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

drown. It Is q queer feeling that tugs
at a woman's heart when she first be-
gins to feel that the little ones she has
so long protected r drifting out be-
yond her.
We'll, here were boys to pillow and
boys to plant, boys to sow and boys to
reap, and boys left in the house to tease
for mothers shoe-strings to play horse,
when one December morning,
the thermometer twenty-eight de-
grees below zero, a paper and envelope
were brought to me. 1 took a pencil
and feebly wrote, to dear friends in the
East:
Its a girl Its a girl Tits a
girl!!!-and it is mine"
If there was an inner ssholy of holies''
in my heart that my boys had never
reached 1 did not know it. But this
dainty blossom, with her blue eyes and
golden curls, was an expression most
exquisite. Her brothers eyed her from
a distance, in fact, ''passed on by the
other SIDE" They seemed to fear that
if they touched her she would bite or
break, which, was uncertain. This
only at first. A dear friend in the East,
the wife of q minister of an important
city church, hearing of the fruition of
my long-deferred hopes, sem to my
little one a large package by express.
o, the dainty garmentsl Everything
a little lady could possibly require for
outside adornment. That dear,
thoughtful friend very well knew that
the long reign of boots and brown
ducks had nearly untitled my once
skillful fingers for needlework that
should require for my darling. With
a strong sense of grateful love that
lady's name became my baby's, and we
began, with one accord, to call her
Patty. What dear, good baby, was
the little Patty. If she could only see
something moving she would never
make the least trouble. 1 first noticed
that she felt a peculiar interest in things
when she was about three months old.
her crib happened to be under the line
where | was hanging the ironing. As
fast as l finished a garment and hung
it, smoothly folded, on the line, it sci
all the others a-swinging; the motion
caught the baby's eye and kept her
quiet until the large ironing was fin
ished. After that I noticed, if every
thing was still, she grew uneasy. But
the flash and sparkle of the fire, the
rising of steam, the bubbling of a boil.
ing kettle, the motion of ones hands al
work, and, as she grew older, the
waving of things out Of the window in
the wind, would be all the entertain.
ment that she needed.
What an affectionate little thing she
proved to be. Her brothers had a great
fashion of kissing her hands. Hell
lovely face, framed by the most wonder.
full curls that ever crowned q young
baby's head, attracted great attention
from strangers. But they were always
greatly amused when, on irving to
kiss her, she proudly drew her little
head back and offered her hands for the
salute. All, but that first summer was
a heavenly one, and the angels minis
tered unto us.
The second summer She began tt
develop those qualities which have
puzzled us so much. In June her fathel
brought home a litter of pigs, with theil
mother, of some choice breed. Wish
ing to give his prize stock every chance
of perfect development, he gave hel
the freedom of the yards for a time.
She was so well fed that she was very
quiet, doing no mischief. but mostly
lying around the grassy places with hel
tiny offspring free to roam at will
Wherever went the little black pigs
there also went the little white Patty
They were very shy of her at first
scampering away when she came toe
near; but her persistency soon con
quered them, and in less than three
days / found her sitting down beside
the mother-pig, with the little ones il
her lap and around her at play-the
expression on her face perfectly beatific
One sunny day she had followed then
until completely tired out, and L fount
her almost asleep, her sweet headlyine
upon the broad side of the great blacl
porker. The little ones were
trying to root her out of theil
way, as her position seriously inter
fered with their hungry intentions
Before her black friends wer,
imprisoned, there were two calves tiet
in the yard where she could get to them
They, too, were afraid of her at first, blu
she soon conquered them, not, however
until she had been run over by them
wound up in their ropes, and stepped
on several times. She soon came II
spend all her waking hours with tn,
calves. She learned by watching u
feed them how that thing was done
and she would carry them everythin.
she could reach, if not constantll
watched. ..Feed calfy'' were the frs
connected words she ever used. Whel
1 first knew that the Giver of all goot
had blessed me with this girl, L shool
my index finger before Johns eyes an,
declared here was one child who woult
not clean out stables. He gave a supe
rior smile, and replied not. But on,
morning in early fall, before she wa
three years old, 1 had my answer. Fl,
called me to the window and pointe,
toward the stables. Tom was THROWN!
out the litter, and Dick was tossing j
into a pile. There was Patty, with
broken-handled stable-folk, helping
with all her little might. She could ge
but little on to her clumsy fork, aud i
would not stay there until she reaches
the dumping-place, but when it fell of
she patiently laid down her fork, wen
and picked up the load with her hands
and placed it on the fork again, an
perhaps would have one straw clingin,
to the fork-tines to throw off when sh
reached the pile.
tMother," called Harry, one war;
day, prancing past the window wit
baby on his shoulder, 'don't worr
about Pat, she is going with us; we.
see TO her," mamma, Patty goir
f'wimmin'," came back in sweet bah
tones. L did not quite approve of th
baby taking swimming-lessons quite S
young. so, as soon as I could leave m
baking, I went to look after her. TIL
beach where the bathers first take t
the water has a very gentle slope
the water not being ove fou
inches deep a rod from shor,
There 1 found my darling
stripped to her waist and drawers
running and splashing the water, an
out again on to the dry, silvery Sane
to catch her breath.