The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-04-25
TOTS EXPLOIT.

hOAne.
Crash! bang! ting calling al ting! went
the piano. Mrs. Bevere lifted her aching
head from the lounge with groan.
''Oh. Tot! 'front.' you please be quiet
for five minutes?'
ayes, mamma" replied Tot, shrilly,
scrambling noisily from the piano-stool,
and coming up to where mamma was
lying. Twas trying to play jewet
with kitty, but she's just horwid to-day,
Mamma Bovere. She made all that
noise"
put the kitten out of the room.
Tot" said Mrs. Bevere.
"Shall / fan you, mammal asked
Tot, when the reluctant kitty had been
dragged out of the room by the tail.
And two or three gusty breaths from
a palm-leaf fan swept coldly around
Mrs, Bever's throbbing head.
Thank you, no, Tot,n said mamma
won't you go into the dining-room
and shut the door behind you? If |
could only so to sleep, perhaps I'd
wake up with my headache gone. You
may tell Mary Ann to give you some
bread and milk"
"ShaIl sing you to sleep, mammal
/ can sing Little drops of water love
ly, Shall I?'
''No. Tot" said mamma, in despera-
ton. Il know you must be hungry, so
won't keep you here. Mary Ann may
give you an orange, too"
So Tot Went, blaming herself re
morseful4y for neg Getting Mamma
Beyere," but an orange was something
not to be resisted.
And now the bread and milk and
orange were gone, and Tot was making
lively, if rather discOrdant, music on
her silver mug with the spoon. 1t had
been raining, but now the shower had
ceased, and beautiful rainbow APP
peared in the east Tot had watched it,
delighted, till it had slowly vanished;
but Tot was quite sure that one end had
been sticking in the ground in their
garden.
81 am going to dig some gold,o she
announced to kitty, who was purring
contentedlyin the warm sunshine which
had suddenly burst into the room.
Don't you want to 60 long? Why,
you naughty lazy thing! Don't you
know Wen get rich if we go?'
''Now we amt rich, kitty, for once
heard Mrs. French say it was queer that
mamma had only one servant, when
papa was making so much money She
didn't know helped do the washing,
guess. Whom | told Papa Bevere he
just laughed and said:
''''Mrs French is liable to be mis-
taken
"pll bring you chain for your neck,
kitty, made of twenty gold cents
But digging gold was certainly dis
couraging work, and Tots arms soon
began to ache. She knew exactly
where the end of the rainbow had been,
but she could find nothing there except
a rusty nail. Mamma silver spoon ha /
broken right in the middle Tot be-
came disheartened. Then happy
thought struck her; she would go a
begging
She had seen a little girl once who
sang and danced, and who got, oh, ever
so many pennies!
81 can sing Little drops of water, -
thought Tot, land Papa Beyere says |
can dance lovely"
MIR. Smith, the next-door gardener,
was tying up some vines that had been
beaten down by the rain. His dilapi-
dated straw hat was hanging on the
fence. Tot put it on 1t was ever so
much too large, and tapped dismally
over her face when she walked But
beggars must not be choosers, you
know.
In twinkling Tot was out on the
sidewalk, with the silver mug which
was to hold the pennies clasped tightly
in her hand Oh. naughty little Tot!
There was an old gentleman reading
a newspaper out on the veranda of the
first house Tot decided to enter. He
looked just like her grandpapa, so she
wasn't n bit afraid of him.
How he stared when Tot began to
sing "Little drops of water" and how
he laughed and applauded when she
danced!
Really, begging was great fun, Tot
decided, when, breathless with her ex.
ertons, she held out her mug, and the
old gentleman put a shining silver piece
into it.
How people laughed on the departure
of the funny little figure, which rang
their door-bells 80 furiously and sang
and tripped polka so irresistibly
Most of them knew who she was; but
somehow, no one thought of sending
her home.
Tot felt very rich, indeed, as she look
ed at the shining heap of pennies and
silver pieces in her mug.
Two ladies and two gentlemen were
playing croquet out on Mrs. French
smooth-shaven lawn. They looked a.
fresh and happy after the rain rs the
birds and flowers did.
Mrs. French herself was reclining in
a hammock, reading book. She wa,
a slender, elegant lady, who talked in 8
soft voice, which fascinated Tot, in spite
of the vague idea she had conceived
that she ought TO dislike hervery much
1--WE come a-begging," announced
Tot, hating directly before the ham.
mock. "We amt rich My papa says
you're liable to be mistaken, We don