, 1888-07-24
BARBARA.

and, of course, as naughty as she was
tall, and filed up quite q large space in
society in very opposition to her name;
whereas Barbara was an elf of nine years
standing On his grim old footstool of
ours, and was not o~ne-quarter as big as
her name, with the face of a fairy and
bright brown eyes that looked out from
under her yellow bang, ridiculously like
Dots pony peered from under his name
-and with orbs almost as big and fully
as limpid. But then she is my heroine,
and you must needs make he best OF
her.
Dot was engaged, 1 am happy to say,
to a perfect Apollo, but Pm sorry to ad-
init that she treated said Apollo as if he
were nothing more than a poor, weak,
erring mortal, and took it upon stately,
privileged self to lecture the young man
upon certain faults she took, as a matter
course, must be in his possession, being,
as he was, the only son of a very indul-
gent pair of old folks.
But she was shaken to the very foun-
dation of her royal being when, one day,
she discovered that the last sentence of
her excellent harangue had fallen upon
thin air; and she had q confused sense OF
n pair of indignant, sorrowful eyes leav-
ing their light to haunt her, as she sat,
amazed and hurt, after the hall door
slammed like a wooden oath.
He was gone then-"Oh, Scotch,
Scottl' which was no slang at all, but
the irate Apollo's christened name. Dot
rose from her chair of state, and carried
her heart, bleeding and torn, up the
front stairs to anoint it with tears and
cover it with the magnificent new ball
dress from Nine. Higliprice's-admirable
bandage.
"Whath the matter, Dot7" Miss Bar
bara's eyes had caught the CLEAN of
something shining liquid and bead like
upon h very tip of Dots feather fan.
youth crying2"
II believe you would cry too, Chickie;
wouldn't you, if the prince came and
promised you nice things, and then
rushed off without saying anything about
theml Wouldn't your"
''Ithn't Thcott going to take you to
the ball7"
ut certainly looks that way. lie went
of so angry with mel" Another tear
splashed holly down upon Barbara's lit
tie upturned face. Tn child gravely
wiped it off, uttering this solemn %injunc-
ton: Don't you cry or worry one bit
more about thith. l will thee about
thith matter mythelf," unconscialsly
initiating papa's most impressive manner
of speech.
They had always talked to her as if
she could understand their matur rea-
soning-this sister and this papa-that
she had come to nave n ludicrous little
air of sage and wise consideration of all
things brought within her ken.
Nine O'Clock and no Scott-he was not
coming then; must she miss the glorious
assembly ball because of his anger2 Not
she. Half past O.; had Barbara been
awake she would have noticed the quiv-
ering eyelids that tried SO hard to keep
the teardrops prisoners. Quarter of 10
she gave up all hopes of Scott, and in ten
minutes more papa was drowned In asea
of overlooking satin, whose cream white
pillows were filling the coupe to its ut
most capacity.
Ten o'clock. A loud peal from the
door bell aroused Barbara from her
sound slumber. Another peal. Out of
bed, into her little Mother Hubbard
wrapper, and down the stairs crept Bar
bara, on tiptoe, too, though there was no
need of that, as every blessed trusted SER
want was gone sfA and the child was
alone in the big house. The wee hand
mastered the huge door key, and out in
the moonlight the brown eyes discovered
Dots lover.
= "'Oh, it'll you'll"
Eyes, Chickie, of course it is. Isis
Dot ready?"
Now, I've always been amazed at the
little-and big-hbs children can tell on
the slightest provocation. / had even
gone so far as to entertain some odd ideas
on the subject of the utter lack of con-
science in the world of childhood, and
honestly believe hat veracity is an actual
matter of education, pure and simple
with a dismal conviction hat even Quilt
walton does not always suffice. 1 have
been astonished with what fertility the
brains of infancy are possessed, invent
ing with ease uncalled for and unprece-
dented untruths; and, as Miss Barbara
was beyond the average, 1 am bound, in
all truth, to say that she gravely sent the
following little fib up into SCOTS listen
ing ears:
y ''Yeth, Doth 18th all ready and gone
with papa-but you are to bring me in
sthead. / am almotht drethed; iutht go
into the library, pleath, Thcott, and l
will not keep you waiting more than
Uneven minuths."
Poor Scotia wrathy whirlwind was
gathering about his ears as, all uncon-
sciously, he obeyed the little maid. His
quarrel-if SO one sided an affair could
be called that-with his beloved had
driven all thoughts of the ball from his
head; and now 10 come and find her Off
and away with her parental relative, and
10 realize that she had had very good
cause to think the most horrible things
in the world of his seeming carelessness,
made him blind to the simply outlandish
scheme Of the little sister, and to be glad
that he had been the object of even q
thought.
Barbara rushed off wild with excite
ment; and, reaching her own room
again, she, like a human katydid,
jumped upon the low, wide dresser, tore
each little curl paper from its resting
place upon her pretty round head. and
began TO comb the crooked yellow knots
into heaps of wonderful golden fuzzl
Next Dots diamond star was pinned
coquettishly 10 one side Of her Uranium,
a dancing school dress was donned-a
frock all Slinmer and pale pink shad-
ows, and leaving 1t mfastened, she drew
on her fur lined school cloak, poked a