Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-11-14

II
Prrrsrox, ME-. OCT. 1850.
Asv Cbnsin Bsss.. This u The hrst
Dc have ever written 70 goa an
| . Httbe gin eight Years old hsye >
little bsuthef most six years old can
wash dishes asd Do many other things 70
help abpas The house. 90 to school
every dsy- have mast enough squares
d patchwork for = quilt Twill now
eloee hoping - hear frsm you soon.
Yours truly,
TEA CoLBrRx.
| Thanks for your krter. Now I will
tell yen about = little girl with pale.
sweet face, blue eyes and fiaxen hair
Will call her Nina. Her father died
when she vas bnt an infant and her
mother, though quite young woman, i
At times almost helpiess- They live
alone In very old farmhouse which
stands in = sunny spot very near bexla-
tifui grove Of maple trees- In the sum
ner Nina ard her little mate Minnie
they are both just your age-play for
hours ut time In = little leAfy bower
beneath three or four tail tres that
stand quite near togvther. There il .
beaten path from the main road that
leads 10 It, But 30 snug sna protee ted
| II IL By the low grosth on all sides, that
one could 20 WITHIN few feet Of it and
not know that two little busy bodies
we're there--unless by chance one
might hear buzzing, whispering
sound or q sh-- given by
on. to silence the other while =
carriage was rolling by. Here Nina aud
Minnie read over their lessons, speak
pieces. sing songs and play preach aud
keep school. for hours at time. Some
times Minnie brings over her best dishes
| Iva a little basket with a cover. and a few
slices Of frosted cake and couple Of
| cookies. She goes into the little arbor
and sets the table, taking great care to
place the largest pieces OF cake by
Nina's plate, then she runs in and asks
her to come out and see what is in their
house. One day when these little girls
were drinking their tea--it WAS really
only cold water from clear spring near
bur they called IL tea because their by,
mammas did-they became very much
frightened at loud buzzing noise just
outside their house. By and by = big
humble bee swept right through their
little bush house, far above their heads
and of again through the tall trees.
"My". said Nina, II thought that big
bee had come to steal our lunch" .sOh
DEAR said Minnie ut the same instant,
"but never mind he's gone now, don't
let's care any more about it." And,
child-like, they began talking just
where they left of and no
one seeing them moment after
would have believed they were the same
girls that looked so frightened when the
buzz-bee. as they afterwards called it,
flew over their heads. But l must not
stay too long in the grove hear Nina's
mamma calling her from the window.
This is one of her helpless days, she can
scarcely move her hand to her head and
can only 90 about by stepping few
inches at time. Nina brings the wood
pumps the water. sets the table, washes
the dishes, and can wash and iron her
own aprons, dresses and stockings. But
with all these cares upon her young
shoulders, she ia as gay and light-hearted
as bird on the wing. She talks of
what she is going to do when she Is
older and OF the besatiful home she shall
sometime buy for the dear helpless
mamma. Oh the sometime that always
seems to stand just before US from child
hood to middle age and from middle age
to the going out of our last breath. Is
it not really type of what our eternity
will be. That the sometime Of which
YOU my little girl are dreaming today,
may be such as will surround you with
everything that will be for your good,
and from which you will be able to
exert an influence that will help other
little girls over many hard places in
their lives is the hope of
Yours sincerely,
C.. b.