Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-09-25

NOW MISS EuWarQS''-fOr W10n Bet 8
emotions were stirred or her feelings
wrought upon, she invariably assumed
| the role of offended dignity, that, to-
gether with tragic air of martyr-like
endurance and long suffering, was gen.
orally too much for Jacks rlsibles, but
which at this time produced no other
effect than to cause her, with bewil-
! dered air, to sit down where she had
heretofore stood up; "Miss Edwards"-
| for at this juncture Bets dignity fast
| threatened dissolution and her gay
| turban quivered wrathfully-"I fur one
| haint got no fllrder use fur yore whistlin
| ways. What's de matter wild yer emmy
how? Pears like yer dun seen spook.
Mighty wonder yer amt whistled one
up fore now" with sniff and poke
OF her foot at the unoHending pail that,
bottom side up, lay ia the grass at her
| feet.
No less invulnerable to this show of
whitening sarcasm WAS the soulless bit
| of tin than the mute girl above it.
Come, now, you jist miander down
to that ar kid double quick, fur Pm
gwine to see what this here pail was
! done made fur"
| Jack got down from her perch with a
convulsive sob in her throat, smothered,
however, with quick resoluteness.
1t needed but few moments to thread
| her way along the narrow path to the
| house, yet they brought to the soul of
| this young girl new and strange eXpe-
rience; the birth OF new purpose, the
swift warming Of new impulses into life.
| she lifted "Little Buttons" from his play
among the rubbish on the floor. Her
| baby brother all in filth and rags ALI
the womanliness that had lain so long
dormant in her nature rebelled at the
sight. bet ought never to have
brought them to this" she reasoned.
She had promised her dying mother
that she would faithfully care for her
children. And how had she cared for
| them? Yet it was possible, she told
| herself, that she had helped this state of
affairs to their final elimination. Helped
them by her Incidence, her careless
ness, her "whistling ways" True, she
ings for new way. Yet somehow she
had felt perfectly helpless in the mat
ter. But now things must be different
and that right away, for should her
| father ever come back to them he must
never find "Little Buttons" other than
| the sweet, clearly child his mother
would have made him. 1t would be
hard work at first, but she would never
give up for Little Buttons" sake.
| Black Bet hurrying in at the door
| stopped SO short as to send the water in
cool gushes over the side of the pail.
What could Jack be doing. and with SO
grave face? Undressing the baby
and he but dressed two hours ago.
Jack found her voice at last, and Bet
| was ordered-yes ordered-to bring
tub of water, soap and towels. And
Little Buttons" had his first bath since
wee baby. From his curly head down
to his white feet Jack spared neither
soap nor water. while she thought TO
herself that it only needed dainty care
to make him beauty; and he should
have it, for her baby brother must not
grow to manhood amid surroundings so
filthy.
Bet was again ordered, in a manner
that fairly took her breath away, to
bring clean clothes. Whole they GER
tainly we're not, nor none too clean. She
must see about the matter.
It was late that night before the lights
| We're out in the Edwards house. The
neighbors wondered; they would have
| wondered still more could they have
| listened to the plans laid; and the cool
decisive way in which orders were Civ
Ell the astounded Bet They not only
wondered, but questioned when the
following DAYS and weeks found these
plans vigorously carried out. Bet pri-
vately informed them that she was
done scarf out of her seberal cents"
and she slot jack S whisitin ways prime
now she seen desc new tricks" At
the end Of the first month, however,
she had so far recovered the use of her
faculties as to rather like the new state
OF affairs.
At Mrs. Edwards death the live
stock, with the exception of pet COW,
had been put under the hammer; and
the farm had been let yearly on shares.
| The family means were limited to be
sure, but now that right management
and the much needed thriftiness pre-
| vailed they began to yield comfort and
plenty. To be exact in the matter, we
must say that Jack more than once re-
lapsed into her old ways. There would
come days when it would be $50 easy to
let things go. ''But the pattar Of baby
feet, and the sound of cooling voice al
/ ways spurred her on.
Two years passed away. Jack has
grown healthy, handsome and withal
womanly With the beginning Of the
new respect both felt and shown her
the lawless name of Jack, which was
only nickname after all, was gradual
~ forgotten, and her baptismal name of
Clare, resumed. BERTHE, the baby, is
wonderfully beautiful. 10 Glare he is
Little Buttons" STILL 1t is once more
| a morning in May. Along the orchard
path Clare is again going, but not with
the water pail in her hand this time; in
stead it CLASPS a worn testament, her
mothers for Clare is going to Sabbath
school this beautiful Sabbath day. She
stops at the 'superanuable apple
stump" and smiles as she recalls the
morning of two years ago. Thrifty
young trees around her are putting
forth blossom here and there, while
the old ones are mass Of bloom. The
founce of gooseberry bushes has both
heightened and widened, and just be-
vond them she sees some one coming
aloung the path-a man old beyond his
years, but with "Little Buttons won
| derful hair. 1t is her father, clothed
and in his right mind"
An Incident of Gre gettysburg.
IN