The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-04-07
MRS. DECKS NEW E.
How Tommy's Sickness Taught
His Mother a Lesson.

she delighted in giving dainty after
noon teas, and little dinners Mr.
Deck often said, with smiling pride
and then he would give All odd it'll,
sigh as if he unconsciouSly regretted
his Sally's ability to keep up with life
procession. But no one noted tina
sigh, unless it was little Tommy
whose quick ears and sharp eyes noticed
everything.
Tommy was SO often called an awfu
boy, it is probable he had his faults
To sail on 4 mud puddle on q bobbine
bit of board, he would scour the little
city over, and if there was a ticklisI
job of tree climbing necessary to the
rescue of some fellows kite, Tommy
was always the boy to undertake it
He would tuck nails in the pockets o.
his Sunday clothes. and drive then
into impossible places with the potato
masher, if no other hammer wa,
available, and the times he had flooded
the house from the bathroom and
given himself the Group and twisted his
ankles skating could not be counted.
But Tommy never told lies. He never
ever told tiny fihs when by SC
doing he could have saved him.
self unpleasant punishment. Tommy's
eyes were big. and the sort of gray that
often looked black. His hair was
brown and as thick on his head as il
could be without being solid. and over
his nose was Il thick s%priukling OF
freckles. The little boys all liked
Tommy, and so did the cats and dogs,
and SO did Miss Bramhall, his teacher,
though lie was stupid in number work.
But his sisters usually spoke of him Us
"a little plague" and his mamma,
without being aware of it, felt him to
be u great hindrance to everything she
wanted to do. If she vas practicing q
sonata, he would break in upon the
adagio by beginning to sing After the
Ball." TO the best OF his ability. lie
lad no voice whatever. Or, he would.
bcsct by some demon of unrest, steal
to the stairway and take that uppor-
tunity to slide down the baluster rail,
and leave upon it etchings drawn by
his buttons. If she were studying a
page of Browning. or trying to write
an essay upon art, it did seem as if
Tommy always chose the moment
that would disturb her NEST to play
wild Indian with a select party of
friends, Just under the window. So it
fell out that BY degrees Tommy fell
more and more to the charge of Molly,
the nurse. and conSoled himself when
In trouble by visiting the fuckers. who
house. Mrs. Tucker somehow kept
bread in the mouths of her brood of six
by washing: and what she called
days works" At night they gathered
about her, and the one lamp, and in all
Shoreleigh there was not Il happier
group. She was busy al something al
ways, patching usually. but it was
could get through with swarmed upon
by six pairs of arms, and talked TO by
six eager tongues.
The literary club was going to hold
its annual banquet at Mrs. Decks, and
that lady determined to make the coca
sion one long to be remembered.
"There may be c~ostlier ones by and by,
when Shoreleigh is a great city" she
told Mr.. Deck. but there shall not be
a prettier one"
well" assented Mr.. Deck. $50 it
cost too dear, Sally, I've nothing
to say. do lot mean in dollars, for
you are always sensible about spend
thap, l,+ ,l,-A!f w., -,.l
yourself too lavishly sometimes" Mrs.
Deck only laughed at this, and
off to the florists and spent the
morning deciding whether she
have roses or chrysanthemums
for decoration.
''Chrysanthemu'ns is newer. num-"
said Mr.. Higgs, rubbing his hands to-
So they rustled. An you gifts
great variety. Take this ere white.
like 4 big dahlia, an this ere
white again ere like a mop o air a
back from a gals face, an
his ere one again is piled up like n lot
, thin-sliced caobages, an this one
lgain are like n sunfiower for its
an pink an white, or orange,
,r-then again all lavender pink, or all
,old color is 'andsome. Roses amt
what you a call old, but they amt
ways new, though l amt one as is
90 ready to force my opinion. Ladies
what they has and what they
While Mrs Deck listened to Mr..
Tommy was busy far away
a mud puddle lake with Harry
for it vas Saturday. and when
lie went home Mollie was too busy ir-
shing her new dress to note that his
Get and legs were wet 1t ached in
head the next morning when
got up, but he did not .hink TO tell
.nyone about ii. His IN had
'een too busy thinking of her part in
he coming entertainment to ask if he
.ad learned mis- Sunday-school lesson.
lie had an ol~d-fashioned teacher, had
and had to commit six verses
D memory each week. For quiet he
'indow, and no thought of the
edness OF his face when he came ont
Tut when at dinner he ate little of his
hicken, and said he was too sleepy to
Tait for his pie, his father discovered
hat Tommy was n sick boy, and sent
# for DR.. Sanders.
SIS it something contagious? Will /
ave to give up having the banquet
ere?' asked Mrs. Deck, when the doc
had fert of Tommy's pulse, and
at his tongue and his breast
The symptoms are rather obscure,
lst now" said the doctor, who never
Did anything of which he did not feel ,
cry sure. There's 4 good deal of
,arlet fever about and measles. and
m bound to say there's smallpox over
/ Bagdad."
Mrs. Deck threw up her hands, ez-
"SmallPoxi' ii