The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-04-01
TROTTY'S MISHAP.

'The baby's dreadful sick, and moth.
er wants you to come quick"
| Aunt Rachel put down her sewing,
and looked first at little Tom jackson,
who stood in the doorway, all out Of
breath and much frightened, and then
out of the window to her nephew, Trot-
ty. who was busily engaged building 8
snow man just then.
Won't you comev' asked Tom,
anxiously.
II suppose husband trust to
Providence replied Aunt Rachel, ris-
ing and putting away her work. But,
judging from the look of anxiety on her
face, her trust in providence" was
not very secure.
"There is no knowing what he'll take
into that head of his to do" she said to
herself. as she put on her bonnet, look
ing Trottyward.
Aunt Rachel considered all boys as
unnecessary evils. and this particular
specimen of the species she regarded as
one of Ter greatest means of grace. Not
that Trotty was particularly bad boy.
but he soas a thorough boy, going from
one piece of mischief to another with
untiring energy.
just at present he was stopping with
Aunt Rachel. The twins had the meas
les, the baby was teething, and poor
mamma, between them all, was about
used up. So Aunt Rachel had benevo-
lently taken TrOtty home with her for
a visit.
1t certainly did seem very inconsid-
crate in baby jackson to take this time
to fall sick; but, since she had, Aunt
Rachel could not in conscience refuse
her aid. So, with many a caution to
Trotty, who appeared to have not q
thought in the world beyond his snow
man, and many foreboding, she set
forth.
She had not been gone five minutes
before he conceived the brilliant idea of
arraying his image in her Sunday bon
net and cloak.
This seeming to him an unusually
happy thought, he at once set about
putting it into effect, without for mo-
ment stopping to consider whether or
not Aunt Rachel would object. eth
be the funniest thing that ever was,"
he chuckled to himself as he rushed in
to the house.
The cloak, he knew, was hanging
in the hall closet, the bonnet was in its
box on the lower shelf of the china
closet.
Alas for Trotty! another unlucky
thought occurred tc him as he opened
that door, and spied on the top itself
numerous jars of preserves. Trotty
had one weakness, and that was plum
preserves, particularly Aunt Rachers,
and never in all his life had he any,
thing like enough. There stood large
jar of it right in front; did ever any,
thing look more tempting!
Trotty deliberated a minute or two.
looked out of the window, down the
street. No sign of Aunt Rachel. Then
he looked up again. and minute after
he had the big family Bible in the chair,
and was climbing up.
He had his hand on the jar. and was
slowly working it along to the edge of
the shelf, when something happened,
he never quite knew what, only down
came the preserves, chair, Bible and
himself, all in heap on the floor.
Such looking child as he was-pre-
serve in his curls, eyes, on his jacket
and pants, everywhere but in his mouth,
and for the first time in his life he had
no desire to have it there. He was very
sure, in fact, that he. would never want
to taste it again, no matter how long he
lived.
But what should he do was the ques-
ton he asked as he picked himself
slowly and sorrowfully up and surveyed
the scene.
"I-want- see my mother" he
said, with queer little CULVER in his
voice.
Then, after another brief survey, he
pulled his cap down over his sticky
curls. put his hands, likewise sticky,
into his pockets, and went straight out
of the house, down the street, looking |
neither to the right nor left.
Mamma had given the twins their |
supper in the nursery, had undressed
baby and was rocking him to sleep
when the door opened, and queer lit
tie figure came rushing up to her with
outstretched arms.
Thought I'd come home," he
sobbed.
Mamma put the baby down in the
cradle and took the little wanderer up.
"How did you get here, my sonf'
she asked, helping him off with his
boots, and holding his almost frozen
little hands and feet in hers.
Il coined myself. I got lost two or
free times, and was awful tired, but I |
kept a coming. cause I wanted you"
Mamma waited in speeches. anxiety.
What had this little son OF hers been do
ing7 Had he set fire to Aunt Rachers |
house, or what?
"Well, dear, tell mamma all about |
it," she said at length.
81 made q snow man. an Aunt |
Rachel went away, an I fought I'd |
dress it up in her fngs, you know; and
II saw the plum preserve-and--I--
didn't think to say Get thee behind me,
Satan, like you told me to-and slipped,
l guess, d-it-broked and spilled =
and 1 came home to you.''
That was Trotty's story, told with
many tears. Mamma drew q breath of |
relief; it was not so bad as it might |
have been. But, nevertheless, Trottv |
must not be allowed to view the matter
in that light, and for q few minutes |