Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-12-14
Angles, Squares and Things"

|! Angles, squareS anu Things"
think Violet was the most unbelie1-
ing little girl that ever lived. E.
She did not believe at all that her
dark brown hood Uas dark brown, but
black, untilsh had compared it herself
with piece of black cloth, though he1
mother had told her all along it was
brown.
And she did not believe you could
catch arobin, even if you did get the
salt on his tail. a.5 ..
And she did not believe but what if
you Just kept on walking, you would
get to the end OF the world after while
stopped-and nothing was left but air
to step on. .,sss-,.e ...*r -a.,I
She did not believe that was true at
all, what the big Watson cir! said, that
you coulaae't get to the end because
there wasn't any end. She said she
meant to start to walking herself some
day and see.
You'll wait until you get through
going to school, won't you?' asked her
brother Ed. 81 heard you say the
other day that you wouldn't have Mel
lie get ahead of you for anything. But
she will, if you don't look out; she'll be
clear through the eighth grade before
you get even hal way to the end of the
world! May be she'll be through the sew
enth and into the sixth by the time you
get back. And then she'll be two
grades ahead of you all the rest of your
days" .......'......-- ...-.,- u
Violet could not help feeling rather
worried at this dreadful prophecy Of
Eds. -, r.,
'.Perhaps it wouldn't take me as long
as all that" she said. Il don't be-
tieue it would. But | guess Pll wait,
anyway. 1t makes me tired enough to
walk over to Aunt Nancy Sand. Of
course. the end of the world is a great
deal farther than that. So / mil wait
till then. I'll be stronger then, / sup
pose.'
YES said Ed: land more senSi-
bic, let as hope. By then perhaps you
won't be quite such Il goo -
''Oh, don't believe that, answered
Violet, quickly. @.e
You see for yourself, don't you, how
unbelieving she was? ...r..
Well, this being SO unbelieving was
what got her into trouble. Up to her
very aeafst in trouble, as you shall see.
Violet folks lived in q mining re-
gion. and about two blocks from her
home there was a great space of ground
where the miners had been digging for
copper ore. U.s..
But they had recently abandoned this
claim, and they left it looking like
pond with the water all dipped out of it
-apond with a very muddy bottom.
This mud was dangerously deep in
some parts, and don't see why under
the sun the place was allowed at all.
in town where such unbe-
lieving little girls as Violet lived.
But there was rickety old fence
three sides of it. and on the 9th
CT side was the brook from which the
miners had obtained their water.
So you see there was no danger of any
one falIing in: and suppose the inhab-
itants of that town never dreamed that
any enc would deliberately climb the
fence and try to sOalb on the mud.
That very thing happened. though!
Violet Swinton tried to walk on that
mud; she didn' believe she would sink
You see, the hot sun shining on the
mud had caused a thick crust t. form
On the top, and the heat had also made
the crust crack all over into-what Vio-
let called, '.dear little angles, squares
and things. Just like the teacher made
on the blackboard. s.r@
''This is u right-angle. - she said,
cautiously stepping between two cracks
near the edge. .f ............ =,
This is circle taking another
step, '.'cept it amt round enough; this
is square and this is a.
80 Violet! don't go any further
cried Nellie. who was looking on over
the fence in great concern. You'll
sink in the mud sure. Ed said this
it wasn't safe.'' ,.-st.. - Il
sob, pshaw. l don't believe it, said
Violet, putting forward her foot to step
on ght-angled triangle.
This is a-what-do-you-ca lLit-a-
Oh my! an sinking! I am, Oh! Oh!
Oh! Nellie, come over and pull me out
9u5ckr' %...s W.
Then poor little Nellie, who had done
her best to keep Violet off from the
mud. crawled through the fence and
tried to rescue her friend.
But she only sank herself-cleart to the
tops of her shoes. And there was Violet
sinking deeper and deeper. She was
N over her knees already.
''Let's scream!'' cried Nellie, fran
-ically. 'Elet's scream like everything!"
And then they screamed. Now, once
n while, screaming is a very good
hing: this time it was.
For the neighbors came, before the
echo died. almost, it was such an awful
scream. And they pulled out Violet
Just as she had got to her waist in the
mud, and Nellie wriggled herself out,
when she saw them coming.
And Violet's mother took her home. |
md gave her bath, and put her to bed. |
md seolded her and kissed her and
'colded her some more. aa
And after a while, when Ed came in, |
Violet. confided to, him that whether
here was any end to the world or not.
% it. ~ outh's Companion.