The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1881-12-30
Robina'S Christmas Gift.

shall dop"
1t was a small, hot, cross. and tired
girl of thirteen who uttered this pitiful
cry. She stood in the middle of the
kitchen floor. which was wet from its
recent scrubbing. Her skirts were
drabbled. her face flushed, and streak.
ed with -blacking, and at her feet
lay broken lamp, from which was
OOzing and spreading stream of oil
Poor RObl No wonder she called to
heaven to help her. 1t was one of
those cases in which she was quite
powerless to help herself.
Rob had been left to finish up the
work that afternoon. Her new moth
or was going to have company I; and
when the cake was frosted, and the
biscuit set to rise, and the silver rub.
bed, and the berries hullcd, the new
mother had said:
Nov Robina, you may finish up the
work, while make the beds and clear
out the bureau-drawers in the spare
ROOM" Y&N
And Rob had mopped the floor with
a great deal of water, and polished
the stove with great deal of black
ing. and was cOngratulating herself
that she was through, and should have
plenty of time to dress herself, and
run up to the top of the hill to watch
herfa ther. who had gone to the depot,
to bring the company, his wife's sister
and her two little girls. Robina had
never seen these relatives. Her father
had only been married to this new
mother few months, and none of her
folks had been to see her yet; and,
though she didn't care much about her
fathers new wife, perhaps because she
wasn't used to mother, still she set
her store upon the thought of the little
girls who were coming to see her.
SO sre stood, tired and smu,ty and
wet, but not unhappy, picking splin-
ter out Of her thumb. when her mother
opened the kitchen door.
"Did you think to trim the lamps
this morning, Robin&?"
No, RObina hadn't thought to do
that. She never did think, so her new
mother said: that ia, she didn't think
of filling the lamps, and shutting the
milk-room door, and wiping the knives
dry. and such things as were supposed
to come within the sphere of her re-
sponsibility.
mo. / didn't" she said, rather sui
lenly.
"Well, wish you would do it right
away, then. The rose-leaves you spread
to dry in the square chamber blew all
over the floor and I've had to sweep it.
They'll be here now, expect, before
can get dressed
IL want to get dressed, too, muttered
Rob-"
alt makes no difference about you,"
said Mrs. Vickers, rather sharply.
"They won't think strange if they don't
see you till stea-time."
Rob's lips moved indistinctly.
81 wish you to mind me, Robina.
Well not talk any more about it,"
Mrs. .Vickers had taught school be-
fore her marriage, and knew all about
discipline. She had been feeling for
some time that she and RObina must
settle the question of authority before
long. and. now that her sister was
coming, she wanted to be prepared to
show that she was mistress of the
house.
She left the kitchen, and Rob stood
still for just Eve minutes by the clean
faced clock.
"You might have trimmed the lamps
in this time, RObina," said her mother,
coming in from the yard, where she had
been to cut some hOneysuckle and
roses for the parlOr vases.
Robina moved sullenly to the shelf,
jerked down the three lamps one after
another. twitched the cork out of the
kerosene can, tipping it spasmodically.
to hasten the flow. Then she chanced
to glance out oil the window, and
there, on the summit of the hill,
quarter of mile away, she saw the
wagon. and the parasOls and the little
girls blue dresses. She caught the
two small lamps in one hand and the
big lamp in the other, and started
across the floor; and first she knew one
OF the pair lay in fragments at her
feet. and the oil was spreading and
spreading.
Mrs. Vickers came at the crash, in
the act of fastening blue bow in her
brown hair. "RObina," she said, in a
stinging tone, What have you been
doing2"
aOhl 1 didn't mean tol" cried the
frightened girl. fsss
sMoan to? As il that was any ex-
euse." Mrs. Vickers paused an instant.
She had excellent self-contrOl; every
one said that of her. "You may get
the soap and sand and 'scOur that spot
until nothing can be seen of it. You
MIGHT aa we'll learn right here that
these bursts of temper don't pay"
"OlI! LII wipe it up clean and scour
in the morning. Please let me.
They're comingw cried Rob.
"You will do just as have said" re-
piled Mrs. Vickers quietly.
The calm tone quelled ROb's fright.
She glared defiantly at her mother.
IL won't scrub that tonight she
said, doggedly.
Mrs. Vickers trembled slightly in
side.
"You can obey me, Robina, or you
shall not 90 one step to the picnic Sat
urday." And she left the kitchen.
Rob stood dazed. Not 20 to the pic
nici the Sunday-schoOl picnicl Why
her hat had been trimmed, and heI
muslin dress done up, and her sash
pressed on purpose for the picnic--tht
great event of the year in Vale,
brook. Her Imagination could hardly
grasp such a disappointment as not t.
70 to the picnic. "O-hl Heaven hell
mel Ohf what shall I dor she cried
desperately.
The wsgon-wheels were rmnblinl