The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-08

| the other essay, but she read and thought
| more and some honest work went down
| on the white pages. At the same time her
| fathers sharp eyes saw Hetty at work
| every day about the house. and when
\ he spied her one hot day, pullns up
| weeds I'm Ted's garden. while Ted rested
| his tired legs in the wheelbarrOw ne
| went of with a grim nod.
Il guess Hcttys all right ne salo,
| land II she Is, III not say word agalhat
| her graduatin' essays. nor Keep her from
| her algibbray. neither, thoush 1 ooh
| take much stock In EN-,
| Teds garden nourished under MS care
! and about the time when Hetty wrote the
| last words of her essay Ied carry peas
| radishes and corn were SHOWING theai
| green heads well above ground htlly re-
| loiced with him, but her manner became
1 more and more preoccupied as me emu Vi
| June approached. Miss Bacon, me PIN
| cipal. read and liked her essay-that was
| one comfort, and her mother ana Tea
were never tired Of hearing IL. she reau
| II 10 them and she read IT In her room
| she read Il before old Bessy, the morse
| who looked around in mild amazemcAt.
| Finally she put 1t away in her drawer
| buf bright visions Of the prize danced IN
| her head as they were doubtless dancing
| in the heads OF all the other members OF
! At last the great day came. 1t had
\ raincd steadily the day before, but cary
| that morning the sun came out ana shohe
| with such radiance that every Pu ,.er',
/ smiled back and the SKY turheu the N''s
''IiEeitys pretty white dress, freshly IRON
! ed lay on the bed. with the essay Deslue
| IT, and Hetty capered about tnem WIN
| smile as bright as the sunshine itself
| Uet mother smoothed Hetty's curly hair'
helped her 10 dress. and then Mrs. Brown
| al Ted walked on toward me schooi;
Lock up the house. Hetty! her moIncr
! c,lIed lack 'for fathers gone 20 Elnlra,
I Won know. and Hiram's of downtown
| Yes. mother" answered Heity, and as
| she glanced after them she iausheu 10 see
| Teddy stop in front OF the renee anu
| look fOndly through the palllss AT hiS
| radishes standing in rows like smail green
| soldiers TED thinks everything OF tha'
! garden" she said, 10 hersef. ,...-
| The last little preparations took ioh ,s
| than Hetty thought they would ana WHth
| She was ready. she saw by the clock that
! IL was nearly time for the graduating
| exercises to begin. II must h1rry, sn ie
| was about to lock the back-doOr anu
| hang the key behind the shutter when.
| over In the garden, ~ saW slsht Whlch
| made her stand stun and eaten her breath.
| There stood Brind'e the q oss COW.
| quietly beginning TO feed or pCddy
| early lettuce. Hetty hesitateI q seconu,
| then down went her essay, and away sne
| went. Get out, Brindle. Get out OF there.
Shoow she cried but Brindle paid no
| more attention than If Hetty had been
| troublesome fly. She dashed her tan
| little and went on feeding.
| with shouts and threats tried 10 drive
| the COW away But the loss OF her car
| had made Brindle dangerous 10 medule
| with. At sight OF the clothes pole' she
| turned and threatened Hetty, with her
| hsr' lowered and an ugly look hetIy
| trembled and dropped the pole, Tor she
] was afraid Of Il cross COW. 1890.
| Just then the school Dell rang. het'y
! hea "a il plainly and started 10 so.
| "Wly. 1 can't miss the exercises just
for a few vegetables" she said TO her
| self Blt looking back, she saw Brlhdle
| tIri. tramp through the lettuce ana
begin 10 MUNICH Teds early peas. Thls
( was more than Hetty could stahd.
bright thought struck her. and. hurrylng
across the yard she disappeared III the
PIindle stood mistress Of the held o't'
| as she chcwed the tender pea-Vn.s' sne
sr( denly heard a sound that mace 'tt
pick up her ears and lash her Ian, ~
was the cry of her calf Brindle hsSltateu'
lowered her head and began &c eat again,
| but once more she heard the cry anu
| this time she could not resist. she urn
ei tail on Teddys garden snd we"
| to the back gate. There was Brlndie.
Jr tied i'm the farthest corner oil the
| pasture His mother forgot the pea-Vlhes
! in the JOY Of having her baby back' anu
| willy Hetty. slipping through the sdte
| which Hirman had carelessly ieit opeh'
| barred it fast and heaved sigh OF re-
| lief. ,,...,.,,..a
She had won the day, and Teddy's
garden was safe, but, OH the pretty whlte
| dressi Hetty gaZed down at her shiI's
| i'm blank dismaV She had thought she
| was holding them up. but what can one
| do with a frisky calf TO manager Limp
| and black around the bottom they huhe,
| with great yellow blotches above 10 marx
| the times when Brindle, Jr., hdd steppeu
| into puddles. ,,..,o
| Uetty caught her breath with little
| sob and then she sat down by the essay
| and buried her face in her Zap. IhcIc
! change
| she hadn't another white one anyway.
| The prize and the books she longed Tor
| hung tantalizingy Just out OF her reach'
| But her cry was brief.
| "Yes. | did it," she said. lookinEt up
and shaking the tears out OF her eyes,
| "and Ia do it again in minute. ~
| would have broken ISdd! he"I' -
| have his garden spoiled.
| But the tears came into her eyes again
| as she looked at the essay. Just theh
| her father came around the house. he'-
| tyr he cried as his eyes Wen, rom n,i
| ever have you been doing? why ain
/ you al the school, -
| Hetty laughed with the tears still in her
| eyes. ITS brindie's fault. she said and
'o'O faint Brindle's fault at all" he re-
| marked when she had finished. why
| didn't you pin up your skirts! But ne
| gave her a hearty kiss and then they
| looked at each other and laughed.
! "\Vel. Brindle shan't keep me from
| bearin' il Hetty," he said. stand up
! there on the well curb and let's have H..
| Not that / s'pose it's great shakes ne
| added. ,,o..,.
| IL was a funny thing TO do. and Hetty
| laughed again. but somehow this proposal
] lessened the bitterness OF her disappolht-
! ment So she mounted the well curD
! and began. The sun from behind touch-
| ed her brown hair and the shadow OF the
| lilac bush crept around ana ma htr
! muddy skirts Her audience of one lean
| ed against the woodshed and cheweu
| grass stems. but as Hetty forgot her
| Surroundings in the well known words
| of her essay, he sat up and listened
1T amt bad. Hetty." he said as she
/ ended Il don't think IL would a soI
| the prize but il amt bad, and ne CLAP
| ped her kindly on the shoulder. -
| Great was the CONSERVATION OF her
| mother and Teddy over Hetty non-ap-
pearance at school, and great thelr anlalc'
| ment at the reason for 1t. TEDDY gave
Hetty a great hug ..,.-
"Oh. Hetty" ne said. II think you re
| the best sister that ever was, II you didn
MARY Gibson got It," said her mother
| in answer TO Hetty's look. she had a
good essay too. I'D ,r.,s..
| But not so good as yours. cried Ieddy,
| and then he and Iietty went out TO look
al his garden.
| II was wonderful the way that garden
behaved. The peas did not amount TO
much. and the lettuce never recovered
| from Brides cropping; but the corn ana
radishes were fine. and never were there
seen such pumpkins. They lay mere anu
| drank in sunshine and ram until IL SEEM
7 20 .1,.f,. xr.fln