Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1875 — TWO BABES IN THE WOODS. [ARTICLE]

TWO BABES IN THE WOODS.

“ Oh, mamma, can’t I go strawberrying, too? Please do let me: And may I take my dear little new basket ?” Mamma could not say “ no” with those eagerly-expectant eyes upturned to hers; so smoothing back the golden curls she tied the dainty little white sunbonnet on the head of her pet. “Now Lena must be a good little girl and stay with Mary. Kiss me, dear.” “ Oh, yes, I’ll be good and bring a lot of strawberries home for my supper; but you can have just as many as you wants to, mamma.” Mamma followed the little five-year-old to the door and stood shading her eyes from the sun with a slender white hand, watching till the tiny figure disappeared around the corner. Lena’s felicity was complete in the anticipation of the “ bushels and bushels” of berries she was going to pick “ all her ownself," and almost oblivious of all her surroundings. Even passing by the home of Tommy Lyons failed to break the blissful reverie. Now Tommy, be it known, had a naanly penchant for Lena. He always saved his pennies to buy candy and peanuts for her, and Lena, being tender-hearted, was unable to resist such devotion as tips, and loved him in return, rendering Tommy supremely happy. He was a “ whole year” older than Lena, but what of that? He intended to wait till she “ caught up” to. him. 7 7 . . ~Z —* -

On the morning in question Tommy, after no small amount of failure and vexation, had succeeded at la9t in attaining the top of a barrel that stood inside the fence and commanded a view of the street in either direction. He espied Lena, daintily dressed as usual, coming down the road. Now Tommy had no mustache to caress, or necktie to adjust, but the thought of his running away from his bath that morning flashed into his mind, and looking at his hands he saw that they were dreadfully unpresentable, so he clapped them behind him, and, after a superhuman effort to wash the traces of taffy off his chin with his tongue, waited for Lena to come up. She was not long in doing so, but was so preoccupied that she failed to notice Tommy, Tommy’s opinion of his own social status was rather touched in consequence, and he called out reproachfully, “ Lena, Lena!” That voice recalled her and she stopped, smiling brightly, according to her wont, which reassured her admirer and he graciously inquired as to the object of her journey. She told him, whereupon he announced his determination to accompany her as a protector. In his extreme haste to get off the pedestal lie had reached with so much difficulty he tripped and fell, bruising one little plump, white knee. He wanted to cry, but of course that would not be in character. Lena was dreadfully frightened, but Tommy told her he wasn’t hurt a bit; his knee was only bleeding a little and he didn’t care for that. He assured her, moreover, that “men had to get used to such things,” and then walked into the house for a basket. I am inclined to believe, from the length of time he was gone, that he stayed to be pitied by mamma and to get a bandage for his knee.

But presently he returned with his basket and also a new tin sword that Uncle John had given him a few days before. Lena looked shyly at the warlike equipment of her chevalier, and wanted to know what it was for, whereupon he explained that it was to kill elephants and lions and bears and—things. .Lena appeared uneasy at the prospect thus indicated, and further inquired if they were likely to encounter any “raggits,” which, in her parlance, meant dragons. Now Tommy’s natural history didn’t extend to a knowledge of “ raggits,” but like many a greater man he covered his ignorance by an assumption of philosophic indifference, aDd assured her of his ability to cope with whole troops of ’em—if there were any. Without further adventure they reached the Btrawherry field and went to picking with might and main. Tommy becomingly intended to help Lena fill her basket and afterward attend to his own; but for some undiscoyerable cause his cup wouldn’t “get full.” Lena picked very industriously to fill her “ dear little basket” for mamma, and did not eat one. Presently Tommy said there wasn’t any berries isl that “ old field,” and proposed a resort to the next; so into the next field they went. In getting over the fence Lena tore her pretty pink dress, but Tommy comforted her with the prospect of the “ slews of berries” they were going to find, and she dismissed her sorrows accordingly. It was nearly sunset. The children had befn forgotten by the older children of the party. They strolled farther and farther into the cool woods, and presently came to a sparkling brook^ foaming in tiny rage, at the base of miniature rocks and islands. Tommy thought it would be a nice place to wade, so, stripping off shoes and stockings, he ventured in. Oh, how deliciously cool .the water was! He coaxed Lena to come and wade, too, but she was opposed to this, and would not. Presently Tommy, being quite carried away wjth delight, proposed a race with Lena —he to remain in the water and she to run on the bank, to which she consented. “One, two, three!” shouted Tommy, and at the word his foot slipped on the mossy stones and down he came! Lena rushed to the rescue, but Tommy, not forgetting even in the hour of tribulation to assert manly independence of the weaker sex. would not permit it, but rapidly scrambled to his feet unaided, thoroughly ducked though he tras. His hat had gone whirling down the stream, dashed against the intercepting rocks and islands by the Liliputiah fury of the tiny waves. “ Tommy, I guess it’s time we went home," said Lena. “ Oh, seel” she continued, in a whisper, “ it’s most

dark,” “I don’t care!” said Tommy, who was somewhat iiritated by his,mishaps, but with a deep sigb he picked up ltis basket, shoes and stockings and, helping Lena carry her basket, they started off. It was quite dark now, the sun had’ been down some time, and the evening star was just disappearing behind the dark tree-tops. The two little travelers plodded on unde* the mournfully-mur-muring pines. Presently Lena asked Tommy if he knew which way to go, to which he replied “Of course," he’d ‘ been here before.” They tralked on for some time, feeling very much awed by the dark, fantastic BhadOws, and the grotesque shapes the trees would assume in the darkness. The full moon rose! slowly, and peered over the trees at the children, throwing a long beam of silvery light on their pathway. Still no ifead appeared, and even Tommy’s self-suffi-ciency began to fail him. “Ob, Tpmmy, what if we’re lost?” said Lena at last, with a little sob escaping in spite) of all her efforts to be courageous. “ I guess we are, Lena, but don’t you be frightened; I’ll take care of you,” said the valiant Tommy, taking her little hand proOectingly in his own scarce larger one. “Tommy,” said Lena, tremblingly, ‘• there’s bears and lions in the woods.” “ Lots of ’em,” said Tommy, 1 “ and 1 conkwheedles,’too; but,” laying a hand on his sword, “ I'll kill more’n a hundred of ’em if they come.” This boasted valor comforted Lena for a while amazingly. Suddenly a terrible snortingand a crackling, as of some heavy animal trampling bushes and dried limbs, came to their ears. Lena screamed, and poor Tommy, forgetting his valor, took to his heels, dragging Lena after; but in his fright, instead of running away from the approaching monster, ran directly toward it. “ Oh!” said Tommy, with a groan, “it’s got horns: it’s the old Bad Man!” Lena began to cry piteously: “Oh, good Mr. Bad Man, don’t take me; mamma hasn’t any little girl but me; and don’t take Tommy either, for I like him” —when suddenly she burst out into sobbing laughter: “ Oh, Tommy, it’s our dear old Cherrv.” “ Yes,” said Tommy, now valiant as a lion, “and there’s our Spot. It’s lucky for them you saw what they were, for I was ‘goin for’em,* and I’d have killed ’em with my new sword!” Lena may have looked a little doubtful, or she may not, perhaps it was the effect of the shadow, but she said nothing. They went up to the cows and began caressing them. “I wonder,” said Lena, “why John didn’t get Cherry to-niglit?” “ Yes; and how did Spot come to be here too?” said Tommy. Poor little babies! they ,didn’t know that fear and anxiety at the %>me of each had put everything out of mind but them. “Oh, Tommy!” said Lena; “ I know how we’ll find the way out; we’ll start the cows and then follow them.” They did so, and soon came out into the moonlit road, and in a short time after the little, tired heads were resting on the breast of each rejoicing mother, “ telling mamma all about it.” — Hearth and Home.