American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Sunday schools -- United States -- Periodicals
"Does your old lady look anything like that?" she questioned, as she
came out from her hiding place. Little Sate looked, and clasped her
hands in an ecstacy of delight: "Look, Susie, look, quick! there she
is, just as plain! O Nannie! I'm _so_ glad you found her."
"Humph!" said Susie, "she made her with a pencil; she wasn't there at
all; and there couldn't nobody have found her. So!"
And to this day, I suppose it would not be possible to make Susie
Decker believe that the spirits of beautiful old ladies hid in the
daisies! Some people cannot see things, you know, show them as much as
you may.
But Nettie was charmed with the little old woman. She left the potatoes
waiting to be washed, and sat down on the steps with eager little
Sate, and made old lady after old lady. Some with spectacles, and some
without. Some with smooth hair drawn quietly back from quiet foreheads,
some with the old-fashioned puffs and curls which she had seen in old,
old pictures of "truly" grandmothers. What fun they had! The potatoes
came near being forgotten entirely. It was the faithful old clock in
Mrs. Smith's kitchen which finally clanged out the hour and made Nettie
rise in haste, scattering old ladies right and left. But little Sate
gathered them, every one, holding them with as careful hand as though
she feared a rough touch would really hurt their feelings, and went out
to hunt Susie and soothe her ruffled dignity. She did not find Susie;
that young woman was helping Jerry nail laths on the chicken coop; but
she found her sweet-faced Sabbath-school teacher, who was sure to stop
and kiss the child, whenever she passed. To her, Sate at once showed
the sweet old women. "Nannie found them," she explained; "Susie could
not see them at all, and she kept saying they were not there; but
Nannie said she would make them look plainer so Susie could see, and
now Susie thinks she made them out of a pencil; but they were there,
before, I saw them."
"Oh, you quaint little darling!" said Miss Sherrill, kissing her again.
"And so your sister Nettie made them plainer for you. I must say she
has done it with a skilful hand. Sate dear, would you give one little
old woman to me? Just one; this dear old face with puffs, I want her
very much."
So Sate gazed at her with wistful, tender eyes, kissed her tenderly,
and let Miss Sherrill carry her away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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