St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-01-24
GhiIHre1i's Stnru.
THE LITTLE GIRL WHO HELPED
TOO MUCH.

1t was very hard to have her husband
die on a flat-boat, and be buried along
shore" said Mrs. Craft.
Yes, answered Mr.. Ritter who had
been telling the story, land they landed
here last night and set TIE family off, and
somebody put the woman and childrenin
the old Holmes house. They'll have shell
ter there, but nothing to eat"
eyes. they will, said Mrs. Graft decid-
eddy. Content will take them basket
OF things on her way to school. No one
in this town shall suffer for food and |
know it."
Little Content was near listening with
wide-open eyes. There was nothing she
liked more than to carry baskets OF good
things to poor people, for she enjoyed
making Others happy.
Hurry, Content" said the mother.
"You must not be late to school and get
black mark, and that old house is at
the other end of the town. Take the
things to the door, and tell her to send
here when she needs more, and hurry on
to school,"
eyes, ma am" replied Content who
had been getting ready while her mother
had been packing the basket.
This happened over sixty years ago,
and though little girls were exactly the
same in nature as now, they dressed very
differently. Content had her pretty,
curly black hair parted in the middle and
brushed smooth behind her ears where it
was cut straight across and made as
prim as possible. She had on a long,
blue calico dress and little black silk
apron, and buried her fresh little face in
a deep sunbonnet, kept stiff by paste
board Stats.
The basket was far too heavy for the
little girl, for her mother had added tea,
coffee, bottle of milk, and a sheet of
gingerbread after she had put in as much
bread and butter and cold meat as the
basket could well hold.
Content lived in the age when children
were "seen and not heard" so she did
not think of complaining. She was too
glad to take good supply to the poor
woman to mind the ache in her arms
made by the large basket. She often
changed from one arm to the other, and
sometimes put her burden down for a mo-
ment, while she looked at passing boat
on the Ohio River. At last she reached
the old shanty and knocked at the half
open door.
Come in," said weak voice, and Con-
tent entered the most miserable looking
place she had ever seen. On pile of old
straw, hardly covered by dirty quilt,
sat an untidy-lookiug woman, with a
sickly baby i'll her arms. Four little chill
dren were around her, all as dirty as they
could well be.
Content made a funny little bob, called
a courtesy, such as children made to their
elders then, and said, my mother sent
you your breakfast, ma am"
IT'S time somebody was dom for u.s.
fur the young uns be mighty hungry"
answered the woman, taking the basket
as if it were only something due her.
"I'll make you a cup of tea, ma am, {"
said Content when she heard the woman
make some complaint about a cold
breakfast.
There was an old cooking stove in one
corner, left by the last tenant, and the
little girl soon found dry chips outside
the door. The woman shousehold goods
had been piled in one corner, and Con-
tent found rusty teakettle which she
filled at the pump in the yard. The ket-
tie caught the spirit of the active little
girl, and began to sing in moment, and
the poor woman was soon slipping a
good cup of tea.
Nov I'm going to wash and comb up
these children" said Content, briskly, as
soon as the little folk could eat no more
IF you're mind to, | don't have no
time to tend Them" was the mothers
consent, as Content fished broken comb
and an old towel from the things in the
corner.
The children were hardly fit for clean
little girl to touch, but Content went to
work with an energy that de6ed even the
struggles of the flat-boat children. The
success was only partial, as Content had
no soap, but she viewed the marked inn
provement, where the rag had made diff
ferent shades of color, with satisfaction
BY this time Content had forgotten all
about school, in her zeal as a philanthro-
pist. She was next shocked at the con-
dition of the old house.
This room must be scrubbed" she
said Mother says it breeds fever to
have things dirty, and I'm going to clean
up"
Suiting the action to the thought, Con-
tent dragged out an old iron kettle and
| filed it with water. Before it had time
to get warm she had the kettle off the
| fire and was on her hands and knees
scrubbing the black floor.