Sharp County record., 1883-08-16
LOST AND FOUND


She was very little woman, not
more than four years old, and L am
afraid she was running away.
Perhaps | ought not to say running
for she walked gravely and deliberately
along the street, looking about her Wit1
an oPservant air. She had on ruttled
white apron, and brown stuff dress,
and over her head she had thrown an
apron of blue and white check in place
of bonnet. The apron was so large
and the little woman so small, that'
while the chubby hand held it snugly
under her round chin, one corner tralleu
on the ground behind her. The apron
a.so served as a shawl for rag doll
with no features to speak OF, whose
head, with ghastly wound on top,
peeped out under the little mother S
arm. A great many people were com,
ing and going, but the Little woman dlo
not notice them. She was singing 10
herself and the doll:
"'Tis His hand that leadeth me-
She only knew this one line, so she sang
it over and over as she went on, walking
close to the fences, and peeping into
wards where flowers were growing, and
into easements, where she had gllmpseS
of tables covered with red cloths, and
shining casters towering in the middle
like revolving batteries. She was di-
rectlv in the wake of a fat woman, who
turned the stream of travel one side,
and left quiet little path for her small
follower.
Presently the little woman stopped
She had come to q yard, hlIed with
trees and flowers, around an Old
fashioned brick house. The flowers
were old-fashioned, too, but they were
all of the sweetest, and over them the
cherry-boughs were like one great white
bououet. The little woman forgot to
hold the apron under her chin, and it
slid down to the sidewalk. She took
her doll from under her arm, and held
her close to the fence that she might
see, too, and smell the blossoms, and
hear the fine, clear piping of the bees
at work among them. There was a
wonderful bird flashing about the trees
,--.-... ----I-I----- -lS-------tb----bf bffv'
seemed always just about to Olaunch into
q song, but was SO busy he broke of at
the first syllable. A man came across the
lawn with wheelbarrow, in which was
a green shrub. He dug hole in the
turf, and began to plant the bush; but
he saw the eager little face, and the
dolly with her wooden brains oozlng
out behind, He nodded good-naturcdly
"Where you going, sis?"
"Anywhere, " said the little woman.
"What you looking at?"
Goods flowers" was the grave an
swer.
The man laughed again, and pushed
up his hat.
"Them's the Guy'nor's flowers; want
some?"
The little woman only nodded, but her
eyes grew large and round with wonder
and expectancy as the man broke a
white bough from the cherry-tree, and
a purple spike of hyacinth. He put
them in her hand, saying: "Now run
home, or that there yousg lady will be
took up by the p'lice; looks like she'd
had a row.
The little woman had neither eyes
nor ears for anything but the flowers.
The man went back to his work, and
she went slowly on. One block, two
blocks, six blocks, then she came to a
little triangular park at the intersection
of the streets-a very small park, with
only grass and a few trees in 1t, and an
iron drinking fountain for horses just
outside the fence. Two dusty horses
were drinking from the round iron bowl,
and dog was eagerly tapping the slen-
der stream that spilled over upon the
stones below. The little woman went
into the park, and sat down under a
tree. She was just beginning to be
afraid she was lost, but she could not
be very unhappy while she had her flow
ers. She sat very still looking at them,
and to her great delight brown bee
came shifting at the white cups for an
instant as he passed. Stretched on the
grass near her was boy-a big boy;
the little woman would have called him
a man. He had red hands and sun
burned face, and coarse, clumsy clothes.
You would not have looked twice at
him, but the little woman looked and
looked, and saw he was crying. She
looked again, and then crept a little
nearer, holding her doll very tight.
Does you want some of Gods flow
ers?" she asked, holding the sweet
things toward him.
The boy took them eagerly-took
! them all; but lust as the little Woman
was going to cry he gave them back
| to her, so she broke off a piece of The