The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-03-28
.5flisccll


Miss Arcthusa Pcppard was out of temper
She said she was mad" But it must have
been mild kind of madness, for her pleasant
voice had only 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
cottage early that April morning, and gone
over to New York TO shop, and in the very
first store she cntercd-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 radsh seeds that she had in
tended the very next day TO plant in her mite
of garden. And every day lost in II garden
in early spring, rs everybody knows, is II loss
indeed, and there's nothing in the world so
cXaSperating to an amateur gardener, as every
body also knows or ought to know, than to
hear from neighboring amateur gardener :
"Good-morning, Miss Peppard. How back
ward you are this year! Your radishes are
Just showing, and we've had at least dozen
a day for three days past. And our parsley's
up, and our onions are doing nicely. And
YOU used to he so forward y
So Miss Peppard, who was a dear little
sweet-faccd, wonderfully bright old lady, liv-
ing in the ncatcst and most comfortable man
ner on small income, with Il faithful colOrcd
servant woman Il few years younger than her
self q roily-pOlly dog, a tOltoise-shcll cat, and
three birds, and two reasons for being sorey
veXed, the loss of her money and the loss of
the days which she had expected would start
the green things a-growing.
"All the money | had" she said to Peteona
called Ona for short--as she rocked ncr-
vouslv back and forth in her rocking-chair,
her eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushed
II only wish could catch the thief I'd send
him to Jail as sure as grass is green"
Oats sho cnuf, Miss Peppar' "-Peteona
always dropped the "d''-"an' ii would sarve
em zackly right, wen dey was ketched, to be
drug to de lookup by de heels" Then after
slight pause, which was Ona's way, she add
ed an after thought "Dono, dough s'posc
dey might rs well take de pore wretch by de
head
"Al the money had" repeated Miss Pep
pard; Internationally dollars; and | can't
get any more for two weeks, 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 send
ing them here with her mplimcnts-hcr
compliments indeed before ours have he
gun to head"
"If she do I'll frow EN- ober de fence, y
said Ona Better eat them, dough, guess.
Her compliments can't hurt EN-"
"And, oh !! my consciencew 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. Pol
ly said it was the last, and the photographers
don't come that way but once year"
"Well, WELL you are pore soul" sympa-
thZed Peteona, "to go an lose dat ar picter-
dat ubly thing JUS like horned angel. An
your sisters onliest chie-'cept five Wish |
had dat robber yere dis minnit; I'd box his
ears so he could not set down fur week"
Gle wouldn't be here long" said her mis-
tress. "Of all things in the wide world,
hate II thief. I'd have him put where he'd
steal nothing for a year or two at least"
might be u she; dar's shc-robbers," sug-
gested Ona; can dey's all wuss den caterpil
lars. Caterpillars takes yo' things right fore
yo' eyes-don't sneak in you pockit Take
cup Of tea, Miss Peppar Oars no use fret
tin no mo- An de cats ben a-settin on yel
skirt for half an hour wantin' you to notice
her, pore thing. She jus came in off de pocl
| a mint ago"
Miss Peppald took the tea, and spoke to
the cat but she couldn't help frctting; and
she slept but little that night, and awoke the
next morning almost as veXed as ever, and
denounced the thief at intervals of about hal
an hour from breakfast until dinner, although
Peteona emphatically remarked: Oars ne
use cussin' an swearin', Miss Pcppar' cam
do no good. Wish | had dat Robin dcbbi
here, dough-" ...
But after dinner, for which Ona served ;
soothing little stew and n cooling cream Gus
tard, the old lady became II little calmer, ant
retired to her own room to write letter t.
her sister Polly, who lived away off in Mich
gan; and she had just written: "And can
make a strawberry bed this summer, as in
tended, and I'll have to wear my old bonnet
and, dear dear how | shall miss baby pic
ture p when Peteona opened the door san
ceremonie, as she always did, and walked il
with mysterious air. "Pusson want to SCI
YOU Miss Peppar'-man pusson. Bout ,
boys age, guess"
"What does he look like, and where di'
you leave him?" asked the old lady, laying
down her pen, and looking little alarmed
"Out on de pooh Hooked de do. An HI
is dirty, ragged Teller dat looks jus like
dirty, ragged Teller. Shall / broom him of
Miss Peppar'2 Looks as dough he ort to b