The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-07-03

Just brought from town. The summer
she was five she vexed the boys to death
nearly by insisting upon milking. From
the time the cattle were yarded at even-
ing until they were turned toward the
pastures next morning, that child spent
her waking hours in the yard with her
little pail, stripping first one cow and
then another. She was kicked heels
over head twice, but that did not alter
her dangerous practice in the least.
There was one gentle old COW that we
| wished to beef in the fall, and did not
care how soon she vent dry. So Patty
was told that if she would only milk old
Lady White-foot, she could milk her all
herself, no one else should touch her.
| Thus we compromised matters, and
still left a channel open for natural
development" We thought, of course,
the child would get the GOV dried up in
a few days, but we soon had to furnish
her a larger pail to milk in, and when
winter set in she had petted up the old
cow, and fed her extra, until she gave
more milk than any cow on the farm.
Meantime, where were those princi-
| Piles slumbering that were inherited
from the most precise and ladylike of
Observation-Disclosures in regard to
training young girls to indoor pursuits;
training them from the cradle to be
housekeepers; principles about the re-
fning influence of necdlework-princi-
| pies which are certainly correct, but
where, in this case, has there been q
chance for application? She has had
dolls without number, but her manner
of treating them corresponds exactly
with that speech of the little girl, who
said: 900 is bootiful, dolly, vewy boo
tiful, but 90 amt dot no brains"
She never showed interest enough in
them to give them names. But every
living thing around the place had its pet
name. She could pick up q dozen
chickens any day to play with, but if
we wished one to cook she was afraid
it would make herhead rher side ache
if she had to run it down. She had a
private burying-ground where she bu-
ried all the chickens heads and all the
relics of her pets that she could get after
their demise.
Her china tea-sets are given to the
little baby chick and kittens to eat out
of. She loses her thimbles and other
work-basket appointments, and ties the
basket itself up into a tree-top full of
hair and other material to help build
birds nests. Insist upon her hemming
a towel, and she will sit down with a
great amount of ~spread-eagle and sew
very neatly for five minutes and then
put her work on the dog for a horse
blanket. She will take off her silk sash
for a bow for the neck of a calf or
sheep. She will harness herself into
the little cart or sled with her long
apron-strings and play horse with en-
thusiasm. She has no thought to
beautify herself, but, seeing some prints
of fine horses with their names done
up into t~assels, she stole into the barn
and fixed up all four horses fit to
prance around q circus ring.
Her first day at school was better
than a circus to her brothers and the
other pupils, I suspect. Out of COM
passion to the teacher I only sent her
half of each day for her first few terms.
She had the same effect in the school
room that a pole would have in a hor-
nets nest-with her mimicry of the
girls, making faces at the boys and
caricaturing the teacher. She would
prevent the others getting their lessons,
yot have her own perfectly. There was
nothing sneaking about her mischief.
and she was sure to be caught in it.
One trick was not especially praise
worthy. Her brother was learning a
piece for defamation entitled ssThe
Boys Ambition" She wished very
much to learn it, but we told her it was
too hard a piece for her. l wished her
to learn Longfellow's "Little Girl
Who Had a Little Curl" She
sneered at shat baby thing as she
called it, but finally learned it
to please mamma. When speaking
day came at school the little ones spoke
first. What was Johnnie's disgust to
have Miss Patty rattle off his own piece
as perfectly as he himself could have
done. She came home on the run from
school, laughing all the way, but /
think she felt a little afraid that she
might get her face washed in the snow
if Johnnie caught up with her.
"Mother," said the Modoc to me one
very cold day, .tPat is going with me
now to look at my traps" ''Why,
surely, not in this snow and wind; take
John, DR." '.John don't want to go.
I'd rather have Pat" s.But she'll
freezer' so, you 'fraid little mother!''
said Patty, dancing around to find the
rat-spear; t'don't you see 1 have on
Toms cap, Dicks coal and Harry's
dogskin mittens? Then just look al
my new bootsr' And away they went,
carrying the sunshine of childhood out
into the winter storm.
She celebrated her eighth birthday
by skinning two sheep-poor little
Things that died ''for want of BREATH
cd tLok 4La -,o,o-a, oo.I -,o,o --x
worth skinning. The boys were away
with all their pocket knives, so she did
the work with a table-knife-not to be
turned aside by tribes, you see. The
result added forty-ive cents to her pri.
vate purse.
Shall I own that what perplexes me
most is the way John has turned the
tables on me. 'Just look at your
dainty blossom said he one rainy
day, when she had volunteered to clean
out the drain below the stables jot
the boys refused to do until shamed
out by her energetic work.
In a streak of compassion for his
little tomboy, and remembering hel
isolation from girlish companions anc
sympathy, her papa n day invested
in a piano-harp, thinking, perhaps, tina
music would have refining charms te
soothe the savage little breast. Tit
instrument when closed looks like a fat
overgrown sewing-machine without it
machinery. When opened, by folding
back its rosewood covers, a dulcimer
like arrangement of strings and letter,
is disclosed over a soundfng-board. I
is operated upon with hammers
) When handled by its inventor, its musi'
, suits me better thar any 1 ever heard
But with Patty the music begin
r when she m dancing in from he
great out door interests. s.Now I'm
!, going to begin to be a lady," and wit
one kick of an agile foot she sends he
/ rubber-boot flying under the lounge
8 another kick and its mate lands in tn
wood-box. Her mittens are fired