Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-05-25
WHAT ANNE ADOPTED.

'N' ~ SN>~itNa " III IOChS-
nearly two years younger than Anne,
and a pair of siN-months twins in the
cradle, the question did seem needless.
Adopt a baby! Why, my dear, peo-
pie only do that when God has not given
them one" said her mother. 81 could
not possibly take care of another baby,n
Z"ButI could, mamma. Idjustdo every
thing. Mary Lowell's mother has adop.
ted one and Mary says it's the cunning
est little thing!"
"But we don't need it, for we have
more than other people-two dear little
babies" said her mother, kindly, seeing
how much in earnest she was.
"Well, | know that, but can't we
adopt something??" asked the child,
a~nxiously.
"Oh yes; find some poor little mother
less kitten-a yellow one would be best,
cause yellow kittens are mostly all
drowned" This was Bob's advice.
Bob was nine years old, and a great
tease.
"Don't want that. I can get heaps of
cats without adopting them" said the
child.
well, a hen or a goose then; being
something of a goose yourself, you will
know what to do With it,"
"But l want something that thinks"
said Anne, after a moments thought.
That's not a thinking thing the Low
ellis have got" said Bob, pansing in the
midst of his whiting. "It looks like a
roll of cotton wool dressed up and laid
in a crib"
"But it isn't. 1t can just scream!" said
Anne, earnestly.
Then I'll buy you a dear little pig,
that can squeal beauti fully" said Bob.
Anne, her eyes fahli Of tears. dies
teasing. me, and I do want to adopt
something"
adopt me-" said Bob. "Id make
you a nice big son."
II don't want you. I've got you al
ready, said Anne.
why, my dear, whom could you
adopt?', asked her mother, kindly.
You already have a father, a mother,
sisters and brothers, uncles and
ooh, l know now!" cried Anne. eve
haven't any grandmother! Why can't
we adopt one of them?"
"Well, we might, if we could find a
stray old lady, wandering about, and
looking for some one to adopt her. said
her mother, laughing, while Bob fairly
danced with fun at the idea.
cts not such q bad thought" said
Anne's mother, when she had got V
laughing. perhaps Aunt Betsey will
consent to be adopted for a few months"
Splendid" calculated Anne. Cant
nice to have a grandmother in the
house."
$50 it will, and perhaps papa will
drive wei to Lexington tomorrow, and
see what she thinks about it" her moth
er replied,
Aunt Betsey was the children's great
aunt, and, as Anne expressed it, plenty
old enough to be a grandmother. She
lived with a step-daughter, and her son
had borrowed what little money she had
on interest.
The sons wife was cot an agreeable
woman, and considered her mother-in-
other son, whom people called wild and
"good-fo1-naught, " wanderer III Cali
fornia.
Anne's mother knew that her dear
old aunt was unhappy, and had long
been thinking of asking her to the house
for a visit.
Anne's idea of adopting n grandmoth-
er gave rise TO other thoughts, and her
mother resolved to offer the old lady a
home. No objection was made to this
plan; her son made his mind easy about
the money he owed. by paving interest
and troubling himself no further.
1t was indeed delightful to feel that
she had a home where everybody wa
kind and attentive, a pleasant Dol
with her books, her knitting-work, her
stocking-basket close to her hand, while
flowers and vines and pictures made the
walls beautiful. And then to feel that
she was the adopted grandmother off
dear, lovable, laughing little child.
Everybody but Anne called her Aunt
Betsey; to Anne alone she was grand
ma" and the old lady enjoyed the dis
tinction.
Anne took her under her own special
protection--she gathered flowers for
her, threaded her needle, took her hand
as they went to church, and sat close by
her in the pew, taking painsto let every
body know that she was her adopted
grandma, feeling rather exultant over
the fact that she herself had provided
this luxury for the family.
Aunt Betsey repaid her fondness with
interest. She dressed dolls, and cut
whole, though rather hideous, families
out of paper. She knit bright little
stocking and mittens, and kept a store of
sugar-plumbs to which Anne had free
access.
Her grand daughter's little rocking
chair sat on the other side of the fire.
place; SO close were the colnpanionship
that Bob called them our grandmoth-
er's."
It was no, long before the son who
borrowed her money failed. But Anne
to whom the loss seemed enormous,
declared that she would make haste and
grow up, so that she might take a school
and take care of grandma.
But long before she was old enough to
take such a burden upon herself, her
father died, and there was some fear
that the adopted grandmother would
soon be homeless.
But God had seen the good deed done,
and It happened that Aunt Betsy in this
trial time was enabled to be the good
genius Of the stricken family.
Every few years the poor wanderer
away in California, who was sometimes
rich and sometimes poor, would wake
/, up to a sense of his neglected duty, and
send his mother considerable sums OF
money.
These she had been enabled to save,
ou1 IN tho fjav aftor fho fpnnrnl acton.