The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-03-14
Children Column.
A Queer Indignation Meeting.

at the other. Before the window was
broad shelf where Mrs. Cleves did the
mixing, moulding, rolling and cutting
when she baked, and where she washed
the dishes in cold weather, because the
back kitchen, where the sink stood, was
too cold There were long shelves on
both sides of the pantry, and on one
side were sugar buckets, spice boxes,
salt, soda, and all sorts of copper and tin
utensils on the other side was the china
and earthen ware. The brown earthen
teapot opened the meeting by sneezing
The china cream pitcher, which stood
next, gave lady-like little scream of
fright, at which the teapot exclaimed,
think am the one to scream, l have
terrible catarrh, and l fear l shall
never get over it; l shall not be likely
to so long as Bertha Cloves wipes the
dishes. / don't suppose she has ever
wiped me dry, and there is always drop
CT water tickling my nose.
"I'm sure I'm sorry for you" saiG the
cream pitcher, but am SD delicate
that your loud sneezes always give me
shock. 1 am nearly always cold and
chilly myself in consequence of Berthas
neglect 1 really think have the ague."
"Then whatdo you think of me p said
the soup tureen There is always a
small pond in the middle Of me that
freezes my very marrow; even Mrs.
Cloves noticed it one day and spoke to
Bertha about it, but she said l was so
large that she could not handle me-the
idea and she is at least six times as large
as l am.
II of ,o,bt &c fna al 70 he
allowed to do her work so poorly said
the big water pitcher authoritatively
now she seldom wipes me at all, but
seems to think am an amphibious crea-
ture, and being always wet and cold l
suffer dreadfully with Rheumatism.
AS for me, said the pickle dish, my
disposition is already ruined by such
treatment; grow more sharp and acid
ulous every day.
And we are rusty and our tempers
spoiled, called out the steel knives from
their tray on the opposite side of the
pantry.
You are none of you SO badly off as
I am, said the tin coffee-pot that stood
beside the knife tray "my cover is
entirely rusted off from its hinge, because
Bertha forgets to put me by the stove to
dry and l shall soon begin to leak about
the nose. I should have lasted some
years longer if had been taken proper
care of, but now / shall soon be used
up"
"But only think" exclaimed pile OF
saucers, "what fix we were in yester-
day morning Bertha left the little
rivulets of dishwater in US the night be-
fore, and the pantry window was left
open and we all froze together, SO that
when Bertha come to set the table for
breakfast she had to pour hot water
over us before she could get us separated !;
it hurt dreadfully, and one of us broke
in pieces, and Bertha didn't tell her
mother
THAT was the night that my side
cracked, said Bertha's own china mug.
" Bertha set me away half full of water
and it froze solid, and before morning
heard sharp sound and felt sharp
pain and now, suppose, I shall be an
invalid forever Bertha cried over me,
but that did no good
Besides all the pain and misery Of
it" spoke one of the tea plates, " it ism t
neat The other night when Mrs. Butler
took tea here | was put on for her use,
and / noticed that she ate scarcely a
mouthful, and whe Mrs Cleves left the
table moment to fill up the teapot,
Mrs. Butler whispered to friend who
came with her that she could not eat for
there was dishwater on her plate.
/ wonder" said the potato dish,
how Bertha would like it if her mother
when she gives her bath some Saturday
night, should just whisk the towel care
lessly over her and put her to bed wet p
With drops Of water trickling down her
nose and making her sneeze !" said the
brown earthen teapot. And tiny riv-
ulets running into her ears" said the
china cream pitcher. And leave the
windows open 80 that she would freeze
to the bed clothes r. said Berthas mug,
with laugh that nearly split its cracked
side. And thaw her out in the morn
ing with boiling water j. yelled chorus
Of saucers
At this point the large green and white
turkey platter which stood in state on
the top shelf, spoke out in a dignifed
tone, saying, You are making quite a
disturbance down there, my friends, and
all about the merest trihes. am sure
we are very comfortable here, and we
ought to bear with meekness and forti-
tude such trifing snnoyanoes as fall to
our lot Nowyou had better 90 all to
sleep or Won will waken the family"