Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-06-15
Gor he Nonna.
He Couldn't be Late.

sent or tardy since his first going 10 school
In September, and il was his ambition to
finish the whole year without mark"
partly because he really liked to be prompt,
and partly because he thought it would be
so nice to see his name in the paper at the
end OF the school year.
December had come, and the short morn
ings were very lively ones in his mothers
little kitchen, because of 80 MANY tbinqs 10
be done before the nineo'clock bell. There
was the wood-box to fill, the canary to feed,
and generally the cradle TO rock. while the
mother attended TO such work as could be
| done best while there was some one To look
| after the baby.
On this particular morning, however. the
mother had gone TO Mrs. Browns around the
corner for cup of yeast, and had become so
interested in receipt for chocolate cake. a
pattern for boys blouse, the pound party
ut the Methodist minister's, and some new
ways for trimming Christmas trees, that she
entirely forgot the time of day.
Meanwhile, little Ebert with his over.
shoes and scarf on aud cap in hand, rocked
the cradle and kept his eyes on the clock.
Five, ten minutes passed away The long
hand was crawling alarmingly near last-beii
time. He tied his scarf and pulled his cap
over his ears, and rocked harder than ever.
I
looked anxiously toward the corner and
sent out lusty shout" Mamma-a-a, come
home" but no one responded except the
baby. go dear dearl" he exclaimed, as
he rushed back to the cradle; and Just then
his expectant ears heard the first slow cling
clang of the last bell. 1t would ring for
five minutes the school-house was only three
streets away, and there was time enough vet
if he could only start One thing was GER
tain-he would never leave his little baby
sister, He remembered a story of poor
baby who was almost burnt to death because
her BROTHER who had promised to take care
Of her, left her and ran out on the street
to play.
He went to the door and shouted again.
1t was something like the case of Casabi-
tnca. But when two mothers are talking
about patterns and Christmas trees, who
ever knew them to notice every little out
side noise? Eberts shout ended in big
sob. A man going to lose his entire for
tune couldn't feel worse than this little fel-
low did, with that dreadful "tardy" mark
hanging over his head.
Then happy thought flashed into his
mind. Running to the cradle, he caught up
the baby scattering pillows and blankets
| right and left, bundled an old shawl over
her, snatched her half-filel milk bottle,
dashed out of the house, and ran off in the
direction of that changing bell as fast as his
stout young legs could carry him. The baby
was light little mite, only two-and-a-half
months old, and Elbert was nearly six years,
and large for his age.
lie met two women whom he knew, and
who commenced making weak remarks, like
Why, Ebert u and What on earth I" but
he bounded past them with no answer but
10 aanff hraat Ill a
house in such good time that the bell gave
its last two clings just as he handed over
his funny burden to the astonished teacher.
81 couldn't leave her, and | couldn't be
late" he said, as soon as he could get breath
enough to speak. "And she'll go to sleep
and be real good, he continued as the teacher
began to unwind the shawl.
| And the whole room saw surprised, half
| sDothered looking little baby, still in her
nightgown, one bare foot sticking out, and
her little fists tightly clenched, as If defying
anybody to send her home.
The teacher was good-natured young
lady, and she laughed so that she almost
dropped the baby on the floor, and then the
whole room laughed, and finally Elbert
| joined in; for he was glad he had escaped
the tardy mark, and the baby certainly did
look funny in school.
| N
all the scholars had babies at home, or were
well acquainted with those of their neigh
bors; but they acted as if they had never
seen one before, and every movement of the
little pink hands, and every turn of the small
| bald head, made them scream with laughter,
| until the principal of the school came into
the room to see what the disturbance was,
and after trying to look severe for five sec.
onds, he laughed to-.
And while all this fun was going on
| Elbert's mother was running wildly through
the four rooms of her little house, calling
her boys name, and feeling sure that the
children were either killed and thrown into
The cistern, or else carried off like Charley
Ross and lost forever. The scattered pill
lows and upset rocking chair indeed made
the kitchen appear as if there had been a
struggle, and the wide open door and the
gate creaking to and fro had dreadful
look to Elbert's mother. just then the
woman whom Ebert had met stopped at the
gate, and said to the mother, who was COM
ing hurriedly out, is anything the matter,
Mrs. Collins ?"
"Oh, don't know where my children
are ! left them while / ran into Mrs.
Browns a minute, and the Kitchens all up
set, and I'm afraid -
"Why, we just now met Ebert with the
baby, kiting along like the wind, over there
by Webster & Green's. Leastways we sup
posed it was the baby, the way he carried
It. And he never -
"Merciful man he's taken her to school!'
About ten minutes later fustered little
woman raped at the door of the first pri-
mary room, and inquired for baby. 1t
was handed to her, along with an empty
milk bottle, and wrapping them in red
cloak which she carried, she thanked the
smiling teacher and walked quickly home.
At first she felt very angry toward Ebert
but when she looked at the clock, and re-
membered his horror of being late, she soft
ened toward him considerably, and by the
time she had got the baby home, and found
her none the worse for her little runaway,
she had her laugh also; and being a fair
minded woman she told Elbert when he
came home to dinner that it was very
thoughtless in her to have stayed so long at
Mrs Browns. Aud Ebert gave her hug,
aud said he was "glad he didn't leave the
baby, cause she might have burned up you
know l'-Hdrper's Young People.