Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-05-31
PEGGI'S TRIAL.

Peggy was out in the orchard picking
up apples. They were summer apples
yellow, crisp and so ripe that they
would crack open just as easy! And
some of them had grown SO fast and so
freshly after the late showers, that they
were full of water at the core! Fine.
juicy apples and IA clear, bright morn
ing are enough to make any little girl
happy. No wonder Peggy sang. And
Peggy could sing very well, indeed
She had never been taught. but that
didn't seem to make any difference.
She began to sing even before she could
taIk-a sort of pleasant little humming,
that would make her grandma say,
"She will make cheerful womanr'
But Peggy was getting to be quite a
young lady: and in the morning when
our story opens, she was singing gaylv
pretty little song she had learned at
school. The happier she became the
louder she sang: and her voice rang
out through the sunny orchard until the
shadows of the leaves on the grass
actually seemed to dance about with
pleasure, and chase each other, first this
way and then that, sometimes hitting a
golden apple. sometimes darkening the
rose in clover-head. sometimes max
ing little mask on Peggy's upturned
face, almost as if they would like to kiss
her white forehead. l suppose it was
the breeze sweeping softly among the
branches that made the shadows dance
so, but it seemed as if they danced to
Peggv's singing. She had nearly filled
her basket, and was about TO pick up
the last tempting-looking globe. when
she saw something sparkle very brill
iantly in the grass. STOPPING quickly.
but not ceasing in her song, she picked
up the shining thing, and looking at it
in amazement, became dumb with sur
prise. 1t was a lovely diamond ring
Peggy counted the sparkling stones.
One, two, three, eight glowing, bewitch-
ing bits of color and shine, rejecting
the trees and the sky, the apples
and the clover. She could see every
shade of the rainbow i'm the precious
jewel, and she was almost wild with de-
light. She slipped it on her finger,
looking ct it first in this way, and then
in that. She could hardly take her eyes
from it. ''Well,n said She, Il am so
glad" Just then, Peggy! Peggy"
came pleasantly from the house. 81
must 60" said she to herself. "Grand-
ma is calling. What will she say to
this? Why, she will say it is not mine.
and that l must not keep it; | know
she will! But ii is mine. found it in
our orchard, and know it is mine.
will keep it. l never had so lovely a
thing before. and mean to keep it."
Peggy said this to herself out loud. and
shook her head hard. Then she put
the ring in her little pocket. and. pick
ing up the basket. started for the house.
Il will not telh her yet" she said to
herself. Il will think it over
When she got to the great, breezy
kitchen. her dear grandma was '.up to
her ears in flour = as she herself
would have expressed it-making pies.
"Oh." said she. with CHEEKY laugh,
when Peggy came in, Juggling the
heavy basket along in both hands, "my
little help has arrived. am going
to make a turnover for my help
But, Peggy, what is the matter? What
has happened? Are you unhappy,
dear?
mo, ma'am," said Peggy. rather
sullenly, I'm not" And then she
blushed. She thought to herself: Il
wonder if it shows right in my face,
that Grandma can see something has
happened? don't believe am very
happy, either. don't feel so glad as /
did,
On the first opportunity she ran up
stairs and hid the ring in her own little
chest. 1t had till in it-just the cum
ningest place to hide any little object!
When she tucked it away, she again
almost kissed the beautiful stones-they
were so like icicles and sunsets. and
everything pretty and fairy-like she had
ever dreamed of.
She was eleven wears old, and had
been quite a reader. She knew that
diamonds were very valuable, and had
even read in her ..Child's Philosophy of
Little Things Of what they were COM