All the money | had, repeated Miss
Peppard; five and twenty dollars; and |
can get any more for two woeks, for
borrow | never did and never will And
there's the garden all laid out and ready
for planting, and Mrs. Brown sets out her
lettuccs and cabbage plants tomorrow
morning, and she'll be sending them here
with her compliments-he compliments
indeed before ours have begun to head.
If she do, | frow EN- ober de fence.
said Ona. Better eat them, dough, guess.
Her omplimen's can't hurt EN-.
And oh! my conscience Miss Peppard
went on (she could invoke her "con-
science " thus lightly, dear old lady, be-
cause she had nothing on itl, blby's pic
ture was in that pocket book. And |
can't get another, Polly said it was the
last, and the photographer don't come
that way but once n year.
Well, well, you G"c poor soul. SYM
pathized Peleona, to 60 an lose dat ar
picter-dat lubly thing jus like borncd
angel. An yer sisters onlicst chile
cept five. Wish had dat robber yere dis
mlnnit; Id box his ears so he couldn't sit
down for week.
He wouldn't be here loog, said her mis-
tress. OF all things in The wide world,
hate thief. I'd have him put where
he'd steal nothing for Il year or two nj
least.
Might be II she; dar's shc.robbers; sug
gested Ona; an deys all wuss den cater
pillars. Caterpillars takes yo' things
right fore yo' eyes-don't sneak in yo
pockit. Take II cup of tea, Miss Pepplr'
Dar's no use freltin' no mo-. And the
cats ben settin' on yer skirt for half ar
hour, wantin' you to notice her, pore
thing. She JUS came in off de porch {
mint ago.
Miss Peppard took the tea and spoke tc
the cat, bat she couldn't help fretting
and she slept but little that night. ant
awoke the next morning almost us vexeC
us ever, and denounced the thief at iater
walls of about half an hour from breaklas
until dinner, although Peteona emphatic
ally remarked: Dar' no use cursin' IN
swe 4rin' Miss Peppar'; can't do no good
w ISL tlttu uuI loUDlil uCDDll
But after dinner, for which Ona servet
a soothing little stew and cooling creau
custard, the old lady became little calm
er and retired to her own room to write
letter to her sister Polly, vino live,
away off in Michigan: And can
make II strawberry bed this summer, us
intended and I'll have to wear my oil,
bonnet, and, dear, dear, how | shall mis-
baby's picture! when Peteona opened tn
door sans cercn1onie, rs she always did
and walked in with mysterious air
Pusson wants to see you, Miss Peppar' =
man pusson. Bout boy age, guess.
What does he lc ok like, and where di
you leave himp asked the old lady, layin
down her pen and looking little alarm
ed.
Out on de po'ch | lock de do. An
he's dirty. ragged feller. Shall broor
him OIL, Miss Peppar'? Looks us do h
ort to be broomed otf--or glib sumfn t
cat-pore, bony, dirty soul.
I'll come right down, said Miss Pei
! pard; and down she went. And there o
the porch stood n dirty. ragged, forIorr
looking boy of about twelve years of age
looking exceedingly "bony" and hal
starved, sure enough. He pulled off h
apology for cap when Miss Peppar
opened the door, but sid never wor
S until the old lady asked him, in II mil
a voice-she never spoke unkindly to di
: and rags; Well, my boy, what do yc
/ want?
= Then you lost your pocket book, yistc
: day, he blurted out.
@ Yes, said she, eagerly. That is, it WI
stolen from me; for felt il in my pock
}, a moment before missed it. Do yc
know the thief?
l. I'm him, was the answer; and he rais'
L :, mir of dirk nvns LhlI lnnknl likn Il