Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-11-24

little one? You look tired and cold.
Have you had your tea?'
How Bessy longed to tell them of the
wonderful good luck in store for them!
But she remembered her promise, and
only answered:
"Yes. mamma. am sleepy"
So mamma took candle from the
mantel-piece, and led Bessy to bed, I'M
dressed her, and listened to her little
prayer. and tucked in the quilt; then
she said:
"rll be back for the light after have
had my supper. Shut your eyes, Ike a
good girl, and 90 to sleep"
AS soonas her mother left the room
Bessy slid off of the bed and into the
next room, which was her mothers. to
hunt for two pairs of shoes. After some
fumbling. she found pair of slippers of
her mothers and large pair of boots
of her fathers. She put them in a row
by the door, and then jumped into bed
again.
1t was not until after what seemed to
Bessy long. long time that She heard
her father and mother come out of the
dining-room. Then she heard papa
say:
"Why, what's the matter with the
key? l can't turn it." She heard the
KEY taken out. and papa say again:
"What is this in the key? 1t looks like
wax"
After a little, she heard her father
turn the key and hang it up on the
hook. Pretty soon mamma came into
Bessy's room. Bessy closed her eyes
and pretended to be asleep She felt
mamma kiss her, and heard her close
the door.
How long she slept she never knew;
but suddenly she started up wide
awake, to find the stars shining down
on her through the window. Every
thing was as still Is it could be. Bessy
wondered if the fairies had come vet.
She stepped out of bed and across the
room. and put her hand into the big
boots. They were empty; so were her
own little shoes and mammals slippers.
''Well, they haven't come yet" she
whispered.
She was about to return. when her at
tertion was attracted by flash of light
in the hall. BesSy peeped out, think
! ing it mic Int be the fairy; but what was
her surprise at seeing two large men.
in stocking feet, coming up the lower
stairs on tiptoe. The one behind car
ried lantern, and was making it flash
backward and forward. up and down.
as the old fairy did in the lane.
What could they want? she won
dered,
The first man carried q sack over his
shoulder, and pointed toward tie closet
where Bessy knew all the silver-ware
| no
tern began pushing what looked like an
enormous nail between the lock and the
door. stopping every now and then to
listen.
In few moments the door few open,
and both went in together Then Bes-
sy saw them take down the beautiful
silver pitchers, tea-pots, tray and forks
and spoons, and put them into the bag
They did it so softly that there was moi
even the least little chink from them.
Though BeSsy was a very little Girl
and believed in fairies, she knew these
men had no right to take papa's silver.
So she thought she must tell him. She
ran TO the door between their rooms,
and pushed it open little way.
Papa! papan' she cried, 1.-TWO big
men are in the house. They have taken
everything in the silver closet. Take a
stick and drive them away
Up jumped papa, selling a pair of
great pistols, and made rush for the
stairs, with BesSy behind him.
They had not reached the first step
when the two men darted out of the
room below.
But on seeing papa with a pistol in
each hand, they dropped the bag and ran
toward the open hall door, and were out
of sight in n moment.
Mamma, awakened by the noise, came
hurrying out to see what was the mat
ter, and found Bessy crying in the cor
ner, and papa rushing through the
house with pair of pistols. Bessy's
mother clasped her very closely in her
arms.
In a little while papa came back,
looking very serious. The men had dis
appeared, and Watch lay dead on the
mat outside of the door.
BY the time they had emptied the bag,
and put everything in its place, it was
quite daylight, and Bessy knew the fairy
had been frightened away So she
climbed up in her mothers lap and be-
gan sObbing softly. Then, when her
mother coaxed her to tell what allied
her, she pointed to the shoes, and told
her about the old fairy in the lane and
the key.
Bessy had to tell that story over so
many times that day. And for long
time her mamma did not leave her
alone in the evenings; so that Bessy
never saw the fairy godmother again
Julia h. Hitdreth, iN HarPer's Young
People.