St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-03-20
A DINNER PARTY.
How Dimple Duer Had Her Way. and the
Happiness Which 1t Brought.

Happiness Which 1t Brought.
The class in Familiar Science was on
the recitation bench at Miss Purviance' S
school, and it was Dimple Duer's ques-
! ton:
explain the formation of dew on
the outside of a pitcher of ice-water.'
i Where had Dimplc's thoughts been
while she read over and over those four
! pages of Familiar Science last night?
! Not much on her book [ am afraid, or
else she had slept away the memory of
her lesson; for, to save her little life,
she didn't know what made the pretty
| frost-work on her glass of ice-water at
| dinner.
/ Fortunately for her, there was sud-
den knock at the school-room door,
loud rat-tat. as of some one in hurry
Come in,' said Miss Purviance; and
the door was thrown open with bang
that Jared a whole benchful of little
girls. 1t was Dave Finley, a great,
strong, rough-voiced, kindly tempered
fellow, who hauled wood to the little
town for sale.
''See here, Miss VANCE, he said,
drawing forward a little girl in a red
calico dress and sun-bonnet; 1--we
brEng you Molly Shoots gal to git
some larnin'. Molly is a powerful
hand at books herself, Molly is; and
spite of Bill Shoots goin' and dyin'
last spring, and spite of there being
f., IL
on givin' her children larnin', too.
Well. Mol, says l, / kin furder you
thar, for l kin take that little Jenny
Wren of yours to town every day on
my wagon 'longside of me, and glad
of her company, too Land, Mr..
Finley, says Moll; how kind you are!'
We'll, says |, 'we'poor folks amt got
nuthin' but kindness to give one
mother, and we must be hard up if we
can't give that "
The half-hour for Familiar Science
was fast slipping away, while Dave
stood with the door-knob in his hand,
holding the child in the other, talking
on IN an even stream, with no sign of
any purpose to stop. Miss Purviance
at last interrupted him.
Come in, Fanny said she. :'Did
you say her name was Fanny? Thank
you, Mr.. Finley; we will see about her
lessons now.'
"All right, mum; I'll be long this
way somewhere short of four clock |
to pick her up again
And the little stranger was given a |
seat near the stove to warm her toes, |
while Miss Purviance hurried through |
the interrupted recitation.
The new scholar had need to warm |
her toes; for, though the November |
frosts were sharp, her little brown feet |
were innocent of shoes and stockings,
and the calico dress came but stingy |
way down the plump legs.
The little face, when the red calico |
sun-bonnet came off, was seen to be |
round and rosy. 1t seemed that pov-
erty (and the Smoots were of the poor
esD agreed with Fans health, and
spirits, too; for she was CAV little
witch, and soon became a favorite at
Miss Purviance's school. Her seat was
by Dimple Duer, and impulsive little
Dimple was heels over head in love
with her at once. The difference be-
tween her dainty laced and frilled
ruffies, her silk stockings and kid slip
pers, and Fans clean, but somewhat
faded, calico. her bare feet and sun
burnt hands, seemed not to strike
either of the little girls, who became
devoted friends.
Mother, said Dimple one Friday
morning, stopping in the midst of her
breakfast of watfles and honey, "can't
have a dinner-party?
perhaps so,' said her mother, !