The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-07-21
BARBARA.
The Mischief She Unwittingly Did
and How It Was Remedied.

The Mischief She Unwittingly Did
and How It Was Remedied.
know you would much rather should
take Barbara's sister Dot for my heroine, fol
Dot was tall and Queenly and, of course
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 this grim old foot
stoolof ours, and was not one-quarter as big
as her name, with the face of fairy and
bright brown eyes, that looked out from un-
der her yellow bang, rdiculously like Dots
pony peered from under his mane and with
orbs almost as big and fully as limpid. But
then she is my heroine and you must needs
make the best of her.
Dot was engaged, am happy to say, to
perfect Apollo but Pm sorry to admit that
she treated said Apollo as if he were moth.
ing more than poor, weak, erring mortal,
and took it upon stately, privileged self to
lecture the young man upon certain faults
she took, as a matter of course, must be in
his possession being, as he was, the only
son of very indulgent pair of old folks.
But she was shaken to the very foundation
OF her royal being when one day she discov-
cred that the last sentence of her excellent
harangue had fallen upon thin air, and she
had a confused sense of a pair of indignant,
sorrowful eyes leaving their light to haunt
her, as she sat, amazed and hurt, after the
hall door slammed like wooden oath.
He was gone then-"O, Scott; oh, Scott"
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 Madame
ighprices-admirable bandage!
"Whath the matter, Dot" Miss Barbaras
eyes had caught the CLEAN of something
shining, liquid and bead-likc, upon the very
tip of Dots feather fan. "Youth crying?"
81 believe you would cry, too, Chickie;
wouldn't you, if the Prince came and prom
ised you nice things and then rushed off
without saying any thing about them!
Wouldn't you!"
'Ithnt Thcott going to take you to the
ball'"
''It certainly looks that way Hewent off
so angry with me'' Another tear spashed
hotly down upon Barbara's little upturned
face. The child gravely wiped it off, utter
ing this solemn injunction: "Don't you cry
or worry one bit more about thth. will
thee about thith matter mythelf," uncon-
sciously initiating papa's most impressive
manner of speech.
They had always talked to her as II she
could understand their mature reasoning
this sister and this papa-that she had come
to have a ludicrious 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 anger? Not
oh ul1f oct ,i,,n. hn1 pnv .I,npn
awake she would have noticed the quivering
eyelids that tried so hard to keep the tear
drops prisoners. Quarter Of ten-she gave
up all hopes of Scott and in ten minutes
more papa was drowned in q sea of over
flowing satin, whose cream-white pillows
were filling the coupe to its utmost capacity.
Ten o'clock. A loud peal from the door
bell aroused Barbara from her sound slum-
ber. Another peal Out of bed, into her
little Mother Hubbard d wrapper and down
the stairs crept Barbara, on tiptoe, too,
though there was no need of that, as every
blessed trusted servant was gone out 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 discoy.
cred Dots lover.
so. ith you!''
''Yes, Chickie, of course it is Is-is-Dot
ready9"
Now, I've always been amazed at the little
and big-fibs children can tell on the slight
est provocation i have even gone so far as
to entertain some odd ideas ON the subject
of the utter lack of conscience in tho world
OF childhood, and honestly believe that We
racity is an actual matter of education, pure
and simple-with dismal conviction that
even cultivation does not always su flee.
have been astonished with what fertility the
brains of infancy are possessed, inventing
with ease uncalled for and unprecedented
untruths; and, as Miss Barbara was beyond
the average, am bound, in all truth, to say
that she gravely sent the following little fib
up into Scott's listening ears
"Yeth, Doth 18th all ready and gone with
papa-but you are to bring me insthead. ]
am almotht drethed; jutht go into the
library, pleath, Thcott, and / will not keep
you waiting more than theven minuths."
Poor Scotia wrathy whirlwind was
gathering about his ears as, all unconscious
ly. he obeyed the little maid. His quarrel
IL so onesided an affair could be called that
with his beloved had driven all thoughts
of the ball from his head and now to come
and find her Off and away with her parental
relative, and to realize that she had had
very good cause to think the most horrible
things in the world of his seeming careless,
hcss, Hiuue hiIl Ollnu I'd Jn0 bllnpIe OuJlanQ
ish scheme Of the little sister, and to be
glad that he has been the object of even q
thought.
Barbara rushed OF wild with excitement
and, reaching her own room again, she, like
ahuman Katy-did, 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 fuzz
Next Dots diamond star was pinned
coQuetishly to one side of her Uranium, q
dancing-school dress was donned--a frock
all glinmer and pale pink shadows, and
leaving 1t unfastened, she drew on her fur
lined school cloak, poked sash of purest
Brussels into one OF Its capacious pockets,
und ran down breathless to Scott.
Into the coach and OF TO tho assembly
rooms.
"Won't Dot thtarep' thought the little
wretch. "One needn't be tho old after all
% 70 to . ball. ! make . thenthation,
don't wonderp'