The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-10-25


neck, side by side, crcs""d over in front
and guarded by the faithful gilt eagle.
Her stockings were both pulled up and
tied with white rag garters. She had
found anothef shoe, and remembered
her dress, and gay little calico apron.
There she stood, a red, yellow and pur-
Pile discord in color.
gave her seat and we soon became
good friends. Her pathetic attempts to
please me in all things, her desperate
efforts to learn, with her faithful, dog
like devotion to me, touched me. How
well l remember her toilsome climb up
the hill Of knowledge.
The intricacy OF "fggahs" proved too
much for Tanky. One day she sat
patiently trying to make slateful of
6's, but finally rolled her eyes up with
comical look Of despair, and ex-
claimed: "De tails dun git roun' de
rong way"
She learned to read after an initiative
fashion of her own, rather than in the
most approved way. Tanky loved to learn
the little stories and scraps of poetry by
heart" as the children say. Then it
was funny to see her hold her book up
in front of her so gravely, and in her
musical voice read, while her big, dark
eyes were rolling all about, looking
everywhere except at the words.
But when the singing teacher came
in to give his weekly lesson, then
Tanky was in her glory. Her old
cracked slate and her book were whisked
out of sight and she was always ready
first She caught the simple airs of the
songs more readily than any thing else.
She would sway her little body back
and forth in time to the music. her big
eyes rolling till first one saw the white
and then the dark part, her head with
its bushy halo of wool swaying from
side to side, her little dusky hand
stretched out among the many white
ones rhythmically beating time. But
when the time grew quicker Tanky's
small body rocked frantically back and
forth, and her woolly head rolled from
side to side so recklessly that felt al
most afraid it would roll quite off, and
come down with bang on the floor!
What picture she made! How 1
wished / could sketch her then, and
''do her up" in water-colors. Tanky
would have liked to be done in colors
best
Her first gift to me was as curious as
herself. 1t was very green tomato.
She was q generous little soul and some
times brought me scraps of bright yell
low, green and gilt papers, carefully
smoothed out To Tanky's color-loving
eyes these were precious gifts. Who
knows in her bare little life what she
imagined about the brightly-colored
ribbons and papers?
Children have queer fancies. One
night she came back after the other
children were gone and stood alter
nately twisting her apron-strings and
hauling up her unruly stockings, until
said:
"Well, Tanky, what is it?"
She said: "Ouh chIch is dun gwine
to hab festibull dis evenin'-an'-an'
will you Gomez"
Then followed rapid and eloquent |
description of the promiscuous feast in
store for me.
"We're dun gwine to hab millun an
bread an cakes wild candies dun
sprinkled all ovah de tops, an'-an'-
pies"
Here she hesitated, and rolled her big |
eyes around, and then named over some |
of the same delicacies in reverse order, |
and paused, waiting eagerly for my an
swer.
! explained to her quite carefully how
many, many blocks away it was where
nd 1nl and flat IN tynnl1 hn r,ncSi. |
BILE for me to come to the "festibull,"
as she called it.
She turned away, but not before / saw
the look of disappointment that was
leepened in her face by the mournful
in her eyes. Something |
about the droop OF the pathetic little
igure as it was quietly stealing away
me to add: perhaps ] will
,ome and see you, Tanky, some day."
She only looked at me wistfully,
nodded her head, and walked slowly
away.
The next thing / remember was the
advent of Tanky's cousin into our
school, She was as black as tar, and
Dig and stolid. Tanky proudly led her
n, and | asked her name. She looked
'heepish and stupid, but Tanly gave
Ter a reproachful glance, and came to
he rescue with: "lIuh name is Sylla
Pearl Buclinah.
1t was amusing to see how Tanky,
hough much smaller than Sylla Pearl,
would fight her battles for her in the
and every other place. In
Iced, she looked after her always, with
quite grandmotherly air.
One day L heard some one crying
in the wardrobe, where the
hildren's wrappings hung. l went to
he door and found big Sylla Pearl weep
ng bitterly. Finally her grief found
words, and she burst out with:
''Oh, oh, oh! dun loss my-my-
loak!"
Much relieved that it wasn't her head,
began hunting diligently for the cloak
some of the children joined in the
Is arch, but we were unsuccessful. BY
his time Tanky, who had scented
rcuble fer her Pearl from the play
round, few TO the rescue. And what ,
omcal sight she was, as she stood in
he doorway with tie wind blowing her
'ool and huttering nor gay neck rib
ons, her eyes opened vide, and her
ands on her hips, taking In the situa-
on. She settled the trouble speedily.
'anky only said:
"Sylla Pearl, you dun nevak fotched
ouah cloak"
How expressive our language can be ,