The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-07-03

creep toward shore. Quite time had
coaxing her ladyship to come ashore,
where l hsd dry towels and dry clothing
waiting for her; but upon the promise
that she could help mamma make
cookies she condescended to come home
with me.
And SO her baby life passed on. The
long winters were terrible trial to her.
Not day was so severe but she visited
her outdoor pets, and if she found the
snow blowing on them or their beds I'M
comfortable, woe unto the family until
their wrongs were righted.
The summer that she was four years
old she began to reign right royalty. 1t
was: "Us boys are going over east with
the sheep. There are the loYeliest
flowers there, mamma. for you, and the
sweetest grass for the sheep and the
dear little lambs" Or it was: ''Us
boys are all going to the outlet fishing
Tom says the fish just jump out of the
water themselves there they are so
thick"
How or when the child learned to
read | am snre l can not tell. She
never stopped to take a lesson. She
began with the red letters on the box
of the new wagon. the letters and words
On the farm machinery. Then | heard
her spelling out the words on the out
side of the paper flour sacks as she
climbed on to the load that papa had
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 went 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 channel open for natural
development" We thought, of course,
the child would get the COW dried up in
a few days, but we soon had to furnish
her 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
acknowledgements in regard to
training young girls to indoor pursuits;
| training them from the cradle to be
housekeepers; principles about the re-
filming influence of necdlework-princi-
pies which are certainly correct, but
where, in this case, has there been a
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: " 90 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 dozen
chickens any day to play with, but if
we wished one to cook she was afraid
it would make her head or her side ache
if she had to run it down. She had a
private burying- ground where she brl-
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 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 horse
blanket. She will take OFF her silk sash
for a bow for the neck of 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 tassels, she stole into the barn
and fixed up all four horses fit to
prarce around \ circus ring.
Her first day at school was better
than circus to her brothers and the
other pupils, | suspect. Ont of com
passion to the teacher | only sent heI
half of each day for her first few terms.
She had the same effect in the school
room that 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
vet 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 g
piece for defamation entitled "ThC
Boys Ambition. She wished very
much to learn it, but we told her it wa:
too hard piece for her. l wished hel
to learn Longfellow's Little Cir
Who Had Little Curl" She
sneered at shat baby thing" as she
called it, but finally learned il
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, ''Pat is going with ME
now to look at my traps. ''Why,
surely, not in this snow and wind; take
John, Jr" John don't want to 90.
I'd rather have Pat" ''But she'll
freezer' 80, you 'fraid little mother!
said Patty, dancing around to find the
rat-spear; don't you see have on
Toms cap, Dicks coat and Harry's
dogskin mittens? Then just look al