The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1899-12-02
How Mary Emma ~
Took Care Of the Baby.
nVouR sister Eunlqe wants you to
By SOPHIE SWEET.

~ OUR sister Eunlcc wants you "a
keep house for her and take care
Of the baby while she goes TO Linyille
10 buy the baby's winter cloak" said
Mary Emma's mother.
And. accordingly, Mary Emma
brushed her tow-colored hair tightly
back from her round. frcckled face and
tied II with a blue ribbon. and put on
her brand-new Observation-Disclosures
ginghnm dress, aud set out for the
Pillsbury settlement. OF on the edge OF
the prairie, where her sister Eunict
lived.
40 take good care Of the house, and
don't let anything happen TO the baby
and keel your wits about you'll" hes
mother called after her.
"And. II the house gets ailre, don't
run for the oil can to put il out," said
her brother Noah. faeetiously.
Noah wouldn't forget the time when
be cut his finger and Mary Emma
brought the mustard 20 dress Il with;
nor the time when little shadrach fell
OF the hay and bumped his fore
head, and Mary Emma got the yarnlslI
instead OF the arnicn, and vanished him
so that he wua sticky for days.
And her mother was continually say
ing that she "didnt suppose Mary I'm
ma ever would learn TO keep her wits
about her"
These little reminders which her
mother and Noah gave her made Mary
Emma feel for time as " her gingham
dress might Just as well have been old
a. new. and as II she didn't care Wheth.
err Euuicc had saved any Of the high
top sweetingK" for her or not. but be-
fore she reached the farm her spirits
had risen again.
The farm was q delightful place "a
60 TO on pleasan, autumn day. There
was little house, ~ bright aud shining
"a new paint could make IL; and a big
barn. and garden and orchard that
Hiram, her sisters husband, was very
proud Of; and great fields OF grain that
stretched away TO The prairie the
broad prairie that rolled and rolled. like
vast green and misty blue sea, and a;
last seemed 10 roll itself into the sky
And besides all this, and much more
than all this. there was the baby Shit
was the smallest baby In the town.
mere crumb Of bahy--hut she had
two pearly teeth and a golden curl on
her neck, and her name was Alice Maud
Grace Evangeline, because her mother
didn't see why her baby shouldn't have
"a many names ms the queen Of Eng
lands.
And one couldn't stay In the hous,
ten minutes without discovering that
She was considered the most remark
liable baby that ever lived, and that moth
In the world was Of much importane,
except SO far as II affected her.
II was great responsibility to be the
aunt OF such baby, especially when
one was only n. Although Il made one
very proud. II was quite a fearful re-
sponsibiliiy to be left TO take care Of Il
all alone.
The huge buggy In which Eunicc wa,
20 drive herself to Linville was alrraa,
waiting at the door, and with more eau
tionS and charges about the baby thar
anyone could possibly remember
Eunice drove OF, aud Hiram went ava,
TO the distant field, where he WAS gath
ering the last Of the harvest.
Baby Alice wasn't sleepy, but she wa,
very good-natnred, aud graeiously per
mitted herself 10 be amused hy "pattv
cakes" and rides 20 Hamburg CrosS.
and when these diversions were eN
hausted, Mary Emma took her out on
the broad doorstep and let her try Il
catch the yellow leaves that fieatea
down from the maple trees, aud made
Towsrr jump over the well sweep oni,
= few feet from the ground. for Towse,
was lazy old deg for her edifeatian
What beautiful bright afternoon il
was, aud how stint The breeze that hal
been huttefing the leaves had dies
away. Mary Emma suddenly 6eeam,
conscious OF hreathless hush thai
made her look up a, the sky.
Al clear aud blue. but what was tina,
black speck away Oft where the praIrl.
was lost in the aky9
Only = speek. but Il came rushing OF
almost with the speed OF cannon bali
increasing In slzs with every instant.
Mary Emma knew What i; might b,
--swire had the town been almost de,
strOyed by a cyclone.
What, oh. what should shs do with
the baby? The wl,s which Mar, Emns
had been enIointd to keep aboai her
quite fcFsook her. as Maa no wonder.
She never could quite reasms'eE " hal
Aappened in the next Two or three min.
stcr. only that fushing. rearing noise