The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-06-17
LOUIE'S TRIALS.
A Leaf from the Memories of Early
Childhood


ing fortnight with my grandmother
| liked to bc there. She was an un-
dcmonstrativc hut most tcndcr-hcarted
old lady; and / have been told since
that | wns her pet among the twenty
children who called her Grandma"
But there were no young people for me
to play with. Our only small neigh
bors were wild, noisy. ill-brcd children;
and was forbidden even to talk over
the fence to them. The elderly servant
who took charge of me was constantly
''nagging' me on this subject. Don't
You speak to those kissamS. Louie
she would say, sharply; or, II sec You
near the kisSams fence, and ! mean to
tell your grandma" All this made me
very miserable. and / think dear old
granny found it out; for one day, in
the twilight hour, when il was her
sweet custom to let me sit with her in
the ''Blacll-walnut parlor," aS the
quaint room fronting the road was
called, she took me on her lap and said,
in chccry tone:
Il think my little girl Is tired Of old
people; isn't shc2 Well. now, DO you
see that white house across the street?
II has been closed all summer. you
know because the family are away; but
tomorrow they are coming homc, and
there are three nice little children for
YOU To play with"
/ flung Iny arms around grandma'S
neck and hurgcd her for very Joy, And
all that evening, and after | WAS in bed
even, | kept picturing the delight of
having those children IL play with, per
hapS to visit. - how my dolls to. with
ont any frarOI warnings or rcbUllc from
Maria. Early the next day we saw the
family arrive. Two carriage loads, and
a great van full of furniture. trunks,
etc. and the windows Of the large
beautiful house were flung open and
there was a general air OF cheerful
activity. The Samr afternoon MrS-
Roberts. the childrcn's mother, ran
across to sec grandma She was a
beautiful young woman, dressed in the
height of that days faShion-largc
crinnlinc. = flounccd blue and white
muslin and flowing sleeves. and her
bright brown hair was loopcd in what
they called Madonna" braidS. l could
have gaz-d ~ her forever. And
when >hc said: oh. l. this Ncil's little
girl?~ and took me on her lap regard
less Of her crisp muslins and kissed me-
and said | must come the very next day
t. sec the children, the conquest was
complete.
Well. my anxiety for the next day"
to come kept me awake long beyond
the hour Maria was always telling me
no '.go5d little girl ever asked 10 sit up
and in the morning I bore with uuhcard
of patience her rasping way of curling
my hair. | used TO dread that ordeal.
Maria's hands were like nutmcg lsratcrS,
and She twisted and turned my head
about rs she curlcd the hair over 4
stick Is though ! WAS trYiHg to bc re-
bclliOuS: and every little while the
stick wouldn't come through the curl
She made it so tight. While this per
tOrmance was going on she gave me
various warnings for the days behavior.
III tell you just one thing" she
wound up with; don't you dare meddlc
with a thing You see. They've brought
beautiful things from Europe, and
You'll never be let over there again for
a minute" (hcrc the stick was dragged
out of 4 curl; but / bore it silently If
. Won so much as hurt one single bit of
anything Nou mcddlc, mcddlc, med
die the hull time: and if ri been your
| grandma Id never hcv let you go there
| at all. Shed ought TO know you'll do
some mischief"
Tears Maria did not see sprang into
| my eyes. No one had ever made me
! feel myself such diSagrecablc child,
! | wondered If Mrs Roberts would dis
/ like me much. But very soon grand
ma came into the room and told Maria
ii was time she took me across the road,
/ adding. in her lIindcSt way: i know
! my little girl will be good, and l am
| sure She will be very happy"
Maria shifted when we were alone
| again, and, as we crossed the road, cX-
pressed her disapprobation by jerking
me from time To time, and telling me
TO walk straightcr"~ or keep my y.hands
still, or mot try TO act 50 silly"
/ At last l was within the door of the
| fine houSe-in a wide hall full of stat
nary. pictures, etc; some not As vet
/ placed. others having been there since
! Mrs. Roberts childhood, but all nv at
| tention was ccntcred on the staircase.
down which three rosy little girls in
white dresses. with long curls flying.
and an air of delightful freedom, came
/ rushing to welcome me And we were
! friends at once-that Is, directly the
! door had closed on Maria: and by the
time they had taken me upstairs to a
! big, sunshiny nursery, where a French
J0RHc in white cap and large apron sat
| sewing. we knew each others names
and had decided first Ia play dolls"
Children of to-day cannot appreciate
what a genuine French doll with a
| trOusScau was to the American child of
that period. When | saw the three
! dolls belonging to Dora, Addy and Nell
their wonderful clothes like n real
pcrson's-theirh hats, shoes, dresses, un-
a -, III
the outfit of a lady of fashion, nearly
screamed with delight. a nd what a
| morning we had, We sat on the floor
and played house; we made several
days of it in order to put the dolls into
their dainty beds, to take them up and
| wash and dress them. We walked
| them up and down the balcony
in order to put their out-of-door
| garments on. They called on each
other; they gave parties; they
| sat down to dinner at the most
| delightful little table with real food in
! the dishes, which the good-natured
! French nurse procured; and they fell
, i'll and had to have a doctor Nell in her
! brothers hat and coat, and altogether
| created for me a paradise. While we
played, RoSalie, the bonnie, sat in the
! window sewing, looking on 1T us good
| naturedly, and now and then speaking
in French to the children. She had a
| high workbasket at her side, full of all
! kinds of saving material; and the only
| time she was cross was when Addy
wanted to ''rummage" it for some
thing.
/ think it must have been nearly moor
when Mrs. Roberts came in to say tht
children's uncle from Danbury wa:
! downstairs.
They will only be gone a few min
utes. Louie, dear" she said, sweetly
you won't mind.