Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 September 1876 — THE LOST CREAM-CUP. [ARTICLE]

THE LOST CREAM-CUP.

Five o’clock in the afternoon, and supper time in the country. Grandma Benedict had been bustling about all day, performing the various duties tlmt fp.ll to the housekeeper's share; and to-day had brought more than the usual amount of work, for was it not strawberry time ? and canning, preserving, and making jelly must be attended to in its season. Her granddaughter Minnie was spending the summer vacation with her grandparents, and in her opinion there never was such a delightful place as theirs. This afternoon she had been helping in her way. She had picked strawberries, and spoiled more than she picked by trampling on the vines; she had helped to hull them, but left so many hulls on that grandma had to look them over after her; she must taste of the preserves and jelly, to see if they were sweet enough aud cooked enough; and all with the idea that she was helping so much. “ Don’t you wish you had a little girl like me to live with you all the time and help you like this, grandma? " At last all was done, and cans and cups of the rich fruit stood in array upon the pantry shelf, and grandma surveyed the results of her labors with commendable pride. “But see, Minnie, it is nearly supper time, and grandpa and Uncle David will be hungry—they are haying now, and that is such hard work for them—so I will put on the tea-kettle and you may help me set the table.” And what a tempting supper nice new bread, a golden globe of butter, stamped with an oak-leaf and acorns (which always seemed to Minnie the perfection of art), strawberries, honey for Minnie’s sweet tooth, cheese, gold meat, and good, generous doughnuts—everything to tempt the appetite of the hungry men. “ Now, Minnie, is everything on the table?” “ No, mann; where’s the cream ?” “ Grandpa would not drink his tea if he could not have cream in it.” Bograndma goes to the cellar and gets the cream, puts the cream-cup on the table, puts the tea to steep, and then, calling Minnie, they go out, and grandma blows the horn to call the men to supper. Minnie runs tQ meet them, and, taking Uncle David’s hand, runs jumping along by his side, telling him how mnch she has helped to-day. “It agrees with you, too, little puss; your cheeks look as rosy as can be; your mamma will hardly know you when you go home. Better stay with us all the time and be our little girl. But here we are, mother, as hungry as bears.” Soon they sit down to the table. After grandpa has asked God’s blessing upon them, grandma pours the tea, telling “ father,” as she calls him, how busy she has been all day, and how much work she has done. “ Well, mother, you have been so busy talking, you have not given me any cream in my tea.” “Why! didn’t I? Well, I declare, what has become of my cream-cup ?” “ You have been so busy you forgot to put it on the table.” “ No, I am sure I put it on; but I will go and look for it.” 8o she looked in the pantry, but it was not there; then she went to the cellar, and there was the pan of milk off which the cream had been taken, but no cream-cup was to be found. She came back to the table, saying: “ I never saw anything so strange. What can have become of it ? Minnie, didn’t' you see me put it on the table.” “ Yes, I am sure I did.” “Well, mother, don’t worry about it; I can take my cream out of any kind of a cup. You will find it in some place where you put it down. You and I are growing old and forgetful. Now, to-day I was sure I carried the whetstone down into the field w'ith me, but David said I left it in the barn, and sure enough I did.” That evening when she had strained the milk, grandma asked Minnie to call kitty and give hei her supper. This was a great pleasure to Minnie, and soon her voice was heard calling, “Kitty!” “Kitty!” first at the kitchen door, then around the house, and then in the garden. Soon she came in and said, “ Grandma, I have lookede very where, and called, but cannot find her.” “ Well, put down the saucer of milk, and she will come by and by.” Uncle David said, “ She is off after a mouse. You’ll find her all right in the morning: but it is my little girl’s bedtime, and she must be on, so as to be up to breakfast in season.

The next morning Minnie found the saucer of milk just as she had left it the night before. After breakfast and prayers grandpa and Uncle David went on to the field, and left grandma and Minnie alone again—grandma still puzzling over her missing cream-cup, and Minnie over the disappearance of kitty. So passed away the forenoon, and again it was almost supper time. Down in the field grandpa and Uncle David were hard at work. Grandpa was driving the horses before the mower, when he suddenly stopped and said, “ David, what kind of an animal is that over there t” “ Where ? I don’t see anything.” “ There, don’t you see it jump ?” “ Yes, it is funny enough. Looks as though it was all head. I believe I will go and see what it is.” As soon as he came up to it* grandpa heard him laugh long and loud, and wondered if the boy had grown crazy. And what do you suppose he was laughing at? Why kitty was the thief; she had run off with the creamcup on her head, had tried to steal the cream, and got more than she bargained for—for after getting her head into the cup, she could not get it out again. So off she ran, and had become so bewildered that she wandered away from the house. I should net dare to tell you how far she had traveled, and in her unavailing efforts to get the cup off sjie had worn the fur from her neck and had broken a hole in the side of the cup. and taking it all together* she was as tired, hungry, and miserable a kitten as you ever saw. Uncle David put the cream-cup into his pocket, and, taking kitty in his aims, went back to grandpa, who said “What will mother say ? We shall have to take back what we have said about her growing- forgetful.” Just then they heard the supperhorn. As they neared the house Minnie came running out to meet them. “Why, where did you raid aiy kittn?

Why, poor kitty! What’s the matter wi p her neck? How weak she is! Was she down in the field ?” 8o many questions that there was no time to answer them. t On reaching the house grandpa said: , “ Mother, I have brought you something from the field.” “ Wliat Is it—a new plant?" “ No, look at it.” When she saw her cream-cup she said: “ You two have been flying to play off some joke on me.” " No, we have not.” And here Uncle David told how he had found the strangeheaded animal bounding through the tall grass, which proved to he the lost kitty with, the cream-cup on her head. “ She must have jumped on the table when I went to blow the horn for supper the troublesome cat. Bhe ought to be pilnislied, though I never knew her to do such a thing before.” “ Now, grandma, I think slie has been E unished enough. Just see her poor neck! lie will never do so again. Will you, kitty?” And kitty said “ Mew,”— N. Y. Tribune.