The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-01-17
Ghildrrn's Column.
Nannie's Good Resolution.

"Aunt Kate" said Nanny, as she
took her seat at the breakfast table on
New Years morning, 81 have made
only one resolution for this year, but that
one | am going to keep"
Then l hope you have resolved to
come down to breakfast when the bell
rings" returned Mrs. Martin, glancing
up at the clock.
Oh, don't mean any little thing
like that You know people say l am
self-willed?
Il know l say so, for one"
well / have made up my mind
never to be self-willed again on any &C.
casion"
mot until next time" observed Dick
Martin, who was just leaving the table.
"A very good resolution, indeed,
said Mrs. Martin, but you know good
resolutions are something like plum
preserves very easy to make, but rather
difficult to keep"
81 know it will be hard to keep this
one, but when l once make up my mind
to anything, am not the girl to give
up"
Yes, and that is why we say you are
self-willed Now make up our mind
please, to finish your breakfast, as it is
time the things were cleared away There
now Dick has gone off, and had in
tended him to take some chicken-soup to
old Mrs. Tucker The doctor says she
needs something nourishing, but the
trouble is to get it to her after it is
made"
Let me take it," said Nanny. al
don't mind carrying a pail, if | am sure
of meeting nobody and there will be no
danger of that, if | go through the field ="
But L d rather you would go by the
road. The path through the field is so
muddy at this time of the year. If the
neighbors never see you doing anything
worse than carrying pail of soup to a
poor sick woman, you needn't be afraid
of losing their respect.
But cannot stop to explain to them
what is in the pail, and it will make me
look like a day-laborer going to my
work. If l put on my overshoes the
mud won't do me any harm. When the
soup is ready, l shall be. l must go up
stairs now and braid my hair. l didn t
have time before breakfast
II.
About the middle of the morning Mrs
Martin called to Nanny that the soup
was in the pail and waiting for her. add
ing that she must be quick if she wished
to get home in time to dress for the one
CLOCK dinner, to which several friends had
been invited. But when Nanny came
down, she was already in her best dress.
Going to Mrs. fuckers In your new
silk Why, child, what do you mean p
"a MrO Mo-
80, III take care not to soil it," re-
marked Nanny. al had nothing to do
after | had braided my hair, so l thought
I might as well dress and be done with
it,"
You had better run up stairs again,
and get on your old merino."
"Take all that trouble for nothing l
hate to spend all my life in dressing and
undressing"
Well, have it your own way but if
you ruin your best clothes, you must tell
your mamma when you 60 home that it
wasn't my fault.
" am not going to ruin my best
clothes, you may be sure of that"
III.
And taking the tin pail, Nanny set
forth on ler charitable errand, feeling
that she was very good girl indeed, and
quite unconscious that her New Years
resolution had already beeh broke twice
that morning.
" am glad Aunt Kate said nothing
more about the road, thought she. at
isn't half so far if l go through the field,
and then m almost sure of not meet
ing anybody. l don't think country
people like Aunt Kate can quite under
stand how we city people fell about such
things. The doctor said papa must send
me here for the winter in order to make
country girl out of me, but l can never
become countrifed in some matters"
Nanny had forgotten her overshoes
and as the path across the field was in
many places ankle-deep in mud, her
French kid boots were soon in q deplor-
able condition. 1t would certainly have
been drier the other way, thought she,
" but,-oh, those dreadful COWS
didn't know they had been turned into
this field"
There was nothing particularly dread
full about the COWS, but Nanny having
lately come into the country, was not ac-
customed to anything with horns. There
were dozen Of them together, and as
they were making for their drinking
place at the creek which Nanny had to
cross, that young lady took it into her
wise head that they were pursuing her.
She walked faster and faster. and bv the