The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-10
Hidden Treasure.A Portrait of Child
By olive Sank KAY

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usually cost a number of tears But the
stories were a compensation, and, besides
Laney stemming strawberries for supper on
the back porch, and when you were neat at
least you could sometimes coax her to give
you one If she were in very good humor,
and sister asked her to.
The stories were not always about the
Iangie Twins; Sometimes they would be
about Little SnowdrOp." or ''Leander and
the Invisible Cap" or the Enchanted For
est of Ihlacs.' But it was Tom Sawyer"
who hated soap and water as bad as you
did, that first started you to looking for
hidden treasure. And no time was so good
noon.
At O'Clock in the afternoon all the roses
in the garden smelt at once. and the prim-
roses opened in the paths, and the red lilies
under the pines began to swing to and fro on
their oIger long stems and yellow light spread
the town, and you felt like somebody else
in some other place just as if you We're all
a fairy tale or dream, and In a minute
you'd have TO wake up TO have you hair
combed and be a real little girl in real shoes
and stockings, sitting primly on the front
steps and waiting for the sound of fathers
buggy wheels behind the cedarS, with
mothers last words, Don't muss your SASH
Cicely, still ringing in your ears.
Well, you would run off, like Tom Saw
yer, and hunt for treasure. OF course, you
would have to tell mother you were going
so she would not think you were just hid
ing a-purpose to keep her from having your
hair combed. So you went back to the
house quite early that afternoon-it could
not have been 3 o'clock-and mother was
sewing In the hall And you said: Mother
I'm going TO hunt for hidden treasure
Are you, my baby?" said mother, smooth
ing your forehead and smiling into your
eyes. well, mother hopes you'll find it. -
And then you went out with lump in your
throat, because mother did not suspect YOU
and because you seemed to have hidden
her goodbye and got far away from her
without meaning to. And you hung around
the yard awhile, and made believe to dig
under the old russell apple tree for gold
But you had said to yourself you were go
ing 10 run off, and every minute brought
you nearer TO combing time. SO, pretty
soon, under the double compulsion, you
picked up the trowel and down the
paths, past the summer house and over the
bridge where the cedarS grew so thick it
was already dark and out through the
vineyard to the woods You were afraid
too, but you kept on just the same
Ia the middle of the woods was a fence.
You had often been there before with Tom
and Tom would never let you climb over.
For that" he would say, sis not our
land Now you climbed. After that the
woods grew suddenly thin, and in a minute
you heard somebody say, Gee. BOssl" and
you peeped, and saw Philip blowing in the
clearing. Philip was The Man. Sometimes
he worked for your father, and sometimes
he worked for 'Gelica's father, and some
times he worked for other people. But you
knew him quite well, and had slid down his
haystacks without rebuke. And now you
felt so safe that you quite loved Philip for
being there. And you sat down to watch
him Dlow and made no noise for fear
Philip would come over and say, as he
often said: You better go tell your NOM
my she wants you"
1t was cool and shady under your shelter
and II was hot and sunny in the clearing
and you could see the heat wavering up
from the ground, and you could hear two
ROSTERS Growing at each other across the
fields. And you were very tired So that
you did not think il strange that Philip
passed you next time with five horses in
stead of one. and shouted: Gee up. all
my five horses! just like Little Hans in
the story book.
That night mother called and called but
you did not Gene. And father came home
and brought the ST Nicholas aud said:
guess she's over TO Gelica 5. l couldn t
make her hear. They'll send her home after
supper.
Then supper was ready and Laney pushed
up your high chair and said: Where Miss
Ciceiy?' Sister said Il suppose she is
with Angelica But father said 1T ism [
like Cicely 10 stay away TO supper without
mother said. You must go right over, Tom,
as soon as you re through and bring her
home. l don't want her TO stay TO meals
in other peoples houses" But Tom who
somewhere 10 get out of having her hair
combed. She got IL full of mOlasses at din
ner and il looked like a caution" Still he
hurried UP and ate and went after you and
came back very quick and told mother that
they said you hadn't been TO 'Gelica's all
day.
Then mother was very angry because she
was very frightened and she began 10 scOld
herself for letting you go out OF her sight
But father went and got lantern and said.