Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-09-13
JESSY.

body had ever seen.
Bogus, though he had toiled at his work
| for 10 years, had not yet published any por
ton of II, but his manuscript, neatly copied
and arranged on shelves in the recess Of 9
window, contained material for no less than
10 folio volumes The first treated Of the
error OF being born-the root OF all the
others.
The following ones related to the mis-
takes OF little boys and girls, youths, men
Of mature age and graybeards, and those
Of persons belonging TO the various profess
sions, statesmen, shopkeepers, soldiers,
cooks, publicists. etc. The last volumes,
which were still unfinished, dealt with the
errors Of the republic, which result from
the sum total Of Individual and profession
sl blunders.
Bogus had not made the mistake Of mar
rying. He lived alone In his cottage with
an old housekeeper named Kat-that Is,
Catharine-whom he called Clausentina be-
cause she came from Southampton.
The philosophers sister, whose mind
was less transcendental, heaping error on
error, had loved dry goods dealer. mar
ried him and given birth to little daugh-
ter named Jessy.
Her final blunder had been to die, after
death of her husband, who could not sur.
vive her loss. Bogus took the orphan
home, partly from pity, partly from the
hope that she would furnish him a good
example of childish errors.
She was then o years old. During the
first week she spent with him she did moth
Ing but weep. On the morning OF the first
day after that she said:
IN ~ ms ma "a ua on In
white and had flowers In the folds of her
gown. She scattered them over my bed,
but couldn't find them this morning.
Give me mammals flowers"
Bog noted this error. but remarked In his
comment that 1t was an innocent and pleas
ant one.
Some time after Jessy said to him:
"Uncle Bog, you are old and ugly, but
love you dearly, and you must love mo-"
Bog took mp his pen, but acknowledging
after some mental conflict that he no longer
had youthful appearance, and that he had
never been very handsome, did not note
down the child's words. He merely saidr
why must love you. Jessyp
Because Pm little"
''Is It true" Bog asked himself, "is II
true that children ought TO be lovedf Per-
haps it may be, for they are certainly In
great need Of IL. That would excuse the
common error of mothers who give their
little children their nursing and their love.
That chapter In my treatise must be 10
vised."
On the morning Of his birthday, coming
into the room where he kept his books and
papers, and which he called his book store,
he perceived a delicious fragrance and saw
q pot of carnations on the window sill.
There were only three blossoms, but they
were bright scarlet ones. on which the sun
shone radiantiy. Everything In the learned
room looked cheerful-the old armchair
the black walnut table, the backs of the
ancient tones in their fawnskin parch-
ment and hogskin bindings. Bogus, who
was as dry as they, began to follow their
example. Jessy, hugging him affection
ately, cried: Look, look, Uncle Bog.
That's heaven" She pointed through the
leaden cased panes at the light blue of the
air. THAT is the earth, the blooming
earth" She pointed to the pot of carna,
tions. "Then down below, where the big
black books are, is hell"
The big black books were the 10 volumes
of the 'Treatise on Human Errors" ranged
In row under the window. This mistake
reminded the scholar of his great work,
which he had neglected for some time to
walk about the streets and parks with his
niece. The child discovered thousand In
teresting things and showed them to Bogus
who had spent little of his life out of doors
He opened his manuscripts again, but no
longer recognized work which he had done
when he had neither flowers nor Jessy
Fortunately philosophy came to his aid by
suggesting the transcendent idea that Jessy
was not wholly useless. He put more and
more faith I'm the belief that she was neces-
sary to the economy Of his work.
One day while rejecting upon this sub
ject he found her threading needle before
the window where the pot Of carnations
stood. and asked what she was going to sew.
Jessy answered.:
Don't you know that the swallows have
gone, Uncle Bog"
Bogus knew nothing about Il, as the fact
was mentioned neither by Pliny nor Avi-
cenna
Jessy added,
"Kat told me yesterday"
"katw cried Bogus, "the child Ii talking
about the worthy Clausentina."
KAT told me yesterday; The swallows
had gone earlier than usual this year. That
means an early and severe winter That's
what Kat said. And then saw mamma
In her white dress, with halo round her
hair. only she had no flowers like those she
wore the other time She said, 'Jessy, you
must take Uncle Bog's fur lined greatcoa,
out Of the trunk and mend IL, IL IL needs re
| pairing ! woke. and as soon as got III
took the overooat out Of the trunk, and a,
there are rips In several places I'm going
| to sew It,"
Winter came and fulfilled the swallows
predictions. Bogus, In his e. eatcoat, with
his feet close TO the fire, was trying to re
wise certain chapters in his treatise. Blu,
whenever he succeeded In reoonciling hi,
new experiences with the theory Of univer
sal evil Jessy upset his ideas by brinpins
In mug of nice ale OF merely letting hin
zee her eyes and smile.
When summer came, uncle and niece tool
long walks In the fields, where Jessy col
lected plants, which he named and she ar
ranged In the evenings according TO thei
properties During these excursions sh
showed q keen intelligence and charminI
disposition. One evening while she wa
spreading on the table the plants whicl
they had gathered during the day. she sal,
to Bogus:
Now, Uncle Bog, know by name al
the plants which you have showed me
Here are the ones which cure and thos
which relieve ] want to keep them so tha
can always recognize and describe then
TO Others. Ineed "a hig book TO dry them In