River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-09-13
and proceeded to do it, in spite of Miss

ana proceeded 70 do II, IN spite OF Miss
Dorinda-
well. Mariah. eff you amt foolish,
and at your age. too Where's that
child? / want bucket of water
shes gone 10 the medder TO hunt
for that turkey hen; its been gone
nearly three weeks. aud believe what
I said at first. that it's got nest soma
where and some young ones"
"Ef the young ones air all Ike their
mother. | hope Cynthia won't find
her" said Miss Dorinda, as she went
into the spare room to change her
dress
Presently she came out looking
strange and excited.
Marian Smith" she said. Il put my
pin right on that spare room pin cush-
ion after I came home from the Par
sons, two days after that child came,
and it's gone, Now, where is it?T
Are you sure?~ said Mariah.
"Yes, know il. | amt worn il
since that. fer ain't had on my lace
e1llIr. I've worn that pin for forty
years-it was m1ther's, and you and
Sally know what store | set by it.
4
amt been nobody else in the house. /
seen her twice when ! sent her to
the spare room closet stop and look at
it, and now she's took it"
why. Dorinda." said Miss Mariah.
''she liked the pin, and she said SO,
and she wouldn't have talked about it
if She had been going 20 take it. /
don't believe sse would, anyhow"
Children don't have no judgment.
and her times most up" answered
Dorinda. grimly. And maybe she
thought that would not miss it til
after she was gone. Any way I'm
goin' 20 make her tell me where she
put 1t the minute she comes IN that
door
Miss Mariah protested in vain. ard
finally had to be contented with ber-
ging her not to scare the child ir.o
keeping still. the first thing, even If
she had taken it.
They were interrupted by Cynthia
herself. who came rushing past the
window. breathless and rosy w..h ex-
ercise. her bonnet hanging by the
strings around her neck. and her lair
hair blown into tiny curls about her
face.
She gave Miss DOrinda no chance to
speak. but began talking almost be-
fore she was IN the room.
''Oh Miss Mariah. I've been all over
the meadow and down TO the orchard
hunting that turkey hen. and found
it down by the spring. in the high
grass You know. and she's got a nest
and six little turkeys. six. Miss Mariah,
and she's so cross, and made her get
up. to count them. and there right in
the edge of the nest, was Miss Do
rinda's pin, and il is not hnrt one
mite, and she paused breathless, as
she unclasped a small brown hand and
triumphantly held out the pin.
Miss Dorinda gave a quick glance at
her sister. even before she took the
breach. In the look was more appeal
than Miss Dorinda often put into a
glance.
She was distinctly conscious of feel
ing ashamed of herself and of not
wanting the child to know what she
had thought But she need not have
feared. for Cynthia was as unconscious
as possible. and when she had gained
her breath went on again
'-The turkey must have taken il, for
YOU said she took one of your hand
kerchiefs once. Miss Mariah. and re-
member that she followed me into the
spare room the day after 1 came,
when Miss Dorinda sent me to get
some sassafras out of the closet. IL
did stop at the bureau and look at the
pin and after | put it down, she must
have picked it up and gone right
down to the nest; don't you think so?
But it's funny she did not lose it in the
high grass. l never did hear o. such
turkey"
We'll, it may be funny, bnt that's
the last brood she'll ever raise" said
Hiss Dorinda, decisively.
When the three weeks were up, it
was Borinda who proposed keeping
the child. if she wanted to stay. She
had at last found her way to Miss
DOrinda's heart. She is VITA them
st;ll. and has brought fresh life into
the house. until il hardly seems the
same place. When | went out to visit
them for week last summer, as | do
every year. | wondered how they had
ever managed to do without her
Anna d. GRAY in Orange .Iudd Farmer.