The Colfax chronicle., 1890-06-14
WHAT KATE DID.
How q Dear Little Girl Helped Re-
store Her Mothers Sight.

4
When it frst flashed through her bus,
brain and spread itself out in all sort.
Of pretty shapes and possible colorings
It nearly took her breath away. It wa.
at recess, while all the other girls wer,
coaxing the boys to let them coast dowr
the famous incline behind the school
house ON the Lions" s.Antelopes,
"Puritans," "Dexters" and "Ligh timing
Expresses" or whatsoever their sleds
happened to be named, and Katie haG
the whole warm school room to herself
| In which to think. Even Miss Hyacintt
had gone to Farmer Bassett's, across the
road tit had come her turn to board
round with hinO for something she had
forgotten, and Katie and the old clock
had the whole warm school room all te
themselves. / doubt if Katie's heart,
when she first thought Of 1t, didn't dis.
tance the beating of the prim wooden
clock, which, with its "Home of Wash.
ington" painted in CHASTITY, chalky white
and fearful emerald green's on the lower
half Of its glass door, stood in solitary
splendor on bracket-shelf just back OF
and above Miss Hyacinth' q orderly desk.
But Katie's thoughts were upon neither
heart-beats nor clock-beats, so absorbed
was she in the charming idea that was
dawning into a sweet and real possibil-
ity with every seconds hurried fight.
All afternoon she found herself hav-
ing to do battle with it-for it crept be-
tween herself and the personal pro-
nouns, It sat upon the very curves that
kept the divisor and quotient from
slipping into the dividend, and hid even
the big straw-colored map of Africa!
You see, Katie was very ambitious
little girl. and very much of Yankee,
as far as . wholesome thriftiness, or a
getting ON in the world, was concerned;
and though she went to school regularly,
she managed between times to do many
odd tasks for the childless neighbors in
thatsparsely settled section that brought
her in good many pennies, and every
penny was needed. now that her mother
had become blind. But it wasn't PEN
nies she was thinking of now-it was
nickels and dimes and even quarters of
q dollar, that should grow, gradually,
into pile big enough to pay the famous
DR.. Optic to perform an operation on the
dear, dark eyes Of her mother, whose
one cry was to look once again upon the
face Of her only childl
1t was their own good doctor who had
unknowingly shown her the possible
way in which to earn the twenty dollars,
which, he said, he would persuade the
great man to accept for the dificult and
delicate work.
That was only yesterday, when. SO
chilled through from his long journey
to see q patient out of town that he felt
he must stop to warm himself at Mrs.
Keene's kitchen IRE, DR.. Saltus had
gladly accepted the cup of hot coffee
Katie offered him (it being noon and
Katie having her mothers and her own
ready, and, slipping bright
new silver dime into the cup before he
handed 1t back. had said:
II fear shall never be able to pass
this house hereafter without thinking
Of that cup of coffee, Mrs. Keene; so, If
should become q regular customer you
must not be surprised. Your little
daughter brews most excellent coffee,
and there's nothing more grateful to
man alter long, cold ride"
So little ever happened at the home
Of the Keenes that, after the doctor had
kindly looked at Mrs. Keene's poor eyes
Ind told her that very speedy restora-
lion to sight was possible, had left the
house, clambered into his buggy set on
runners and driven away. Katie could
think OF nothing but what the doctor
said.
She saw his kind face in the very bot
tom of tho bright dish-pan instead of
her own round, rosy little one, when,
The dishes washed, she wiped out that |
useful utensil before hanging it ON its
'wn particular peg. All that evening
The thought at intervals of their unusual |
and at night she dreamed |
hat she was Offering coffee to whole |
'rmy Of gray-haired doctors, who, all |
md severally, dropped dime into their !
'mptied cups with little metellic clanR
but 1t was really only Jack Frost trying |
o split the little mug of water she had |
,laced upon . stand near her beds head |
hat made her dream of that sort of .
,oise.
All the way home from school next
lay her project full-fiedged and her
'usy brain teeming. Katie counted so
many chickens before they were Matched
hat she had become, in imagination, .
'erson of great wealth and distinction.
sor did the sight of q small frame house
hat stood in such ''poverty-stricken
ashion," as she had always before
bought, close up to the very road itself,
end to dsunt her gay spirit For now
here was splendid reason why the
'ouse should set upon the roadside;
nd l am prone to believe that the
'rightness and fitness" of all things
eemed just then to enter Katie's mind.
That the green shutters were amazed
t what, not fifteen minutes later, they
Aw done before their very Stats, II
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