Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-29
The Gift Of Aunt
Cornelia.
INV Alice r. Allen.)

(By Alice e. Allen.)
The child has my NAME" said Aunt
Cornelia, land Of course, some day, !
shall do something for her."
Mother and little Cornelia were going
home with Aunt Cornelia to make her
visit. Aunt Cornelia was mothers aunt
and that made her little Cornelia's great
aunt. She was was so deaf herself that
she didn't remember how sharp little
ears are. She didn't dream that her
words to mother floated back and
reached Cornelia even above the roar
and rattle Of the train.
Cornelia was quite surprised to find
that Aunt Cornelia always looked at
her as If she didn't see her at all, and
she talked over little Cornelia's head
at mother and father. and used words
as stiff and straight as herself. But 1t
seemed she did know there was little
Cornelia, and some day she was going
to do something for her. Cornelia Won
nelia was going to do for her.
When the reached Aunt Cornelia's
house it was just as stiff and straight
and uncomfortable as little Cornelia
had known It would be. If mother
hadn't been there Cornelia would have
been wrecked. and every day Cornelta
was glad that one day more was gone.
Aunt Cornelia's garden was as stiff as
anything with flowers in It could pos
sibly be. The roses had more thorns
than any roses ever had before. They
they looked uncomfortable and seemed
almost afraid to scatter their petals
over the walks. There were queer,
dark colored hollyhocks, and spiky
larkspur. The beds were all square. The
paths ran up and down and crisscross,
with not one blade Of grass in their
borders. The whole garden looked q lit
tie like the old checker board at home
Cornelia thought.
OF course, you mustn't pick one sin
gle flower, but it was Just as we'll that
you mustn't, because you didn't want
to. You did wish, though, that you were
tall enough to reach up and touch one
Of the dear creamy roses that looked
over the tall board fence from the gar
den on the other side.
The tall board fence went all the way
around Aunt Cornelia's garden. One
morning after she had wished a very
long time to grow tall. Cornelia remem-
bered that she could grow small in
stead and peep through crack in the
fence. She found the best kind Of a
enough from the ground. Cornel1a lay
down and took a long, long peep.
The garden on the other side was
sunshiny little plot, 50 full Of flowers
that they crowded each other and ran
up the fence and the house and over
the hedge on the farther side to the
road. here were roses everywhere-big
golden roses and red velvety roses, and
white as-snow roses, and real rose COL
ored roses. There were jolly faced
pansles, and daisies sticking up pink
Hyf
sweet peas and mignonette and pop
pies. There weren't any real beds, and
the paths seemed to run Just anywhere
they could, but 1t was neat and sweet
and all the flowers looked happy just to
be there.
While Cornelia watched, along ono of
the paths came a little freckled boy
driving-what was he driving? Cornelia
who had always been ready to drive
anything from a saw-horse to the fast
est pony on the street, held her breath
and twisted her neck trying to see.
1t wasn't a pony. It wasn't dog. 1t
was a funny, fleecy sort Of animal
white, with a long beard, fierce looking
horns, and short wiggly tail.
Such a be-you- ti-ful animal, moth
err" cried Cornelia. when she had coax
ed mother out into the garden. He ran
headfrst into a rose bush. but nobody
scolded him. The boy said. Whoa
Billy!'"
Mother had to get down on the
ground and peep at the pretty garden
animal. The first time she looked she
saw an old lady with soft, silvery hair
who came to the door, and called
Teddy" in a voice that matched her
hair. The next time she saw Teddy SIT
ting on bench eating bread and butter
spread thick with Jelly. But the third
time there was Teddy pulling and haul
Ing on a contrary animal, which turned
out to be goat.
Cornelia was afraid to speak aloud In
Aunt Cornelia's house. but after that
she had so much to tell about the goat
and Teddy, and what he did and what
Teddy's grandma did. that she used tc
follow mother about the grim old rooms
all times Of day, whispering the won
derful things that happened the other
side of the fence. Once. in the nigh,
mother woke to find Cornelia driving
her and calling out. Whoa, there
Billy!" quite as loudly as Teddy did.
Aren't you a goat?" cried Cornelia
half awake.
DO you wish I was?" laughed moth.
"Oh, dear no." said Cornelia. She cud
died down close to mother in the dark
| But it does seem as II I must have one
right away, mother"
When the time came for school t.
open, father came for Cornelia. Aun
| Cornelia wasn't we'll enough to be lef
alone, so mother was to stay longer
Down by the fence, peeping through thu
crack, Cornelia whispered good-by t.
Teddy and Teddy's grandma and tn
goat. She told the goat, although O
course he didn't hear here. that she die
| wish She could take him with her: and
after she was at home and had Harr!
and Edith and Louise and father, ant
| could make all the noise She liked, sh'
still missed and goat and talked abou
him.
| One day a letter came from mothe
saying she would be at home in few
days.
your Aunt Cornelia," she said in tn
letter, has spoken several times o
what a good. quiet little namesake sh
| u 49, ~ ~