Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1895-12-07
"They must be somewhere else" abe

"They must be somewhere else" she
s,.id, quietly. ibid ever show you this
Venetian glass;" and the custnrt cups
were forgotten. Patty crept uwuy to
bed all By herself.
As soon rs the last guest was gone,
grandma came TO Patty's room. The
little girl, wide awake and wretchcd,
popped up her head rs grandma en-
tered.
snow, my little one" she began, in
her gentle way. " want to henr NIL nbout
tho cnstari CUPS"
"bh, grandma! have been such
bad girl" sobbed Patty, kneeling up In
bed, and putting her arms around grand
mas neck. ~ truly thought you had
forgotten all about them"
"ljut, my child, what II ! had forgot
ten, did that make 1t right for you to
take away my things7"
"No," walled Putty. "IIut thought
they were so cunning, n l wanted to
take one of them to school to drink out
Of, stead of that rusty old dipper. truly,
grandma"
"Why didn't you ask grandma for
something then, instead Of going of
slyly with one OF my cups2"
-'cause"-faltered Patty.
"Because you knew you ought not
carry one away without permission. and
you thought l would not give it," fin
ished Mrs. Randall. so gravely that Pat
" disappeared under the bedclothes.
"Now tell me where they all are, be-
sideS the one you gave Sarah Carter.
Are they broken?"
"No-o-tcnnyrate, / don't b'lieve So"
came mufIled and teary voice.
PATTY! you don't mean to say you
have given them all away?"
"No." said Patty. her tumbled curls
emerging quickly. II didn't give one
away"
slow did Sarah get hers, then?"
asked grandma, patiently.
"Ididn't give II to her--truly, didn't.
She buyed II of me-truly she did,
grandma. She gave me big piece OF
slippery el-lum bark"
"1hen you mean you sold them all?
"Yes'm. That isn't MS bad rs giving
them away, is 1t, grandma?" asked
Patty, anxiously.
~ think it's trifie worse, my dear"
said grandma, dryly. snow how IRE
you going to buy them back?"
"Buy them back ?"gasped Patty.
Certainly. The cups are old and val
liable; but prize them more because
my father brought them to me when l
was only IL years old, Patty, because ]
had learned to make custard, Of which
he was very fond. / have never broken
one OF them in all these 60 years"
."Oh, dear! oh, dear!" sobbed Patty.
i've eaten up the slippery el-lum, and
the maple sugar, and I've lost the blue
glass beads, an / left the folding-slnte
outdoors and it's all showed up, an l
can't find 1t, and Mac chewcd up the
dolls hat that Julia gave me for hers,
aad I've forgotten what the other things
are. Oh, grandma, I've been the baddcst
girl ! ever have been!"
Then grandma gathered the forlorn
little bundle in her arms, and cannot
begin to tell you all the wise, kind
words she said to her penitent little
granddaughter.
Patty was Mortified beyond words
when grandma told her that what she
had done grown-up people called steal
ing, and from that day she never
~ much us touched lump Of sugar
that did not belong to her.
Grandma went to the mothers OF all
the little girls, and explained enough
OF the situation to them to get hack her
cups. In each case she carried Il little
present, that the children might not
feel defraudcd in what had been, to
them, ut least. an honest bargain.
One cup had been broken, and an
other could not be accounted for, but
eventually ten found their way back to
u safe repose in the wide. black cab
met.
As for Patty, she was obliged to for
felt the privilege of wandering at will
among grandma's treasures, for the re-
mainder of her visit. Grandma fully
forgave her. but II was long before
Patty ceased blushing scarlet when
custard cups were mentioned.-N. Y.
lndeDendent.