Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-11-17
Little Kate'S Diary.

Little Kate Andrews had long wished
to keep a diary. Her elegant Cousin
Maud, from the city, who wore trails
and frizzes, and carried a wonderful
painted fan and white parasol trimmed
with lace, kept diary. She used to sit
at her table and write, after everybody
else was in bed. Sometimes Kate slept
with her, and she would wake up after
her first long nap, and watch Maud as
she wrote. Kate thought she looked
very interesting in her long white wrap
per, her black hair hanging over her
shoulders. and her head supported upon
her hand. To sit up in that way and
write in a diary was the little girls
highest ambition.
So, when Maud asked Kate what she
should buy for her after she went back
to the city. the child answered: "a di-
airy, please; one just like yours
The diary came all right, wrapped in
buff paper, and directed to Miss Kate
Andrews, care of James Andrews,
ESQ.,"
Kate was delighted. She meant to
sit up late that very night. Mamma was
going to q party, and it would be easy
to sit up till nine o'c clock at least.
But. for fear something would hap
pen, she thought she would make one
entry in her new book in the afternoon.
So she went to papa's desk, got pen,
ink and blotter, and sat down in the
desk-chair with her left hand support
ing her head, in imitation of Cousin
Maud
But what should she write? Her lit.
tie mind was perfectly blank the mo-
ment she got the pen in her hand.
Brother Ned sat at the open window
studying his grammar lesson.
Ned, will you please tell me what
folks put in diaries mostly?" she said.
Events and feelings said Ned.
grandly.
Kate wrote across the upper part
of the first page. events and Feel
ings," when she came to another stop.
''But. Ned, what is eventsp' she
asked, after minute.
Eating your dinner is an event."
said Ned. ''And sometimes thew put
good resolutions into their diaries.
And they write down the bad things
they have done.''
Kate became very quiet
If eating dinner is an event" she
thought, cit isn't interesting enough to
put in a diary. / think Cousin Maud
wrote about the friends who came to
see her, and the books she read. But /
shouldn't 'spose folks would want tn
write it down when they don't do as
they ought to. want my diary to be
nice reading"
So, under June /, 1881, she wrote:
There is no evenz worth writing down.
When get time, shall make up some. About
my fealings, haven't much os any
In the evening. after mamma went to
the party, Kate carried the pen and ink
to the nursery. Nurse, thinking she
had gone to bed, sat in the kitchen COS.
siping with the cook. The little girl
established herself at the table and be.
gan to write:
To-day, man came and pade me the rent
1t was million dollars. gave some to min
lister to build meeting ous and make a chine
Of bells. bought a white saton dress. with an
awful long trane. A member of Congress car
ried my frame. The President gave me
'speshly when gave my white saton dress fc
poor woman with ten children, and bought
me pink one with pink roses embroidered
When Kate had written this much, she
stopped to rest and think of some more
events. Then, under another date, she
wrote:
II wore a reeth Of white roses to-day. maid
ofpurls. A beggir child came, and took a rose
out OF the reeth and gave it to her. The Prince
smiled at me, and called me an angil
sat under tree and read thick book I'm
an hour. Reading is nice"
1t took Kate long time to write all
this. When she had finished she said:
There. that's what / call eventsr'
While she was trying to read over
her "Eventz and Fealings" she fell
asleep, dropping her pen and making
big blot on the page There mamma
and papa found her when they came
home from the party.
They had hearty laugh over the
poor little book, and after that, when
they spoke of stilted, unnatural per-
son, they said: He reminds me OF
Hates diary. Mrs. N. +. Butts, IN 81.
Nicholas.