American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-11-13
POLLY PITCHER.

-Mouie Norton, in st. Nicholas
@ s--
POLLY PITCHER.
In the first place, Polly Pitcher was
very busy with her doll and didn't want
to 30. You see her mamma was in the
kitchen getting dinner ready and the
kettle was almost empty and needed
more water, but Polly sat there very
still, hoping she wouldn't have to go to
the spring down behind the house.
But the pot kept on boiling harder
than ever, and by and by mamma said:
''Come, Polly, run, and be back in a
minuter'
So Polly took the tin pail from be-
hind the door, and went slowly down
the path toward the spring-and what
do you think! There was the biggest
and brightest butterfly you ever saw
flying right down the path in front of
her, and the next minute Polly was off
into the woods trying with all her
might to catch it. Her hat was just as
big and just as round as could be, but
some how or other, when she put it
down where the butterfly was she
couldn't catch anything!
On she ran, further and further away
from home, and when the butterfly flew
up among the branches of the green
trees and didn't come down any more,
Polly couldn't see the spring any
where and her papa's house was gone.
too! You see, she nearly was lost and
didn't know it.
And so those little feet carried that
poor little girl around till they ached
SO Polly had to sit down at the foot of a
tree and cried for much as three min
utaS 7 chOuld think
my goodness gracious me! What's
the matter?''
Polly stopped crying and looked up,
and there she saw tremendous black
bear right in front of her. He was ON
his hind legs, you know, but he smiled
SO hard that Polly wasn't at all afraid.
what did you say, Mr.. BearP" she
asked.
IL said Goodness gracious mel.
what's the matter replied the bear,
taking of his spectacles and wiping them
on his pocket handkerchief, which he car
ried around his neck.
ssTm all LOST said Polly.
Nonsense" said the bear.
s.But am really and truly"
"My goodness gracious me-" said the
bear, you're not lost, for here you are,
right here"
'Well, my mammals lost anyway"
"That may be-" said the bear; ''shall
we go and find her?'
"Are you a good, kind bear, like the
little one with the little bowl of milk
and the little chair and the little bed in
'Silver Locks?'" asked Polly.
"rll show you whether am or notr'
said the big black bear, and what do
you think he didp He tumbled down
onto his four paws and began to dig
away the leaves at the foot of the tree.
Polly looked on very much interested.
"What are you doing?" she asked
say word. BY and by he stopped and
looked all around.
"Do you see any of my little bears
about here?' he whispered, "because
| don't want them to know where
keep it."
Polly looked all around but did not |
and when he had made a hole in the
as big as a pumpkin he pulled
up little cardboard box with tissue |
paper seallops all around the edges.
"There ought to be n gumdrop in |
it," said the bear; just open the box
and see."
"Oh, there isl cried Polly. but l
ion't like to take the very last one."
. My goodness gracious me, there
ire lots more. Don't you see those
little sticks stuck in the ground? Well,
here's box with q gumdrop in it
mder every one of them. 1 have to
kip them round, you know, to keep
hem away from the little bears. They
only have them on their birthdays"
'.How many have you got?" asked
Polly.
The bear counted to himself on his
PAWS. "Oh, about three dozen"
s.What lots of bearsr' said Polly.
Il don't mean bears, l meant gum
lrops," said the big bear; "gumdrops
Il bought fifty cents worth ten years
Igo, because L thought they might go
lp."
"Thats all right said Polly. "But
must find my mamma, and I'm most
ired to death"
II will tell you what l will do"
aid the bear, eff you will sing me n
ong | will carry you all the way
Ome.'
So Polly sang:
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand
hree or four times, and then the big /
ear lifted her up on his shoulders, ana
hen she had put her arms around his
eek they started off.
Would you like to hear me singP'
sked the bear. | know Polly put the
ettle on and Yankee Doodle" :
THAT isn't right said Polly, its ,
Polly put the kettle on and We'll all
ave tea ~
But the bear never sang at all, for t
list then he trippcd over Il stump and {
III flat down on the ground, and l
ang! Polly sat up and rubbed her ;
eS and looked around. But there was S
o bear and never had been any ut all. I
oily had fallen asleep as she sat crying I
; the foot of the tree, and had been I
all the time. You see; but I