The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-05-26
'LIZ'BETH'S QUEER SHOES.

'LIZ'BETH'S QUEER SHOES.
Possibly some one will think Liz beth
not the person at all for heroine, from
the fact that everything connected with
her was so simple; no romance of any
SORT Why, it quite obliges one to laugh
in the jOlliest sort of way, thinking of
little Liz beth in connection with any
thing wonderful or at all astonishing.
STILL this same little girl came up before
the selfish vision of an individual one
bright day as the embodiment of every
thing wonderful and astonishing, as you
will perceive when we reach that point,
teaching tenderly sweet lesson in the
most unconscious manner possible.
She lived just across the lake, with a
superannuated aunt, in tumble-down
cottage, that had not the appearance of
ever having seen better days, or they
were so remote that every trace had van
ished.
The house had still one habitable room
and bedroom adjoining. There were
other rooms; but they were left to the
bats and owls, the ceiling being all bro
ken up, the windows out, and everything
else in such a generally dilapidated con-
dition they We're good for nothing else,
Very unromantic and cherries. there
fore, was Liz beth's surroundings to ev-
ery one save 'Liz'beth herself, who
thought it fine thing, grand thing
even, to be able to give house-room to
the stray bats and birds; and at one time
bold, very large-eyed owl ventured
into Of fhnso NJ sohf
screeched after the manner of owls in
general, frightening 'Liz'beth half out
of her wits. But, when she recovered
she seemed likely to explode with glee.
There was so little in her life to catch
hold of or worth remembering in the way
of brightness that this was quite an event.
What did she do to pass time away?
Why, she swept and secured the
Etchen-foor; washed the two blue-fow-
cred cups and plates; put the bread away
in the cracked bread-jar; and the butter
in the cool ground-cellar, just outside
the door, that looked for all the world
like miserably old dilapidated vault;
hung the dish-cloth and tin pan outside,
under the pippin-apple tree; and various
other small dor, estic duties.
Other days and many of them dawned
for Liz beth, bringing other work, such
aswood-carrying for auntie, and wood
carrying for other people also; for you
must know Gas it is quite indispensable
to this story that 'Lizbeth sold wood for
her bread and the superannuated aunt's
bread also. These were days when she
collected this wood ('.fat-wood, she
called it; you might call it pitch pine,)
and, with the half-blind aunt's assist
ance, it was made up into small bundles
and large basket was filled-a basket
too large for little Liz beth to carry, you
would have thought; and then she went
her rounds in the happiest sort of way.
laughing to the birds and wild flowers in
peculiar way, all her own.
She did an amount of laughing, this
small Liz beth. 1t bubbled and gurgled
from the rosy lips like the gayest bird
song. And this is the oldest part of it.
Why did she do it? The poor little life,
being so devoid of all that real brightness
and beauty that so belongs to all merry,
blessed childhood, there was no one to
mention this fact to her. Had there
been, she would have shamed the ques-
toner with her bright look of sweet
surprise.
She loved the sunshine, did this oddly
happy little Liz beth. The great, gold
en-, mighty sun, moving slowly up in the
blue sky, was just as much her own as
the most favored child in the world.
She knew this and took an immense
sight of comfort from the fact.
She could not have told you why she
was so happy the day through, even
when the meals were scant and the
aunt querulous, and fiat wood hard to
find. The drops of sunshine, forever
lying snug and warm in the little heart,
would bubble up and overflow, in spite
of the hard days that came all too often;
and this brings US almost to Liz beth's
queer shoes, only it will be necessary to
cross the lake, first of all, to the beauti-
full villa upon the bank, and catch a
hurried view of matters there. 1t is alb
solutely necessary to do this, in order to
reach the shoes properly.
Liz beth had wondered many times |
who lived in the fine house just across |
the lake, and as many times calculated
the distance around and the possibility |
of another customer.
An eye to business had this wise little |
woman.
To all urging. however, the old aunt
gave a decided negative. 1t was too
Tar; so at length, Liz beth left off ask
ing or wishing, and then. to her glad
surprise, one day the aunt announced
her willingness. And the very next day,
quite bending with the weight of the
great, heavy basket, Liz beth trudged
along the dusty road leading around the