Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-02
FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE
HOW GRANDMA LOST HER
BONNET.
An intervening sketch for Little Girls 20
Iisad-C hicago's baby Dranmsr.

les, ueafie, thhJ IL rl8ut pretty,
said Grandma Hobbs, as Mamie pranced
before her with her new hat set jam
tily on her curly head Il hope there
won't anything bad befall it,
"Didnt You ever have a hat, grand
ma p"
Not exactly, dearie; but i had q
bonnet when i was about your age.
and we'll d. remember the sudden
and awful end il came to. 1t waa q
seven-strand,' made Of wheat-straw
tina. we'd gathered from the field when
the kernel was in the milk. Father
used to give us little corner of his
wheat-field for bonnet-straw.
Mother got Kizzy Trip, spinster
that went around the neighborhood
making bonnets, to braid aud sew
mine; then it was hung in barrel and
bleached over burning sulphur. dare.
say it was as big as peck basket, but
1 thought it wonderfully beautiful
bonnet.
II hadn't had it very long when our
hauling-bee took place"
What's a hauling bee, grandma ?"
said Nan, hanging her hat carefully on
the tall post of grandmas chair
"Oh, it was gathering of men ana
great Jokes of oxen to haul buildings
from one place to another. Father had
built him new barn, and the little
house we lived in was going to be
drawn close to it for an ell to the new
house he meant to build when he got
able.
Mother kept right on weaving at
the long web of vale, and Sally and
l had to wind the quills; but I'm
afraid they had naughty noses,' we
were in such a hutter to see all that
was going on.
"Father had put long shoes, or
'skids, beneath the house, like the
runners of great sled, so that it would
slide along easier.
"The linen came early, with more
than twenty pairs of oxen, which were
mtched in three strings-two at the
corners of the house and one string in
the center-and at the word the
divers all piled their long goads. and
such shoutingl You could have heard
them a mile:
Hi hi hi E! Gee up Haw, Bright ="
and grandma's eyes sparkled as she
described the exciting scene.
"The little house was jerked forward
and all the beams and timbers groaned
and cracked. Down came the pewter
plates off the dresser and scurried over
the floor, the brass kettle tumbled off
its peg with a great rafting and the
cradle rocked crafty.
Baby Joe screamed, little Jake
dashed under the bed that stood in one
corner of the kitchen. and for mo
ment / was tempted to crawl after him
But mother said there was no danger,
so got very brave at once.
I'm little while found that broth
er Toby had climbed, by short lad
der il the loft, out through the chin
ney hole in the roof and was having a
ride on the ridgepole.
II always tried to do everything
that Toby did. But I meant to ride
in style, so getting my bonnet, unbe-
known to mother, ont of the big red
chest that stood under the caves, put
1t on and clambered out after Toby.
Il could climb like monkey then.
but the lurchiug and jerking when the
house stopped and started. as it did
every few yards, made me dizzy. We
kept pIetty still and the men were so,
busy they didn't pay attention to us.
I'VE CO. along ali right till we we're
near the old pulky hole kind of
mucky place where some bushes grew,
when all at once the oxen started and
began to bawl. They had run the.
caves of the house into big hornets
nest in the bushes.
Al.
The oxen took to their heels and pulled
with mad fury.
"Jerk-jerk! Bump-bunpl
"They roared and kicked and dashed
their tails; the men got bushes and
fought the hornets as thew ran. At
last the house brought up with an awful
crash Snap went the chains and
away galloped the oxen. snorting and
believing.
"My bonnet tumbled off at the first
plunge and the house had gone over it.
and when the house struck / followed
1t, rolling over and over down the low
roof
by good luck the bushes broke my
fall into the 'pulky hole and / wasn't
hurt much, except that my nose got
q twist that it hasn't got rid of to this
day. and l was covered with mud.
I'VE had to stay there two days be-
fore we conquered those hornets so the
neighbors dared to come again with
their oxen, and in our battles we all
got stung more or less.
But didn't feel half so badly about
that, or even my twisted nose. as did
over the loss of my bonnet. - Youths
mpdnion.