The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-29

and Art and charlie, hurry up WIN y"uI
baskets and let's see how many we can
st noon Mr.. Flint drove over With his
market wagon and left ii so that the
children could put the barrels IN before
filling them. and thus save heavy lifting
well they do look nice. Mrs. Miller,
he said, helping himself to huge hand
full. too good to leave on the trees 10
fruits seems pretty plenty this year ear,
perhaps you'll find the markets full. Wen
now, ri tell what I'll do, Amy, seem
It's your project If you cant sell en- IN
20 thank you, Mr. Flint, that is very
kind" Mrs. Miller said gratefully h her
heart relieved of a load, for she had
very little faith IN Ann!es success.
''But I'm not going to bring any back,
Annie declared stoutly Tin going to sell
all I carry 4 | have to peddle them o'H
Mr' Flint laughed. That's the kind .er
grit, Amy" he said. patting her on the
head. - hope you,ii make a big success ~" ,'eis
of II. "Ill bring the horse over at hali-
past five tomorrow morning
All the afternoon the children, even 10
seven year-old Charlie. worked with IN
thusiasm. and a merry time they had of
il tpo. climbing the trees, singing and
wnistling and calling TO each other as
they gathered the fruit lowering to the
ground the baskets which their mother
emptied for them. Long before night two
vised them to stop work.
There are full five bushels there, she
said. twice "a many as you can sell.
You lust wait ahd see, Marmee; you
don't know what l can DO yet" Annie
said merrily, climbing upon the wagon
wheel and taking survey OF her trehi-
gres 20 N.Y. but don't !, feel rieh, lard ard
and stretching herself OF the grass;
Come in now, all OF so9, and have
good bowl of bread and elk, then you
must go to bed early so az to get a long
sleep and start fresh IN the morning.
At six o'clock the next morning they
We're ready 10 start Annie was i'm me
spirits a drive to Hartford was a rare
treat at any time. and now the great
things she hoped to do to help "Marmee"
made 4 dOubly enjoyable.
"Well, don't get discouraged. child, If
YOU cannot sell them" her mother said.
fearing her happy little daughter would
return with dropping head and tear
stained cheeks.
But Annie's high spirits were not to
be dampened by any foreshadowinS of
I'm going to sell thenl," she declared,
If | have 10 20 through the streets Ike
this"-and she caught mp double hand
full of cherries and holding them out
sang in her clear young voice, Cherries
are ripe! cherries are ripe. Come ana get
them for a penny
Then dropping them she caught up the
rein started Old John and drove off.
Don't you worry. iIarmee." she called
back. an! bring you two dollars If no
more.
Mrs. Miller watched them until they
passed over the hill quarter Of mile
away, where Annie and Addie turned and
waved their handkerchiefs to her, thrn
went slowly back to her work with a half
sigh.
SHE'S a dear. good child" she said 10
herself: Il don't suppose there is grain
Of hope she'll make a dollar. bnt IT Is
worth everything TO have her so willing
TO try and helm me-
Most mothers would have feared 10
trust a girl Of thirteen to drive ia the
city, and certainly would not have dared
allow her TO do as Annie proposed doing
but Ms Miller had been compelled TO
put more responsibility upon her little
daughter than most girls five years older
are able 10 bear, and had learned that
she could be trusted anywhere. Yet the
mother waited with some little anxiety
for their return.
Old John was q. slow as "molasses IN
winter" as Annie often said, and only by
great eXertlOn could he be urged out Of q
walk; SO Mrs Miller knew that an hour,
or even more, for travelling each way
would be but a fair allowance Of time,
and if Annie peddled ont the fruit as she
proposed, two or three hours more would
be required, so that she could not reason
ably expect them before eleven a the
earliest But ut half-past ten there was
a loud. merry whoa in front of the
house, and looAing out Mrs. Miller saw the
two girls jump from the wagon and run
Back all right, Marmee." Annie called
as she met her at the door, and not a
cherry 'Drung' back" Now Just sit down
and let me show you what I've got. push
her mother gently into a larger armchair
Then tossing her hat on table she drove
down into her pocket ana began to rattle
the change INTO her mothers lap
There, 1 believe that's all" fishing up
the last dime, and dropping on her knees
she began TO count. There's the twelve
cents you gave me for toll then there's
hve, ACKNOWLEDGMENT seventy
ninety five,-one dollar, for the horse Mr.
Flint can have the money; no Hartford
cherries FOR him." she added archly.
Now let us see how much we have, ten
w enty, -thirty-tye ,-htty,--one dollar,
twenty seventy-fve,-tW dollars
and twenty-five, There nov. that's bet
ter than rOthing, lent it?' looking up
iriumphantly into he'd mothers face
Yes, indeed you've done finely much
better than ! expected" and Mrs. Niller's
face dropped its look of care and Eard
work for the moment and lighted up with
pleasure.
But I've got little more" Annie said
with a misch. eyOus smile, catching the
purse Addie had slyly drawn from her
pocket, and opening ii tossed dollar bill
on The pile of change. There how Is
that"
What, d whole dollar mofe?" her
mother exclaimed, why that is splendid,
Annie