Arizona republican., 1891-02-22

| VI LuSsekAt ~ SlUr aueub soiucbAl7S 1uAt happened to me when l was little girl, and of all the harm that came of my old nurses telling me about the old woman 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 lilse Hattie papa and l were hving alone here. When l say alone l mean that my poor mamma had died, and we. were the only ones oi tho family left on the farm.
 But we had q servant, who took care of the house, and old Maria, who took care of me and mended my clothes, and then there was the maa 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, ever though l was wild little thing, alwayt running away and getting lost, and giv' 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 wal going out with the light she stopped t., ! say:
 I'm afraid if you ain't any better to- morrow than you've been today, Miss Jane, and if you don't stop runnin' int. 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 blanketT ip. quired, sitting up in bed.
 "Never mind," Maria went on myste- riously, Il tell you there's an old woman, in blanket who comes after all naughty girls, specially them that runs away into the woods when they's told not to. "
 Then Maria went away with the cau- dle and lay alone in the dark with my mind full of the old woman in the blarl- ket
 Twas very good for 8 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 was quiet, and es- pecially at night, fell to imagining all sorts of dreadful things, about how she looked and what she would say and where she would take mo.
 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 l 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 while ago. Now, you must know, for think I've told you, l was always expressly forbid den to go into the woods.
 didn't see very much of para. 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 Git was almost forest), and there were 80 many paths that even grown person might easily get lost there. How it wao 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 go very fast, and as wasn't thinking of anything but the little hmping creature, whose home was so anxious to see, l suddenly found myself in the midst of the forbidden woods.
 must have been running for long time, for found myself in place that had not known before, and had made 90 many turns along the paths that l looked around bewildared, because couldn't tell in what direction home lay.
 "Oh, dear mer' cried to myself, very much frightened. "I didn't mean to b. disopedient. didn't mean to come into the woods at all."
 Indeed, had not meant to come. 1 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. looked and looked, and finally started out brave ly to the left, as the way looked little familiar. But though walked on and on, and sometimes ran g. little, it all grew more and more strange about me, and l finally stopped in disrnay.
 "I must be going tho wrong way" l almost cried aloud, land ohp q held my breath in terror) "what is that?
 A long, low mble, and then the trees began to moal and shake their heavy branches, as if they, too, were trembling in fear.
 Flash! Flash! A great drop fell upon my bare head. Suddenly there was a dreadful crash. In Q moment every thing grew dark, and th,,u the thunder and the lightning and tho furious rain all seemed to come together, and l was alone, all alone, lost in the woods, and night was coming on! Then cried out as loud as l could in my terror.
 "Oh, what bad, naughty girl I have been" 1 sokbed. And then thought of the old woman in the blanket, and my tears dried in very fear, and I looked ahout trembling Ihad made if m in my