The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-12-11
Recta's Night Harangue.
BY JOHN ]. A'BEcKET.

There were a thousand things that
troubled Mr.. Burnham's mind. Not all
at once, of course, because if troubles do
rever come singly, they don't invade a
mortal like plague of locusts-hundreds
at time. But there were always a few
little vorriments which settled on poor
Mr.. Burnham like three or four bees in
the calyx of one flower, sucking the
sweetness out of it. But the flower
which yields up its sweetness to the in
vading bee has this advantage, that it
can keep up brave front and distill as
exquisite perfume even if the winged
marauders 6lch every vestige of sweetness
from it.
And the worst of it was that, as rule,
Mr.. Burnham created, or, at least, enter
tanned most OF his worriments. If he
went into restaurant for his lunch, he
could not tell what it was he wanted on
the menu, and instead of falling back on
roast-beef, which is q safe escape in this
complication, he would balance shad roe
and Kenuebec salmon and spring lamb,
until he was vexed at himself and almost
lost his appetite.
But the poor man had one somewhat
justifable source of mental trouble. It
was sweet little girl, six years old.
She worry? Yes; she was. And this
was only because she was the dearest lit
tie thing in the world. She was perfect
ly healthy, so she was exuberantly active.
Mir. Burnham was afraid she would break
her leg or get run over. She was as
pretty as an orchid. Mr. Burnham used
to sigh at the prospect of her marrying
some handsome, worthless fellow when
she was seventeen. The absurdity of
borrowing trouble dozen years away, if
it came at all, was no help to the good
man. He was always dealing in futures
Of that kind.
The chief thing that troubled him was
Nina's education. Through a dreadful
dispensation of fate Nina's mother died
when the little fairy was only five; so tine
task Of educating the child devolved
upon Mr.. Burnham entirely. And he
had very strict, conscientious views about
education. He felt that the formation
of Nina's character depended on him,
and he was so dreadfully afraid that he
mightn't lnvuel it Alright.
His business kept him away a good
deal; and though he had obtained the
best governess he could find for his little
girl, he felt that parental care was an
all-important factor. He was always
thinking what he could do to improve
Miss Nina's mind and disposition.
The result of this constant straining
after the best educational methods led
him one day to conceive what he re-
garded as happy idea, and an original
one, too. Much of the happiness of the
thought for Mr.. Burnham lay in this
fact, that he felt it was bright spark
thrown off by his own mind, and which
hadn't occurred to anybody before.
He was hurrying along Broadway one
day when he saw sign telling of talk
ing dolls. Dolls had always seemed to
MIR. Burnham to have their value in a
child's education, because they fostered
the sense of responsibility in the little
one.
But here was doll that could do
more than that. 81 have to be away so
much from Nina" he said to himself, as
he stopped and read the sign. "Now what
an advantage it would be if she could
have something that would say nice
things to her when am not by!'
| His ideas were somewhat vague on the
ksubject of talking dolls. He was really
&rguing as if he could go into the shop
- #ed select some conversational Madame