The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-11-06
LITTLE MITTS.
Told by an English Toll Gate Keeper.

Told by an English Toll Gate Keeper.
There is one night, a winter night, l
shall never forget.
Itwas wild and clattery, and the Win
dows of my little house by the toll
gate shook and shuddered with the
weather-ague.
After midnight there came in q hand
some man with soft voice. Hewant-
ed to wait for the early morning mail
coach, he said.
He was showily dressed, with a great
glossy plume on his peaked hat. On
his velvet cloak, with cherry-ripe lin
ing, was silvery lace. He was very
easy and frank, and he pleased me
much.
"You must be lonesome here, old
gentleman" he said, in q musical
voice, "since you say you have no
wife OF child. If you had a little pratt
tier here, guess you would be good
to it?'
''Of course I would" returned, and
then we both dropped into a drowsy
silence, and listened to the low wood
chuck-like singing of the greenwood
sap.
was the first to speak. "Mister, -
said I, at is none of my business, but
excuse me L / ask what is your oocu-
pation?"
"Oh, certainly" he replied. ri am
a travelling wizard, coniurer a ira
gedian at times. I live upon the
whims of the public"
Soon after I stretched out, and was
just going g'off to sleep, when I heard a
queer noise, noise like the cry of a
child, where my flagreed gentleman
sat.
"What Us that, sir?" I inquired.
81 am doing it for my own diver
sion," he explained, so won't drop
to sleep and losethe coach. l am also
a ventriloquist. l can initiate a pee
wish child to perfection"
''Go ahead" said I.
t'Soon," said he; and presently; If
ever heard q tired child, it seemed as
if / hear one then, and the last re-
member, before fell asleep, was hearing
faint cries, growing fainter, of '1father!"
"mother!''
When I opened my eyes again, the
gray face, OF dawn was at the window,
the snow was clicking upon the door,
the coach had come and gone, and gone
too wasnny fantastic gentleman!
Pr14 TS.aro 4hipr -t,
warm near my face and neck.
"Scat! 1cried, thinking old puss had
crept near, as the room grew colder
towardslmorning.
But instead OF a cat, there lay the
brightest.little girl, in blue hood and
mink wraps s,-the little girl my fine gen.
tleman mad all the while under his
cloak, wAen he was pretending TO be
ventriloguist.
"Hooray!". I shouted, nervous and
bewildered.
'1Whatrdoornam demanded Blue
Hood.
"Caleb Hiittens, u replied, as meek
before this babe as if it had beenPresi-
dent to the Turnpike Company.
Caleb Mittens, Caleb Mittens'' nsped
the little thing. t'Then I must be
Little Mittens-Little Mitts; doc must
call me Little Mitts"
s:All right Little Mitts it is,'' said
/.
"Doo is.doing tolbe dood?" further
inquired Little Mitts.
Ipromised to.ffbe dood," and from
that moment and this promise the
child ciung to me like a slender vine
with creepers.
She went neafly,wild over the ,od-
ditIes of cold dollhouse; the snuff
colored cat, the hebrass-headeda andirons,
and particularly the, tail, moonfaesd,
old-fashioned, clock.
81 know" she ,chipped, ''w'y doc
make that clock stand lxo and fold IT'S
hands in theoorner. 1t amt been nice,
and it's got to stay there and count
ever so many before it can come down
and play"
i held her to the window, to see the
snowfakes sitting steadily down.
20 Mittens!'' she exclaimed, laying
her pink palms together like mated
sea-shells sSeei see! The world is fill
ing up with white flies and miliers!"
In the window light / had fairer
view other pretty face.
Upon the matter of eyes, nature
seemed to have been undecided, for one
eve was slsy-blue and the other good
black. One day / asked her about it.
"sTos," explained Little Mitts, "my
mamma has blue eyes, and my papa
black, and was my mammals and
papa's girl BOTH
But beyond the color Of the eyes,