The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-02-28


THE GREEDY nor.
rerrisle ce.ses.saees q : Bad
Habit.
Little Wilbur was very fond Of eat-
ing. 1t Is natural to like nice things,
but Wilbur was really quite little
pig. He could have eaten all day and
seemed to think Of nothing else. After
breakfast he talked Of lunch; after
lunch he talked Of dinner, and between
lines he was always asking for o cake,
Z cracker or some candy.
He had tasted al sorts Of things
soft soap, backing, washing soda and
srandp0's medicine, which, was 80 Bit
ter that 1t made him cry for half an
hour-and whenever his mother let
him 60 to see his Aunt Sarah, who
lived just around the corner, she used
to say:
Now don't ask for something to
eat.'
Wilbur never did. When his aunt
had kissed him and taken him into the
sitting room, he used to talk to her
for few minutes, and then fix his
eyes on q little corner cupboard which
his aunt always called her "goody
closet" and look at 1t until Aunt Sarah
would say, what are you thinking of.
Win?" And he would answer. II am
wondering what you have In the clos
st" And she would laugh and cry out,
why, wonder what there Is to-
dry and would take key from her
pocket and open the door and peep in,
ind say, why, declare, there are
cakes!' or, "there are figs" or, ''there
are little turnovers!' Then she would
give some to Wilbur on a china plate,
and after he had eaten all there was
upon it she would tell him what he
called the story Of the picture ON the
plate.
The funny house, with so many cor
ners, she said, was Mandarin To His
country house. The fat man on the
balcony was To Hi himself. The men
In the boat on the river were To His
servants catching fish in nets. The
funny little lady in the garden was
10 HIS wife picking mulberries, and
the little men with bags on their shout
ders, running one after the other over
the bridge, were the rest of his SER
wants going to buy good things for To
HIS supper.
At this little Wilburs eyes wo:lld
sparkle, and he would say:
II wish I knew To Hi. think he
would ask me to supper"
And Aunt Sarah would say:
well, perhaps he might, though he
doesn't look very amiable."
Aunt Sarah's house was delightful
place, Wilbur thought, and he went.
there as often as he could. The only
rule she made for him was that he
should never taste anything unless she
gave 1t to him, and once she sent him
home because he bit a big piece out Of
the cake Of wax in her work basket.
He said It lookeu like candy land he
thought it must be good to eat.
One day Wilbur went to Aunt
Sarah's early in the afternoon and
rang at the bell as usual, but no one
came to answer him. Maybe she's in
che Kitchen" he said to himself. So
ne went around 10 the back of the
house and tried the kitchen door. 1t
was fastened on the inside, but one of
and Wilbur climbed upon q bench that
the windows was open little way,
stood beneath 1t and managed to get
to the sill. whence he dropped himself
into the kitchen.
No one was there. 1t was plain that
Aunt Sarah was not at home, and Will
Dur trotten all over the house, saying
to himself that his aunt would be sur
prised to find him there when she came
back. At first he amused himself very
well, but after awhile he began to
wonder what Aunt Sarah had in her
goody closet, and went into the sitting
room and stood Oppfsite it and looked.
However, that did him no good, for he
could not see through the door; so he
gave great sigh and went out into
the kitchen again. There was re-
frigeratOr there, but it was locked.
Just of the kitchen was a tiny little
laundry, with tabs in it, clothes
tiat-irons upon the shelf, with the
on little brass hooks.
Wilbur went In and looked about
him, and ut last saw something to eat.
On the floor in each of the four cor
ners of the room stood q tin plate. On
cut into squares and spread with some
thing of a reddish color-jam, Wilbur
thought. At this sight he clapped his
hands and laughed. 1t was so funny
to see bread and jam in the corners Of
the room; it was like the fairy tale
where the house was made of suga.
candy.
He lost no time in taking one of the
plates, carrying 1t to the ironing table
and sitting down to feast. Little did
he know that the stuff spread upon the
bread was a poison hat Aunt Sarah
had put there for some reaches which
she had found in the wash room. If
she had had any idea that little VIII.
bur would make call in her absence,
you may be sure tina she would not
have done it. u
About half an hour later Aunt Sarah
opened the door with her latch-key,
and, to her horror, heard the most
dreadful means and groans and
screams within the house. These
guided her to the kitchen, and there
| she saw poor little Wilbur writhing in