Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-08-29
Dicks Tally Stick

| him make his kites, and sewed the sail.
of his ship for him, being a willing
| hearted small girl. But there was no
denying that Margaretta cried at the
least excuse, and Dick despised crying.
| What If you did cut your finger
| little teenty bit! Why, l nearly had my
thumb taken off with Jim Barnes knife
last week; but wouldn't have disgrace
, ed myself cryin' for that! You haven't
any pluck at all, Margaretta."
cant help-it!" whimpered Mar
| garetta. 1T hurts!" And she sobbed.
and dug her handkerchief Sinto her
eyes.
| Well, I tell you what I'm goin' to
DO" said Dick, magisterially, as he felt
| became an elder brother He paused i'm.
pressively.
VIVA -at?" sobbed Margaretta. UNI
| covering one eye to look at him, but
| not forgetting her woes.
I'm goin to keep a tally stick. like
| the trappers and Indians used to do.'
announced Dick,-'just short stick Of
wood, and cut a notch on it every time
you cry. If that doesn't make your
| ashamed OF bein' cry-baby, don't
KNOW With this parting remark, Dick
shed.
After luncheon he held the new tally
SUCK up solemnly before Margaretta's
eyes, and brought angry tears into them
at once ~N'-.
You're real mean," she walled. 'Ill
never help you with your kites again,
| So there!'
Dick took out his knife and cut notch
number one, without word, Then he
put stick and knife in his pocket and
went off to play with the bows. while
Margaretta retired to her dolls, with a
sense of being ill-used. 1t was a pity,
Tor Margaretta was a very nice child
When she smiled and took life happily.
That week was anything but happy,
though, according to the tally stick.
fourteen times before Saturday noon
mad Margaretta dissolved in tears &C
cordlng to it's accusing notches. The
very sense that 1t was lying in wait, so
| to speak, in her brothers pocket, pre-
! disposed her to woe. She cried over her
lessons. over the tangles In her hair,
over the sick kitten, over he lost over
snoe, over the rainy afternoon when
she couldn't go to the party, over any
| thing and everything Dick, who was
really very fond of his sister, was at
| his wits end over the failure of his
little scheme, when new thought joc-
| CURED to him; namely that girls were
| not boys, and that what would have
cured any boy Of his acquaintance was
| Whereupon Dick evolved another idea.
The next day the kitten died. OF
course, this was an occasion for tears;
and Margaretta cried. Dick did not
scold her this time. Indeed, he helped
to conduct the funeral; and it was only
after Admiral Dewey Gas the Kitten
| had been named, in spite of feline
aversion to the water) had been duly
buried In the back garden, and the
children were back in the sitting room,
that the tally stick once more appear
ed. This time Dicks tone was entirely
| altered
| I say, Margaretta." he began, hold.
Ing the obnoxious record we'll behind
his back, you don't want to grow up
Sims, do you?" Miss Sims was the
most ill-tempered and grumbling OF
old women. SO Dick felt that this
would make an impression. Il don't
want my sister to grow up like Miss
| SIMS n,
I'm not going to-" said Margaretta
through her handkerchief
you just look like her why you cry,
all the same said Dick.
| Margaretta's handkerchief came
| down. and she looked across at the
glass on the fall. The tear stained and
melancholy reflection was not reassur-
ing. Dick followed up his advantage.
Il tell you what let's do. he sug-
| gested. Every time you want to cry,
and don't, I'll cross mark off the tally
stick If they all get crossed off without
your crying once-unless there's good
reason-and I say you can" (Dick
thought it best to leave this loophole
for Margarettas emotions), I'LL give
you something nice. Margaretta-honor
bright, will"
Margaretta was captured. Between
the bugbear OF resembling Miss Sims
on the one hand and the unknown re-
ward on the other, cheerfulness became
at premium. The first day saw few
! convulsive sobs over stubbed toe, but
not a tear. The next crossed off two
notches bravely, though she missed
lesson, and broke her second-best doll.
! BY the fourth, Dick went to gaze at
the shop window where his selected
prize for Margaretta reposed. 1t cost
Dick several marbles and baseball
bat to get that prize; but, as has been
said before, Dick was really very fond
Of his sister, and a generous boy, be-
sides.
Monday morning dawned bright and
clear. Fourteen times in the last ten
days had Margaretta firmly resisted
the ready tears Of woe even when she
had been kept in at school, fallen of
her bicycle, or had to take medicine.
Cheerfulness was beginning to shine
permanently in her face; but it was
changed to rapturous curiosity when
she found beside her plate, at break
fast, little parcel, addressed to her in
! Dicks handwriting. Inside was the
tally stick, with every notch crossed
off, and Ooh, blissD tiny, glittering
gold ring.
Its real" said Dick, proudly. "You
can wear it all your life, Margaretta."
Though Margaretta has entirely out
grown her cry-baby tears since then,
and is very cheerful little girl, in
deed,-for that was two, years ago
she still wears the ring; and single
look at it is enough, as she confined to
Dick the other day, to stiffen her cour-
age against even the dentist
A MUSIC.LOVING PIGEON.
i Not far from the writer's home there
is little gray pigeon who is a great
pet with his fair young mistress, and
who has shown great fondness for
} music When his mistress practices
or takes her piano lesson. so soon as
IL .A.. IL