Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-12-21
WHY WINNIE DID NOT GO.

WHY WINNIE DID NOT GO.
"Oh! now tell me another story,
please do, Uncle Will, before it is time
for me to 90 to bed" Mabel pleaded,
as her uncle seated himself in the par
Tor after tea. Uncle Will had read the
Peter Farley books when he was a boy,
so he knew just how to make delightful
stories out Of what little folks usually
think is very dry, indeed.
But then anything that her beloved
new Uncle viii told her would be
pleasant to Mabel. Only a few months
before he had married her dearest, best,
sweetest auntie, who had always been
good to her, and from that day, curious
as it may seem, Mabel took him into
her heart, and gave him just as much
love as she did Aunt Alice, though
auntie seemed to get Just as much as
before. And so there is no end of low
ing, is there? Nobody found it a very
hard matter to love Uncle Will, he was
SO merry and bright, and there was no
end to the things he knew and could
tell about. Then he was unselish; he
would give up his own pleasure any
time to amuse a child, or cheer up
somebody in trouble.
Before Uncle Will could answer,
grandma spoke up. She noticed that
he had just pulled the evening paper
from his pocket, so she said as she
drew her rocking-chair neal the fire
the very first fire that had cracked in
the CRATE that autumn:
"Come over here, Mabel dear, l will
tell you q story"
''NNill it be nice, like Uncle Wills
stories?" Mabel asked, coming slowly
across the room.
81 will let you answer that question
after I have told it," said grandma,
reaching for her knitting-bag.
"Will it be a history story?" asked
Mabel, again.
..What is a history story?"
"Why, all about something that truly
happened a long time ago, to q truly
somebody" said Mabel.
"Must it have happened a long time
ago to make it history? Don't you
know history is being made every day?
You remember all about our dear Presi-
dent Garfield, don't you? 1t is only a
short time since those sad days, but the
story is published now in a book, and
that is history"
"Oh,. yes, I. know" said Mabel,
eagerly-some of the things Uncle Will
had taught her Just coming into her
head-"I know; anything that hap
pened hundreds Of years ago is ancient
history, and what happened lately OF
the last hundred years or so is called
modery history"
As7Sho% e, -; c.l,% - e,sJ ,..orJ,o. .-o11
now, will tell you a story of modern
history.
"Once upon a time-not a hundred
years ago-there was q little girl by the
name Of Wiz lie.
"Her home was a handsome house in
the city. There were many pleasant
rooms in it, but on this particula,
morning, Winnie was sitting in the at,
tic.
"She had not been sent there as s
punishment, it was the place she chose
to be. There was o pretty window il
one end of the long low room. 1t hac
small panes of glass; some of then
were colored. When the morning was
chilly, Winnie liked to get off ur there
for the sunshine came with a rosy ligh'
through the red glass. There was {
large old chair by the window, apc
Winnie said it was q coy place. Sc
she had brought her slate and arithme
tic and geography, to study her lessons
She always studied a couple of hours il
the morning, then recited to Aun'
Lena; after that, the time was her owl
to walk or play as she chose. Sh'
cprled herself up in the large chair, ant
, opened her book, but, did not look in it
! she looked out OF the window, and saw
up in the caves little brown sparrow
tiuttering and twittering. She dropped
her hooks and climbed up on the chat
and watched them . long time. At las
she tried to count them, and that mad
her remember that she had better b
learning her multiplication table, s.
she slid down into the chair again an
opened her book.
..It was a queer kind of multiplied
: ton table she found, though. With on
eye on her book, and the other rovin;
. about the room, it went something lik
this:
:. "'Seven times four are t~wenty-eight
y l wonder if that q big spider?'
"'Seven times five are t~hirty-five
> What a funny looking old bureau tina
4, is!'
4 ".Seven times six are forty-two. 1 d
b'lieve I hear q cricket @
: "'Seven times seven are forty-nine
/ Oh dear. what is the use of this oil
multiplication taple?'
"'Seven times eight are fifty-siS
Wonder if grandma's old chest j
locked-mean to sect and with tina
> down went her book and away sh
skipped across the floor to the blue ches
y standing. in the corner. 1t was quit
= large, but she tugged with all her nigh
at the heavy lid and it flew open.
"She did not more than half eNpec
it to. but somebody who had been Their
last had bean careless and left the Ike
n in the lock.
d "Winnie stood still q minute an
stared in, her bright eyes very wild
open with delight:
~"Oh! oh! What traasures!! Flow