The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-01-01

A1cA0 o0a teA1 ns.AO 49,. ~..S~.
Yon hopping robins chirp, chirp. quickly speeds
In noonut sumner nights, az home Of dreams.
Oh! when in seasons Of the long ago.,
hevivi1s in tho sun1 returning beams. i !.
Beside that orchard path bird.sonss nssr oonjufed
a, CH1oAao, Ill.
u "'i' ! PATTY BRIGHT.
Patty Bright sat by the Kitchen
table, her elbows resting upon it and
her chin in her hands. A huge white
bowl of stoned raisins standing by her
showed what she had been doing. But
1T could be very plainly seen that Pat
tvs thoughts were resting on something
very different.
>, The truth is, F." Hard Times" was star
!, ing Patty in the face, and, although he
Looked tery.uglY, Patty was staring
!: back at him steadily and unAinchingly.
~ 1t was not at all necessary; for, as far
as she was concerned, she had never
known the meaning OF poverty. Fort
y ,ppo hads been very kind to Miss Pa
tience Bright, ST., Patty's only friend
and protector, Her barns were over
flowing with plenty; her cellars stored
with fruits and vegetables; and, better
4 sawny that, If all Of the banks in the
country were broken, and If all of the
= railroads. failed, it would make no pos
sible' difference to- Miss Patience.
So, with q mind calm and serene,
Patty, ST., moved around her kitchen,
gnndipg her spices and mixing her
mince-meat. But, with mind any
thing but calm and serene, Patty, Jr.,
sat by the table, thinking.
Miss Patience ratified the stove
doors, poked down the ashes, and
banged the shovel and tongs. Still
Patty never moved.
Bring me the eggs, child" she said.
Still Patty didn't hear. So Miss Pa
.vt tience went to the cellar, brought out
basket of the pure white, chocolate
colored and speckled eggs; broke the
whites in big blue platter and dropped
the yelks in bowl; then, sitting down
: by the table, began to pile them up in
white masses by her steady strokes.
Every little while she looked up at
j.. Patty's dreamy face and misty eyes.
~ "Come, child" she said, at last,
i,"you've been there long enough. Beat
" MP those yelks till they foam. There's
enough to do"
Patty took up the bowl and wooden
spoon; but she moved languidly and as
if her heart WAS somewhere else.
why don't you hurry?" Miss Pa
tience said, sharply. "There's your
Uncle Eben coming on the O'Clock
4 train, and Aunt Maria in the morning,
and oil this cooking to be got out of the
>~way.">
whats the good of it all, auntie ?"
Patty asked. Don't they get enough to
eat at homer"
Miss Patience Redeemed with indig-
nation and dropped her fork in the
midst Of the white foam.
"The land sakes!" she exclaimed. II
guess there never was Bright yet but
had all he could cat, and more toow
What do they do with the more
too?' Give it away?" Patty asked.
Miss Patience looked at her suspi-
ciously. What are you thinking
about, child?" she said. "Speak it
out"
EARLY III the morning Patty had gone
out on an errand and, while she was
gone, she had seen something which
had stirred her childish soul as nothing
had ever done before; and ever since
she came home she had been trying to
L. think OF the best way to present petit
ton to Aunt Patty, and, now that the
opportunity had come of its own will,
her heart trembled and her spirit failed.
But Aunt Patty was waiting, with her
fork in the air and her eyes on Patty.
% with ho~ IL, l.
voice tremulous from hope and fear, she
~ said:,
Aunt Patty, do you remember tho
sa~Dre1ers?n So. 80 S.
"Shiftless setl she said, setting her
lips very firmly and beating her eggs
more fiercely than ever.
"They may be shiftless, aunt; but I
know they're hungry said Patty, wax.
ing holder.
Hungry, in this land of plentyl"
said Aunt Patty, contemptuously. I'D
like to know what put such nonsense in
your head. How did you happen to
see them, anyway"
"11l tell you ali about it" said Patty,
feeling drawer every minute. II was
~ eaAe by this morning to tell Mary
Jane to come up in the morning and
pick the turkeys, when Mamie Brewer
knocked on the window and beckoned
to me to come in. And, auntie, If
you'll believe it, she sat in the rocking
chair, with an old bed-quilt around her
and hardly q speck of fire in the stove.
:. wanted TO put some wood in; but she
looked so nervous and said no. Then
she asked me to go to the closet and
bring her glass Of water. I couldn't
help looking around, aunhe; and there
was only half loaf of bread on plate,
and the least little scrap of butter in q
- broken tea-cup. took her tho water
but l felt every minute as il I should
cry, she looked so white and hungry.
Then she asked me to 70 down the
cellar and see il her kitten was there.
: Il took me good while to find the
! kitten; and, Aunt Patty, there WASN'T
a thing in that cellar to eat, but few
potatoes and beans aud little piece OF
pork-not one can of fruit or an apple
IL couldn't say word to Mamie when !
came up, 1 had such big lump in my
Throat So just put her kitten in he1
lap and ran. And I couldn't heir
thinking, Aunt Patty, that we might
just as we'll send them enough to last
EN- week. And what's New Year
good for, if you can't make other people
happy, too2''
Patty stopped, trembling and excitet
= =, with her long speech, and booked eagerly
-. ut Aunt Patty.
.,,. But, il she expected her to throw
-: open cellar and pantry doors, and tel
her that all she had was also hers, and tc
,ss take what she wanted for Mamie, she
was greatly disappointed.
:; ~ Aunt Patty did nothing Of the kind
-. She only marched to the cellar Will
her platter of snowy foam, and marched