Morris tribune., 1883-08-25
Little Blossoms Step.mOther.

| pair, Her hoWer-tlnt-Iace, Wnlcn nad
won for her the pet name of Blosso m,
flushed and stained from weeping and
disfigured b. very decided frown.
In her chubby dimpled arms she
clasped Maltese kitten, to whom, child
fashion, she confined her troubles.
Papa is going to bring me home
cross, hateful step-mother," she sobbed,
"like Tommy Dyke has. Tommy says
his step-mother scolds him drefful, and
last week she made him give away bis
little dog cause it knocked down her
poll parrots cage Oh, dearl Oh, dear!
Now I suppose I'll have to give you away,
YOU precious darling little kitJie." The
thought of losing her pet caused fresh
| hurst of tears and sobs, and she Rugged
| ESQ closely that it mewed with pain.
At last her face frightened.
| ~ know what I'll do" she said wise
ly; "Tll go down to Aunt Mary's and
tell her all bout it. Praps she'll let
me stay with her and be her little
girl" -,
She had often been to her aunt's with
| her father, and with no doubts about
| finding the place disturbing her little
| uedu Sic SoL Out ufOu ASA JONAASJ VIVA
| her kitten in her arms.
| But kitty did not like the idea of be-
ing taken away from his home, AMI be-
| gan scratching and meWing at a great
rate, and at last escaped from the arms
| of his little mistress. Scampered away,
and was soon out of sight.
Blossom stood looking after it with
very mournful air, feeling almost heart
| broken.
Lost your kitten, little grip" ques-
toned deep voice.
= She turned round to see an old col
ored woman at her side, dressed in a
yellow gown, a blue apron, and red
sacQue fastened at the neck with an i'm
mense brass breastpin. In her ears
were long black earrings, viii CHI almost
reached to her shoulders.
in spite of her dark skin she had rath-
er pleasant face, and her interest in
Blossoms lost pet at once won the
child's confidence.
Eyes, ma'am," she answered, land it
was such pretty one, a real Maltese;
papa gave it to me for a birthday pres
ent. was taking it to Aunt Mary's
cause my step-mother ill make me give
it away. 1 don't know 'xactly where
Aunt Mary lives, but l guess | can find
| it."
81 know your Aunt Mary, honey"
said the woman, with a sweet smile.
"Come with me, dearie, and will take
you to her."
"You know my Aunt Mary" said
Blossom. eagerly; ooh! Pm drefu glad;"
and putting her little hand into the wo-
mans rough, coarse palm, she walked
along by her side as contentedly as if
she had known her all her life.
"a. L., 81 20 o,,
journey they came to a little white
washed hut surrounded by sunfowers,
the tallest of which rea ;hed above the
roof.
II lives here, lovey," said the woman
come in and rest awhile and will give
you something nice to eat.
Blossom obediently trudged after her,
for she began to feel quite hungry.
But once inside the house the WON.
ans manner changed.
"T want your necklace" she said
gruffly.
Blossom opened her blue eyes in
amazement "My necklace" she
echoed.
Eyes! give it to me quickl to pay for
all my trouble in bringing you here"
Blossom was too frightened and aston
ished to comply, so the woman not very
SGuGly utlCldSpSu IuC OIIldlllCuG lIO ii
the child's neck, tore her pretty rings
from her fingers, disrobed her of her
lace dress, and even took the French
kid shoes and stockings from her feet,
while her husband stood by grinning
and rolling his eyes until nothing but
the whites of them were visible.
"You are a smart'un, Sally" he said
approvingly. eve will keep her and
send her out to beg for"
His wife gave hiD> glance of wither-
Ing scorn.
"Spec you dunno when you are we'll
off, James," she interrupted. "Her
folks are rich. and will spend heap of
money to End her These 'tectives are
getting so foxy there's no escaping them. |
We have got her tix'ngs, and now the
best thing we can do is to get rid of her
as soon as possible"
liking down an old dress of hers she
cut it off around the bottom, then put it |
on Blossom, laughing at the comical ap- |
pearance she presented in it. "Now |
come," she said, seizing her roughly by |
the arm, "and we will go to Aunt |
Mary's."
Trembling Blossom followed her, too |
frightened to utter word Of complaint |
After a long walk they reached the
city. There the woman lett her, telling |
her to 90 on little further and she |
would come to her aunt's.
But none Of the squalid tenements
with groups of dirty children playing in I
front of them bore any resemblance to |
the grand broWnstone mansion where |
her aunt lived and tired and hungry /
Blossom sat down on doorstep and |
sobbed bitterly. There a policeman
found her.
"What is the matter, little girl?" he
asked kindly. Then Blossom told him
the whole story.
"Poor child" he said, pityingly.
Lifting her in his strong arms he took
her to the station house and gave her in |
charge of the kind matron, who gave
her a nice supper of bread and milk
and put her to sleep in little cot in her
own room.
The next morning she was awakened
by warm kisses falling on her face, and
her fathers voice saying fervently:
THANK God. have found you, my
darling" When she arrived home her
was her Sunday school teacher, and
whom she loved dearly, and said, 9Th is
is your new mother, Blossom"
They all laughed when Blossom threw
her arms around her new mothers
neck and said: '"Oh, Miss Lousie, if I
had known you were going to be my
rtepmother wouldn't have gone awav."
When the lady clasped her close and
kissed her just as her own dear mother
used to do, she though that having
stepmother was notsuch q dreadful thing
,oo.'"
'But when he tells his farmer, he say,
No; you dead moder promise l shall
keep you till twenty-five year old. You
cannot go.
"Knud say he very grief; but he will
after all, and when the next day her
precious darling kitten found its way
back to the house, and came mewing
and purring about her feet, she thought
she was the happiest little girl in all the
world.
THE FIRST WOMAN INCAMP.