Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-25

once in while we thought of her, and
when we looked she was standing Just
where Ting had left her.
Well, we found out her name was
Dell Brown, because my father went
to speak to her father about the way she
scratched my sister. Her fathers name
was Reverend Brown; but he had adopted
her because her folks died, and she was a
sore trial, but no doubt willed by the
Almighty. The Reverend Brown was
sort of preacher, and had an old white
horse and drove around the country and
preached wherever he thought they needed
preaching. Mrs. Brown was sort of
invalid and old, like Reverend Brown was,
and he was almost too old to adopt Dell
Brown for his daughter. He had ought to
have adopted her for his granddaughter
when he was adopting
So he said he would pray about it, and
Mrs. Brown said she couldn't understand
Dell Brown, hardly, why she had the
fighting streak in her, because at home
she was all love and affection to Mrs.
Brown, and word made the child weep.
] guess Dell Brown had just so much
fight in her and had to get it fought out
l guess she thought it was better to go
out and fight than to fight Mr. and Mrs.
Brown. Maybe she was sort of fond of
them because they were funny and old
and had adopted her. l guess she was
like George Washington: she was good
and nice, but she liked to fight.
Well, after while school started again.
| kind of hated to go, because | always
hate to, but more because l thought Dell
Brown would go to school. So she did,
and the first time she got me alone she
took me by the hair and walloped me
good. | hadn't done nothing to her, ex-
cept maybe yell "Scratch-cat!' at her
sometimes when | was far enough away.
So after that l didn't go to school very
early but kind of hung around until Dell
Brown went in, and then / went in.
never told on her. If she says | did she
tells what amt so. 1t was Muddy Har-
ringtOn.
ME and Ting was kept in that day, like
we most always We're. and Eddie was
waiting outside. So Miss Goosey thought
it wasn't any use talking to Dell Brown
any more; it was time to rawhide her.
She got the rawhide out of the closet, and
told Dell Brown to come to the back of
the room, and Dell Brown went. Miss
Goosey put one hand on Dell Browns
shoulder, and lifted up the whip to switch
her across the legs, and the next thing
she did was to let out scream and you
couldn't have believed her dress could be
torn SO in just second if you hadn't seen it.
Her hands We're beginning to get red in
streaks where Dell Brown had scratched
them. So Dell Brown just threw Miss
Goosey's hair switch on desk, and stood
there with her chest swelling in and out
under her red and black checked dress,
and Miss Goosey backed away and began
winding her switch on her head again.
When Miss Goosey got her hair on, she
went out and locked the door and got
Professor Marston, the principal, who is
her beau. He came ill., and he was pretty
mad. He grabbed Dell Brown and gave
her a shake, and she flew at him like a
cat and scratched him across the face.
He slung her around, and she hit desk
and fell on the floor. 1t made her cry,
and Professor Marston was scared of what
he had done and went to pick her up.