Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-10-27
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A LITTLE RED cRUTCH.
Grandma's Rainy-Day story Of Patien
Little Sufferer.

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 books, always, and little
girls find the loveliest things in them
when it rains-old laces, and skeletons,
and things.
Skeletons calculated the listener
at the other window. my, Mani
should you like TO find a skeleton? I'm
rather glad we haven't any garnet, II
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 l pulled it open, one
day, just very little way"
And what was insde?"
Nothing" confessed the discoverer,
except dust and darkness. But didn't
go in you know. l 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 mp 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
seen.
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 crutch.
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's
eyes. when the crutch was held up, was
very much the look Anita would have
shown if the skeleton had been found
indeed, or a 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 girl
went out TO the barn to swing"
What is a barn, grandma
This barn, she answered, was the
most delightful place in the world
1t was none of your fine north
ern barns with stained-glass win
dows, bat a great high-roofed, dark
raftered place, where cobwebs had
leave to sleep, where the breeze wan
dered in and out all day. and the sun
shine played about, as the children did
hunting eggs 1t was FUN of sweet
odors from the huy-held on one side
and the apple orchard on the other
and the little Virginia girl, whose
swing danglcd from one of the lower
beams, had no idea that any body in the
world had higher claim on it than She
had
What was her name, grandma?"
''IIer name said the old lady, look
ing startled, her name was Nancy, of
course.
And she went out to swing one
day prompted the listener.
she went out to swing. one day, de
termined to work up till She touched
the beam She was very strong and
very skilful; she put her little bare feet
on the board seat, seized the rope high
up, gave tilt this side and that. and
was off. DO you know how to work up9
How 10 bend the knees, and straighten
them again, with jerk that sends the
obedi mt swing flying through the air?
Mar .y came So near the beam that its
cobwebby dust sifted down in her eyes
mot the beam she was hanging to, You
know but another. So close. and vet
not to touch Ambitious little goose,
she suddenly threw out her hand and
struck the great log with her fist. But
the loosened rope swung away from
her. the board tilted, She hung only by
one little hand III the air. and soon the
impetus of the swing ierl,cd that hold
loose, and She fell"
All cried the little girls with 4 sob
of pain-"ah grandma was she
killed."
.No not killed: but sonnet mes in the
long winter months that followed,