Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-03-27


So to speak;
While TIE wriler OF this diity,
Who You see is rather witty,
Has to scrub about the city
Wee York Conn., ADVERTISER.
THE BABY'S PICTURE.
Miss Arethusa Peppard was out OF
teuper. She said she was ''mad." But
it must have been mild kind of mad.
ness, for her pleasant voice had only q
dash OF sharpness, and no fire flashed
from her soft brown eyes. But she was
out Of temper; no doubt about that, and
no wonder. She had left her mite of a
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 pocketbook, con-
tanning 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 raddish seeds that
she had intended the very next day to
plant in her mite of garden. And
every day lost in a garden in early
spring, as every body knows, or ought to
know, is loss indeed, and there's moth
ing in the world so exasperating to an
amateur gardener, as everybody also
knows, or ought to know, than to hear
from a neighbor'Dg amateur gardener:
"Good morning, Miss Peppard. How
backward you are this year! Your rad
dishes are just showing, and we've had
at least a dozen g day for three days
past. And our parsley's up, and our
onions are doing nicely. And you used
10 be so forward
So Miss Peppard, who was a dear
little sweet-faced, wonderfully bright
old lady, living in the neatest and most
comfortable manner on a small income,
with faithful colored servant woman q
few years younger than herself, a roly-
poly dog, a tortoise-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 expected
would start the green thingsa-growing.
"All the money 1 had" she said to
Peteona-called Ona for short-as she
rocked back and forth in her rocking
chair, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks
flushed, II only wish l could catch the
thief. I'd send him to Jail as sure as
grass is green.'
"Dat's sho' enuf, Miss Peppar' Pc
teona always dropped the " d." an it'd
sarye 'em zackly right, wen dey was
ketched, to be drug to de lock up by de
heels" Then, after a slight pause,
which was Ona's way, she added an after,
thought: "Dono, dough; s'pose dey
might as we'll take de poor wretch by de
head.
Cali the money I had" repeated
Miss Peppard; " fve.and.twenty dollars:
and don't get any more for two weeks,
for borrow 1 never did and never will.
And there's the garden all laid out and
ready for planting, and Mrs. Brown sets
out her lettuces and cabbage plants TO-.
morrow morning, and she'll be sending
them here with her mplimeats-her
compliments, indeed!-before ours have
begun to head"
"If she do, I'll frow 'em ober de
fence" said Ona. "Better eat 'em,
hurt 'em.''
"And, Oh! my conscience!" Miss
Peppard went on (she could invoke her
conscience" thus lightly, dear old
lady, because she had nothing on it),
baby's picture 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 a year,
"Well, we'll you are a pore SOUL" sym.
pathized Peteona, "to 60 an lose dat ar
picter-dat lubly thing JUS like borned
angel. An yer sisters onliest chile
'cept five. Wish I had dat robber yere dis
minnit; I'd box his ears so he couldn't
set down fur week."
HE wouldn't be here long," said her
mistress. "Of all things in the wide
world, hate a thief. I'd have him put
where he'd steal nothing for. a year or
two at least
"Might be a she; dar's she-robbers,"
suggested Ona; am dey's all wuss den
caterpillars. Caterpillars takes .yo'
things right fore yo' eyes-don't sneak
in 20 pockit. Take a cup of tea, Miss
Peppar'. Oars no use frettin' no mo-.
An de cats ben a-settin' on yer skirt for
half an hour, wantin' you to notice her,
pore thing. She JUS came in of de
po'ch mint ago."
Miss Peppard took the tea, and spoke
to the cat; but she couldn't help fret
ting; and she slept but little that night,
aud awoke the next morning almost as
vexed as ever, and denounced the thief
at intervals of about half an hour from
breakfast until dinner, although Peteona
emphatically remarked: "Dar's no use
cursin' an swearin', Miss Peppar' ;. can't
do no good. Wish I had dat Robin
debbil here, dough-" - ia
But after dinner, for which Ona served
asoothing little stew and cooling cream
custard, the old lady became T. little
caimer, and retired to her own room to
write letter to her sister Polly, who
lived away off in Michigan; and she had
just written: "And I can't make q
strawberry bed this summer. as intend
Ell, and I'll have to wear nv old bonnet,
and, dear! dear! how shall miss babv'e
picture" when Peteona opened the door
sans ceremonie, as she always did, and
walked in with mysterious air. "Pus.
son want to see you, Miss Peppar'-
man Pusson. Bout boys ape, I
gness."
What does he look like, and where
did you leave him?' asked the old ladv.
laying down her pen, and looking little
alarmed. 81. 81
"0ut On de porch. I lock de do
An An, he's dirty, ragged Teller dat looks
JUS like dirty, ragged Teller. Shall
Dloom him of, Miss Peppar? Looks a.
ooogn ne ort to be broomed off-ox git
su q TI 70 eat-Pore, bony, dirty soul. y
come right down" eaid Miss Pep
on the porch stood a dirtv raoced fnr.
lorn.looking boy of II years ~ AZ. .s
looking exceedingly ebony" and half.
ssalvee, sure enough. He pulled off hi.
a apology II tor , z cap when Miss Peppard
opened the door, but said never word
until the old lady asked him in a mid
voice-she never spoke unl1ndlv to diri
and IN = q Wall 49, .-l.tt ~ ~ 49, 49,