Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-11-05
leaving the composition still to be
Nuriitnn

leaving the composition still to be
written.
She and her little brother mounted
the seesaw in the garden, and during
this pleasant pastime Celia interro9at-
ed him upon what he knew about salt!
Willie didn't know much, but what he
did know he generously told.
"Salt," he informed her. was very
good to make ice-cream with. That
COWS liked salt" he also told her, cal
though he didn't"
Celia laughed so at this that she
could not seesaw any longer, and she
went back to the house to take her mu-
sic lesson and afterward she drove out
with her mother; and the day went,
and she entered her room at night to
find the big sheet of blank paper staring
up at her in mute surprise as she looked
down upon it, before consigning it to
the table drawer.
She tried again on Monday, slightly.
and on Tuesday. Wednesday she had
no time, that being one of her music
days, and Thursday was her very last
day Of grace. She made very strong
effort then, but at her very best she
could think of nothing superior to what
Mr.. Webster's dictionary said; and, in
fact, nothing at all beyond one simple
fact, that "salt was very exceedingly
useful substance.
In despair she laid the matter before
her mother.
"My dear" said Mrs. Brown, eff you
have honestly tried and cannot write
composition, you may yourself write a
letter to Miss Nelson asking to be ex-
cused, instead of my doing it. Tell
her exactly how hard you have tried,
and ask her to give you an easier sub
iect."
Mrs. Browns eyes twinkled as she
gave this advice, and her little daugh-
ter went up to her room much comfort
ed. Here is the letter she wrote:
DEAR MISS NELSON: Mamma told me that
| might write this letter, and say that cannot
| write composition on salt She says, per-
| haps you will be so kind as TO give me an
easier subject. don't know ANYTHING about
! salt-at least, not much, except that it is dug
| out of the earth, and Is then mineral; and
| sometimes we get 1t by letting sea-water evap-
orate ! am very fond of salt, and for that
reason know ought to be ashamed of not
| knowing more about il. Last week, Mary our
! cook, made the bread and forgot to salt il, and
none OF us could eat il. 1t certainly is a UeTy
useful article. Did you know that, to get the
! the silver away from the rock il is buried in,
| they roast the pieces with SGn2 | read this in
a lovely book called Nclly's Silver Mine" OF
course they do something else, but they do
| this, too, and | remember, because felt such
an interest In the very word. didn't know,
! till l saw IL in the dictionary, that an old
sailor is called "salt;" suppose because he
follows the salt water. Are there not great
many different sorts of salt? l was thinking
about them this morning, because l happened
! TO see the bottle that has the salt of lemons in
il; you take out iron rust from linen with
that. And there Is satpeter, and salt of hartS-
horn, and the salts you take for medicine.
And mamma says we could scarcely have any
food that would be fit to eat without salt. |
must tell you what funny thing Willie said
mamma. He said "Tell Miss Nelson that
salt is the only thing that will catch pigeon,
| only never can get near enough to throw it
| on the tail" Well my letter is done. | am
very sorry to disappoint you, dear Miss Mel
son, and will try real hard next time. / tried
this time, and L could have done 1t, only |
knew of nothing to say.
lam your affectionate scholar,
CELIA BROWN.
To Celia's great astonishment, Miss
Nelson insisted upon considering this
letter " composition" "--as, of course,
it was; and she read it herself before
the whole school. The secret of Celia s
ability to write letter where she could
not write composition" lay in the
fact that she unconsciously followed
little Willie's advice and wrote what
she thought and felt without regard to
chow it might sound. ."-Cburchman.