The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-09-15
O EDDLEsoME MoLLIE.

She was well named. She never saw
| anything in the way of closet, cupboard,
box. bundle. parcel, package, or letter,
| but what her prying eyes were at once
| concerned In. And it was well if her
| miscellaneous fingers were not very soon
| concerned in it too.
She was, in most things, very good
little girl. but it is really surprising to
see how many grave faults will spring
from habit which, perhaps, might not
| be called sinful in itself. Disobedience
came with it. for she was often led into
| meddling with things her mother had
forbidden her to touch. Then, to hide
what she had been doing, she would
sometimes be tempted to tell lie.
Her mother often talked to her about
| the meanness of trying to spy into the
| affairs of other people. Mollie would
| promise to give up this bad habit, but
forget all her good resolutions at sight
| of the first thing which seemed in any
| way to be hidden from her. She could
not rest till it was found out. and her
| mother began to fear it would take some
| very severe lesson to cure her. And
she was not sorry when the little las
sic got herself into scrape which was
SO ridiculous and so Notifying that she
began to think that the best work in the
world for little girls is minding their
own business.
One Saturday morning her mother,
before going out, suggested to Mollie
that. as She was going visiting in the
afternoon, it would be well for her to do
her practising and weed her little gar
den in the morning. Miss Molly did not
feel in a mood for work, and wandered
idly into her mothers room. She open
ed the upper drawer of the bureau.
''Ahr' she exclaimed, in great pleas
ure, THAT must be the new sash mother
promised me. | am to wear it this af
ternoon. What a BEAUTY
She looked with delight at the lovely
pale blue, with its delicate brocading of
moss rosebuds. She tried it on, making
very poor attempt at a big bow at the
back, and tried to get view of it in
the glass. Not succeeding very well,
she laid the sash OH the bureau, and
turned her attention to a case of per-
fumery She put some from each bottle
on her handkerchief. and set them
loosely on the bureau, not troubling her
self to put them back in the case.
Then she took up bottle that stood
behind the glass, and, pulling out the
cork, took "A good smell. 1t almost
knocked her down, and made the tears
run from her eyes, for it was the strong
est ammonia. Hastily setting it down,
she knocked over two of the perfume
bottles, and alas! they broke on tho
marble slab, and the perfume splashed
over. ard ran under the beautiful sash
She gazed in dismay as soon as she
could see anything. She carried it to
dhe window and hung it in the sunshine
TO dry-then tried to clean up things on
the bureau. While doing this she spied
bottle she had never seen before.
ssIIair-oiIr' she said To herself Now
| can put some ON my hair. Mamma
never lets me have anyhow I'll have
plenty"
of her hair 1t was long and wavy and
glossy. She daubed and smeared the
oil over it without stint and rubbed it
in well. 1t did not make her hair quite
SO soft and shiny as she expected it
would, but she forgot this for while
as she went to look if the sash were dry.
1t was, but it was sad to see the streaks
and blotches where the crimson and
green of the rosebuds had s'runn into
the pale blue ground.
She folded and laid it back in her
mothers drawer, then went to her
own room, for she did not feel like see
ing her just then.
Dinner-time came. The bell rang and
rang again, but no Mollie appeared.
Her mother sent a seryantsto her room
to desire she would come down at once.
And soon at the dining room door ap-
peared forlorn figure with woeful face
and tear-swollen eyes. and-sach hair.
What's the matter with your hair,
my child?'' cried her mother, in aston
ishment and alarm.
''Gr-r-r-raciousr' exclaimed her elder
brother.
whalikins!'' shouted her young
est brother.
No wonder. Her hair hung in stiff
strings aud sticks. looking as If it were
made of split shingles.
What have you been doing to your
selfp'' asked mamma.
IL oiled it with the hair-oil on
your bureau, mamma
81 have no hair-oil. Go and bring
what you have been using" She came
and showed tit was bottle of pre-
pared glue.
The boys gave a great shout of laugh
ter. and thought it the best joke they had