St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-05-17
HOW MARGIE WAS TEMPTED.


came out of the pantry with a bowl of
raisins in her hand, 81 think we had
better make some frult-cake to-day"
Margie was standing at the table near
the window. She pricked up her ears
at this. Fruit cake, such as her mother
made, was her delight.
'tOh! goodyn' she exclaimed.
sit IS a very small piece you will
have at best, child said the mother;
''this is to be company cake. | saw
we were about out when was down
cellar. as1s s.t
Margie's face fell. Company cake"
was a name given to it by VIII and her.
self. Living in the country, as they
did, it was always necessary to be pre-
pared for sudden and unexpected guests,
and it seemed to the children as if the
best of "mother's cooking was al
ways put aside, TO be served only at a
time when, as they had been taught, it
was shockingly rude to ask for a second
piece.
Her face grew much longer when her
mother, giving her the bowl of raisins,
told her to stone them as quickly as she
could.
She would have refused if she had
dared, but Mrs. Lees children were
brought up in the old-fashioned way, to
do as they were told without word.
GLOW mean it isl she thought, ''to
have to pick over these raislns, when !
hate it, and never to have more than
one little piece of cake! Oh, wish |
might once have little loaf all for my
SELF [ think mother might give me
one. She won t; she never will. / wish
/ was grown up. Whist fun I should
haver5 "
And here she fell to thinking so deep
" she quite forgot about the raisins,
until aroused by sharp tap on the
head from her mother, who told her to
hurry and not waste time in dreaming.
She worked rapidly after that, and
had them ready for her mother, then
stood amoment before running out TO
her play to watch the batter poured |
into the pans and the whole put in the
oven. AS the last pan was going in she
ventured to ask:
'tCouldn' have little loaf for my
self, rnother?"
''No, indeed" said Mrs. Lee, brisk
ly, as she closed the oyen-door with o
bang II don't. want you eating such
rich stuff. will make you little loaf
of sponge-cake, if you want ONE
But Margie did not care for the
sponge-cake, and, tor the present, the
subject was dismissed.
Next day. she went down in the eel
lar for an apple. While she was there,
she suddenly thought OF the cake baked
the day before.
81 wonder how it looks, she said tc
herself II think / will take peep at
it"
1t was such little step from where
she stood to the crooks where the, cake
was kept. Only one step. She took it,
and peeped in at the cake. How nice
it looked!
Before she had time to think her
hand went in. 1t did not come out
empty, as her mouth could testify
soon after. if it had not been too full to
speak.
Then she was so frightened at what
she had done, she ran upstairs and into
the garden as fast as she could. There
she spent FIVE minutes in hating herself
and wishing she had never dome it.
She would not go into the cellar again
for ever SO long-no, not until the
company came and ate the dreadful
cake.
But, alas! for her resolutions, in
about an hour her mother sent her to
the cellar for something she wanted.
Margie noticed the cloth which had
covered the cake was not put on as
smoothly as when she first went down.
It had to be lifted off and put on anew.
When she came up stairs, there were
some crumbs on her frock. Mrs. Lee |
was too busy to notice them.
elbow long it took you, child? she
said, as Margie handed her the desired
article, and, not waiting to be ques-
toned, ran out of the kitchen.
After that, she. went to the cellar
every day, 1t seemed as if the cake had
bewitched her; she could not keep it
out of her mind.
One day, her mother said:
You must not eat so many apples,
you will be ill. u
Margie grew very red, but said moth |
ing.
Once she thought it very greedy new
er to share the cake with Will, and car
ried him piece to where he was sit
ting, under the apple-tree.
"Where did you get it?" he asked,
after the first bite.
Never mind" she said, but looked
uncomfortable.
II hope, Margie, you did not steal
ita''
VIII looked very grave.
Stat it and ask no questions, shs
said, with poor effort at laugh.
This was Just what he would not do,
but put the cake on the seat beside him.