The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-09-28
A LITTLE RED CRUTCH.
Grandmas Rainy-Day story of n Patie
Little slfrerer.

The worst OF 1T is, said Nanette,
shat there isn't any garnet to this
house"
Nanette was leaning on the parlor
window, pulling the lace curtains very
much awry, and looking disconsolately
out into the wet street.
81 don't mind RAINY days in story
books" continued the small philoso-
pher because there are always gar
rets in story-bools, always, and little
girls find the loveliest things in them
when il rains-old laces, and skeletons,
and things.
skeletons" CALCULATED the listener
at the other window. "My, Nan!
should you like to find a skeleton? I'm
rather glad we haven't any garnet, if
skeletons live in garrets. But tell you
what, lowering her voice mysterious
ly, and coming over to stand on the
same long-suffering curtain that Nan
was abusing. there is little shut-up
place in this house that must have some
thing awful in it,"
The little shut-up place" was closet
in the third-story back room. A gabled
roof made Irregularities in the room,
and one Of them developed into dark
closet.
'But it's locked" objected Nanette.
"No, it isn't. I pulled it open, one
day, just very little way"
"And what was inside?'
Nothing" confessed the discoverer,
''except dust and darkness. But didn't
go in, You know. | wouldn't for any
thing"
The next minute two slim little fig
ures might have been seen-they could
not be Misunderstanding up the Queen
Anne stairway. Tiptoeing, and cover
ing up laughing lips, and pinchlng each
other, they reached the third-story back
room, and stood before the closed door
But it was not an obstinate door, and
the small, cunning fingers soon had it
open. Darkness and dust indeed.
plenty of both, and nothing else to be
seem
'Would You be afraid to go in, Nan?"
''No, indeed; 'fraid of what?'
Would You go back to the very
darkest end?"
Nan insisted that she would.
well, then. do it," dared the other,
and sturdy Nan plunged into total
eclipse. She came back TO the cheer
full light of day with great alacrity,
covered with dust, of course-eyes full,
nose and mouth ditto, apron looking
like Cinderella's, and something in her
hand. Winking her dusty lashes, she
held up her discovery. 1t was little
red crutsh
Downstairs they clattered, with
noise enough to make up for their
silent ascent the little crutch bobbing
along each step as they flew down to
grandmother's room.
The look that came into grandma
eyes, when the crutch was held up, was
very much the look Anita would have
shown if the skeleton had been found
indeed, or ghost.
There was clearly something to tell,
and as story on this wet day would
be even more delightful than finding a
skeleton, the dear old lady was at once
put in state of siege, the crutch and
two little girls sitting down obstinately
before her
''One breezy fall day." said grandma
surrendering at discretion, "a little CIR
went out to the barn to swing"
what is barn, grandma?"
"This barn" she answered, twas the
most delightful place in the world
1t was none of your fine north
ern barns, with stained-glass win
dows, but a great high-roofed, dark
raftered place, where cobwebs hat
leave to sleep, where the breeze wan
dered in and out all day, and the sun
shine played about, as the children die
hunting eggs. 1t was full of sweet
odors from the bayfield, on one sid,
aud the apple orchard on the other
and the little Virginia girl, who's,
swing dangled from one of the lowe
beams, had no idea that anybody in tn,
world had higher claim on it than sh
had"
What was her name, grandma?'
"Her name," said the old lady, look
ing startled, "her name was Nancy, o
course"
And she went out to swing on
day" prompted the listener.
"She went out to swing, one day, de
termined to work up till she touche,
the beam. She was very strong an
very skilful she put her little bare fee
on the board seat, seized the rope higl
up, gave tilt this side and that, an
was off DO you know how to work up:
How to bend the knees, and straighte
them again, with jerk that sends tn
obedient swing flying through the air
Nancy came so near the beam that i,
cobwebby dust sifted down in hereye
mot the beam she was hanging to, yo
know. but another). So close, and yt
not to touch Ambitious little COOS
she suddenly threw out her hand, an
struck the great log with her fist. BIZ
the loosened rope swung away frol
her, the board tilted, she hung only b
one little hand in the air, and soon II
impetus of the swing jerked that hol
loose, and she fell"
AIR cried the little girls, with sc
of pain-"ah, grandma. was 81
killed."
NO. not killed; but sometimes In Il
long winter months that followe