Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1897-12-09


Baby Toggins.
"Jeane mamma says / must get
named" began the child tentatively.
"What do you think would be a nice
name for me?'
Mr.. Harden smoothed his beard reflec-
lively. "Minnie," he said at length.
"Oh, no." protested Baby Toggins;
'that wouldn't do at all. One OF our
cows named Minnie, and they call her
Min for short. l don't want any name
that you can call anot her for short"
swell, give it up" said Mr.. Harden.
"How's Mr.. and Mrs. JIM"
tiny tear beaded on the child's lashes
and splashed down on the eggs.
II think I'd rather not talk of 'em," she
said, "for don't know"
Mr.. Harden looked puzzled.
whats the news?" asked Baby
Toggins, making renewed attempt to
regain her composure.
"Aint any that know Of" Mr.. Harden
answered.
"Then | know more than YOU" said
Baby Toggins, brightly. "There's ten
ters down on Burnt Point from Bangor.
And they've taken the doors from the old
Treworgy house on High Head, and made
tables out of them. And they've ripped
off the planks from one of the floors and
made chairs and little she'd And
they've undid one of the chmneys and
taken the bricks and built little oven
with cute little chimney inside the
tnn NJ ho 4 bay ,iye
got rusty stove top. And they've deep
beds filled with hay. 1t must be most fun
in daytime. / wouldn't want to sleep
like that. For once when we ate out
doors just little while, we got spiders
in the cream.
Then Mr.. Harden walked up and found
that he did have some news after all, and
only needed hers for decoy to bring
his forth. Mr.. Machacheirn from Ellis
worth has been down several times look
ing for cottage sites for friends OF his
from Kentucky. "He's dread full taken with
Newbury Neck" said MIR. Harden.
They're all nice people, he says, and
want water fronts with plenty of trees,
and both sandy beaches and lodges"
"Now listen, Mr.. Harden" began Baby
Toggins. you don't want people to
come down here who'll build cottages
like bath houses"
mo, that's right admitted Mr.. Har-
den. But these will be nice houses"
"Iou ought toto bomb the place"
said Baby Toggins, leaning forward on
her tiny arms, and completely absorbed
in earnestness. "You ought to do for
South Surry what Mr. Slower did for
| BIuehill. You have money. You just go
to New York and Boston and other big
cities, and talk and talk, and tell them
| about this place. For maybe folks don't
know it's here. Go to hotels and coax
show 'em the place"
That's So" averred Mr.. Harden.
"Then " by don't you do it?" demanded
Baby Toggins directly.
why, don't know" said Mr.. Harden
ab-enty.
"Iou know how to talk, and you're
nice looking enough" she ended archly.
BLESS your heart" said Mr. Harden,
and he laug he'd until the rows of bottles
on the shelves around him were in i'm
minent danger of tumbling down in their
curiosity to know what had excited his
hiIarity. The vanilla extract josted the
lemon essence, and the big barrels OF
vinegar, moiasses and kerosene at the
back OF the store, envied the cotton and
calico prints their position on the first
counter.
Il think" said Baby Toggins, an go
over and ask Aunt Didy Clark about my
name"
Mrs. Clark lived in modern-sized farm
house painted red and white. 1t was, as
she called it, quite snug and ship-shape.
Everyone called her Aunt Didy.
"Well, that's complete,'' she said on
hearing Baby Toggins's errsnd. "Let me
think" She raised her hands over her face
in apparently deep thought. She had
pretty gray hair that she wore III the
olden mode OF ringiets down her back,
and her eyes were a kindly blue. She WAS
an optimist by nature and cultivation,
aud WAS a favorite wherever she went
She seemed to know ins,luctiveiy how to
treat and Individually humor everyone
She knew exactly what would please aud
appeal to a chiId, and she always had on
hand most " hole some sture OF sweet, to
make her home inviting to them. She
also petted livestock, Pod had kittens,
dogs, geese and like all the other house
wives, n fat, ernntiug pig and round
little lamb to XIII in the fat.
W hen W"> girl th., called me Dia-
Z mit, she aIe. 'Iatuo. saw The name
ON a vessel when | WAS n baby, and he
thought 1t was pretty ard wrote it down;
that's how ! came by it. But nobody
could spell ii, % hat Was he use OF hay
Ing 1t? Even my s"ee,hearts got it
wrong, and l thought that Was getting
for short"