Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-04-03
Nothing to Do.

Kit had taken a slight cold, and so
she did not have to go TO school, Al
though glad enough to stay at home,
she could think of nothing in particu-
lar to do, and after breakfast she wan
dered around the house aimlessly for
awhile. She finally strayed into her
fathers study. No one was there. On
the table was the unfinished sermon,
Just where her father had left it. Kit
glanced over the neatly-written pages
but did not attempt to read them. Then
she went into the sitting-room; but her
mother was not there, for she had gone
out also. Kit returned to the study,
feeling trife lonesome, and for lack
of better enjoyment she built large
fire on the hearth. She placed the
backlog and fore-log in their places;
and this done she sat down in big
chair TO enjoy the blaze. She had not
sat long there, when she heard queer
rustic, and turning toward the door,
she saw enter a half-dozen crash towels.
They were signing at tremendous rate;
and finally one of them said quite
plainly:
"She promised she'd hem us the first
day she could; and she hasn't thought
Of us once"
Kits conscience reproached her. She
was Just going to excuse herself, when
q pair OF thiek-soled walking boots
shuffied in.
"Seven buttons of r. they groaned
dismally; "and she declared she would
sew them on the FIRST day she had
time"
Kit felt much ashamed; but she
could think of nothing 10 say, so she
sat very still, blushing, however,
good deal, for the crash towels and
walking boots we're staring at her most
unpleasantly.
The silence was growing oppressive.
The towels and shoes stared and stared,
until poor Kit felt very much like cry
ing; and she would have done SO had
not her attention been attracted by q
fnnny scraping noise in the hall. The
towels bent their heads forward to look,
and the shoes turned themselves
squarely around to look, az there entered
Kits upper bureau drawer. Such a
looking thing al II was IL was
crammed full with ribbons, pins, bits of
iewelry, collars, cuffs, morsels of very
sticky taffy candy, fancy work, chest
nut shells, handkerchiefs, gloves, some
apples, notes from the schoolgirls
little Of everything. in fact; and IL
seemed as though Kit had stirred them
all together like pudding. The crash
towels laughed disagreeably. and the
boots squeaked in disdain.
"She was going to put me in order a.
soon as she had time," said the knob Of
the drawer, meaningly. Bangi From
off the top shelf dropped fat history
of the United States, and as IL landed
on the floor, 1t leaves opened ct the ac-
count of the settlement Of New York by
the Dutch in 1910.
Kits cheeks grew redder yet. She
had promised her father 10 read that
sometime when che had nothing else to
do; and here she had dawdled away
nearly whole morning In trying to
amuse herself. She looked sadly ct the
uuhemmed towels, the grinninE shoes,
the disordeFed bureau drawer, and tho
history; and they looked at her IN such
. disagreeable way that Kit put her
hands up before her face and began TO
sob. Straightway the shoes hoped up
and began to kick her, the crash towel
slapped her face. the bureau drawer
flung applesat her, and the fat history
climbed up on top of her head and began
TO push her In the FIRE. With > great
effort Kit tried to get away; and ct last
she succeeded in rolling OF her chair to
the floor. Then she woke mp. She
moved her eyes and stared around the
quiet room; and after second ahe re-
aiized that she had been dreaming.
5traightway che rose and went TO her