West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1883-08-01
A LITTLE WOMAN,
KATE.

She was very little woman, not
more than four years old, and | am
afraid she was running away.
Perhaps [ ought not to say run
ming; for she walked gravely and
deliberately along the street, look
ing about her with an observant
air. She had on ruffled white
apron, and a 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 1t snugly under her round
chin, one corner trailed on the
ground behind her. The apron
also served as a shawl for a rag doll
with no features to speak of, whose
head, with CHASTITY wound on top,
peeped out under the little moth
er's arm. A great many people
were coming and going, but the
little woman did not notice them.
She was singing to 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 yards
where flowers were growing, and
into easements, where she had
glimpses of tables covered with red
cloths, and shining castors tower
ing in the middle like revolving
batteries. She was directly in the
wake OLA fat woman, who turned
the stream of travel one side, and
left aquiet little path for her small
follower.
Presently the little woman stop
ped. She had come to a yard, filled
ed 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 bouquet. 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 bios
SONS, and hear the fine, clear pip
ing of the bees at work among
them. There was a wonderful bird
flashing about the trees like a great
golden blossom. The bird seemed
always just about to launch into a
song, but was SO busy he broke off
at the first syllable. A man came
across the lawn with a wheelbar-
row, in which was green shrub
He dug a hole in the turf, and be-
gan to plant the bush; but he saw
the eager little face, and the dolly
with her wooden brains oozing out
behind. He nodded good-natured-
ly.
"Where are you going, sis ?"
"Anywhere," said the little
woman.
"What are you looking at
Goods flowers" was the grave
answer.
The man laughed again, and
pushed up his hat.
"Them's the Govimor's flowers
want some ?"
The little woman only nodded,
but her eyes grew large and round
with wender and expectancy as
the man broke a white bough from
the chemy-tree, and purple spike
of hyacinth bells. He put them
in her hand, saying: "Now run
home, or that there young lady
will be took up by the p'lice ; looks
like she'd had a row."
The lnttle 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 little triangu-
lar park at the intersection of the
Streets very small park, with
only grass and few trees in it,
and an iron drinking fovnta for
horses Just outside the fence. Two
dusty horses were drinking from
the round iron bowl, and adog was
eagerly lapriing the slender stream