The Portland daily press., 1883-02-13
The FreokIe-Faced Girl.
How She Entertained Visitor While Her
Ma was Dressing

MAS up stairs changing her dress, said the
ireckle-faced little girl, tying her dolls bon
net-strings and casting her eye about for tidy
large enough to serve as a shawl for that
double-jointed young person.
ooh, your mother needn't dress up for me"
replied the female agent Of the missionary
society, taking self-satisaed view Of her
self In the mirror "Run up and tell her to
come down Just as she Is in her everyday
clothes, and not stand on ceremony"
80, but she hasn't got on her everyday
clothes. Ma was all dressed up in her new
brown silk, cause she expected Miss Dimond
to-day. Mss Dimond always comes over here
to show off her nice things and ma don't mean
to get left. When ma saw you coming she
said, The Dickensl' and 1 guess she was mad
about something. Ma said IL you saw her new
dress she'd have to hear all about the poor
heather, who don't have silk, and you'd ask
her for more money to buy hymn books to send
to EN-. Say, do the Niger ladies use hymn
book leaves to do their hair up on and make it
frizzy? Ma says she guesses that's all the
good the books do EN-, if they ever get any
books. L wish my doll was a heather"
Why, you wicked little girl, what do you
want OF heather doll?'' inquired the MIS-
sionary lady, taking a mental inventory of the
new things in the parlor TO get material for a
homily on worldly extravaganza.
$50 folks would send her lots of nice things
to wear and feel sorry to have her going about
naked. Then she'd have hair to friz, and !
want doll with truly hair and eyes that roll
up like Deacon Sliderback's when he says
amen on Sunday ] amt a wicked girl, either
cause Uncle Dick--you know Uncle Dick, he'i
been out West and swears awful and smokes
in the bouse-he says I'm a holy terror aud he
hopes I'll bean angel pretty soon. Mall be
down in a minute, SO you needn't take your
cloak off. She said she'd box my ears if
asked you to- Mas putting on that old dress
she had last year, cause she said she didn't
want you to think she was able to give much
this time, and she needed q new muff worse
than the queen of the cannon ball islands
needed religion. Uncle Dick says you oughtel
| go to the islands, cause you'd be safe there
| and the natifs'd be sorry they was snch sinners
| anybody would send you to 'em. He says he
never seen heather hungry enough to cal
/ you, less twas blind one, an you'd set q
| blind pagan's teeth on edge SO he'd never ha o.
ker after any more missionary. Uncle Dick.
awful funny, and makes pa and ma die laugh
| ing sometimes y
Your Uncle Richard is a bad, iepraveG
/ wretch, and ought to have rmained out West
where his style is appreciated. He sets hor
rid example for little girls like you"
"Oh, think he's nice. He showed me how
to slide down the bannisters, and he's teaching
mo to whistle when ma amt round. That's
pretty cloak you've got, amt it? Do You bu,
allyour good clothes with missionary money
Ma says you do"
just then the freckle-faced little girls m,
came into the parlor and kissed the missionar,
lady on the cheek and said she was delighted
to see her. and they proceeded to have rea
sociable chat The little girls ma can't un
derstand why person who processes to be 81
charitable as the missionary agent does SHOULD
go right over to Miss Dmond's and say sucl
| lll-natured things as she did, and she think
the missionary is a doube-faced gossip.