Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-03

wrapped in blanket who would come
to carry me away if ever was naughty
and disobedient.
And then auntie, sitting with Robbie
on her lap, told us her story:
When l was a little girl like Hattie
papa and were living alone here. When
l say alone mean that my poor mamma
had died, and we were the only ones of
the family left on the farm.
| But we had a servant, who took care
of the house, and old Maria, who took
care Of me and mended my clothes, and
then there was the man who worked the
farm, as papa's business in the village
kept him away from home all day.
Now, Maria was very good and kind
to me, and loved me very dearly, even
though l was wild little thing, always
running away and getting lost, and Civ
ing her deal of trouble, dare say.
suppose it was because was SO hard
to manage and SO very naughty that she
first told me the story of the old woman
in the blanket.
One night, after I had got into bed,
and she had tucked me away and was
going out with the light she stopped to
say:
I'm afraid if you amt any better to-
morrow than you've been today, Miss
Jane, and if you don't stop runnin' into
the woods, the old woman in the blanket
will come after you" q had been very,
very bad that day, and suppose poor
Maria was at her wits end to make me
behave.)
"What old woman in a blanketT' I in
quired, sitting up in bed.
"Never mind" Maria went on mystic
riously, II tell you there's an old woman
in blanket who comes after all naughty
girls, specially them that runs away
into the woods when theys told not to. !"
Then Maria went away with the can
die and lay alone in the dark with my
mind full of the old woman in the blan-
ket.
was very good for a little while, and
suppose Maria thought she had done a
fine thing in making up the story, as it
seemed to have so good an effect upon
my conduct. Indeed thought a great
deal about the old woman in the blan-
ket.
Playing about in the fields in the day
time, would sometimes forget all about
her, but whenever l was quiet, and es-
pecially at night, I fell to imagining all
sorts of dreadful things, about how she
looked and what she would say and
where she would take me.
Maria soon found that whenever was
unruly and disobedient all she had to do
was to remind me of the terrible old
woman in the blanket, so by and by
began to feel quite sure that at some
time or other would certainly be pun
ished by her, and sometimes / was dread
fully frightened at night and used to
cover my head up with the bedclothes,
just as Robbie did a while ago.
Now, you must know, for think I've
told you, I was always expressly forbid
den to go into the woods.
l didn't see very much of papa, as he
was away all day, but remember he
often said to me:
Jennie, you may play about the fields
and over in the meadows as much as you
like, but you must not go into the woods
alone"
You see, there were snakes there, and
besides, the woods were very dense. Gt
was almost forest), and there were so
many paths that even grown person
might easily get lost there. How it was
that ever forgot my old woman in the
blanket so entirely don't remember, but
anyway, one day ran after poor little
rabbit that was lame and that couldn't
20 7 90
anything but the little limping creature,
whose home was SO anxious to see, l
suddenly found myself in the midst Of
the forbidden woods.
l must have been running for long
time. for l found myself in place that
had not known before, and had made
so many turns along the paths that l
looked around bewildered, because
couldn't tell in what direction home lay.
"Oh, dear me"1 cried to myself, very
much frightened. 81 didn't mean to b.
disobedient. didn't mean to come into
the woods at all"
Indeed, had not meant to come.
was seldom naughty deliberately, and
most of the mischief got into was the
result of thoughtlessness and careless
ness.
But anyway here was in the woods,
and must get out of them. I looked
and looked, and finally started out brave
ly to the left, as the way looked little
familiar. But though I walked on and
on, and sometimes ran little, it all
grew more and more strange about me,
and 1 finally stopped in dismay.
81 must be going the wrong way" l
almost cried aloud, ''and oh!" Il held my
breath in terror) ''what is that?"
A long, low rumble, and then the trees
began to moan and shake their heavy
branches, as if they, too, were trembling
in fear.
Plashl Plashl A great drop fell upon
my bare head. Suddenly there was a
dreadful crash. In moment every
thing grew dark, and then the thunder
and the lightning and the furious rain
all seemed to come together, and I was
alone, all alone, lost in the woods, and
night was coming on! Then cried out
as loud as / could in my terror.
''Oh, what a bad, naughty girl have
been!" sobbed And then thought of
the old woman in the blanket, and my
tears dried in very fear, and looked
about trembling. Ihad madeit upin my
mind just what she would look like. She