Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-06
NoTIcEI
FOR THE CHILDREN
The Brownie Who Lived in
a Coal Cellar "a School
Composition

Dear Editor:
will write school compositfon,
| once upon time there was a littli
brownie and where do you think thl
Brownie lived? In a coal cellar.
| lie lived In a corner in the cellar and
ne never came out to venture around
| in the day time, but at night. The peo-
| ple who owned the house, the maid who
| always set a pan Of milk at the cellar
| window every night He would always
come out at night to drink the saucer
| OF milk the maid put in the cellar win
down. The maid did not leave a spoon
| TOR the Brownie to drink the milk out
or so the little Browne had to drink it
like cat, with his tongue.
This Brownie who lived In the cor
| ner Of the cellar always liked to be
| teasing some one, like big boys tease
smaller boys. One night the cat was
strolling around the furnace watching
tor mice. Now this cellar was a great
| place for mice and rats. So pussy liked
TO llnger near where she could catch
mice and would not get hungry So the
| little Brownie turned himself into
rat. He was creeping along in front of
| the cat when she spied him in fro>k
OF her. She made a leap at him but thu.
tricky little Brownie turned himself
back like he was before he changed
h!mself into a rat One day the maid
away because she had taken ill., So
Mr.. Johnson had to get new maid.
Mr.. Johnson told the maid to put milk
fr. the cellar window but the maid
would not listen to Mr.. Johnson. She
| sa6 TT is foolish to put milk for
Brownie: that is wasting" SO she did
rot put any milk in the cellar window
Brownie would go in search of his
milk But no milk could he find,
Now Brownie did not like this. So he
thought he would get even with the
maid So one night as usual no milk
| could he find. So he said to himself, II
VIII get even with that maid" He crept
IN the back door as it had not been
bristly and brightly. Pussy was sleep
lns by the fire. She did not hear
Brownie come into the house. But the
COS heard Brownie and began to bark.
But Brownie did not pay any attention
to the dog. He went into the dining
room and climbed upon the table. He
began tasting one thing, another, then
vas gone. It was five o'clock when the
maid got up and Brownie heard her
coming. He knew she would be angry
II she saw him and all the foot tracks
That Brownie had made on the table
cloth. Brownie jumped down off the
l<tpie ana ran rOr the cellar window
which he jumped through into the Gel
lar. AS soon as he got there he ran to
the corner in which he stayed.
Then the maid came on down and
saw the table cloth. She said "Who has
been on my clean table cloth and got.
IL all dirty? just put it on clean yes
| terday. And everything is eaten up"
She saw pussy and said "You little ras-
| CAL you dirtied up my clean tablecloth"
and she threw poor pussy out of doors.
The next night Brownie did the same
thlng She got up in the morning and
| TOOK the broom and gave Fannie's
puppy punch that sent him rolling
over the floor. She asked Mr.. Johnsc.'
who did this and he said 1T is Il
Brownie And the maid put milk fc,'
tEe Brownie every night and he never
played any more tricks on any more
maids.
Waldo e. Beck, age 6.
Hedrick, Iowa.