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-^PPUEp IIVHGE

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Rochy»t«f. Nm York 14809 US*

(716) 482 - 0300 - Phoiw

(716) 268 - 5989 - Foil

^/^Lk^i^u^J

S^:*: /I,

MBS. WIGG8 OF THE
CABBAGE PATCH

MBS. WIGG8 OP THE
CABBAGE PATCH

ALICE CALDWELL HEGAN

■^ "^^^iiiif*

^^^ ,^i&^'' '

PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM BRIGGS
TORONTO . . MCMII

PS 3535-

144572

IN THI UNino tTATM tv THE M VINNE MEM.

THIS LITTLE STOBY IS
LOVINGLY DEDICATED
TO MY MOTHER, WHO
FOB YEABS HAS BEEN
THE GOOD ANGEL OF
"THE CABBAGE PATCH"

■ir;

CONTENTS

CHAPTKB

I Mb& Wioos's Philosophy .... '""'"a
n Ways and Means ••.... in

ni The "Christmas Lady"

IV The Annexation op CJuby ..... 45

V A Reminiscence

VI A Theater Party

vn "Mr. Bob" .

VIII MRa WiGos AT Home .... * gg
K How Spring came to the CabbIoe

xMTCH ....

X Australia's Mishap ...... 123

XI The Benefit Dance ....... 139

MBS. WIGG8 OP THE
CABBAGE PATCH

I !

ME8. WIGGS OF THE
CABBAGE PATCH

CHAPTER I

MRS. WIQQS'S PHILOSOPHY

"In the mud and scum of things
Something always, always sings ! "

|Y, but it 's nice an* cold
thismomin'I The ther.
mometer »s done fell up
to zero I'*
— -^^— « Mrs. Wiggs made the
statement as cheerfully as if her elbows
were not sticking out through the boy's
I coat that she wore, or her teeth chatter-
I mg m her head like a pair of castanets.
\ But, Ihen, Mrs. Wiggs was a philoso-
pher, and the sum and substance of her
I philosophy lay in keeping the dust off

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

her rose-colored spectacles. When Mr.
Wiggs traveled to eternity by the alco-
hol route, she buried his faults with
him, and for want of better virtues to
extol she always laid stress on the fine
hand he wrote. It was the same way
when their little country home burned
and she had to come to the city to seek
work; her one conmient was: "Thank
God, it was the pig instid of the baby
tha^ was burned 1**

So this bleak morning in December
she pinned the bed-clothes around the
children and made them sit up close to
the stove, while she pasted brown paper
over the broken window-pane and made
sprightly comments on the change in
the weather.

The Wiggses lived in the Cabbage
Patch. It was not a real cabbage patch,
but a queer neighborhood, where ram-
shackle cottages played hop-scotch over

Mrs. W%gg8*8 Philosophy

the railroad tracks. There were no
streets, so when a new house was
built the owner faced it any way his
fancy prompted. Mr. Bagby's grocery,
it is true, conformed to convention, and
presented a solid front to the railroad
track, but Miss Hazy's cottage shied off
sidewise into the Wiggses' yard, as if
it were afraid of the big freight-trains
that went thundering past so many
times a day; and Mrs. Schultz's front
room looked directly into the Eichoms*
kitchen. The latter was not a bad ar-
rangement, however, for Mrs. Schultz
had been confined to her bed for ten
years, and her sole interest in life con-
sisted in watching what took place in
her neighbor's family.

The Wiggses' house was the most im-
posing in the neighborhood. This was
probably due to the fact that it had two
front doors and a tin roof. One door

Mrs. Wiggs of t he Cabbage Patch

was nailed up, and the other opened out-
doors, but you would never guess it
from the street. When the country
house burned, one door had been saved.
So Mrs. Wiggs and the boys brought it
to the new home and skilfully placed it
at the front end of the side porch. But
the roof gave the house its chief dis-
tinction; it was the only tin roof in the
Cabbage Patch. Jim and Billy had
made it of old cans which they picked
up on the commons.

Jim was fifteen and head of the fam-
ily; his shoulders were those of a man,
and were bent with work, but his body
dwindled away to a pair of thin legs that
seemed incapable of supporting the bur-
den imposed upon them. In his anx- *
ious eyes was the look of a bread-winner
who had begun the struggle too soon.
Life had been a tragedy to Jim: the
tragedy that comes when a child's sen-

Mrs. Wigg8*8 Philosophy

sitive soul is forced to meet the respon-
sibilities of manhood, yet lacks the wis-
dom that only experience can bring.

Billy Wiggs was differently coMti-
tuted; responsibilities rested upon him
as lightly as the freckles on his nose.
When occasion or his mother demanded
he worked to good purpose, with a te-
nacity that argued well for his future
success, but for the most part he played
and fought and got into trouble with
the aptitude characteristic of the aver-
age small boy.

It was Mrs. Wiggs 's boast that her
three little girls had geography names;
first came Asia, then Australia. When
the last baby arrived, Billy had stood
looking down at the small bundle and
asked anxiously: "Are you goin' to
have it fer a boy or a girl, mat" Mrs.
Wiggs had answered: "A giri, Billy,
an ' her name 's Europena I » '

'•'^"♦''^-^■•-'•K <»»-»— »v.,v..^,.

l' i

: i

^ra. Wigga of th e Cabbage Patch

On thif particalar Sunday morning
Mn. Wiggi bnttled about the kitchen in
unusual haste.

/'I am goin' to make you aU some
nice Insh pertater soup fer dinner,"
»he said, as she came in from the parloV,
where she kept her potatoes and onions!
"The boys '11 be in soon, an' we 'U
have to hurry and git through 'fore
the childem begin to come to Sunday-
school.'" ^

For many years Sunday afternoon
had been a trying time in the neighbor-
hood, so Mrs. Wiggs had organized a
Sunday-school class at which she pre-
sided.

"If there don't come Chris an' Pete
a'readyl" said Asia, from her post by
^e stove,. "I bet tiiey 've had their
dumer, an' jes' come early to git some
of oursi"

' * Why, Asia ! ' ' exclaimed Mrs. Wiggs,
8

Mrs. Wigg8*8 Philoaophy

'*that ain't hospit'le, an* Chris with
one leg, tool 'T ain't no trouble at all.
AU I got to do is to put a little more
water in the soup, an' me and Jim won't
take but one piece of bread."

When Jim and Billy came in they
found their places at the table taken, so
they sat on the floor and drank their
soup out of tea-cups.

*'Geel" said Billy, after the third
help, "I 've drinkei so much that when
I swallers a piece er bread I can hear
it splash I"

**Well, you boys git up now, an' go
out and bring me in a couple of phnks
to put acrost the cheers fer the childem
to set on."

By two o'clock the Sunday-school had
begun; every seat in the kitchen, avail-
able and otherwise, was occupied. The
boys sat in the windows and on the
table, and the girls squeezed together on

J--^».*T^4 .f.

■1

^•

^rs, Wiggs of the Cab bage Patch

the improvised benches. Mrs. Wiggs
stood before them with a dilapidated
hymn-book in her hand.

**Now, you all must hush talkin', so
we kin all sing a hymn; I '11 read it
over, then we m all sing it together.

'men upon life's biUers you are tempert tossed,
When you are discouraged thinkin' M is lost,
Count yer many ble«.in's, name 'em one b^l,
An »twiU surprise you what the Lord hath done!-

Clear and strong rose the childish
voices m different keys and regardless
of time, but with a genuine enthusiasm
that was in itself a blessing. When
they had sung through the three stanzas
Mrs. Wiggs began the lesson.

"What did we study 'bout last Sun-
day?" she asked.

No response, save a smothered giggle
from two of the little girls.

"Don't you all remember what the
Lord give Moses up on the mountain?"

IS--

*.n»i.*ntiavf %i^' i

Mrs.Wiggs's Philosophy

A hard went up in the comer, and an
eager voice cried;

"Yas'm, I know I Lord give Moses
ten tallers, an' he duveled 'em.»'

Before Mrs. Wiggs could enter into
an argument concerning this new ver-
sion of sacred history, she was hit in the
eye with a paper wad. It was aimed at
BiUy, but when he dodged she became
the victim. This caused some delay, for
she had to bathe the injured member,
and during the interval the Sunday!
school became riotous.

"Mith Wiggs, make Tommy thop
tfipittin' terbaccer juice in my hat!'*

"Miss Wiggs, I know who hit
youl"

"Teacher, kin I git a drink?"
It was not until Mrs. Wiggs, with a
stocking tied over her eye, emerged
from the bedroom and again took com-
mand that order was restored.

-K ^-^.^.^

Mrs- Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

"Where is Bethlehem?*' she began
reading from an old lesson-paper.

**You kin search me/" promptiy an-
swered Chris.

She ignored his remark, and passed
to the next, who said, half doubtfully:
"Ain't it in Alabama!"

"No, it 's in the Holy Und," she
said.

A sudden commotion arose in the
back of'the room. Billy, by a series of
skilful manoeuvers, had succeeded in
removing the chair that held one of the
planks, and a cascade of small, indig-
nant giris were tobogganing sidewise
down the incline. A fight was immi-
nent, but before any further trouble oc
eurred Mrs. Wiggs locked Billy in the
bedroom, and became mistress of the
situation.

"What I think you childem need
IS a talk about fussin' an' fightin'.

C5A:;'t«.rt»,-rr.T

Mrs. Wiggs^s Philosophy

There ain^t no use in me teachin' what
they done a thousand years ago, when
you ain*t got manners 'nough to listen
at what I 'am sayin'. I recollect one
time durin* the war, when the soldiers
was layin* 'round the camp, tryin' they
bes* to keep from freezin' to death, a
preacher come 'long to hold a service.
An* when he got up to preach he sez,
'Friends,' sez he, 'my tex' is Chill-
blains. They ain't no use a-preachin'
religion to men whose whole thought is
set on their feet. Now, you fellows git
some soft-soap an' pour it in yer shoes,
an' jes' keep them shoes on till yer feet
gits well, an' the nex' time I come
'round yer minds '11 be better prepared
to receive the word of the Lord.' Now,
that 's the way I feel 'bout this here
Sunday-school. First an ' f o 'most, I am
goin' to learn you all manners. Jes'
one thought I want you to take away,

^'■«- ^[m of the Cabbage Patch
an' that is, it 's sinful to fuss! Ma Me'

keep the peace an' do 'way with the

scraps. Now, what do I want yon aU to
rememberf" j' ""uio

"Don't fnssi" came the prompt an-
swer. '^ *^ ""

"That 's right; now we 'U sing 'Pull
ler the shore.' " s uu

TOen the windows had ceased to rat-
tle from the vibratious of the lusty
chorus, Ifrs. Wiggs lifted her han*
lor silence.

"0 Lord!" she prayed earnestly,
help these here childem to be good an'
faud to each other, an' to their mas
an their pas. Make 'em thankful fer
whatever they 've got, even if it aiu't
bnt a little. Show us all how to Hve
like you want us to live, an' praise God
from whom all blessin's flow. Amen "
As the last youngster scampered out
14

Mrs. Wiggs*s Philosophy

of the yard, Mrs. Wiggs turned to the
window where Jim was standing. He
had taken no part in the singing, and
was silent and preoccupied. "Jim,"
said his mother, trying to look into his
face, "you never had on yer overcoat
when you come in. You ain't gone an'
sold it!"

"Yes,'» said the boy, heavily; "but
't ain't 'nough fer the rent I got to
figger it out some other way."

Mrs. Wiggs put her arm about his
shoulder, and together they looked out
across the dreary commons.

"Don't you worry so, Jimmy," said
she. ' ' Mebbe I kin git work to-morrow,
or you '11 git a raise, or somethin';
they '11 be some way."

Little she guessed what the way was
to be.

CHAPTER n

WAYS AND MEANS

They are weary ere they run ; ^

mi^7 kTu ''*'" *^" "^^"•' »<» the glory
Which i« brighter than the auny '""^'^'y

JHE cold wave that was
ushered in that Decem-
ber morning was the be-
ginning of a long series

. ^^ ^7B that vied with

each other as to which could induce tiie
mercury to drop the lowest. The de-
scent of the temperature seemed to have
a like effect on the barrel of potatoes
and the load of coal in the Wiirirses'
parlor. **

Mrs. Wiggs's untiring efforts to find
employment had met with no success,

Ways and Means

and Jim's exertions were redoubled-
day by day his scanty earnings became
less sufficient to meet the demands of the
family.

On Christmas eve they sat over the
stove, after the little ones had gone to
bed, and discussed the situation. The
wind hurled itself against the house in
a very frenzy of rage, shaking the
icicles from the window-ledge and hiss-
mg through the patched panes. The
snow that sifted in through the loose
sash lay unmelted on the sill. Jim had
a piece of old carpet about him, and
coughed with ahnost every breath. Mrs
Wiggs's head was in her hands, and
the tears that trickled through her
crooked fingers hissed as they fell on
«ie stove. It was the first time Jim had
ever seen her give up.

"Seems Uke we '11 have to ast fer
help, Jim," she said. "I can't ast fer
« 17

^ra. Wigga of th e Cabbage Patch

credit at Mr. Bagby'sj seems Uke I 'd
never have the courage to puU agin a
debt What do you think? I guess-it
looks like mebbe we 'II have to apply to
the organization.''

Jim's eyes flashed. *«Not yet, mal"
he said, firmly. -It 'ud be with us Uke
It was with the Hombys; they did n't
have nothin' to eat, and they went to
the organization an' ihe man asted 'em
i« they had a bed or a table, an' when
they said yes, he said, *Well, why don't
you sell 'emf No, mal As long as
we 've got coal I 'U git the vittles some
wayl" He had to pause, for a violent
attack of coughing shook him from head
to foot. "I think I can git a night job
next week; one of the market-men comes
in from the country ever' night to git a
early start nex' momin', an' he ast me
if I *d sleep in his wagon from three to
six an' keep his vegetables from bein'

Wapa and Means

stole. That 'ud gimme time to git home
an' git breakfast, an' be down to the
factory by seven."

"But, Jimmy boy," cried his mother
her voice quivering with anxiety, **you
never could stan' it night an» day tool
-No, I '11 watch the wagon; I '11- »»

A knock on the parlor door inter-
mptedher. She hastUy dried her eyes
and smoothed her hair. Jim went to
tne door.

"I Ve a Christmas basket for youl"
cned a cheery voice.

''Is this Christmasf" Jim asked
dully. ^

The giri in the doorway laughed.
She was tall and slender, but Jim could
only see a pair of sparkling eyes be-
tween the brim of the hat and her high
fur collar. It was nice to hear her
laugh, though; it made tilings seem
warmer somehow. The colored man be-

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

hind her deposited a large basket on the
doorstep.

"It *8 from the church," she ex-
plained; "a crowd of us are out in the
omnibus distributing baskets."

"Well, how *d you ever happen to
come heret" cried Mrs. Wiggs, who
had come to the door.

"There is one for each of the mission-
school families; just a little Christmas
grating, you know.'*

Mrs. Wiggs 's spirits were rising
every minute. "Well, that certainly is
kind an* thoughtful like," she said.
"Won't you— " she hesitated; the room
she had just left was not in a condition
to receive guests, but Mrs. Wiggs was
a KentucMan. '*Come right in an'
git warm," she said cordially; "the
stove 's died down some, but you could
git thawed out."
"No, thank you, I can't come in,
20

Wajfs and Means

■aid the young lady, with a side glance
at Jim, who was leaning against the
door. "Have you plenty of coal T'» she
asked, in an undertone.

**0h, yes'm, thank you," said Mrs.
Wiggs, smiling reassuringly. Her tone
might have been less confident, but for
Jim's warning glance. Every fiber of
his sensitive nature shrank from asking
help. ^

The girl was puzzled; she noticed the
stamp of poverty on everything in sight
except the bright face of the little
woman before her.

"Well," she said doubtfully, "if you
ever want-to come to see me, ask for
Miss Lucy Olcott at Terrace Park.
Good night, and a happy Christmas I»»

She wat gone, and the doorway
looked very black and lonesome in con-
sequence. But there was the big basket
to prove she was not merely an appari-

Mrs. Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

tion, and it took both Jim and hit
mother to carry it in. Sitting on the
floor, they unpacked it There were veg-
etable!, oatmeal, fruit, and even tea and
coffee. But the surprise was at the very
bottom I A big turkey, looking so com-
ical with his legs stuck in his body that
Jim Uughed outright.

"it »s the first turkey that 's been in
this house fer many a dayl" said Mrs.
Wigjjs, deKghtedly, as she pinched the
fat fowL *'I 'spect Europena '11 be
skeered of it, it 's so big. My, but we 'U
have a good dinner to-morrow I X 'll
git Miss Hazy an' Chris to come over
an' spend the day, and I 11 carry a
plate over to Mrs. Schultz, an' take a
little 0' this here tea to ole Mrs. Law-
son."

The cloud had turned inside out for
Mrs. Wiggs, and only the silver lining
was visible. Jim was doing a sum on

Ways and Meatis

the brown paper that came over the
basket, and preeenUy he looked up and
said slowly:

"Ma, I guess we can't have the tur-
key this year. I kin sell it fer a dollar
seventy-five, and that would buy us hog-
meat fer a good while.''

Mrs. Wiggs's face fell, and she
twisted ber apron-string in silence. She
had pictured the joy of a real Christmas
dinner, the first the youngest children
had ever known; she had already
thought of half a dozen neighbors to
whom she wanted to send **a little
snack." But one look at Jim's anxious
face recalled their circumstances.

"Of course we '11 seU it," she said
brightly. "You have got the longest
head fer a boy! We '11 sell it in the
momin', an' buy sausage fer dinner,
an' I '11 cook some of these here nice
vegetables an' put a orange an' some

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

candy at each plate, an' the childem '11
never know nothin' 'bout it. Besides,"
she added, "if you ain't never et turkey
meat you don't know how good it is."
But in spite of her philosophy, after
Jim had gone to bed she slipped over
and took one more look at the turkey.

"I think I would n't 'a' minded so
much," she said, wistfully, '<ef they
had n't 'a' sent the cramberries, too!"
For ten days the basket of provisions
and the extra money made by Jim's
mght worh and Mrs. Wiggs 's washing
supplied the demands of the family;
but by the end of January the clouds
had gathered thicker than before.

Mrs. Wiggs 's heart was heavy, one
night, as she tramped home through the
snow after a hard day's work. The
rent was due, the coal was out, and only
a few potatoes were left in the barrel.
But these were mere shadow troubles,

Ways and Means

compared to Jim'j illness; he had been
too sick to go to liie factoiy mat morn-
ing, and she dare*? not think what
changes the day may have brought. As
she lifted the latch of her rickety door
the sobbing of a child greeted her; it
was little Europena, crying for food.
For three days there had been no bread
in the house, and a scanty supply of
potatoes and beans had been their only
nourishment.

Mrs. Wiggs hastened to where Jim
lay on a cot in the comer; his cheeks
were flushed, and his thin, nervous fin-
gers picked at the old shawl that cov-
ered him.

"Jim," she said, kneeling beside him
and pressing his hot hand to her cheek,
"Jim, darUn', lemme go fer the doctor.
You »re worser than you was this mom.
in', an'-an»-I 'm so skeeredl" Her
voice broke in a sob.

i i

!l!

If^

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

Jim tried to put his arm around her,
but something hurt him in his chest
when he moved, so he patted her hand
instead.

**Never mind, ma," he said, his
breath coming short; *'we ain't got no
money to buy the medicine, even if the
doctor did come. You go git some sup-
per, now; an', ma, don't worry; I 'm
goin' to take keer of you alll Only—
only/' he added, weaiily, '*I guess I
can't sleep in the wagon to-night."

Slowly the hours passed until mid-
night. Mrs. Wiggs had puUed Jim's
cot close to the stove, and applied vigor-
ous measures to relieve him. Her ef-
forts were unceasing, and one after
another the homely country remedies
were faithfully administered. At twelve
o'clock he grew restless.

"Seems like I 'jn hot, then agin I 'm
cold," he said, speaking with difficulty.

Ifi

Ways and Means

"Could you find a little somethin' more
to put over me, ma?"

Mrs. Wiggs got up and went toward
the bed. The three little girls lay hud-
dled under one old quilt, their faces
pale and sunken. She turned away
abruptly, and looked toward the comer
where Billy slept on a pallet The
blankets on his bed were insufficient
even for him. She put her hands over
her face, and for a moment dry sobs
convulsed her. The hardest grief is
often that which leaves no trace. When
she went back to the stove she had a
smile ready for the sick boy.

"Here 's the very thing," she said;
"it *s my dress skirt. I don't need it a
mite, settin' up here so clost to the fire.
See how nice it tucks in all 'round I"

For a while he lay silent, then he
said: "Ma, are you *wakoT"
"Yes, Jim."

( ;

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

"WeU, I bin thinkin* it over. If I
ain't better in the momin', I guess—'*
the words came reluctantly— "I guess
you 'd better go see the Christmas lady.
I would n't mind her knowin' so much.
'T won't be fer long, nohov/, cause I
kin take keer of you all soon— soon 's I
kin git up."

The talking brought on severe cough-
ing, and he sank back exhausted.

"Can't you go to sleep, honey t'*
asked his mother.

"No, it 's them ole wheels," he said
fretfully, "them wheels at the fact'ry;
when I git to sleep they keep on wakin*
me up."

Mrs. Wiggs 's hands were rough and
knotted, but love taught them to be gen-
tle as she smoothed his hot head.

"Want me to tell you 'bout the coun-
try, JimT" she asked.

Since he was a little boy he had loved
28

Ways and Means

to hear of their old home in the valley.
His dim recollection of it all formed his
one conception of heaven.

** Yes, ma ; mebbe it will make me fer-
git the wheels,'' he said.

"Well," she began, putting her head
beside his on the pillow, so he could not
watch her face, *4t was all jes* like a
big front yard without no fences, an*
the flowers did n't belong to folks like
they do over on the avenue, where you
dassent pick a one; but they was God's,
an' you was welcome to all you could
pull. An' there was trees, Jim, where
you could climb up an' git big red
apples, an' when the frost 'ud come
they 'd be persimmons that 'ud jee'
melt in yer mouth. An' you could look
'way off 'crost the meaders, an' see the
trees a-wavin* in the sunshine, an* up
over yer head the birds 'ud be singin*
like they was never goin' to stop. An*

I \

Mrs, Wiggs of tlie Cabbage Patch

yer pa an* me *ud take you out at the
harvestin' time, an' you »ud play on the
hay-stacks. I kin remember jes' how
you looked, Jim-a fat Httle boy, with
red cheeks a-laughin' all the time.**

Mre. Wiggs could tell no more, for
the old memories were too much for
her. Jim scarcely knew when she
stopped; his eyes were half closed, and
a sweet drowsiness was upon him.

"It *s nice an* warm in the sun-
shine,** he murmured; "the meaders
an*trees— laughin*allthetimel Birds
singin*, singin*, singin*.'*

Then Jim began to sing too, softly
and monotonously, and the sorrow that
had not come with years left his tired
face, and he fearlessly drifted away into
the Shadowy Valley where his lost
childhood lay.

it 4

CHAPTER m

THE "CHBI8TMA8 LADY**

" The rosy glow of summer
Is on thy dimpled cheek,
While in thy heart the winter
Is lying cold and bleak.

"Bat this shall change hereafter,
"When years have done their part,
And on thy cheek the winter.
And summer in thy heart''

|ATE the next afternoon
a man and a girl were
standing in the Olcott
reception hall. The
lamps had not been
lighted, but the blaze from the back-log
threw a cozy glow of comfort over the
crimson curtains and on the mass of
bright-hued pillows in the window-seat.
Robert Redding, standing with his
81

"*3:--*t«..v*<.»-''

"•♦.-W-^^^** -'*%m

i {

■I :i

Jlf r«. Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

hat in his hand, would have been gone
long ago if the "Christmas Lady'' had
not worn her violet gown. He said it
always took him half an hour to say
good-by when she wore a rose in her
hair, and a full hour when she had on
the violet dress.

''By Jove, stand there a minute just
as you are! The fire-light shining
through your hair makes you look like
a saint. Little Saint Lucinda I ' ' he said
teasingly, as he tried to catch her hand.
She put it behind her for safe-keeping.

''Not a saint at all f he went on, in
mock surprise; "then an iceberg— a
nice, proper little iceberg."

Lucy Olcott looked up at him for a
moment in silence ; he was very tall and
straight, and his face retained much of
its boyishness, in spite of the firm,
square jaw.

"Robert," she said, suddenly grown
32

The ** Christmas Lady**

serionSi **I wish you would do some-
thing forme.'*

'*AU right; what is itT'» he asked.

She timidly put her hand on his, and
looked up at him earnestly.

"It 's about Dick Harris,*' she said.
**I wish you would not be with him so
much.**

Bedding *s face clouded. * * You are n *t
afraid to trust me?** he asked.

"Oh, no; it is n*t that,*' she said hur-
riedly; "but, Robert, it makes people
think such wrong things about you; I
can*t bear to have you misjudged.**

Bedding put his arm around her, and
together they stood looking down into
the glowing embers.

"Tell me about it, little girl; what
have you heard!** he asked.

She hesitated. * * It was n *t true what
they said. I knew it was n*t true, but
they had no right to say it*'
» 33

I i

* i

! i

\{ i

!( .

Mrs. Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

"WeU, let »8 hear it, anyway. What
was itt"

"Some people were here last night
from New Orleans; they asked if I
knew yon— said they knew you and
Dick the year you spent there.*'

"Well!" said Redding.

Lucy evidently found it difficult to
continue. "They said some horrid
things then, just because you were
Dick's friend."

"What were they, Lucy!**

"They told me that you were both as
wild as could be; that your reputation
was no better than his; that— forgive
me, Robert, for even repeating it It
made me very angry, and I told them it
was not true— not a word of it; that it
was all Dick's fault; that he—"

"Lucy," interrupted Redding, per-
emptorily, "wait until you hear mel
I have never lied to you about anything,

Ivt

W f

'^he ** Christmas Lady**

and I wiU not Btoop to it now. Four

years ago, when those people knew me,
I was just what they said. Dick Ear-
ns and I went to New Orleans straight
from college. Neither of us had a home
or people to care about us, so we went
m for a good time. At the end of the
year I was sick of it all, braced up, and
came here. Poor Dick, he kept on."

At his first words the color had left
Lucy's face, and she had sKpped to the
opposite side of the fire, and stood
watching him with horrified eyes.

"But you were never like Dickl" she
protested.

"Yes,'» he continued passionately,
;and but for God's help I should be
like him still. It was an awful pull,
and Heaven only knows how I strug-
gled. I never quite saw the use of it
all, until I met you six months ago-
then I realized that the past four years'

i I

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage PaUik

had been given me in which to make a
man of myself. '*

As he finiflhed speaking he saw, for
the first time, that Lucy was crying.
He sprang forward, but she shrank
away. ''No, no, don't touch me! I'm
so terribly disappointed, and hurt, and
—stunned.''

"But you surely don't love me the
less for having conquered these things
in the pastT"

*'I don't know, I don't know," she
said, with a sob. ''I honored and ideal-
ized you, Robert I can never think
of you as being other than you are

»»

now.

"But why should you?" he pleaded.
"It was only one year out of my life;
too much, it 's true, but I have atoned
for it with all my might."

The intensity and earnestness of his
voice were beginning to influence her.

The **Chri8tfnas Lady**

She was very young, with the stern, un-
oompromising standards of girlhood;
life was black or white to her, and time
had not yet filled in the canvas with the
myriad grays that blend into one an-
other until all lines are effaced, and
only the Master Artist knows the boun-
daries.

She looked up through her tears.
**I '11 try to forgive you," she said,
tremulously; "but you must promise
to give up your friendship for Dick
Harris."

Redding frowned and bit his lip.
**That »s not fairl" he said. "You
know Dick 's my chum; that he has n»t
the least influence over me; that I am
about the only one to stand by him."

"I am not afraid of his influence, but
I don't want people to see you together;
it makes them say things."

"But, Lucy, you would n't have me
87

I .

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

go back on himT Dick has a big heart;,
he *8 trying to brace up—"

"Oh, nonsense r* cried Lucy, impa-
tiently. The fire in her eyes had dried
the tears. "He could straighten up if
he wanted to. He likes to drink and
gamble, so he does it, and you keep
him in countenance by your friendship.
Are you hesitating between usf she
demanded angrily.

Redding 's face was clouded, and he
spoke slowly: "You would n*t ask this
of me, Lucy, if you understood. Dick
and I have been chums since we were
boys. He came to Kentucky three
months ago, sick and miserable. One
day he came into the office and said,
*Bob, you 've pulled through all right;
do you think it 's too late for me to
try!' What would you have said?"

"What you did, probably," answered
Lucy; "but I would have profited by

* I

-.L.^ '-|»aii 'I 11

The **Christmas Lady*'

the one experience, for he has hardly
drawn a sober breath since." She
looked out of the window across the
snowy landscape, and in her face was
something of the passionless purity of
the scene upon which her eyes rested.
"You are mistaken," he cried fierce-
ly. "Because you have seen him sev-
eral times in that condition, you have
no right to draw such a conclusion. He
is weak, nobody denies it; but what can
you know of the struggle he makes, of
his eagerness to do better, of the fight
that he is constantly making with him-
self?"

His words fell on deaf ears.

"Then you choose Mr. Harris?"

"Lucy, this is madness j it is not like
you in the least!"

The girl was cold with anger and ex-
citement. " It is bad enough, ' 'she said,
"to know that my defense of you last

m n II , ji^,.

h»"^ fn 'jK.'-^.-^-n

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

night was worse than useless, bnt to^
have you persist in a friendship with a
man who is beneath you in every way is
more than I can stand." She slipped
a ring from her finger, and held it to-
ward him. * * I could never marry a man
of whom I was ashamed."

The shot went home; there was a
white line about Bedding's mouth as he
turned away.

"I would not ask you to," he said,
with simple dignity, as he opened the
door.

"Please, ma'am, is this Miss 01-
cott'st" asked a trembling voice on the
piazza. A shabby woman stood looking
at them with wild eyes; her gray hair
had escaped from the torn shawl that
was pinned over her head, and stray
locks blew across her face.

Lucy did not recognize her. "I will
speak to you in a moment," she said.

i /

' '-*idtvM*,j^f

ti^.-a;!

The ** Christmas Lady**

An awkward pause followed, eaoh
waiting for the other to speak.

"I will come when you send for me,"
said Redding, without looking at her,
and, turning abruptly, he strode down
the steps and out into the dusk.

Lucy caught her breath and started
forward, then she remembered the
woman.

"What is itt" she asked Ustlessly.

The woman stepped forward, and put
out a hand to stead> herself against the
door; her face was distorted, and her
voice came in gasps.

"You said I was to come if I needed
you. It 's Jimmy, ma'am— he *s
deadl"

It may be experience of suffering makes
one especially tender to the heart-aches
of others; at any rate, the article th^t
Lucy Olcott wrote for the paper that

..I
'1^

<l ir « |.Mll, | 1 t-»«^-»:ii^-»

'! i' .

' I,'

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

night held the one touch of nature
that makes the whole world kin. She
had taken Aunt Chloe, the old colored
servant, and gone home with Mrs.
Wiggs, relieving as far as possible the
immediate need of the family. Then
she had come home and written their
story, telling it simply, but with the
passionate earnestness of one who, for
the first time, has come into contact with
poverty and staii^ation. She told of the
plucky struggle made by the boy, of his
indomitable courage, of his final defeat,
and she ended by asking help of any
kind for the destitute family.

A week later she sat at her desk be-
wildered. Her article, written on the
impulse of the moment, with the one
thought of making people understand,
had fulfilled its mission. For seven
days she had done nothing but answer
questions and notes, and receive contri-

--A"-<.5?;j::i;;s«iK-i::«°'4

■-<S.-X.'J?.<*'«*-KV>»»

The ** Christmas Lady"

butions for the Wiggs family. Money

had arrived from all over the State,

and from every class of society. Eich-

enstine Bros, sent fifty dollars, and

six ragged newsboys came to present

thirty cents. A lavender note, with

huge moragram and written in white

ink, stated that some of the girls of the

"Gay Burlesque Troupe" sent a few

dimes to the * * kid 's ' * mother. The few

dimes amounted to fifteen dollars, ^frs.

Van Larkin's coachman had tc ..ait

with her not^ while Lucy answered the

questions of a lame old negro who had

brought a quarter.

"Maria done tole me what was writ
in de papah *bout dat pore chile," he
was saying. * * I sutenly do feel sorry f er
he*s maw. I ain*t got much, but I tole
Maria I guess we could do without
somethin' to gib a quahter."

So it continued. Old and young, rich
48

1 - '» , * 4V - •>

li '

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

and poor, paid their substantial tribute^
of respect to Jimmy Wiggs.

Lucy counted up the long line of fig-
ures. "Three hundred and sixty-five
dollars I" she exclaimed; "and food,
clothes, and coal enough to last them a
yearl**

It was like a direct answer to her
prayer, and yet this poor little sup-
pliant, instead of being duly exalted,
put her head on the desk and wept bit-
terly. Now that the need of the Wiggs
family had been met, another appeal,
silent and potent, was troubling her
heart.

Bedding had neither come nor writ-
ten, and she was beginning to realize the
seriousness of their misunderstanding.

>J^*<»»«»r?te..«».rf»)wi^ mmutrj-m-*^.-

CHAPTER IV

tx;e annexation of gxtby

" They well deserve to hare,
That know the rtrongest and rarett way to get."

iMOST a year rolled
over the Cabbage Patch,
and it was nearing
Christmas again. The
void left in Mrs.
Wiggs's heart by Jim's death could
never be filled, but time was beginning
to soften her grief, and the necessity
for steady employment kept her from
brooding over her trouble.

It was still needful to maintain the
strictest economy, for half the money
which had been given them was in Miss

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

Oloott's keeping as a safeguard against
another rainy day. Mrs. Wiggs had got
as much washing as she could do; Asia
helped about the house, and Billy did
odd jobs wherever he could find them.
The direct road to fortune, however,
according to Billy»s ideas, could best
be traveled in a kindling-wagon, and,
while he was the proud possessor of a
dilapidated wagon, sole relic of the late
Mr. Wiggs, he had nothing to hitch to
it Scarcely a week passed that he did
not agitate the question, and, as Mrs.
Wii^s often said, "When Billy Wiggs
done set his head to a thing, he *s as
good as got it I"

So she was not surprised when he
rushed breathlessly into the kitchen one
evening, about supper-time, and ex-
claimed in excited tones: "Ma, I Ve
got a horse I He was havin» a fit on the
commons an* they was goin' to shoot

The Annexation of Cuhy

him, an* I ast the man to give him to
mel"

"My land, Billy! What do you want
with a fit-horse t*' asked his mother.

" 'Cause I knowed you could cure
him. The man said if I took him I 'd
have to pay fer cartin* away his car-
cass, but I said, * All right, I '11 take him,
anyway.* Come on, ma, an* see himl**
and Billy hurried back to his new pos-
session.

Mrs. Wiggs pinned a shawl over her
head and ran across the commons. A
group of men stood around the writhing
animal, but the late owner had departed.

"He 's *mo8t gone,** said one of the
men, as she came up. "I tole Billy
you *d beat him fer takin* that ole nag
offen the man's ban's."

"Well, I won't,** said Mrs. Wiggs,
stoutly. *'Billy Wiggs *s got more
sense than most men I know. That

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Pakh

hoM's oaroass is worth somethin*; I
'spect he 'd bring 'bout two dollars
dead, an* mebbe more livin'. Anyway,
I 'm goin' to save him if there 's any
save to him I''

She stood with her arms on her hips,
and critically surveyed her patient.
**I *U teU you what 's the matter with
him," was her final diagnosis; "his
Ughts is ria. BUly, I 'm goin' home fer
some medicine ; you set on his head so 's
he can't git up, an' ma '11 be right back
in a minute."

The crowd which had collected to see
the horse shot began to disperse, for it
was supper-time, and there was nothing
to see now but the poor suffering ani-
mal, with Billy Wiggs patiently sitting
on its head.

When Mrs. Wiggs returned she car-
ried a bottle, and what appeared to be
a hirge marble. "This here is a calo-

The Annexation of Cuhy

melpill,** she explained. ^'Ijes'roUed
the calomel in with some soft, light
bread. Now, you prop his jaw open
with a little stick, an» I '11 shove it in,
an' then hole his head back, while I
pour down some water an' tarkentine
outen this bottle."

It was with great difficulty that this
was accomplished, for the old horse had
evidently seen a vision of the happy
hunting-ground, and was loath to return
to the sordid earth. His Umbs were al-
ready stiffening in death, and the whites
of his eyes only were visible. Mrs.
Wiggs noted these discouraging symp-
toms, and saw that violent measures
were necessary.

"Gether some sticks an* build a fire

quick as you kin. I Ve got to run over

home. Build it right up clost to him,

Billy; we 've got to git him het up."

She rushed into the kitchen, and, tak-

4 49

Mr$, W%gg$ of ike Cabbage Patch

ing leyeral oakei of tallow from the
shelf, threw them into a tin bucket
Then she hesitated for a moment The
kettle of Bonp was steaming away on
the stove ready for snpper. Mrs. Wiggs
did not believe in saorifioing the present
need to the future comfort She throw
in a liberal portion of pepper, and, seiz-
ing the kettle in one hand and the bucket
of tallow in the other, staggered back to
the bonfire.

"Now, Billy," she commanded, *'put
this bucket of tallow down there in the
hottest part of the fire. Look out ; don 't
tip it— there! Now, you come here an*
help me pour this soup into the bottle.
I 'm goin' to git that ole boss so het
up he '11 think he *s havin* a sunstroke!
Seems sorter bad to keep on peptering
him when he *s so near gone, but this
here soup '11 feel good when it once
gits inside him."

..* , , V -* " ^

The Annexation of Cuby

Whan the kettle was empty, the lonp
WM ImpartivJly diitributed over Mm.
Wiggs and the patient, but a goodly
amonnt had *'got inside," and already
the hone was losing his rigidity.

Only once did Billy pause in his work,
and that was to ask:

"Ma, what do you think I »d better
name himt"

Giving names was one of Mrs.
Wiggs's chief accompUshments, and
iwnaUy required much thoughtful con-
sideration; but in this case if there was
to be a christening it must be at once.
"I 'd like a jography name," sug-
gested Billy, feeUng that nothing was
too good to bestow upon his treasure.

Mrs. Wiggs stood with the soup drip-
ping from her hands, and earnestly
contemplated the horse. Babies, pigs,
goats, and puppies had drawn largely
on her supply of late, and geography

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

names especially were scarce. Sud-
denly a thought struck her.

"I '11 teU you what, Billyl We 'U
call him Cubyl It 's a town I heared
'em talkin' 'bout at the grocery."

By this time the tallow was melted,
and Mrs. Wiggs carried it over by the
horse, and put each of his hoofs into
the hot liquid, while Billy rubbed the
legs with all the strength of his young
arms.

That *s right," she said; "now you
run home an' git that piece of carpet
by my bed, an' we '11 kiver him up. I
am goin' to git them fence rails over
yonder to keep the fire goin'."

Through the long night they worked
with their patient, and when the first
glow of morning appeared in the east, a
triumphant procession wended its way
across the Cabbage Patch. First came
an old woman, bearing sundry pails,

The Annexation of Cuhy

kettles, and bottles; next came a very
sleepy little boy, leading a trembling
old horse, with soup aU over its head,
taUow on its feet, and a strip of rag!
carpet tied about its middle.

And thus Cuba, like his geographical
namesake, emerged from the violent or-
deal of reconstruction with a mangled
constitution, intc -nal dissension, a de-
cided preponderance of foreign element,
but a firm and abiding trust in the new
power with which his fortunes had been
irrevocably cast

CHAPTER V

A BEMINISCE17CE

" It is easy enongh to be pleMut
When life flows along like a song,
B^e man worth while is the one who will smile
when eyeiything goes dead wrong."

|HEN Miss Hazy was
awakened early that
moming by a resonaD?
neigh at the head of her
_ bed, she mistook it for
the tramp of doom. Miss Hazy's cot-
tage, as has been said, was built on the
bias in the Wiggses' side yard, and the
little lean-to, immediately behind Miss
Hazy's bedroom, had been pressed into
service as Cuba's temporary abiding-
place.

A Reminiscence

After her first agonized fright, the
old woman ventured to push the door
open a crack and peep ont.

"Chris,'* she said, in a tense whis-
per, to her sleeping nephew— "Chris,
what on airth is this here hitched to
our shutter!"

Chris, usually deaf to all calls less
emphatic than cold water and a broom-
stick, raised a rumpled head from the
bed-clothes.
"Where atV* he asked.
"Right herel" said Miss Hazy, still
in a terrified whisper, and holding fast
the door, as if the specter might attempt
an entrance. Chris did not stop to ad-
just his wooden leg, but hopped over to
the door, and cautiously put an eye to
the opening.

"Why, shucks, 't ain't nothin' but a
boss!" he said, in disgust, having
nerved himself for nothing less than a

• V>. ^« ta,«4

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

rhinoceros, such as he had seen in the
circus.

"How »d he git theret'» demanded
Miss Hazy.

Chris was not prepared to say.

AU through breakfast Miss Hazy was
in a flutter of excitement. She had once
heard of a baby being left on a door-
step, but never a horse. When the limit
of her curiosity was about reached, she
saw Mrs. A^iggs coming across the yard
carrying a bucket. She hastened to
meet her.

' * Momin ', » ' called Mrs. Wiggs, bright-
ly, in spite of her night's vigil; "ain»t
we got a fine boss?'*

Miss Hazy put the ash-barrel between
herself and the animal, and hazarded
a timid inspection, while Mrs. Wiggs
made explanations, and called attention
to Cuba's fine points.

** Can't you come in an' take a
56

i i ■ ' I Trairy )

A Reminiscence

warm!'' asked Miss Hazy, as she con-
eluded.

"WeU, I b'Ueve I wiU," said Mrs.
Wiggs. *'I ain't been over fer quite a
spell. The childem Mn clean up, bein»
it 's Saturday." From seven to nine
in the morning were the favorite call-
ing-hours in the Cabbage Pateh.

Mrs. Wiggs chose the chair which had
the least on it, and leaned back, smiling
aflFably as she remarked: **We 're used
to bosses; this here *a the second one
we Ve had."

"Myl" said Miss Hazy, "you muster
been well to do I"

**Yes," contiimed Mrs. Wiggs, "we
was-up to the time of the fire. Did
I ever tell you 'bout how Jim brought
our other boss to town?"

Miss Hazy had heard the story a
number of times, but she knew the du-
ties of a hostess.

'"^"i^'Ss^ ■^5^¥r » ■

^rs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

*'li was this a-way,»' went on Mrs.
Wiggs, drawing her chair closer to the
fire, and preparing for a good, long talk.
I' You see, me an' the childem was corn-
in' on the steam-car train, but ther'
was n't no way to git the hoss here,
'ceptin' fer somebody to ride him.
Course Jim said he 'd do it. Poor Jim,
always ready to do the hard parti"
She paused to wipe her eyes on her
apron, and Miss Hazy wept in sym-
pathy.

"Never min'. Miss Wiggsj don't cry.
Go on an' teU me what you done next"

"Well," said Mrs. Wiggs, swaUow-
ing the lump in her throat, "Jim said
he 'd go. He never had been to the city,
an' he was jes' a Uttle shaver, but I
Imowed I could trust him."

"I don't see how you could stand to
risk it I" exclaimed Miss Hazy.

*'0h, I reckon whatever you got to
58

«*n>#'i. .a

A Reminiacence

do, you kin do. I did n*

see no other

way; so one mornin
patch quilt over t

I put a old fo*-
hoss, tied a bucket
of oats on behin', an* fixed some vit-
tles fer Jim, an' started *em off. It
was a forty-mile ride to the city, so I
calkerlated to start Jim so 's he 'd git
to Dr. White's 'bout nightfall."

"Dr. White was your old doctor,
was n't he?" prompted Miss Hazy.

"Yes'm, he used to 'tend Mr. Wiggs
before we moved over into Bullitt
County. You know Mr. Wiggs was a
widow man when I married him. He
had head trouble. Looked like all his
inflictions gethered together in that
head of hisn. He uster go into reg'lar
transoms!"

Miss Hazy was awe-struck, but more
dreadful revelations were to follow.

"I guess you knew I killed him,"
continued Mrs. Wiggs, cahnly. "The

■m»»iSmmi*'*1* ***"**■***" ••1r»»»-^'*»«'"

i !

i t

^B'

^ra. Wigga of the Cabb age Patch

doctor an» everybody said 80. He waa
jes' gitten over typhoid, an' I give him
pork an' beans. He was a wonderful
manl Kept his senses plumb to the
end. I remember his very his' words
I was settin' by him, waitin' fer the
doctor to git there, an' I kep' sayin',
*0h, Mr. Wiggsl You don't think you
are dyin', do you?' an' he answered up
jes' as natural an' fretful-like, 'Gk)od
lan',Nan<^I How do I know f I ain't
never died before.' An' tiiem was the
very las' words he ever spoke."

"Was he a church member, Miss
WiggsT" inquired Miss Hazy.

"WeU, no, not exactly," admitted
^^- Wiggs, reluctantly. "But he was
what you might say a weU-wisher.
But, as I was teUin' you. Dr. White
was a old friend, an' I pinned a note
on Jim's coat tellin' who he was an'
where he was goin', an' I knowed the

^sjeoB

A Reminiaeenee

■}

doctor would have a eye on him when
he got as fur as Smithville. As f er the
rest of the trip, I was n't so certain.
The only person I knowed in the city
was Pete Jenkins, an' if there was one
man in the world I did n't have no nse
fer, it was Pete. But when I don't like
folks I try to do somethin' nice fer 'em.
Seems like that 's the only way I kin
weed out my meanness. So I jes* sez
to Jim, *You keep on astin' till you git
to No. 6 Injun House, an* then you ast
fer Pete Jenkins. You tell him,' sez
I, *you are Hiram Wiggs's boy, an* as
long as he done so much harm to yer pa,
mebbe he 'd be glad to do a good turn
by you, an' keep you an' the boss fer
the night, till yer ma comes fer you.'
Well, Jim started off, lookin' mighty lit-
tle settin' up on that big boss, an' I
waved my apron long as I could ; then I
hid behin' a tree to keep him from

^rs. WijgaoftheCahhage Patch

Beein'mecry. He rode aU that day, an'
'bout sundown he come to Dr. White's
Pore little feller, he was so tired an'
stiflF he could n't hardly walk, but he
tied the boss to the post an' went 'round
to the back door an' knocked real easy.
Mrs. White come to the door an' sez
real cross, 'No, doctor ain't here,' an'
slammed it shut agin. I ain't meanin'
to blame her; mebbe her bread was in
the oven, or her baby cryin', or some-
thin', but seems to me I could n't have
treated a dog that a-wayl

**Pore Jim, he dragged out to the
road agin, an' set there beside the hoss,
not knowin' what to do nex'. Night
was a-comin' on, he had n't had no sup-
per, an' he was dead beat. By an' by
he went to sleep, an' did n't know
nothin' till somebody shuck his shoul-
der an' sez, *Git up from here I What
you doin' sleepin' here in the road?'

A Reminiscence

Then he went stmnblin' 'long, with
somebody holdin' big ann, an' he was
took into a big, bright room, an' the
doctor was lookin' at him an' astin* him
questions. An' Jim said he never did
know what he answered, but it must 'a'
been right, fer the doctor grabbed holt
of his hand, an' sez: *Bless my soull
It 's Uttle Jimmy Wiggs, all the way
fromCurryvillel'

"Then they give him his supper, an'
Mrs. White sez: * Where '11 he sleep at,
Doctor? There ain't no spare bed.'
Then Jim sez the doctor frowned like
ever'thin', an' sez: 'SleepT Why, he '11
sleep in the bed with my boys, an' they
orter be proud to have sech a plucky
bedfellerl'

**Jim never did fergit them words;
they meant a good deal more to him
than his supper.

"Early the nex' momin' he sfarted
63

1 '

lit

' I 'I

ir
I'

■if

Mrs, Wigga of tKe Cabbage Paich

oat agiiif the doctor pointin' him on the
way. He did n»t git into the city till
'long 'bout four o'clock, an' he eez he
never was 80 mixed in all his life. All
my ohildem was green abont town? it
made ever' one of 'em sick when they
first rode on the street-cars, an* Enro-
pena was skeered to death of the news-
boys, 'cause she thought they called
*Babies,' 'stid of *Papers.' Jim kep'
right on tlie main road, like he was tole
to, but things kep' a-happenin' 'round
him so fast, he said he could n't do no
more 'n jes' keep out the way. All of
a suddint a ice-wagon come rattlin' up
behin' him. It was runnin' off, an'
'fore he knowed it a man hit it in the
head an' veered it 'round towards him;
Jim said his boss turned a clean somer-
set, an' he was th'owed up in the air,
an'-»»

"Ma!" called a shrill voice from the
64

A Reminitcence

Wiggnet' porch, "Awtralia 'i in the
rain-barrel!"

Mrs. Wiggs looked exasperated. "I
never was havin' a good time in ny uto
that one of my childem did n t g;. iu
that rain-barrel T'

"WeU, go on an» finish," mui UI^b
Hazy, to whom the story har lost uofb^
ing by repetition.

"Ther» ain't much more," said Mr?.
Wiggs, picking up her bucket <'Oux
boss had two legs an' his neck bioke,
but Jim never had a scratch. A police-
man took him to No. 6 Injun House, an'
Pete Jenkins jes' treated him like he »d
been his own son. I was done cured
then an' there fer my feelin' aginst
Pete."

**MaI" again came the warning cry
across the yard.

"AH right, I 'm comin'I Good-by,
Miss Hazy; you have a eye to Cuby till
• 66

I ii

. t

Jll'*"— «

!1.

I ii

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

we git our shed ready. He ain't 89
sperited as he looks. * *

And, with a cordial hand-shake, Mrs.
Wiggs went cheerfully away to admin-
ister chastisement to her erring off-
spring.

I h.

CHAPTER VI

A THEATEB PABTY
" The play, the play *» the thing I »

ITLLY'S foreign policy
proved most satisfac-
tory, and after the an-
nexation of Cuba many
additional dimes fomid
their way into the tin box on top of the
wardrobe. But it took them aU, besides
Mrs. Wiggs's earnings, to keep the fam-
ily from the awful calamity of "pulling
agin a debt"

One cold December day Billy came in
and found his mother leaning wearily
on the table. Her face brightened as
he entered, but he caught the tired look
in her eyes.

i!M

III

^«. ^ms^fJheCdbhage Patch

**What '8 the matter?" he asked.
"Ain't nothin' the matter, Billy,'*
she said, trying to speak cheerfuUy;
1 m jes' wore out, that 's all. It '11
be with me like it was with Uncle Ned's
ole ox, I reckon; he kep' a-goin' an'
a-goin' tiU he died a-standin' up, an'
even then they had to push him over "
She walked to the window, and stood
gazing absently across the commons.

Do you know, Billy," she said sud-
denly, "I Ve got the craziest notion in
my head. I 'd jes' give any thin' to
see tiie show at the Opery House this
week."

If she had expressed a wish for a dia-
mond necklace, Billy could not have
been more amazed, and his counte-
nance expressed his state of mind. Mrs
Wiggs hastened to explain:

"Course, I ain't really thinkin' 'bout
gom', but them show-bills started me to

A Theater Partp

•tudyiii' tout it, n' I got to i^iun'
me aa' you could fo."

''I doB't 'ipect it '» much when you
git iMide," said Billy, trying the rf-
fects of negative coawlatioa.

"Yes, 't ig, Billy Wiggs," mommn^
his mother, impressively. "You aint
never been inside a theayter, an' I have.
I was there twict, an' it was gxaml!
You ort«a- see the ligjbts an' fixin's, an'
all the fine ladies an' th^ beamx. First
time I went tl^y was a mm in skin-
tights a-walMn' on a rojjt h'iated 'way
up over ever 'body's head."

"What '8 skin-tights?" aated Billy,
thrttled in spite of himself.

"It 's spangles 'round yernmt, an'
shoes without no heels to 'en. Yon see,
the man could n't wear maay clothes,
'cause it would make him tav heavy to
stay up there in the air. The band
plays all the time, an' fcdfa sing an'

$ ■

^n- Wigg, of t he Cabbage Patch

•PeecUfy, „. ever'body laughs an' lus
jo^ time. It 's jes' grand, I tell

Billys brows were puckered, and he
i.t unu««Uly quiet for a while, looking
at^ mother. KnaUy he said: "You
•n>*t take my snow-money from las'
week."

Mrs. Wiggs was indignant "Why
BiUy Wiggs!" she ezdai^d, "do you

awk I 'd tri» an' go to a riiow, when
A«a an ' Autralia ain >t got a good shoe
to their backs? '^

BiUy said no more about the &eater
bnt that afternoon, whtn he was out
with the kindling, he pondered th« mat-
ter deeply. It was qnite cold, and some-
tunes he had to pnt the reins between
his knees and shove his hands deep klUf
his pockets to get the stiffness out of
them. It really seemed as if everybody
liad just laid in a supply of kindling,

il ii

A Theater Partff

and the shadowy Uttle plan he had been
fonning was growing more shadowy all
the time.

"I 'spect the tickets cost a heap,*' he
thought ruefully, as he drew himself up
into a regular pretzel of a boy; "but,
then, she never does have no fun, an'
never gits a thing fer herself." And
because Billy kaew of his mother's
many sacrifices, and because he found
it very hard to take Jim's place, a lump
lodged in his throat, and gave him so
much trouble that he forgot for a while
how cold he was.

About this time he came within sight
of the Opera House, and tantalizing
posters appeared of the "Greatest Ex-
travaganza of the Century. ' ' He pulled
Cuba into a walk, and sat there absorb-
ing the wonders depicted; among the
marvels were crowds of children dressed
m butterftes, beautiful ladies march-

iVi

.■

^'•«- Wisigs of the Cabba ge Patch

ing in line, a man balancing a t>arrel
on his feet, and-yes, there was the
man in "skin-tights" walking on the
rope I

A keen puff of wind brought Billy
back to his senses, and as his longing
eyes turned from the gorgeous show-
bills they encountered the amused look
of a gentleman who had just come out
from tiie Opera House. He was so taU
and fine-looking that Billy thought he
must own flie show.
"Some kindlin*, sirf "

The gentleman shook his head. The
posters still danced before Billy's eyes-
if his mother could only see the show I
The last chance seemed sUpping away.
Suddenly a bold idea presented itself
He got out of the wagon, and came up
on the step.

"Could n't you use a whole load, if
I was to take it out in tickets?'*

A Theater Party

The man looked puzzled. **Take it
out in ticketsf " he repeated.

*' Yes, sir," said Billy, "theayter tick-
ets. Don't you own the showT**

The gentleman laughed. "Well
hardly,- he said. " What do you want
with more than one ticket T"

There was a certain sympathy in his
voice, in spite of the fact that he was
still laughing, and before Billy knew it
he had told him aU about it

"How many tickets could yer gim-
me fer the loadt" he asked, in con-
elusion.

The gentleman made a hurried calcu-
lation. "You say you have three sis-
ters ?'» he asked.

"Yep,'» said BiUy.

"Well, I should say tiiat load was
worth about five tickets."

"Gee whizi" cried the boy; "that
'ud take us all!"

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

He followed the gentleman back to
the ticket-office, and eagerly watched the
man behind the Uttle window count out
five tickets and put them in a pink en-
velope.

"One for you, one for your mother,
and three for the kids,*' said his friend,
BB Billy buttoned the treasure in the in-
side pocket of his ragged coat

He was so excited that he aUnost for-
got Ms part of the bargain, but as the
gentleman was turning away he remem-
bered.

"Say, mister, where must I take the
kindlin' toT"

"Oh, that »s all right; you can sell
it to-morrow," answered the other.

Billy's fa<^ fell instantly. '«If you
don't take the kindlin', I 'U have to
give yoo bMk the tickets. Ma don't
'low us to take nothin' that way."

"But I don't need the kindling; I
have n't any phice to put it"

A Theater Party

"Ain't you got no home!" askcrd
Billy, inorednlonsly.

"No," anawered the man, shortly.

The idea of any one, in any walk of
life, not having nse for kindling was
a new one to BiUy. But he had no time
to dwell on it, for this new complica-
tion demanded all his attention.

"Ain't there nobody you could give
it tot»» he asked.

The gentleman was growing impa-
tient "No, no; go along; that 's aU
right"

But Billy knew it would not be aU
right when he got home, so he made one
more effort "How 'd you Uke to send
it out to Miss Hazy?" he inquired.

"WeU, Miss Hazy, not having the
pleasure of my acquaintance, might ob-
ject to the delicate attention. Who is
shef"

"She »8 Chris's aunt; they ain't had
no fire fer two days."

^^'' Wigga of the Cab bage Patch

*'0h!'» said the man, heartily, "take
It to Miss Hazy, b7 all means. Tell her
It '8 from Mr. Bob, who is worse off
than she is, for he has n't even a home."
An hour later there was wild excite-
ment under the only tin roof in the
Cabbage Patch. Such scrubbing and
brushing as was taking place I

"It 's jes' like a peetrified air-cas-
tle," said Mrs. Wiggs, as she pressed
out Asia's best dress; "here I been
thinkin' 'bout it, an' wantin' to go, an'
here I am actually gittin' ready to go!
Come here, child, and let me iron out
yer plaits while the iron 's good an'
hoi"

This painful operation was performed
only on state occasions; each littie
Wiggs laid her head on tiie ironing-
board, a wilUng sacrifice on the altar
of vanity, while Mrs. Wiggs carefuUy
ironed out £tj plaits on each head.

A Theater Party

Europena was the only one who ob-
jected to being a bnrnt^ffering, bnt
when she saw the frizzled looks of the
others, her pride conquered her fear,
and, holding tight to Billy's hand, shj
bent her chubby head to the trying
ordeal. ^^

"Now, Billy, you run over to Mrs.
Eichom's an' ast her to loan me her
black cr§pe veil. Mrs. Krasmier bor-
rowed it yesterday to wear to her pa's
funeral, but I guess she 's sent it back
by this time. An', Billy-BiUy, wait
a mmute ; you be sure to tell »em we are
goin'totheshow." Mrs. Wiggs vigor-
ously brushed her hair with the clothes-
brush as she spoke. AustraKa had
thrown the hair-brush down the cistern
the sunmier before.

"Asia, you go git the alpaca from be-
hind the chest, an' sorter shake it out
on the bed."

Miaocxm nsoumoM nn chart

(ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2)

1.0

1.1

Itt
111

|4J

2.5
2.2

2.0

1.8

J:25 iU

1.6

/APPLIED M/GE

Inc

1653 Eotl Main StrMt

Rochtstw. Nm York I4S09 USA

(716) 482 -0300- PtH)n,

(716) 288 -5989 -Fox

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

* * Who *s goin ' to wear it, ma f " The
question came in anxious tones, for the
blue alpaca had been sent them in a bun-
dle of old clothes, and though it failed
to fit either of the girls, the wearing of
it was a much coveted privilege.

"Well, now, I don't know,'* said Mrs.
Wiggs, critically surveying the chil-
dren; "it won't button good on you,
and swags in the back on Australia."
"Lemme wear it, ma!"
"No, lemme!" came in excited tones.
Mrs. Wiggs had seen trouble before
over the blue alpaca; she knew what
anguish her decision must bring to one
or the other.

"It really looks best on Asia," she
thought; "but if I let her wear it Aus-
try '11 have a cryin' spell an' git to
holdin' her breath, an' that '11 take up
so much time." So she added aloud:
"I 'U tell you what we '11 do. Asia,

A Theater Party

you kin wear the skirt, an' Austry kin
wear the waist."

But when she had pinned the skirt
over one little girl's red calico dress,
and buttoned the blue waist over the
clean apron of the other, she looked at
them dubiously. ''They do look kinder
mixed," she admitted to herself, ''but
I reckon it don't matter, so long as
they 're both happy."

Just here Billy came in, with the veil
in one hand and a bunch of faded car-
nations in the other.

"Look, ma I" he exclaimed, holding
up his trophy, "I swapped 'em with
Pete fer a top an' a agate. He got 'em
outen a ash-barrel over on the avenue."
"Well, now, ain't that nicef" said
Mrs. Wiggs; "I »11 jes' clip the stems
an' put 'em in a bottle of water, an'
they '11 pick up right smart by the time
we go. I wisht you had something to

l/f '

1 tl .

3f «. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

fix up in, Billy," she added; "you look
as seedy as a raspberry."

Billy did look rather shabby; his el-
bows were out, and two of the holes in
his pants were patched and two were
not. Mrs. Wiggs was rummaging in
the table drawer.

"I wisht I could find somethin' of yer
pa's that would do. Here »s his white
gloves he wore that time he was pall-
bearer to ole Mr. Bender. Seems to me
they do we^r white gloves to the theay-
ter, but I disremember. "

"Naw! I ain't a-goin' to wear no
gloves," said Billy, firmly.

Mrs. Wiggs continued her search.
"Here 's yer grandpa's watch-fob, but
I 'm skeered fer you to wear it, you
might lose it. It 's a family remnant-
been handed down two generations.
WTiat about this here red comforter T
It would sorter spruce you up, an* keep

¥.n

A Theater Party

you warm, besides; you know you Ve
had a cold fer a week, an' yer pipes is
all stopped up.'» So it was decided,
and Billy wore the comforter.

At seven o'clock they were ready,
and, the news having spread abroad
that the Wiggses were going to a show,
many of the neighbors came in to see
how they looked and to hear how it hap-
pened.

*'Some of you all shake down the
stove an' pull the door to fer me. I
am jes' that skeered of hurtin' Mrs.
Eichom's veil I 'm 'fraid to turn my
head," Mrs. Wiggs said nervously, as
she stepped off the porch.

The little procession had left the rail-
road tracks far behind, when Mrs.
Wiggs stopped suddenly.

* ' Fer the land 's sakes alive I Do you
know what we 've gone an' done! We
have left the theayter tickets to home!"

• 81

1 1'

V8(

I'li'
If

^"- ^*m of the Cabbage Patch

At this Australia began to cry, and a
Kloom settled upon the party

JB.ll^ your™ back, fast as yer legs
*^ carry you. an' look in that tin can
Jehmd the clock, an' we -11 wait right
he« fer you." Mrs. Wiggs wrapjd
Enropena ,n her shawl, and tried to

keep up the spirits of the party as they
huddled on the curbing to await Billyl

"Look how pretty it looks, aU the
lights a-streamin' out the winders on
he snow. Looks like a chromo ma used
to nave."

But the young Wiggses were in no
frame of mind to appreciate the pictor-
esqueness of the scene.

It was very cold, and even the pros-
Pect of the show was dimmed by the
present discomfort. By and by Austni-
Ua s sobs began anew.

**What 's the matter, honey? Don't
82

A Theater Forty

ciy; Billy »11 be back in a little while,
an* then we '11 git in where it 'a good
an' warm."

"I want my supper 1" wailed Aus-
tralia.

Then it dawned on Mrs. Wiggs for
the first time that, in the excitement of
preparation, supper had been entirely
overlooked.

"Well, if that don't beat all I" said
she. "I had jes' 'bout as much idea
of supper as a goat has of kid gloves I"
But when Billy came flying back with
the tickets, and the party had started
once more on the long walk to the Opera
House, the enticing posters began to ap-
pear, and supper »nd the cold were for-
gotten.

CHAPTEK Vn

((

MB. BOB

»i

!'r

" K hia heart at high floods

Swamped his brain now and then,
'T was but richer for that
When the tide ebbed again."

LARGE audience as-
sembled that night to
witness "The Greatest
Extravaganza of the
Century. '» The Opera
House was a blaze of light and color.

From the rp cesses of one of the boxes,
Redding made a careful survey of the
faces beneath him. First nights usu-
ally found him there, with the same
restless, eager look in his eyes. To-
night he evidently failed to find what
he sought, and was turning Ustlessly

"Mr, Bob**

away when he stopped suddenly, bent
forward, then smiled broadly. He had
caught sight of Billy's red comforter.

The boy's hair was plastered close to
his head, and his face was transformed
by soap and happiness. Redding
glanced quizzically at the rest of the
party— at the mother's radiant counte-
nance beaming from the dusk of her
crepe veil, at the three little girls in
their composite costumes, at the carna-
tions pinned on each bosom. Then he
deliberately turned his back on "The
Greatest Extravaganza of the Cen-
tury," and centered his attention on the
parquet group.

It was a singularly enthusiastic thea-
ter party, oblivious of surroundings,
and lost in wonder at the strange sights.
Billy's laugh rang out frequently, with
refreshing spontaneity. Their enjoy-
ment was so evident that Redding was

ill

V I

^'•«- Wiggs of the Cabba ge Patch

surprised, at the cloae of the first act
to see them put on their wraps and
march solemnly out of the theater. He
hastened to the lobby, and touched Billy
on the shoulder.

"Bid n»t you like the show?- he
asked.

. "Yo^betl" said Billy, his eyes shin-
ing and his cheeks flushed.

Mrs. Wiggs was hopelessly entangled
m the crepe veil, but her ideas of eti-
quette were rigid. She disengaged one
hand and said, with dignity: -I »low
this IS Mr. Bob, Billy's friend. Happy
to meet yer acquaintance. Asia, speak
to the gentleman-Australia-Euro-
Penal" with a commanding nod at each.
Three small hands were thrust at
Bedding simultaneously, and he accom-
modated them all in his broad palm.

"But why are you going home!" he
asked, looking from one to the other.

Mr. Bob**

"Where else would we go to? '» asked
Mrs. Wiggs, in amazement

''Why not stay and see the play out!
That was only the first act.*'

**Is there some more, mat" askea
Asia, eagerly.

"Why, of course," explained Red-
ding, "lots more. Now, go back, and
stay until everybody has left the theater,
and then you will be certain it »s over."

So back they went, furnishing an
amusing entr*acte for the impatient au-
dience.

After the curtain descended on the
final tableau. Redding waited in the
lobby while the stream of people passed.
The Wiggses had obeyed instructions,
and were the very last to come out.
They seemed dazed by their recent
glimpse into fairy-land. Something in
their thin bodies and pinched faces
made Redding form a sudden resolve.

li'

I;!

I !

Mrs. Wigpsofthe Cabbage Patch

'•Billy,*' he said gravely, "can't you
and your family take supper with meT'»
Billy and his mother exchanged doubt-
ful glances; for the past three hours
everything had been so strange and un-
usual that they were bewildered.

'•You see, we will go right over to
Bond's and have something to eat be-
fore you go home," urged Redding.

Mrs. Wiggs was in great doubt, but
one of the little giris pulled her skirt
and said, in pleading tones: "Ma, let 's
do I" and Billy was already casting
longing eyes at the big restaurant across
the way. She had not the heart to re-
fuse. As they were crossing the street,
Asia stopped suddenly and cried:

"Ma, there 's the 'Christmas Lady'
gittin' in that hack! She seen us!
Look!"

But before they could turn the car-
riage door had slammed.

**Mr. Bob*'

Redding took them into a small apart-
ment, curtained off from the rest of the
caf 6, so that only the waiters commented
on the strange party. At first there was
oppressive silence; then the host turned
to Europena and asked her what she
liked best to eat. A moment of torture
ensued for the small lady, during which
she neariy twisted her thumb from its
socket, then she managed to gasp:
"Green pups I"

Mr. Bob laughed. "Why, you little
cannibal 1" he said. "What on earth
does she mean?'*

"Cream puffs," explained Mrs.
Wiggs, airily. * * She et 'em onct at Mrs.
Reed's, the Bourbon Stock Yard's wife,
an' she 's been talkin' 'bout 'em ever
sence."

After this the ice, while not broken,
at least had a crack in it, and by the
time the first course was served Red-

<ti

ifi

Ill

SI I

""^rs. Wiggs of the Ca bbage Patch

ding was telling them a funny story
and three of the audience wore able to'
smile. It had pleased him to order an
elaborate supper, and he experienced
the keenest enjoyment over the novelty
of the situation. The Wiggses ate as
he had never seen people eat before.
For speed and durabiUt)^ they break
the record,- was his mental comment
He sat by and, with consummate tact,
made them forget everything but the
good time they were having.

As the supper progressed, Mrs.
Wiggs became communicative. She
still wore her black cotton gloves, and
gesticulated with a chicken croquette as
she talked.

**Yes,'» she was saying, "Jim was
one of these handy childem; when he
was eight years old he could peddle as
good as you could I I guess you heard
*bout our roof J everybody was talkin*

111

Mr, Bob**

bout It Billy is takin' right after
him; do you know what that boy has
gone an' donef He 's built his pa a
monumintr*

'|A monument!" exclauned Redding.
"Yes, sir, a tombstun monuminti I
was allers a-wishin' that Mr. Wiggs
could have a monumint, and Bniy never
said a word, but he set his head to it.
One day he come home with a lot of
these here tiles what they had throwed
out from the tile factory; some of 'em
was jes' a little nicked, an' the others
was jes' as good as new. Well, he kep'
on gittin' 'em ever' day or two, till he
had a consider'ble pile. Ever' night
he used to set on the floor an' fool with
them things, a-fittin' 'em here an' crack-
in' 'em off there, but I never paid no
'tention to him. One night, when I
come in from Mrs. Eichom's, what did
I see on the floor but a sure-'nough

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

tombstim-slab, an' spelt out in Uttle
blue tiles down the middle was:

(( (

Pa. Gone, but not forgotten.'

I was jes' that pleased I set down an'
bust out cryin'. We made a sorter box
to hold it, an' chinked it up with cement,
an' las' Sunday me an' the childem
took it out an' fixed it up on Mr.
Wiggs 's gr^ve. Some day we are going
to make Jimmy one; you know Jimmy's
my boy that 's dead." Her eyes filled
and her lips trembled; even the sunshine
of her buoyant nature could not dispel
one shadow that always lay across her
heart.

At this moment Billy, doubtless
thrilled at being the topic of conversa-
tion, upset his glass of water, and the
deluge descended fuU upon Australia,
drenching the waist of the blue alpaca!

''Mr. Bob**

Such a wail as arose I Threats and per-
suasion were alike unavailing; she even
refused to be mopped off, but slid in a
disconsolate heap under the table. Red-
ding attempted to invade the citadel
with an orange as a flag of truce, but
Iiis overtures were ineffectual, and he
was compelled to retreat under fire.

"I 'd leave her be, Mr. Bob,»» ad-
vised Mrs. Wiggs, placidly, as she
spread her salad on a piece of bread.
"She '11 git to holdin' her breath if you
notice her."

The shrieks gradually diminished to
spasmodic sobs, which in turn gave
place to ominous silence.

**BiUy," said Redding, taking Mrs.
Wiggs 's advice and ignoring the flood
sufferer, "how would you like to be my
office-boy?"

"I 'd like it a heap," answered Billy,
promptly.

1/ "

^rs. Wiggs of the Cab bage Patch

Redding turned to Mrs. Wiggs. «'You
see, it »8 a newspaper office, and while
the pay is n't much at first, still it 's
better than peddling kindling, and there
would be a chance for promotion as he
got older.'*

**0h, yes," answered Mrs. Wiggs
complacently; -there would n't be no
trouble 'bout Billy promotin'. I ^spect
he could teke to writin' newspapers
nght away, if you could hold him down
to It Tie 's jes' Uke his pa~the very
spittin Uage of him! Mr. Wiggs was
80 educated-the most fluent man in
jography I ever seen I ' '

*'I 'm goin' to be like Mr. Bob when
I grow up," said Billy, stoutiy. His
recollection of his paternal parent was
not the sort ideals are made of.

Just here the waiter appeared with the
final course, and Asia Ufted the table-
cloth and whispered, "Say, 'Straly,

((

Mr, Bob**

we »ve got ice-cream." No answer.
Then Uttle Europena, with baby wis-
dom, put her tow head under the cloth,
and said, *« Traly, it *b pinkl»' and Aus-
traUa emerged, tear-stained but smiUng,
and finished her supper on Mr. Bob's
knee.

When the limit of capacity had been
tested to the fullest, and Billy had de-
clared that '*he could n»t swaller no
more, he was jes* chawin','* Redding
filled their pockets with candy and,
when Mrs. Wiggs was not looking, put
a quarter in each hand. Then he rang
for a caniage, and, in spite of Mrs.
Wiggs 's protestations, he put them
in, and repeated Billy's directions as
to the exact location of the Cabbage
Patch.

"My, my, ain't this nice!" said Mrs.
Wiggs, leaning back against carriage
cushions for the first time in her life,

^rs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

while Redding lifted Europena in be-
side her.

"We Ve seed a good time fer onct in
our Uvea,- said Asia. It was the first
time she had spoken since they left the
theater.

"Lemme ride up on top, mal»' de-
manded Billy, eagerly.

"Lemme, too, lemmel*' came from
the sleepy Australia, who did not know
what new attraction was being offered,
but was resolved not to miss anything!
''AH right, Billy; but, Austry, you
must stay with ma. Good-by, Mr. Bob,
and thanks-thanks fer one an» alll"

Redding stood on the comer where
they had left him, and the smile died
out of his face. Within a block was
a jolly crowd and a hearty welcome;
across the street was the big apartment
house where his dark and cheerless win-
dow promised him nothing. Foramo-

^••^.^t^.^,;;^.'.

*'Mr. Bob**

ment he stood irresolute. "There is
certainly nobody to care where I go,"
he thought gloomily; then suddenly the
smile came back. "But if I »m to be
Billy Wiggs's model, I guess I 'd better
go to bed." He ran lightly across the
street, and up the broad stone steps.

Iff

lit '

iiMr.:»» ;

-T

CHAPTER Vm

MBS. WIOQS AT HOME

"She had a guniiy nature that sought, like
a flower in a dark place, for the light."

|N Christmas day Lucy
Olcott stood by the li-
brary window, and idly
scratched initials on the
frosty pane. A table
full of beautiful gifts stood near, and a
great bunch of long-stemmed roses on
the piano filled the room with fragrance.
But Lucy evidently found something
more co genial in the dreary view out-
side. She was deep in thought when
the door opened and Aunt Chloe came
in with a basket and a note.
The old darky grinned as she put the
98

Mrs.Wiggs at Home

basket on the floor. "You might 'a*
knowed it wuz fum dem Wiggses," she
said.

Lucy opened the note and read:

"Dear miss Lucy the bMket of cloths and vittles
come. We or so mutch obliged, and asia wore the
read dreu to the soshul and enjoyed her selph ao.
Much I wish you could a went. Billy liked his hock
and ladar and romcandons. Me and the childem want
to send you a crismas mess of some of all we lade in
for to Uve on. They is pertaters 2 kines, onions, ter-
maters, a jar vineger and a jar perservs. I boughten
the peeches last sumer, they was gitting a little rot-
ting so I got them cheep. Hope you wiU Enjoy them.
I send some of aU we got but Cole and Flower.
Thankes thankes to you for your kind fealings.
" From yours no more

"MB8.W1GO8."

"Bless her old heartl" cried Lucy;
"that 's the biggest widow's mite I ever
saw. Put the basket there with my
other presents, Aunt Chloe; it 's worth
them aU."

She went over to the fire, and held
her hands to the friendly blaze j there

ii<

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

was a restless, discontented look in her
eyes that proved only too plainly that
her Christmas was not a happy one.

"I wish it was night," she said. "I
hate Christmas afternoon I Mother is
asleep; it 's too eariy for callers. I
believe I '11 go down to the Cabbage
Patch."

Aunt Chloe stuck out her lip and
rolled her eyes in deprecation.

*'Don' you do it, honey. What you
wanter be foolin* 'round wif dat po'
white trash fer? Why don' you set
heah by de fiah an' bleach yer ban's fer
de party to-night T"

"Bother the old party I" said Lucy,
impatiently. She had begun disobeying
Aunt Chloe when she was a very little
girl.

Fifteen minutes later she was tramp-
ing through the snow, her cheeks glow-
ing and her spirits rising. TheWiggsee,

100

Mrs, Wiggs at Home

while always interesting, had of late ac-
quired a new significance. Since seeing
them in the theater lobby with Robert
Redding she had found it necessary
to make several visits to the Cabbage
Patch, and the chief topic of converaa-
tion had been Mr. Bob: how he had
taken them to the show; had made Billy
his office-boy; had sent them a barrel
of apples, and was coming to see them
some day. To which deluge of infor-
mation Lucy had listened with outward
calmness and inward thrills.

To-day, as she entered the Wiggses'
gate a shout greeted her. Billy let him-
self down from the chicken-coop roof,
and ran forward.

"Them Roman candles was n't no
good I" he cried. "One of 'em busted
too soon, and 'most blowed my hand
off."

"Oh, no, it did n't, Miss Lucy!" said
101

Mrs. Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

)

Mrs. Wiggg, who had hastened out to
meet her. '*Them Roman candons was
fine. Billy's hand was n't so bad hart
he could n't shoot his gum-bow shooter
and break Miss Krasmier's winder-
pane. I »11 be glad when to-morrow
comes, an' he goes back to the office!
Come right in, ' ' she continued. * * Asia,
dust off a cheer fer Miss Lucy. That 's
right; now, lemme help you off with
yer things."

"Lemme hold the muff I" cried Aus-
tralia.

"No. me— me I" shrieked Europena.

A center rush ensued, during which
the muff was threatened with immediate
annihilation. The umpire interfered.

"Australia Wiggs, you go set in the
comer with yer face to the wall. Euro-
pena, come here I" She lifted the wail-
ing little girl to her lap, and looked her

102

Mra.Wiggs at Home

eternly in the eye. "If you don't hush
this minute, I Ul spank your dolll"

The awful threat was sufficient Mrs.
Wiggfs had long ago discovered the most
effectual way of punishing Europena.

When peace was restored, Lucy looked
about her. In each window was a piece
of holly tied with a bit of red calico,
and on the partly cleared table she saw
the remains of a real Christmas dinner.

*'We had a grand dinner to-day,"
said Mrs. Wiggs, following her glance.
"Mr. Bob sent the turkey; we et all we
wanted, an* got 'nough left fer the rest
of the week, countin' hash an' soup an'
all. Asia says she 's goin' to hide it,
so as I can't give no more away. By
the way, do you notice what Asia 's
doin't"

Lucy went to the window, where Asia
was busily working. This taciturn lit-

103

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

tie girl, with her old, solemn face and
clever fingers, was her favorite of the
children.

"What are you making?" she asked,
as the child dipped a brush into one of
three cans which stood before her.

"She 's ppintin' a picture," an-
nounced Mrs. Wiggs, proudly. "Looked
like she was jes' crazy 'bout picture
. painting, an' I said, 'Well, Asia, if you
have made up yer mind to be a artist,
guess you '11 have to be one.' Seems
like when folks kin do planner playin'
an' picture paintin' it ain't right to let
'em wash dishes an' clean up all the
time. So I went to a store an' ast fer
son- 3 paint to make pictures with, and
they wanted seventy cents fer a little
box full. Ain't that a mighty heap.
Miss Lucy, jes' fer plain paint, 'fore
it 's made up into flowers an' trees an'
things! Well, anyway, I could n't git

104

Mrs.Wiggs at Home

it, but I come home an' got me three tin
cans an' took 'em 'round to Mr. Beck-
er's paint-shop, an' he poured me a lit-
tle red an' yaller an' blue, an' only
charged me a nickel, an' throwed in a
brush. Asia 's painted a heap with it.
I '11 show you some of her things."

It was not necessary, for in every
direction Lucy looked her eyes were
greeted with specimens of Asia's handi-
work. Across the foot-board of the bed
was a spray of what might have passed
for cauliflower, the tin boiler was en-
circled by a wreath of impressionistic
roses, and on the window-pane a piece
of exceedingly golden goldenrod bent
in an obliging curve in order to cover
the crack in the glass.

"It 's perfectly wonderful!" said
Lucy, with entire truthfulness.

"Ain't it?" said Mrs. Wiggs, with
the awed tone one uses in the presence

105

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

of genius. * ' Sometimes I jes * can 't be-
lieve my eyes, when I see what my chil-
dem kin do 1 They inherit their educa-
tion after Mr. Wiggs; he was so smart,
an* b 'longed to such a fine fambly.
Why, Mr. Wiggs had real Injun blood
in his veins; his grandpa was a squaw
—a full-blood Injun squaw I"

Lucy made a heroic effort to heep a
solemn face, as she asked if Asia looked
like him.

' ' Oh, my, no I " continued Mrs. Wiggs.
"He was a blunette, real dark com-
plected. I remember when he fus* come
a-courtin* me folks thought he was a
Dago. Pa was n't to say well off in
those days." Mrs. Wiggs never ap-
plied superlatives to misfortunes. "He
had a good many of us to take keer of,
an' after Mr. Wiggs had been keepin'
company with me fer 'bout two weeks
he drove up one night with a load of

106

Mrs. Wiggs at Home

coal an' kincllin', an' called pa out to
the fence. 'Mr. Smoot, ' sez he, ^as long
as I am courtin' your daughter, I think
I orter furnish the fire to do it by. Ef
you don't mind,' sez he, *! '11 jes' put
this wagon-load of fuel in the coal-
house. I 'spect by the time it 's used
up Nance '11 be of my way of think-
in'.' An' I was!" ;*dded Mrs. Wiggs,
laughing.

Ordinarily Lucy found endless diver-
sion in listening to the family reminis-
cences, but to-day another subject was
on her mind.

"How is Billy getting along!" she
asked.

"Jes' fine!" said Mrs. Wiggs; "only
he comes home at night 'most dead. I
give him money to ride, but ever' day
last week he et up his nickel."

* * Who— who has charge of him now I ' '
Lucy blushed at her subterfuge.

107

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

■' i

V'U t I

"Mr. Bob," said Mrs. Wiggs; **he 's
the gentleman that took us to supper.
He *s got money. Asia said he give the
nigger waiter a quarter. Billy is jes'
crazy 'bout Mr. Bob; says he 's goin'
to be jes' like him when he grows up.
He will, too, if he sets his head to it I
Only he never kin have them big brown
eyes an' white teeth Mr. Bob 's got
Why, when Mr. Bob smiles it jes' sort
of breaks up his whole face."

Lucy's eyes were fixed on the mam-
moth butterfly upon whose iridescent
wings Asia was putting the finishing
touches, but her thoughts were far
away.

"I jes' wish you could see him!"
went on Mrs. Wiggs, enthusiastically.

"I wish I could!" said Lucy, with
such fervor that Mrs. Wiggs paused on
her way to answer a knock at the out-
side door.

108

Mrs, Wiggs at Home

There was a scraping of feet in the
passage.

"I have been driving all over the
country looking for you," said a man»s
voice. "I have some Christmas traps
for the kids."

Lucy rose hastily, and turned just as
Kedding entered.

"Mr. Bob, this is Miss Lucy," an-
nounced Mrs. Wiggs, triumphantly;
*'she was jes' 'lowin* she 'd like to see
you."

If a blue-eyed angel straight from the
peaks of paradise had been presented
to him, Redding could not have been
more astounded nor more enraptured.

But to Lucy it was a moment of in-
tense chagrin and embarrassment. Dur-
ing the long silence of the past year she
had persuaded herself that Redding no
longer cared for her. To be thrust upon
him in this way was intolerable. All

109

' %i\

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

;

i I

the .jiood in her veins rushed to her
face.

**Do you know where my muff is,
Mrs. Wiggs? '' she asked, after a formal
greeting.

"Oh I you ain*t a-goin't** asked the
hostess, anxiously. "I wanted you all
to git acquainted."

"Yes, I must go," said Lucy, hur-
riedly, "if you will find my muff."

She stood nervously pulling on ner
gloves, while Mrs. Wiggs searched for
the lost property. There was a deafen-
ing tumult in her heart, and though she
bit her lips to keep from laughing, the
tears stood in her eyes.

" Austry 's under the bed," announced
Europena, who had joined in the quest

"I ain't!" came in shrill, indignant
tones, as Mrs. Wiggs dragged forth the
culprit, and restored the muff.

"May I drive you over to the ave-
110

Mrs, Wiggs at Home

nueT I am going that way." It was

Bedding^s voice, but it sounded queer

and unnatural.
"Oh, no! No, thank you," gasped

Lucy, hardly knowing what she said.
Her one idea was to get away before
she broke down completely.

Redding held the door open as she
passed out. His face was cold, cahn,
inscrutable; not a quiver of the mouth,'
not a flutter of the lids, but the light
went out of his eyes and hope died in
his heart.

Mrs. Wiggs stood watching the scene
in perplexity.

"I dunno what ailed Miss Lucy," she
said, apologetically; "hope it was n't
the toothache."

', t I

iii

CHAPTER IX

HOW SPBINO CAME TO THE CABBAGE
PATCH

"The roads, the woods, the heayens, the hills
Are not a world to-day—
But just a place Ood made for us
In whioh to play."

|HEN the last soow of
the winter had melted,
and the water was no
longer frozen about the
comer pump, the com-
mons lost their hard, brown look, and
a soft green tinge appeared instead.
There were not many ways of tell-
ing when spring came to the Cabbage
Patch; no trees shook forth their glad
little leaves of welcome, no anemones
and snow-drops brought the gentle mes-

112

How Spring came to the Cabbage Patch

sage, even the birds that winged their
way from the South-land hurried by,
without so much as a chirp of greeting.
But the Cabbage Patch knew it was
spring, nevertheless; something whis-
pered it in the air, a dozen little signs
gave the secret away; weeds were
springing up in the fence comers, the
puddles which a few months ago were
covered with ice now reflected bits of
blue sky, and the best token of all was
the bright, warm sunshine that clung to
the earth as if to love it back into beauty
and life again.

One afternoon Mrs. Wiggs stood at
her gate talking to Redding. It was the
first time he had been there since Christ-
mas day, for his first visit had been too
painful for him to desire to repeat it
"Yes, indeed, Billy kin go," Mrs.
Wiggs was saying. '*I »m mighty glad
you drove him by home to git on his
• 113

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

good coat He never was to the fair
grounds before; it »11 be a big treat
How *s Mr. Dick to-dayt**

"No better," said Redding; "he
coughed all night"

"He was takin' a nap o' sleep when
I went to clean up this mominV' said
Mrs. Wiggs, "so I did n*t disturb him.
He ain't fer long, pore feller I"

"No, poor chap," said Redding,
sadly.

Mrs. Wiggs saw the shadow on his
face, and hastened to change the sub-
ject "What do you think of Asia's
fence?" she asked.

"What about it t"

"She done it herself," said Mrs.
Wiggs. "That an' the pavement, too.
Mrs. Krasmier's goat et up her flowers
las' year, an' this year she 'lowed she 'd
fix it different. Chris Hazy, that boy
over yonder with the peg-stick, helped

114

^^ Spn ng came to the Cabbage Patch

her dig the post-holes, but she done the
rest herself. »»

**Well, she is pretty clever I" said
Kedding, almost incredulously, as he
ewmined the fence aiid sidewalk.
"How old is she?*'

''Fourteen, goin' on to fifteen. Asia,
come here."

The girl left the flower-bed she was
<lj««ing, and came forward.

"Not a very big girl, are you7»' said
Bedding, smiling at her. "How would
you like tc .'o up to the tile factory, and
learn to dc decorating f

Her serious face Ut up with great en-
thusiasm; she forgot her shyness, and
said, eagerly: "Oh, yes, sir I Could I?'»
Before Redding could answer, Mrs.
Wiggs broke in:

"You 'd be gittin' a artist, Mr. Bob I
Them fingers of hers kin do anything.
Last fall she built that there Uttle green-

115

Mn. Wigga of the Cabbage Pa$eh

i-l

hotiM out of ole planki, an* kep' it full
of flowers all winter; put a lamp in
durin' the cold spell. You orter see the
things she 's painted. And talk about
mud pictures I She could jes ' take some
of that there mud under that hoss's feet,
an' make it look so much like you, you
would n't know which was which.''

Billy's appearance at this moment
saved Redding from immediate dis-
grace.

"You come to the office with Billy in
the morning," he called to Asia, as they
started off; "we '11 see what can be
done."

Asia went back to her digging with
a will; the prospect of work, of learn-
ing how to do things right, and, above
all, of learning how to paint, filled her
with happiness.

"If I was you I 'd make that bed in
the shape of a star," said her mother,

116

How Spring eome to the Cabbage Patch

breakiiig in on her reflections. ''Why
don't you make it a mason start Yer
pa was a fine mason; it wonld be a sort
of compliment to him.*'

"What is a mason star like!" asked
Asia.

"Well, now I ain't right sure whether
it 's got five points or six. Either way
will do. Lands alive, I do believe there
comes Miss Lucy I"

Lucy Olcott had been a frequent vis-
itor of late. Through Mrs. Wiggs she
had gotten interested in Mrs. Schultz,
and often stopped in to read to the bed-
ridden old lady. Here, of course, she
heard a great deal about the Eichoms,
the elite of the Cabbage Patch, whose
domestic infelicities furnished the chief
interest in Mrs. Schultz 's life. Lucy
had even stood on a chair, at the inva-
lid 's earnest request, to count the jars
of preserves in the Eichom pantry.

117

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

Later she had become acquainted with
Miss Hazy, the patient little woman in
monochrome, whose whole pitiful exist-
ence was an apology when it might have
been a protest.

In fact, Lucy became an important
personage in the neighborhood. She
was sought for advice, called upon for
comfort, and asked to share many joys.
Her approach was usually heralded by
a shout, 'That 's her a-cominM*» and
she was invariably escorted across the
commons by a guard of ragged but de-
voted youngsters. And the friendship
of these simple people opened her eyes
to the great problems of humanity, and
as she worked among them and knew
life as it was, the hard little bud of her
girlhood blossomed into the great soft
rose of womanhood.

"Did n*t you meet Mr. Bob up the
street?" asked Mrs. Wiggs, as she led

118

> — ....-

How Spring came to the Cabbage Patch

the way into the kitchen. "Hina an'
BiUy have jes' left, goin' out !o the
fair grounds. Mr. Bob 's jes* natTiri.lly
the best man I ever set eyes on, Miss
Lucy! Got the biggest heart, an* al-
ways doin* something kind fer folks.
Jes» now talkin' 'bout gittin' Asia a
place at the tile factory. I don't see
how you missed 'em! If he 'd a sawn
you with them vi'lets in yer belt, an'
them roses in yer cheeks, I bet he
would n't 'a' went."

"Oh, yes, he would!" said Lucy, em-
phatically. "My roses don't appeal to
Mr. Bob."

"Well, he likes yer eyes, anyway,"
said Mrs. Wiggs, determined to carry
her point.

"Who said so!" demanded Lucy.

"He did. last him. I said they was
regular star-eyes, jes' shining blue with
them black eyelashes rayin' out all

119

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

'round, an' he said yes, that was the
right name fer *em— star-eyes."

There was a mist over the star-eyes
as Lucy turned away.

''That 's right; set right down there
by the winder. It 's so pretty out to-
day it makes you feel good clean down
yer back."

"I believe you always feel that way,"
said Lucy, pulling off her gloves.
** Don't you ever worry over things?"

Mrs. Wiggs grew serious. *'I 'm
lonesome fer Jimmy all the time," she
said simply. ''Some folks goes right
under when trouble comes, but I carry
mine fur an' easy."

"I don't mean grieving," said Lucy;
"I mean worrying and fretting."

''Well, yes," admitted Mrs. Wiggs,
taking a hot iron from the stove,
"I 've done that, too. I remember onct
last winter I was tooken sick, an' I got

120

How Spring came to the Cabbage Patch

to pesterin' 'bout what the childem 'ud
do if I died. They was n't no money
in the house, an' they did n't know
where to git none. All one night I laid
there with my head 'most bustin', jes'
worryin' 'bout it. By an' by I was so
miserable I ast the Lord what I mus'
do, an' he tole me." There was abso-
lute conviction in her tone and manner.
**Nex' momin'," she went on, ''soon 's
I could I went over to the 'spensary an'
ast fer the chief doctor.

"'Doctor,' I aez, 'don't you buy
corpses?'

" 'Yes,' sez he, lookin' kinder funny.

" 'Well,' sez I, 'I want to sell mine.'

"Then I tole him all 'bout it, an' ast

him if he would n't take my body after

I was gone, an' give the money to the

childem.

" 'Will you put it in writin',' sez he.
" 'Yes,' sez I, 'if you '11 do the same.'
121

r*.

■ I

11;

'■(■-'.

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

"So he drawed up the papers, an* we
both signed, an' a man with a spine in
his back an' a lady with the rheumatiz
' witnessed it. So you see," concluded
Mrs. Wiggs, **I did n't die; you mark
my words, it ain't never no use puttin'
up yer umbrell' till it rains I"

Lucy laughed. "Well, you certainly
practise what you preach."

"Not always," said Mrs. Wiggs.
"I 'm 'feared I use' to worry some over
Mr. Wiggs. T 'words the last he uster
pretty often-" Here Mrs. Wiggs
tipped an imaginary bottle to her lips,
and gave Lucy a significant wink.
Even in the strictest confidence, she
could not bear to speak of the weakness
of the late lamented.

"But no matter how bad he done, he
always tried to do better. Mr. Dick
sorter puts me in mind of him 'bout
that."

122

Jiow SpH ng came to th e Cabbage Patch

**Wlio is Mr. Dick!"
"He '8 Mr. Bob's friend. Stays at
lus rooms sence he was took down."

"Is Mr. Redding sick?" asked Lucy,
the color suddenly leaving her face.

"No, it »8 Mr. Dickj he 's con-
sumpted. I clean up his room ever*
momin*. He coughs all the time, jes'
like Mr. Wiggs done. Other day he had
a orful spell while I was there. I
wanted to git him some whisky, but he
shuck his head. 'I »m on the water-
cart,' sez he. 'Bob 's drivin' if He
ain't no fatter 'n a knittin '-needle, an'
weaker 'n water. You orter see him
watch f er Mr. Bob I He sets by the win-
der, all propped up with pillars, an'
never tecks his eyes offen that comer.
An' when Mr. Bob comes in an' sets
down by him an' tells him what 's goin'
on, an' sorter fools with him a spell,
looks like he picks up right off. He

123

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

ain't got no folks nor nothin'— jes, Mr.
Bob. He shorely does set store by him
— jes' shows it ever' way. That 's
right, too. I hold that it 's wrong to
keep ever 'thing bottled up inside you.
Yer feelin's is like ras 'berry vineger:
if you 're skeered to use 'em an* keep
on savin' 'em, first thing you know
they 've done 'vaporatedl"

Lucy's experience had proved the
contrary, but she smiled bravely back
at Mrs. Wiggs, with a new tenderness
in her face.

* * You have taught me lots of things I ' *
she said impulsively. **You are one of
the best and happiest women I know."

"Well, I guess I ain't the best by a
long sight, brt I may be the happiest.
An' I got cause to be : four of the smart-
est childem that ever lived, a nice
house, fair to middlin' health when I
ain't got the rheumatiz, and folks al-

124

How Spring came to the Cabbage Patch

ways goin' clean out of the way to be
good to me I Ain't that 'nough to make
a person happy! I '11 be fifty years old
on the Fourth of July, but I hold there
ain't no use in dyin' 'fore yer time.
Lots of folks is walkin' 'round jes' as
dead as they '11 ever be. I beUeve in
gittin' as much good outen life as you
kin— not that I ever set out to look fer
happiness; seems like the folks that
does that never finds it. I jes' do the
best I kin where the good Lord put me
at, an' it looks like I got a happy feeUn'
in me 'most all the time. ' '

Lucy sat silent for a while, gazing out
of the window. Mrs. Wiggs's philos-
ophy was having its effect. Presently
she rose and untied the bundle she held.
''Here is a dress I brought for Asia,"
she said, shaking out the folds of a soft
crepon.

* * Umph, umph I Ain 't that grand I ' '
125

Mrs, Wxggs of the Cabbage Patch

• f

exclaimed Mrs. Wiggs, coming from
behind the ironing-board to examine ii
''It does seem lucky that your leavings
jes' fits Asia, an' Asia's jes' fits Ans-
try; there ain't no symptoms of them
bein' handed down, neither! We all
model right after you, but it looks like
Asia 's the only one that ketches yer
style. Oh, must you go f " she added, as
Lucy picked up her glomes.

''Tes; I promised Mrs. Schultz to
read to her this afternoon."

"Well, stop in on yer way back~I '11
have a little present ready fer you."
It was an unwritten law that no guest
should depart without a gift of some
kind. Sometimes it was one of Asia's
paintings, again it was a package of
simflower seed, or a bottle of vinegar,
and once Lucy had taken home four
gourds and a bunch of paper roses.

"I declare I never will git no work
126

iMfa

How Spring came to the Cabbage Patch

done il this weather keeps up I" said
Mrs. Wiggs, as she held the gate open.
"If I was n»t so stove up, an* nobody
was n't lookin', I »d jes» skitter 'round
this here yard like a colt I"

127

CHAPTER X

austbalia's mishap

<«>T is one thing to be tempted,
Another thing to fall."

IHROUGH the long,
suiiSy afternoon Mrs.
Wiggs sang over her
ironing, and Asia
worked diligently in her
flower-bed. Around the comer of the
shed which served as Cuba's dwelling-
place, Australia and Europena made
mud-pies. Peace and harmony reigned
in this shabby Garden of Eden until
temptation entered, and the weakest fell.
" *T ain't no fun jes* keepin' on
makin' mud-pies," announced Austra-

128

JbU

Awtrt^ia'a Mishap

lia, after enough pastry had been manu-
factured to start a miniature bakery.

"Wish we could make some white
cakes, like they have at Mr. Bagby's,"
said Europena.

"Could if we had some whitewash.
I 'U tell you what 's let do I Let 's take
some of Asia's paint she 's goin' to
paint the fence with, an* make *em
green on top."

*'Ma would n't Uke it," protested
Europena; "besides, I don't want my
little pies green."

"I 'm goin' to," said Australia, be-
ginning her search for the paint-can.
"It won't take but a Uttle teeny bit;
they '11 never miss it."

After some time the desired object
was discovered on a shelf in the shed.
Its high position enhanced its value,
giving it the cruel fascination of the
unattainable.

» 129

-«aa^*v- .

■1 i

Mrs, Wiggs of ihe Cabbage PaUh

*' Could yon stand up on my 8oldien»
like the man at the showf demanded
Australia.

"I 'd fall off/' said Europena.

" 'Fraid-oat!" taunted her sister, in
disgust. * ' Do you reckon you could hoi *
the chair while I climbed up on the
backT»»

"It ain't got no bottom."

^'Well, it don't need to have no bot-
tom if I 'm goin' to stand on its back,"
said Australia, sharply. Leaders of
great enterprises must of necessity turn
deaf ears to words of discouragement.

**You might git killed," persisted
Europena.

" 'T would n't matter," said Austra-
lia, loftily; '♦ 't would n't be but the
seventh time. I got three more times
to die. 'Fore you was homed I was
drownded out in the country, that was
one time ; then I fell in the ash-bur '1 and

130

Australia'a Mishap

was dead, that *8 two times; an'—an'
then I et the stove-poUsh, that 's foar
times; an* I can't 'member, but the nex'
time will be seven. I don't keer how
much I git killed, till it 's eight times,
then I 'm goin' to be good all the time,
'cause when you are dead nine times
they put you in a hole an' throw dirt
on you!"

Australia had become so absorbed in
her theory of reincarnation that she had
forgotten the paint, but the bottomless
chair recalled it

"Now, you lay 'crost the chair, Euro-
pena, an' I 'U climb up," she com-
manded.

Europena, though violently opposed
to the undertaking, would not forsake
her leader at a critical moment. She
had uttered her protest, had tried in
vain to stem the current of events ; noth-
ing was left her now but to do or die.

131

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

She valiantly braced her small body
across the frame of the chair, and Aus-
tralia began her perilous ascent

Cuba looked mildly astonished as the
plump figure of the little girl appeared
above his feed-box.

"I *ve 'most got it!*' cried Australia,
reaching as high as possible, and get-
ting her forefinger over the edge of the
big can. *

At this juncture Cuba, whose nose
had doubtless been tickled by Austra-
lia 's apron-string, gave a prodigious
sneeze. Europena, feeling that retribu-
tion was upon them, fled in terror. The
ballast being removed from the chair,
the result was inevitable. A crash, a
heterogeneous combination of small
girl, green paint, and shattered chair,
then a series of shrieks that resembled
the whistles on New Year's eve I

Bedding was the first to the rescue.
132

i !

Australia's Mishap

He had just driven Billy to the gate
when the screams began, and with a
bound he was out of the buggy and
rushing to the scene of disaster. The
picture that met his eyes staggered him.
Australia, screaming wildly, lay in what
appeared to his excited vision to be a
pool of green blood; Europena was
jumping up and down beside her, call-
ing wildly for her mother, while Cuba,
with ears erect and a green liquid
trickling down his nose, sternly sur-
veyed the wreck. In a moment Red-
ding had Australia in his arms, and
was mopping the paint from her face
and hair.

"There, there, little sister, you are n't
much hurtf*' he was saying, as Mrs.
Wiggs and Asia rushed in.

The damage done proved external
rather than internal, so after assuring
herself that no bones were broken Mrs.

188

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

Wiggs constituted herself a salvage
corps.

"Take off yer coat out here, Mr.
Bob, an' I '11 take off Austry's dress.
Them 's the worst, 'ceptin' her plaits.
Now, we '11 all go up to the kitchen,
an' see what kin be did."

Now, Fate, or it may have been the
buggy at the gate, decreed that just as
they turned the comer of the house,
Lucy Olcott should be coming up the
walk. For a moment she stood bewil-
dered at the sight that greeted her.
Bedding, in his shirt sleeves, was lead-
ing Australia by the hand: the little
girl wore a red-flannel petticoat, and
over her face and hands and to the full
length of her flaxen braids ran sticky
streams of bright green paint.

Involuntarily, Lucy looked at Red-
ding for explanation, and they both
laughed.

134

AitstrcUia's Mishap

"Ain't it lucky it was the back of
her head 'stid of the front?" said Mrs.
Wiggs, coming up; "it might »a' put
her eyes out. Pore chile, she looks like
a MoUygrawI Come right in, an' let 's
git to work."

Billy was despatched for turpentine;
Lucy, with an apron pinned about her,
began operations on Australia's hair,
while Redding sat helplessly by, wait-
ing for Mrs. Wiggs to mp.ke his coat
presentable.

"I am afraid her hair will have to be
cut," said Lucy, ruefully, as she held
up a tangled snarl of yellow and green.

"All right," Mrs. Wiggs said
promptly. "TVTiatever you say is all
right."

But Australia felt differently; her
sobs, suppressed for a time, broke forth
afresh.

"I ain't goin' to have my hair cut
135

.(■■

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

off!'' she wept. " Jes' leave it on this
a-way."

Mrs. Wiggs commanded and Lncy
entreated in vain. Finally Redding
drew his chair up in front of the small
girl.

"Australia, listen to me just a mo-
ment, won't you! Please!"

She uncovered one eye.

"You wduld n't want green hair,
would you?"

A violent shake of the head.

"Well, if you wiU let Miss Olcott cut
off all that ugly green hair, and give
the pretty curls a chance to grow back,
I '11 give you— let 's see, what shall I
give youf"

"A doll-buggy an' dishes," sug-
gested Europena, who was standing by.

"Yes," he said, "doll-buggy and
dishes, and a dollar besides!"

Such munificence was not to be with-
136

Australians Mishap

stood. Australia suffered herself to be
shorn, in view of the future temperinir
of the wind.

"You orter been a hoss-trainer, Mr
Bob,»» said Mrs. Wiggs, admiringly*
when the deed was accompUshed; *'yer
voice jes' makes folks do thingsl'*

"Not everybody, Mrs. Wiggs," he
said grimly.

"Where do you suppose Billy's went
witii the turkentine? I declare that boy
would be a good one to send after trou-
blel Oh, you ain't g-n' to try an'
wear it this a-way?" she said, as Red-
ding insisted on putting on his coat

As he turned to the door, a light hand
touched his arm. Lucy unfastened the
violets at her belt, and timidly held
them toward him.

"WiU you take them-to Dickt" she
faltered.

He looked at her in amazement For
137

Mrs. Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

a moment neither spoke, but her eyes
made the silence eloquent; they told the
secret that her lips dared not utter.
There are times when explanations are
snperfluons. Bedding threw discretion
to the winds, and, regardless of Wiggses
and consequences, took the "Christmas
Lady'* in his arms, and kissed away
the year of grief and separation.

It was not until Mrs. Wiggs saw their
trap disappear in the twilight that she
recovered her speech.

"Well, it certainly do beat mel" she
exclaimed, after a fruitless effort to re-
construct her standard of propriety.
"I Ve heard of 'painters* colic,* but I
never knowed it to go to the head be-
fore!**

138

CHAPTER XI

THE BENEFIT DANCE

*Tho«e there are whose hearts have a slope

southward, and are open to the whole

noon of Nature."

OTWITHSTANDING
the fact that calamities
seldom come singly, it
was not until the Fourth
of July that the Cab-
bage Patch was again the scene of an
accident.

Mrs. Wiggs had been hanging out
clothes, and was turning to pick up the
empty basket, when Billy precipitated
himself into the yard, yelling wildly:
"Chris Hazy 's broke his leg I"
Mrs. Wiggs threw up her hands in
139

) '1

™ /

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

horror. ' * Good lands, Billy I Where 's
he att"

"They »re brrngin' him up the rail-
road track."

Mrs. Wiggs msiied into the house.
"Don't let on to Miss Hazy till we git
him in,'' she cautioned, snatching up a
bundle of rags and a bottle of lini-
ment. * * Pore chile I How it must hurt
him! I 'H run down the track an' meet

'em."

She was breathless and trembling
from excitement as she turned the cor-
ner at Mrb. Schultz's. A crowd of boys
were coming up the track, trundling a
wheelbarrow, in which sat Chris Hazy,
the merriest of the lot, waving a piece
of his wooden leg in the air.

Mrs. Wiggs turned upon Billy.

"I never lied, mat I said he broke
his leg," the boy gasped out as best he
could for laughing, "an' you never ast

140

The Benefit Dance

which one. Oh, boys! Oit on to the
rags an* amiky!*'

Such a shout went up that Mrs. Wiggs
laughed with the rest, but only for a
moment, for she spied Miss Hazy tot-
tering toward them, and she hastened
forward to relieve her anxiety.

"It 's his peg-stick!" she shouted.
"P-e-g-stickl"

This information, instead of bringing
relief to Miss Hazy, caused a fresh
burst of tears. She sat down on the
track, with her apron over her face, and
swayed backward and forward.

'^ Don't make much difference which
one 't was," she sobbed; "it would be
'bout as easy to git another sure-'nough
leg as to git a new wooden one. That
las * one cost seven dollars. I jes * sewed
an' saved an' scrimped to git it, an' now
it 's-busted!"

The boys stood around in silent sym-
141

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

pathy, and when nobody was looking
Chris wiped his eyes on his coat sleeve.
Miss Hazy's arrival had changed their
point of view.

Mrs. Wiggs rose to the occasion.

"Boys/' she said, and her voice had
an inspiring ring, "I '11 tell you what
let 's do I Let 's give a benefit dance
to-night, an' buy Chris Hazy a new
peg-stick. Every feller that 's willin'
to help, hoi' up his hand."

A dozen grimy hands were waved
on high, and offers of assistance came
from all sides. Mrs. Wiggs saw that
now was the time to utilize their en-
thusiasm.

"I '11 go right back to the house, an'
git Asia to write out the tickets, an'
all you boys kin sell ten apiece. Miss
Hazy, you kin come over an' help me
git the house ready, an' we '11 put Chris
to cleanin' lamp-chimbleys."

142

The Benefit Dance

Under this able generalship, the work
was Boon under way; the boys ^ere de-
spatched with the tickets, and the house
was being put straight-at least the par-
lor was. It would have required many
days to restore order to the chaos
that habituaUy existed in the house of
Wiggs.

"Asia, you help me roll these here
barrels out on the porch, an' I '11 mop
up the floor, ' ' said Mrs. Wiggs. ' ' Miss
Hazy, you look 'round in the kitchen,
an' see if you can't find a taller candle.
Seems like I put one in the sugar-bowl
-that 's it I Now, if you '11 jes' cut it
up right fine it '11 be all ready to put
on the floor when I git done."

When the floor was dry and the can-
dle sprinkled over it, Australia and Eu~
ropena were detailed to sUde upon it
until it became slick.
"Would you ast ever'body to bring
143

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

A obeer, or wonld yoa have 'em already
heref " asked Mrs. Wiggs.

''Oh, le' 's bring 'em ourselves!" in-
sisted Asia, who had been to a church
social.

So a raid was made on the neighbor-
hood, and every available chair bor-
rowed and ranged against the parlor
walL >

By noon the boys reported most of
the tickets sold, and Mrs. Wiggs re-
ceived the funds, which amounted to
six dollars.

It being a holiday, everybody was
glad to come to the dance, especially as
the proceeds were to help little Miss
Hazy.

At one time there threatened to be
trouble about the music; some wanted
Uncle Tom, the old negro who usually
fiddled at the dances, and others pre-
ferred to patronize home talent and

144

The Benefit Dance

have Jake Schulb whow accordion
could be heard at all hours in the Cab-
bage Patch.

Mrs. Wiggs effected a compromise.
*'They kin take turn about," she ar-
gued; **when one gits Ured, the other
Wn pick up right where he left off, an»
the young folks kin shake the»r feet till
they shoes drop off. Uncle Tom an»
Jake, too, is a heap sight better than
them mud-gutter bands that play 'round
the streets."

"Wisht we could fix the yard up
some," said Asia, when there was noth-
ing more to be done in the parlor.

"I got a Japanee lantern," suggested
Miss Hazy, doubtfully.

"The very thingi" said Mrs. Wiggs

"We '11 hang it in the front door.

Billy 's makin ' a Jack o ' lantern to set on

the fence. Fer the land's sake! what 's

•John Bagby a-bringin' in here?"

w 145

'il

Mrs, Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

The grocery boy, staggering under
the weight of an ice-cream freezer and
carrying something wrapped in white
paper, came np the path.

"It *s fer you," he said, grinning
broadly. John was cross-eyed, so Miss
Hazy thought he looked at Mrs. Wiggs,
and Mrs. Wiggs thought he looked at
Miss Hazy.

However, the card on the freezer dis-
pelled all doubt:

*'Fer mrs Wiggs on her 5C Birthday
compelments of The Naybors."

Under the white paper was a large,
white iced cake, with a "W in cinna-
mon drops on top.

"How 'd they ever know it was my
birthday?" exclaimed Mrs. Wiggs, in
delight. * * Why, I *d even forgot it my-
self ! We *11 have the cake fer the party

146

The Benefit Dance

to-night. Somehow, I never feel like
good things h*\ong to me till I pass 'em
on to somebody else."

This necessitated a supply of saucers
and spoons, and friends were again
called upon to provide as many as pos-
sible.

"Where 's Europenat" asked Asia.

Nobody had seen her for some time.
Search was made, and she was discov-
ered standing on a chair in a comer
of the parlor, calmly eating the cinna-
mon drops off the birthday cake. Fin-
gers and mouth were crimson, and the
first stroke of the **W** was missing.
Billy was so indignant that he insisted
on immediate punishment.

'^No, I ain't a-goin' to whip her on
my birthday, Billy. She 's sorry; she

147

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

says she is. Besides, the cake ain't
spoiled; it *s jes* a *N' now, 'stid of a
*W,' an* N stands fer Nancy jes' as
good as W stands fer Wiggs I"

The first guest to arrive was Mr.
Krasmier; he had paid ten cents toward
the refreshments, and proposed to get
his money's worth. Mrs. Eichom came
early, to^, but for a different reason;
she was very stout, and her happiness
for the evening depended largely upon
the size of the chair she secured.

Half the spectators had arrived be-
fore the hostess appeared. Her delay
was caused by the loss of her false curls,
which she had not worn since the
memorable night at the Opera House.
They were very black and very frizzled,
and had been bought at a reduced price
from a traveling salesman some ten
years before. Mrs. Wiggs considered
them absolutely necessary to her toilet

148

The Benefit Dance

on state occasions. Hence consternation
prevailed when they could not be found.
Drawers were upset and boxes emptied,
but with no success.

When hope was about abandoned,
Asia suddenly darted out to the shed
where the children kept their play-
things. When she returned she trium-
phantly displayed a battered doll, arm-
less and footless, but with a magnificent
crowning glory of black, frizzed hair.

Mrs. Wiggs waited until all the guests
assembled before she made her speech
of thanks for the cake and cream. It
was a very fine speech, having been
written out beforehand by Mr. Bagby.
It began, "Ladies and gents, it gives
me pleasure—" but before Mrs. Wiggs
got half through she forgot it, and had
to tell them in her own way how grate-
ful she was. In conclusion she said:
"Could n't nobody be more obliged than

M* 149

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

what I ami Looks like nice things is
always comin' my way. Hope God *11
bless you all I The musicianers have
come, so we '11 begin the party with a
Virginer reel."

The young people scampered to their
places, and when Mr. Eichom made a
bow to Mrs. Wiggs she laughingly took
her place ^at the head of the line, and
at the first strains of * * Old Dan Tucker ' *
she went down the middle with a grace
and spirit that flatly contradicted the
little red fifty on the birthday cake.

''Swing yer pahtners, balance all,
Swing dat gal wid a water-fall.
Skip light, ladies, de cake 's all dough,
Nebber min' de weather, so de win' don't blow."

Old Uncle Tom was warming up to
his work, and the fun waxed furious.
Asia, looking very pretty in her new
crepon, cast shy glances at Joe Eichom,
who had been "keeping company" of

150

The Benefit Dance

late. Billy, for whom there was no
room in the reel, let off his energy in
the comer by a noisy execution of the
"Mobile Buck." Australia and Euro-
pena sat in the window with Chris Hazy,
and delightedly clapped time to the
music.

When the dance ended, Mrs. Wiggs
went to the door to get cool. She was
completely out of breath, and her false
front had worked its way down over
her eyebrows.

"Look— comin', ma I" called Billy.

When Mrs. Wiggs saw who it was she
hastened down to the gate.

"Howdy, Mr. Bob; howdy, Miss
Lucy ! Can 't you git right out an * come
in! We *re havin* a birthday party
an* a benefit dance fer Chris Hazy's
leg."

"No, thanks," said Redding, trying
in vain not to look at Mrs. Wiggs 's

161

Mrs, Wigga of the Cabbage Patch

head. "We just stopped by to tell yon
the good news/'

" 'Bout Asia's positiont" asked Mrs.
Wiggs, eagerly.

"Yes, about that, and something else
besides. What would you say if I told
you that I was going to marry the
prettiest, sweetest, dearest girl in the
world!" ,

"Why, that 's Miss Lucy!" gasped
Mrs. Wiggs, more breathless than ever.
Then the truth flashed upon her, and
she laughed with them.

"Oh, sure *noughI Sure 'noughl
I *m jes» pleased to deathi'* She did
not have to tell them; her eyes, though
suffering a partial eclipse, fairly
beamed with joy and satisfaction.
"An* so," she added, "it was n't the
paint, after all!"

When they had driven away, she lin-
gered a moment at the gate. Music

152

The Benefit Dance

and langhter came from the hoiue be-
hind her, as she stood smiling out across
the moonlit Cabbage Patch. Her face
still held the reflected happiness of the
departed lovers, as the sky holds the
rose-tints after the sun has gone.

"An' they 're goin' to git married,"
she whispered softly to herself; "an'
Billy 's got promoted, an' Asia 's got
a place, an' Chris '11 have a new peg-
stick. Looks like ever 'thing in the
world comes right, if we jes' wait long
enough!"

153