Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-12-03

amy oNopptu hohihB anu Iiolohcu'
The pounding, with it's accompani-
ment of baby language, had ceased.
"Roddy boo! Roddy Dool" called
Tilly, in alarm. Had he run away
again'-Oh. dearl
"It's that gran mother knot I tied"
she thought. IF only could learn
to tie square one he couldn't undo!"
She got down from the salt box in q
hurry. IL fell over with little crash.
lilly was 80 short and the table was so
tall that the salt box was as necessary
to ironing day as thsiron themselves.
'Roddyl Roddy Doo-ool'she called
all the way out to the apple tree. Yes
Just IA she had expected. He'd run
away! The clothesline trailed away
with sinuous curves down TO the little
one.hinged gate, but there was no
Roderick Dhu, rosy and dimpled and
dirty, at its end. Only his GRUMPY
pink sunbonnet with the Whit" poker
dots" was left of him. lilly snatched
il up.
''Roddy Doo-ool Rod-dy Doo-o0-ool
Where are you-oo?" she kept calling,
nnconsciously poetic. There was very
little poetry in Tilly, CANDLES hard,
ansheltered little life-and 80 much
prose!
The big calico apron that went with
the irons and the salt box trailed
round Tilly's toes and got in their way
persistently. The crumply sunbonnet
Tapped against her knees rs she sour
ried on.
"Where'n the Grated worlds herun
tSF ~. ge7pea ::H q aip't M the
road or down The road or crcssway8 {
the road. I can't see q single inch q
him, and us too far to the riv--- Oh
no, no, noF'
She shuildered all over her thin it'll
frame, and the freckles on her SINAI
face stood out unduly prominent o
its sudden Wilderness.
"He never could run there, wit
such teenty-tonty short legs-h
couldn'tl he couldntp' She comforte
herself, but the fright stayed benin
in her heart That terror was neve
quite out of Tilly's heart, except q
night when Roderick Dhu was aslee
and beyond its reach.
ooh, dearl" sometimes she though,
eff Moses Brady's last name was onl
Bulrushes and he hal miracle TO
and could dry that river upp'
But Roddy Doc had not run ava
to the river. lilly found him-of a
placesl--in Gershom Flints iron
yard. Was there ever such bah
there before? Did ever another bah
rummage among his flower beds?
1t terrified lilly to see him there
She caught him up and twisted hin
in her apron.
30 Roddy Doo!" she cried, softly
"You ran away, You naughty baby
you naughty, naughty Roddy DooW
Cow fow! seel' piped Roderic
Dhu, opening his tiny moist palm /
display a broken spirited flower or tw
crushed into it. His little face peep
ing out of Tilly's apron was freighte,
with mischievous glee.
"Mo' fow!' he cried, struggling l.
get down.
"No, no; no more flowers. Rodd
Doc must go right home with Till
an never, never, never run ava
again! An o Roddy Doc, when yo,
do run away, don't run to this man
house. He don't like little babies
naughty babies!" she added, pointin
q hasty moral.
She hurried home and retied Rod
erick Dhu with an extra knot to tn
ropes end. Then she went back 4
her ironing. II was Mrs. Primble'
ironing, but when lilly took it hom
by and by sharp disappointment
awaited her.
"You needn't come after the clothe
next Tuesday, Tilly," Mrs. Primbl
said, IAN you needn't 60 to Mis-
Kath 'rine's neither. She told me l.
say so. She an mes goin' TO put on
our washin's an ironins both. View
decided to-"
"May-may I do EN- for your
asked lilly, eagerly.
"You, child? Why, you're crazy
You amt no more fit to scrub than
swaddlin' baby"
"Oh, yes, Mis- Primble, I'm res
strong-feel of my arms. An they'r
just as tough! IL wisht you'd lie
me-" 4-s-s- 49,. .