The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-04-16

From the lCafleSs npplr-trce.
"Chickad"e, chickydee.
Then he hops from bOUyh to tw1g
Tapping on each tiny spriR,
Calling happily to me,
"Chickadce.'
He's merry little fellow,
Neither rcd, nor blue, nor yellow,
He's the CHEEKY bird OF winter,
"Chickal cc!'
-Iicn,y Il. Dorr. in st. Nicholas.
HOW BETSEY WAS LOST.
sis our little Betsey here?" said
Mr.. Hathaway, putting his cold pur-
pied nose into the door of the Chase
farmhouse.
1t was bitter cold night in Deem
Der, with snow lying deep on the
ground, frozen wind bowling through
the forest and fire built as high as
they could pile the logs OH the old iron
fire dogs.
And the farmer and his wife were
roasting apples and cracking nuts on
the hearth with the children, while a
pitcher of cold, sparkling cider and 4
plate of home made gingerbread was
on the table.
Charley and little Bel sat side by
side on the big settee, in the very deep
est angle of the chimney, where. by
looking straight up, they could see the
stars shining in the sky overhead, and
watch the sparks 20 careering madly
w the wide throat Of the chimney.
JOHNNY was on his knees, with the
hammer, cracking away at the butter
nuts and h;ckory-nuts, and Rosa was
reading by the Iii ht of the shaded lamp.
Your little Betsey?' said Mr..
Chase, the farmer. ''No; certainly
not! Come in and warm yourself. Mr..
Hathaway. Isn't she over at her
grandchildren
mo, she isn't" said Mr.. Hathaway,
with perturbed face. ''She went
away at three o'clock, and her mother
supposed she was only gone to the saw
mill to play with Minnie Locke. But
we We seen nor heard nothing of her
since, and nobody seems to know
where she is. No, MIR. Chase
thankee kindly all the same-but l
couldn't sit down nor rest until l know
where my little gal is, this freezing
winter night
"You don't think she's lost2' said
Mrs. Chase. inyoluntarily shuddering as
she clasped little Bell closer in her arms.
Mr.. Chase got up a.. .al .
| ''Wife, where's my big, shaggy over
coat?'' said he. I'm not going to sit
here, warming my feet at the fire, when
my neighbours little one is in danger OF
freezing to death. Get me the lantern,
Johnny" 7M I. .' H
Father" cried Johnny. "can't l
90 and look for little Betsey, too?"
For Mrs. Hathaway's "little Betsey"
was universal favorite in the neigh
borhood.
Acurly-headed, blue-eyed little elf of
four years, who was always begging for
fairy.stories, ginger cookies and iiow.
ers, who wandered up and down in sum-
mertime, with her sun-bonnet hanging
down her back, and rode down hill on
the boys sleds in winter. with fur
edged hood tied tight around her bloom
ing face-little Betsey was everybody's
pet.
She had little difference of opinion
with her mother that afternoon, il
seemed. She had been sitting up at
the table. eating bread and butter and
apple.jelly.
'Me want some more jelly, mamma y
said Betsey, at last. ., :.
"You have had enough" said Mrs.
Hathaway.
me wiN have some more,' said Bet
sey.
mo, my dear, you will not" said
the mother, who sometimes found il
necessary to govern the little willfu]
creature with a firm yet gentle hand
"Then nell run away" said Betsey
defantly.
| Mrs. Hathaway smiled little at thu
threat. Betsey often iran away" but
she had never as yet gone further thar
the steam saw-mill at the foot Of tn,
hill, where little Minnie Locke, chile
of her own age, had q whole colony o
dolls, made out of corn-cobs dressed up
and wooden blocks, with eyes, mouths
and noses, marked with shoe blackins
on their faces. a,t
She never even looked around whe,
Betsey stood on three.legged stool t,
reach down the scarlet hood, with tn,
edging of gray fur around the face, an,
trudged of, with her little nose stucl
| up ID the air.
"She will DO back long before sup
per, the mother said to herself.
But supper-time came. and no littl
Betsey, and the darkness settled dreari
ly over the many hills and frozen woods
and then they became frightened. an
Mr.. Hathaway went in one direction
and Peter, the hired man, in another
and Mrs. Locke, of the mill, came +
stay with the terrified mother unit
news, either good or bad, should arriv
!: of the lost child.
"The worst of it all is" said MI
Hathaway, "that she may have straye
, of into the woods and lost her way
And she's such little mite of thing
and the snow so deep, and drifted q
, about by the wind-and if she shout
: drop down anywhere for minute t
rest, there's that dreadful drowsines
that comes with cold. And Ishall new
er see my poor little darling again!"
keep up brave heart, Neighbo
Hathaway said Mr.. Chase. althoug
! there were tears in his own ewes
!" Never despair. Well find the littl
lass yet, God wiling
"And Hunter Gabriel was telling
only last week, of a savage bear tina
, was lurking somewhere among tn
Rattlesnake Rocks!'' said Mr.. Hatha
. | ~r~Sx1> mr.