The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-11-20


Of course they took an interest in
them, and many stolen chances besides;
they soon found out in some way that
the children at the cottage were named
Rupert and Marguerite, and that they
were kind and pleasant playmates.
But in the midst of the children's
horrifying assertion to Aunt Doxy, that
they didn't believe Rupert and Mar
gueriSe were very bad children after
all, there came revelation that almost
took the good lady's breath away.
Emancipation, or Nancy, was the
very black daughter of the equally
black Martha Washington, whom Miss
Fudoxia had imported from the South
for Household "helps soon after the
war. And Nancy now burst, almost
breathless, into the room, with the cry:
80, Miss Doxy! de Princess gone!"
"GoneP She hasn't flown over the
cottage fence, has she?" exclaimed
Aunt Doxy, in great CONSERVATION.
"Wus'n dat" declared Martha
Washington, bustling in after her
daughter. "Wus'n dat, Miss Doxyl
She's been pulled troo de fencer'
Aunt Doxy was fond of pets and had
a great many, but her heart was es-
pecially set upon her pea-fowls
'tPrince and Princess Charming"
The Prince was a great, splendidly-
shaped peacock, with a magnificent
display of tail-feathers; the Princess
was of dull color, and had no tail
feathers to spread. She was chief
ly remarkable for a very discordant
voice. But Aunt Doxy seemed fonder
of her than of the Prince. Perhaps it
was because everybody disparaged her.
"Pulled through the fence! Why,
what do you mean?" she cried.
Martha Washington's fat and jolly
face was gloomy with prophecy.
"Yo' knows, for fac, Miss Doxy, "
she said, show 'tractive dem pea
cocks has allays ben to de family
down dar," and she pointed fat, dis
approving finger at the cottage, for
Martha Washington shared her mis-
tress' prejudices. ode gemman his
self sit on de fence in de br'ilin'
sun, takin' of dem off wiz his pencil,
an de leetle gal say her nanny
done want fan made out oh de
Princes tail. And see var, Miss Doxy,"
Martha Washington solemnly drew
from her pocket brownish-drab
feather-"I done fin dis stickin' in de
cottage fence whar de pore bird was
pulled froo." And Martha Washing
ton spread out both her fat hands, as if
to emphasize her proof of the cottage
peoples guilt.
Aunt Doxy was overcome. go my
poor Princess!' she said. "What could
they want it for?"
"Why, to eat, Miss Doxy, o'course, !"
declared Martha Washington. 'Dat
sort o. s'pi cious folks allays get de
curusest things to eat. Dey took Prin-
cess for DER Tanksgibin' dinner
"What ignorant, barbarous people
they must be-to eat a peacockp' said
Aunt Doxy. II certainly must write
letter of remonstrance, and see what
excuse they can offer for so unchristian
an act"
Aunt Doxy was considered by her
fellow-w in church and Sunday
school as having an especial gift for
dealing with transgressors. So she
seated herself at her desk, and pro-
ceeded to the task Of bringing her sim
full neighbors to a sense Of their great
wickedness. She did not hesitate to
show them plainly the wrong of which
they had been guilty, and she did not
even deem it fitting that, as was often
the case with her, justice should be
tempered with mercy. Aunt Doxy
sadly feared that her Objectionable
neighbors were hardened offenders,
whose hearts could not be easily
touched.
"Here, Thaddy," she said, as she
folded her note, ''you may carry this
to the cottage; come back just as soon
as you have delivered lido you
| hearP"
And Thaddy, overioyed at this OPP
portunity to enter forbidden ground
and have even a few moments of
Rupert's society, replied: Eyes M"
with suspicious docility, and ran off
like flash.
II hopes muffin IL happen to dat
boy" muttered Martha Washington
gloomily, as she went about her
Thanksgiving preparations. She evil
IDENTIFY believed there were no limits to
the enormities of which the cottage
| people were capable.
Half an hour passed by, and then
Becky said, looking enviously toward
the cottage, with her nose flattened
against the window-pane: II wonder
why Thaddy doesn't come backpn
Aunt Doxy looked up in great alarm.
Hadn't he come backP" she asked.
How could she have forgotten him?
But surely they could not be wicked
enough to harm a child.
Tim was dispatched in great haste in
search of the missing boy. He found
him in the grove behind the cottage,
playing with Rupert. Thaddy was 81
lent and ashamed under Aunt Doxy' s
reproof. Rupert had coaxed him to
play, and he had played. That was all
he would say, except the expression OF
his opinion that Rupert was good
boy, and was going to have donkey
with long ears 1t was evident that,
in spite of the melancholy fate of the
poor Princess, Thaddy had great
longing for the society at the cottage.
Miss DoXy sat up late, expecting a
message Of some sort from her neigh
bors, but none came. Poor Prince
Charming was uttering doleful and dis
cordant cries for the lost partner of his
| joys and sorrows.
"Oh, how truly thankful I could be
tomorrow thought Aunt Doxy, ''ii
those people had only gone back to
town.
But when she arose in the morning,
a bright and jolly Thanksgiving sun
was peeping above the gables of the
| little red, olive and yellow cottage, and
an ample Thanksgiving smoke was
pouring out of its chimney.
| Aunt Doxy seated herself at the
breakfast table sad at heart. The chill.
dren said little, and the poor peacock
recommended his wailing. Suddenly
there came violent knocking at the
back door. 1.-The answer to my let.
ter, thought Aunt Doxy.
But it wasn't. For the next moment
there burst into the room stout Irish
woman with big basket, dragging in
a shame-faced boy-Mrs. O'Flanigan
and Barty!