A NAUGHTY GIRL'S DIARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 4124, 22 September 1883, Page 6 (Supplement)

A NAUGHTY GIRL'S DIARY.

—(:-:)

By the Author o/ liA Bad Boy's Diary."

She Interviews a Buzz-Saw.

I was retched. I could not stand it another minit. I went right over to Mrs McCurdys an told her all about how i wanted to see the inside of her gote to sco Charlie's shoes ; that wo did not mean to kill the goto, only to eliminate it with fosforus ; how dredful sorry I was that Patrick and Jim found the bread ; I cride like anything when i saw them in their litle trundle bed so pale an sick, an I coksed an coksed her not to do anything to my inosent papa; so when I took my shatelano watch oil' an gavo it to poor little Patrick, sho tol me the doctor said the worst was over—they would not die—if my father would pay for the donkey and the Ijilly-gote, settle the doctor's bill, , an make the childer a present of a cart that the new donkey could draw them about, she would go on furder in the matter. I think Mrs McCurdy is a very nice person, an i notiscd our famly were quite hungry at dinner after i had told them the children would get well. I dare say they think Dolly is a good girl to-day. One think i am rosolfed—not to medal with rat poison, no never, not if she gots 2 new gotes an they eat up all the tomato cans in our alley. I am geting Maggie to write this in my dairy. I don't no how Maggiu spols, but I hope it is all write, because my fingers on my write hand ar pinched so I cimot right myself or I would rite this. O, they hurt awfull, a good deal worser than a broken arm. Maggie's mother is glad of it; she says it is ezacly what that young ono dusservea for being alwas in the place whore she don't belong. Sho has a biter spito agenst me. lam sure it was not her buzz saw (o Dolly never mind my mother, wot shall I rito next?) Yesterday at brekfaa papa tol Fred he wanted him to take the horse and bugy and drive out to sco a man about ate milos ode him a 100 dolars, to bo sure and eolleckt it or he wood sew him ; he needed the muny now or never, for ho was going to begin our new barn what those children burned up the other las July, an' he needed all ho could raze. Then Fred must go to the saw-mill at Smith's pond an' toll them to hurry up with ihat lumber was to have bin here last week. So I sod, kwick :

" O, Fred, pluse let me go with you, you will, won't you ?"

He said no at first, then he membered Miss Garner was going to town that day, wich made him frowm an' bite his lips, then he said :

"Well, get your hat, Dolly, your com pany is butter than nun."

You bet I flue for my hat—Maggie don't put in I bet in my dairy, it is not proppor —an' ruslit over to Charlie's barn where we keen our bugy sinso tho lire, an' climed in so as to be reddy when the horse was hitched. There was their man to hitch him, an' he said :

" Bo quiet, little girl, he is a skittish animal."

But there was a big fly saling around him was going to lite on his ear, so I flipped him of with the whip, an' he jus stood on his hind legs an' danced till the bugy went smash into tho baroosh an' broke a spokeit was Charlie's father's baroosh. Fred was sorry about the spoke, but ho was glad his little sister flue into tho hamow ; wlien she due out so she was not hurted ono bit.

After we had mended tho harnis we got safely oft. My brother said ho had a mind to levo me at home, wich made uio cry, so ho said :

" Well, you young nusanse, come along ; but I wish you wil inshured before we go any further." He said: "I am going to take out an aksident polisy on you by the year, little girl ; I will tend to it to-morro."

It was a cool, pleasant day only the wind blue so a good many appels blue of tho trees, an' I lost my hat !) times. Fred thretund me it he blue offagen he wood knot stop, so then I held it on with both bans, cause 1 of tho strings was lost. It was very tejus to hoi my baton, cause I wanted to eat appels, an' I had to sit on Gladys Gladiolas skirts to kepe her in the bugy. She is my nuest child, an' I brot her long to she her the country, as she is a citty bred child, very stilish, an' dua not no a appel tree from a hikry nut tree, nor a cow from alum. But she is a handsum doll. Alas, I mono to say she was a hansom doll—what our tocher calls the past tense. There is not mutch left of her manguld remanes at present. The man that ode the 100 dollars lot me have a drink out the diper of tho well, but he wood not give my brother the money ; he sod crops was lite, anono his horses died and his cows had plural ammonia, and tho dogs had killed his sheep, an hia mutherinlaw was sick in bed so ho had to kepo a hired girl, an he had tho agu, an his wife hud twins, an «nc of his barracks full of nu moan hay had burnt up, o a lot of stuff why ho cood not pay ; so Fred said : "All rite, ile place it in our lawyers hans, Mister grumble, good-day." Then the man hollerrd '' Hold on a minit, muggins ; ile see what my mutherinlaw says —if she will lend it to me."

Fred held on an the man carno out with the 100 dolars all in gold—he said it was his poor wifea butter mony ; but ray brother tol mo confydenshal he nu the man was proparoicating all the time. After that we soon reched the sair mill, my goodness, what a clatter an hubub ! I eood hardly hep.r myself think. Fred eood hardly manidge our horse, the noys seemed to make him wild. Fred tide him to a post, an patted him an gave him 1 my appols, an told me and my child to get rite out the bugy. " I don no -what to do vrith you, Dolly. I want to go in tho mill a minit. I dDnt want you to go in, nor I dont want you to remano in the bugy—jus sit there on those logs an eat appels a little while liko a good girl."

I sat on the logs, an' ato 1 appol to tho ' core. The mill made an awful funny noys. : I wanted to see how it went, an' I wanted to no what made it go like that, an11 wanted to know what kep my brother so long, so I took Gladys Gladiola in my arms—my, but she's a hevy child ! —an' peped in the door. ! Prity soon I venchureclin. Fred an' a man wir in a small room in a corner j thoy did notis me. I saw no one saw; tho logs seemed to saw theirsulfs. A mill is a friteful place. At the same it is fassinating. Something made a hissing noys like a mad gander. Icrcpuptolook; itwasasirkular6aw going rite thru a big log. It wont so csv it did not sem like it was at all bizzy. I thot I wood tuch it litely. Tho nex minnit a pearcing screem rang hi over the clatter of tho mill. Fred an' tho owner rushed out of the offis. They saw a child's blew skirts an' long golden hair ; they saw the body sawed rito into an' drop down in 2 peaces. " Great heaven, Dolly is in tho masheenery !" cride my poor brother, an' he fanted ded away an1 fell down in the sawdust, an' dirtied his new fall suit. Fred is so partickulcr about his close, it was too bad. The wurkman who was eting his dinner in a tin pail, run an' stoped the masheenery. It was too late—all was over ! The oner cot me by the sholder an' gerkod me back gust in time, for the front of my

dress was torn out, an' my fingers—for a moment they wero numb with aggony. If it hurted me so friteful jus to havo my nails squeezed, how must it have hurted poor, poor Gladys to be sawed clear in two like she was ? I tremble yet when I think of it. It was her blue dross my brother saw —it was jus like mino, so fokes would take us for twins.

It seemed like the miller wood rather it wood bo Dolly was sawed in 2, ho was so mad when he found out it was my doll, but he rapped my hand up in a wet handkerchief, an' then ho went in the offis an' got a black botle an' pored somthing in Fred's mouth, so he gasped an ~sat up, vary, vary pale. " I wooden go off the handlo like that for a little medalsum fool of a notty girl," said tho miller, grufly. "Be a man ! Your sister is all rite ; it was her confounded doll that you saw sawed. Sit up ! Your litle sister has cot her fingors pinched—serves her rite for medaling." Then my brother's face got red agano ; he looked at me where I was sobing an holding up my aking hand. "Dolly," said he, " I am glad you are not killed, because you aro not insured yot; I shall tend to it to-morrow, an' then yon may go kill yourself as soon as you plese. You are too notty to live, an' I only wonder you have lived so long." Just bocause I wanted to know if a buzzsaw went as fast as it mado a noys. How are childrun ever to lurn if they do not intervu things for theirsolfe ? It is very hard on me an' Charlie an' Maggie that school begins jus as our stablo begins to bo bilt. We would like to bo on tho spot all the time. It is such fun. They are going to raiso the framo tomoro. My fingers [are almos well. lam much obliged to Maggie for writing in what she calls my dairy for me when thoy wero rapped up, but Ido not think much of her spelling. She ot to study harder when she goes to school, but her mind is on hor play. Her mother is mad at me agen. Maggie, is mad too; but she will havo to get over it, for she wants to be on hand while the now barn is bilding. She was over to our house yesterday. AYe wore in Mary's room trying on her frizses and bangles, an' back-coined, an' putting powder on our faces, cause she was spending the afternoon out. We got talking bout our hair. Maggie's hair is not nice. Sho said she wished hers was like mine, then I teld her to burn the ends off every month in tho new of tho moon an' it wouldgrowlikeennythiug; my raamaalways did mine so ; then I happened to think it waa new moon now, so sho said she would do it then.

I caushuned her to hold her braid very tight at tho ond an'jus' singe off' about an inch. I gave her a match an' she went to burn it jus' as I said, only it blazed sort of quick an burnt her fingers; so she let go when she ought to have hold on, an' her whole hair got on (ire. I had to turn Mary's wash-bowl over hor head, but eho has a blister on her neck, and her hair looks porfockly ridikulus. Her mother declares she shal never, never come over hero agon ; but that makes her cry because we have lots of fun. lam sure she was to blame for letting go her own hair. AVhy should her mother be mad at nio ? Granma says that her mother is a very folt-finding woman— that Maggio's hair will be luvly by crismas, it will probably curl when it grows out. Granma is the only true frond little dolly has. she gave me half a $to buy myself a hair ribbon ; but she was rather sorry she did it this afternoon jus' becaus' when Mary wa-s tezing young Mister Basyl to stay to tea an' see Kred, i joged his elbow an' said : " I guess you botor not stay, cook is cross as fury an' she says there's company enouf in this house to wear out 2 cook*—she won't make hot biskita tonito she does not care who hangs round till tea time," then he decided he would not reniane—l dare say it was becauso ho was dL-sapointed 'bout the bisklts. Mary boxed my ears as soon ho was out of hearing, she said she folt as if eho could go thro' a notholo in tho. floor, but sho didn't.

Today school begins an tho frame of tho now barn is to be razed. I havo beged an pled, but my parens say I must go to school; they do not want mo round getting into mischif. I havo gone to granma, an she has let mo liido in her room. I can see what is going on from her window. She says I may sit there an look on, but I mug never tell sho lot mo. She will bring mo some dmnor in her pocket, an I may have the crockers in hor little cubbard. I must tit still while she is down eting her dinner, bo they •will not hear lam home. I think | I will eto tho crackers now, an while sho is gono I will jus slip down tho back stairs an run out an take one peep—i sec eharllo has come home at noon to bo on hand. Dear me, it is too bad they did not get the frame up to-day. Charlie an I tried to holp whilo the men v/cr gono home to their dinner. They were in such a hurry they left part tho beams sawed oft', so we got the saws an' sawed, off all the litlc thin peaces thoy left on the end. Then wo hid up in a nanple trco to hear how glad they would be they wero helped so much. They wero not glad one bit. Man sworo awful. He called my father, an' ho said some very bad words too. Then ho epide us in the tree an' told us to como down. He was palo with rath.

'' You hove ruined the wholo job, you little retches. We can't put the frame up, for you have sawed off the joints. We'll havo to get a lot of new timbers 'fore wo can go on. Charlio, you littlo imp, I'll thra-sh you within an inch of your life. Yonr father shall pay for thoso now beeins. Dolly, lam going to whip you so you will stay whiped. Go to your room an' stay there till I come. Oh, this is too bad !" He rung hia hand an' groned liko ha was very sick.