St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-03-15

ror Of horrors! Peggoty's heart came
right up in her mouth. Across both lit.
tie toes was the old familiar purplish
streak wearing white in the middle, and
in the corner of the right boot was
small but u~ndeniable hole. And these
boots were to have lasted two weeks.
PeggOty was fairly stunned by the size
Of the calamity. She sat down beside
papa after the hymn wa over, inwardly
full of anguish, but ~outwardly such q
model of what . good child should be
that old Mrs. Bryce, who was wont to
regard Peggoty's performancesin church
with any thing but a lenient eye, actual
~ leaned over and gave her = pepper.
mint. She sat like a little statue all
through the m Her one idea was
to keep those little worn toes from at.
tracing attention. Who would have
thought that merely scraping those
boots over half a mile Of pavement would
have produced such disastrous effects.
Papa thought it = dreadful thing to wear
out q pair Of boots in eight days. What
would he say when he knew it had
actually been accomplished in walking
to church?
Mamma looked at her once or twice a
little a~nxiOusly. She sat so very still
and her face had such a lovely, far away
look, and a thought Of Aunt Emmons'
prophecy came into her mind. Still,
Peggoty did not look at all like . sick
child. and she dismissed the thought.
More than the usual number Of young
and old ladies stopped going out of the
church to kiss Peggoty and pat her little
red cheeks, and Peggoty received it all
without much attention. Usually she
was not quite As Indifferent as she ap-
peared to the admiration she excited.
but caresses made no impression to-day.
She kept carefully in the background
all the way home, wondering what was
best to be done. Immediately after din
ner those new boots would have to come
of with her best dress, and then s'the
deluge." At last she resolved that she
would 60 away. She would 20 eoff like
Dick Wilmington. or some Of the
Princesses in the fairy tales, and come
home only after SOM marvellous advent
ures, and they would all be 50 glad to
see her that they would forget about the
boots. She almost decided to 60 at once,
but having glanced into the dining
room, where Hannah vas setting the
table for dinner, and most appetixing
odors stealing in from the kitchen, she
decided to wait. Perhaps she might also
get something to eat on her wanderings.
Peggoty did manage to secrete : roll
in her little pocket, and the minute din
ner was over slipped upstairs, and after
some struggling got of her best dress
and into her everyday attire. She
meant to take her departure through
the orchard, but nurse, after waiting for
Peggoty, who usually made one Of the
party, took Johnnie and baby and went
Of that way. thinking Peggoty was with
mamma, 30 escape in that direction was
cut Of. Pegg0ty was not able to button
many buttons on her dress, but then it
was a warm day and didn't much mat
ter. As for the boots, we'll, they were
worn out; she concluded not to take
them of.
She grasped Dolly Rosalipd firmly by
one kid arm and peered through the
banisters, waiting for = chance to 20
out the door, but to her dismay, papa
got a chair and sat placidly down under
the big maple by the gate. The garnet
door was ajar, and feeling that attempts
to escape % would be failures, Peggoty
wen up there to wait till night. She
usually liked the attic, but to-day its
interest wa Don exhausted. It was so
warm, and Il did look 50 pleasant out
doors. Pegg0ty stared out OF the dusky
window, notdsring otryandope it. and
listlessly watched two or three fat nies
that were buzxing shout Finally she
and Rosalind climb ed an old bedstead,
and sat dismally down behind = pile Of
old pillows and winter blankets and ate
the roll. 1t was . forlorn situation, and
Peggoty began to fancy how hard it
would be to go out all alone in the dark.
with no n but Rosalind, who didn't
amount to much in an emergency. Two
great tears rolled down her cheeks as
she pitied herself. However. it was
warm and close, and long before Peg
goty had planned half her coming ad-
ventures she fell fast asleep.
Meanwhile mamma had missed her.
She came up to the nursery and found
the best dress lying on q chair. She
hung it up. wondering nurse had forgot
ten to do it. Then she went off to her
room to write letters, thinking Peggoty
must have gone into the orchard, too,
though she hadn't noticed her when the
others started. The afternoon wor away,
and when almost teartime they came
home, and it wasdiscovered hat Peggoty
was not with them. Great was the COM
motion. AL the likely places-no one
thought Of the attic-upstairs, down.
stairs, outdoors, snd in. were searched,
and then papa and Patrick started out
asking every one il they had seen any
thing Of . rosy-cheeked little girl, With
blue eyes and curly hair. carrying =
rather dilspidated doll, for Rosalind's
absence was also discovered. Cook in
vestigated the cistern and an old well
on the premises, and dire was the dis
may. BY seven o'clock the whole town
knew that little Margaret Sherman was
lost. and people were searching and in
quiring in every direCiOn- Some n
had seen a fair-haired child by the side
Of . ragged old woman that day; anoth-
had seen asfairlAafred child playing
by the river. TIE various stories and
surmises almost rivaled the adventures
Of the famous Princess When at last
il v~s glowing dark fast papa came in
saying no clew could be found, mamma
was almost distracted.
Meantime Peggoty slept serenely on
through an the commUtion until = few
after papa came in. while Ro-
kept guard. with her CLASSY eyes
fixed upen'tAs cefinG.-4The Princesses
onncnlres cnnldn'f have been more