Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1880-12-30

Ntss'NAasfi y l.uN atHt paftOn sat down
atone {" Where are those childrengi
repeated mamnia.
= do not think yoa need be worried.
Nate, said Aunt Ellen. "ROb Is so
thonghtlul he viii take good care Of
Bertha, They have perhaps stopped
N at a ueighbor 8, and been coaxed TO
1 VERY likely" said the psrson. And
then the baby came Ia, Growing and
tchuckiing, and claiming his privileges,
such as sitting ia higRi sa..sr aHlf f,sla-
iag tae ea,, and nz&mma bad enough TO
I 90 g Neeg the merry fellow in order,
or his fat little hands would have grasped
ah the silver and pulled over the
After dinner. while the parson let tho
baby twist his whiskers or creep about
his knees, mamma played some lovely
German music. and Aunt EIlen GRO
ehetedl The short afternoon grew
dusky. Baby went of to the nursery
the pafson had lighted his cigar, aud
was going outsior s-wAlk, but mamma
looked so anxious that he said:
II will go look for the children.
Really, think you will have TO
give Rob little scolding, my dear He
should have told'us where he was go
ing" s's'ff ~ h
Yes, sappose so,n said the par.
son; when just then there was glee-
tm cry--a merry chorus made up of
Rob's, Bertha's and Jip's voices, and
there they were, Bertha on the Sled, and
Rob was her horse.
Where have You been, my sonp'
SAID the parson, trying to be severe.
I''fou should not have gone of in this
nanuer COR the whole day without ask
ing permission
Rob's bright smile faded a iittle; but
Bertha said, quickly, Please. papa.
don't scold Rob II You onlv KNEW
Hush, Berthay' said Rob; and red
as his cheeks were, they grew redder.
. am sorry you arc offended sir
did not mean 10 be so long. We were
detained"
"Nhat detained youP"
-"And where did yun get your din
nerg' asked mamma
IN Bair We y6d Rad ddh hlftnfStAaStS I TO know
where you got itP'
"No, sir" said Rob, frankly.
"Now, papa, you shall not scold
Rob-" said Bertha, putting her hand
in his "Come into yonr study. Go
away, Rob; 90 give Jip his supper.
Come, mamma" and Bertha dragged
them both in TO the fire. where, with
sparkling eyes and cheeks like carna-
ton, she began 10 talk, Mamma, you
remember that scrilnmage Rob got into
with the village boys last Fourth of
July, and how hatefully they knocked
him down, and how bruised his eye was
for long timeG" bouat i
"9es, remember, and always
blamed Rob. He sh0nld never have
had anything 20 do with those row.
dies
al didn't blame him; never blame
Rob for anything, except when he
won't do what want him 10 do. Well.
the worst Que of all those horrid boys
lis Sim Jenkins al least he was; |
don't think he's quito so bad now. But
he has neen punished for all his bad
ness, for he hurt his leg awfully, and
has been laid up for months--so his
mother says; and she is quite nice.
She gave us oar dinner to-day. Some-
how or other Rob heard that Sim was
in bed, and had not had any Christmas
things, and that his mother WAS poor;
aud she SAYS all her money has gone
. for doctor bills and medicine. And
so It Just came into his head that per-
haps il would do Sim good to have a
Christmas tree on New. Years's Day;
and he asked Mrs jenkins, and she
was afraid II would make a muss, but
Rob said hc would ho careful And so
he carried our tree over, and fixed it in
hr, tts, rtstt
and we have been as busy as bees try
ing to make il look pretty. And that
is what has kept us so long, for Rob
had to run down 10 the store and get
things mails and ribbons, and don't
know what all. And Sim is not 10
know anything about the tree until to-
morrow. And please give us some of
the pretty things which were in our
box, for we could not get quite enough
to iill all the branches. Rob spent so
much Of his pocket-money on knife
for Sim that chad none left for candy;
for he said the tree would not give Sim
SO much pleasure unless there was
something ON IL which he could always
keep
sHerel little Bertha stopped for want of
breath, aud looked into the face of her
listeners.
Tho parson put his arm around her
as he said, 4 hardly think we can scold
Rob now, after special pleading so
eloquent as this; whit do you say,
mammal" 0
.I say that Rob Is just like his father
in doing this kindly decd, and am glad
10 DO the mother OF boy who can re-
turn good for evil.
The parson made a bow. Now we
arkl even, madam, in the matter Of gra-
cious speeches