Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-08-11
A TRUE STORY.

INDIANA village, Which was situated on
the banks of a pleasant stream, stood an
old, red-brick school-house. The village
is still there. 1t has not yet grown into
city ways, and probably never will.
The river, too, is there, and is still the
same pleasant, high-banked stream it
was twenty-five years ago. But the
dear, old red-brick school-house has
given place to a more pretentious mod
ern structure, and the little boys and
girls who romped upon the school-house
playground then are all men and
women now, with little boys and girls
of their own.
Children have grand events in their
lives, as we'll as older people. Wonder
fully exciting incidents occur to them,
narrow escapes and startling advent
ures which they remember all their
lives. 1t is one of these narrow escapes,
one of these startling adventures of
child-life, that I am about to tell to the
little boys and girls of to-day, and the
story is no "make- believe;' it is true
terribly true it seemed to six little girls
who attended school at the old red-brick
SO long ago.
just back of the school-house was the
playground, and just back of the play
ground, with only a high board fence
between, was the railroad track, where
trains Numbered past at all hours of the
day.
The fence between us was high, and
the most agile boy in the playground
could not climb to its top, but they could,
and did, beat down the boards with
miniature battering-rams, constructed
for this purpose.
These openings would sometimes es-
cape the notice of the teacher for days,
eve weeks, at a time, and the children
would crowd their round, bright faces
into them to watch the trains. 90 past.
At first they remained within the in
closure, and only glanced through at
the forbidden grounds beyond, but they
finally grew holder, and ventured into
the tall grass which grew on either side
| OF the track.
The boys converted the newly-ac-
quired territory into a ball ground,
while the girls began to search for a
suitable location for a playhouse.
There were six little girls who be-
longed to one play-family, representa-
tives Of six different real families in the
village. Minnie Wells, the minister's
little daughter, was only six yea old;
Dot Williams belonged to the village
merchant, Nellie Dodd to the grocer;
Fay Ferris represented the aristocracy,
in French merino and high-heeled boots,
while Sallie Mcdonald came from the
lower ranks of society.
These little girls were all about seven
years Of age; but the mother of this in
teresting family, Mary Washburn, was
older and was also the aus of the ter
ror and humiliation which came to
them one autumn day.
1t was during the noon intermission
that Mary joined her family, with eyes
aglow with excitement, exclaiming:
0"Oh, my! guess vefound. a house
for us nova really, truly house-and
we can have a bedroom, and a kitchen,
and a porlor, and everything we want,
and we won't let a single boy into it
not a single boy!"
ooh, where is it?" chorused the other
voices, excitedly.
''You just follow me, and see what
I've found" Mary answered, as she led
the way, with grave Importance.
And, sure enough, there it stood, a
Greatly, truly" house, as Mary had
said, with roof, and floor, and great
slide doors on either side-just the
loveliest playhouse in the. world,
the children thought-and they pre-
pared to move in and take possession at
once.
"But there amt any steps to it, and
how'll we ever get imp asked Fay,
%dolefully, as she glanced up at the
great, open door, so far above.
stWe'n make us. some steps," an
swered Mary, who was equal to- almost
any emergency.
A large box lay near, and the six
little girls set to work to roll it to the
side Of the new house, under the door,
regardless of white aprons and clean
hands; and then, with shrieks of delight,
they clambered in and explored the
premises.
.'The family that moved out wasn't
the leastest bit neat, - said Nellie, view.
ing the floor in diemay.
"We'll have q thorough h~ouse-clean.
ing" said Mary, energetically. "Now.
children" she added, 81 want you to
all 60 to the old playhouse, and move
the furniture and dishes to our new
house just as quick as ever you can,
l should be mortified to death if Mrs
Judge Baxter or the minister's wife
should call and find us in such :
muss."
And then, oh, how hard they at
work. those six little girls! Pieces o
carpets, bits of broken crockery, odd!
and ends of almost everything, which
the real mothers at home had con
tributed to the playhouse at differen
times, were brought by armfuls to thu
new house, and great drops of perspira
ton stood out under the edge OF brown
yellow and sandy hair, the result Of thei
energetic enthusiasm.
Water was brought, in an old, bat
tered tin dinner-pail, from the depot
which was quite near, and the floor wa
scrubbed with an old cast-away broom
until, as Susie remarked, "'twas plent,
clean enough to eat off FROM"
"And, oh my! just the cutest littl
shelf Cor our dishesH!' said Dot, as sh,
placed them carefully in a row on
beam which extended across the end Q
the house.
"It's the incest house I ever did see,
exclaimed Sallie, drawing in a long, dc