Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-03-04

| HCotGttCu
dow at Marietta's shoes and pantalets
dangling down the oulvert's stono side.
/ Yet in aquarter Of an hCur she called
the child and sobbed in the hall over
the auburn head that had instinctively
turned its face away from mothers
sacred grief.
"Oh, you know just how / felt--it ia
so strange for you TO know just how I
felt!" exclaimed Mrs Bope, trying to
control herself. II ain going to put the
piece in baby's box of clothes with his
playthings and all. :"
II wish l had brought it before, :"
thought Marietta awed by such tribute.
"Thank you SO much for writing it,
continued Mrs. Bope, drying her eyes.
"You re welcome entirely. Mrs. Bope.
But don't you want it changed any?"
'No, called you back to have some
Of my sponge cake and peaches. intend
to buy something pretty for you. What
shall it be?'
Marietta had mado up her mind dur
ing the moments she stood in the hall
that she could not take pay for this lit
erary work--evem paper, for which she
was furnishing. Sponge cake and peaches
were rarely seen at Grandfather Brit
ties, yet the inside girl made her de-
cline even them. When she had rare
penny, she never spent it for candy.
Who could do go when it would buy a
whole sheet of writing paper?
81 don't want anything, Mrs. Bope, :"
said Marietta. looking up abashed and
pink from her deep sunbonnet.
So, with a mothers blessing on her,
she again stepped paperloss into the
outdoor world.
"But how am going to get any pa
per to write The Knight and the Lady
on?" she whispered to the fat, wooded
horizon, the village streets and summer
sky.
One hand sought in the depths Of her
pocket her last bit Of stubby lead pencil.
Marietta knew how TO make ink last in
definitely by doctoring it with rainwa-
ter and SCOT. Of course its blacknegs
faded out to mud color, but brown ink
is not bad when you are used to it, Her
father's gold pen was hers to use as she
pleased, though her grandmother often
desired her to remember that 1t was to
last her lifetime.
II believe will have to write out THE
Knight and the Lady on the side of our
barn." she began to resolve. "When l
get some paper, / can copy it and scratch
the place. But if any of the boys saw
me doing it they might learn it and
shout the lines at me on the street. T"
where are you going, Mariettaf"
spoke a piping voice behind her, and
she knew before turning that Lucy Tor
renee was running to catch up with
her. Lucy was weak eyed little crea-
ture, with white skin, which never took
wholesome tan. Marietta was strong
yokemate, who pulled Lucy through
when the black man chased them or
kept her from being flung off into space
when the whole school played crack the
whip.
II amt going anywhere" +" answered
Marietta, putting an arm around Lucy
as Lucy put an arm around her. 1t was
SO natural for two little girls to fall
into a skipping step that she forgot at
first about saving her shoe leather. She
could be happy with playmate in spite
of the paper famine, She said nothing
to Lucy about that. for nobody under
stands how necessary writing paper is
except the person who is hungry for it..
my mother said might go to your
house and spend the afternoon, reveal
cd Lucy.
"Then let's play with dock leaf
dolls, \" responded Marietta with inter-
est, though the inside girl sighed about
the still wandering Knight and Lady
and that smooth barn board on which
they could not now be set down.
A green, wide space opened in that
street which no child could pass with
out lettering, for in the center Of the
space stood q giant walnut tree with q
house in its branches. A spiral stair
way assembled around the trunk to Mr..
| Waggle's front door. ten feet above the
ground. The house was built Of light
timbers bolted together with iron, but
it had an elegant finish, and had been
sketched and written about by strangers
and gazed at by neighbors until its
owner resented the approach Of any
body, The folks all around were willing
/ to stay away from Mr.. Waggle, but
CAsToEzTA.