The Brave Little Sister Mother.

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 27

The Brave Little Sister Mother.

Sunshine Woodleaf was one of the dearest and prettiest little girls that ever gladdened the hearts of a household.

Her hair was of reddish gold, and it crinkled all over her small round head Her eyes were as blue as a Bummer-day's sky, and aa oparkling as a summer-night's stars, and her cheeks, and dimpled chin and wee, smiling mouth were almost aa red as the berties wo hud on the wild rose buahcs after th 3 pink flowocs are gone.

But it was the lovely Datura of the child shining through her pretty face thi't made the pet name her mother had given her when she was a teddliug baby just the one above all otherß that should have bean chosen for her.

Sunshine had no brothers and only one sinter — Lucy — who was six years older than herself. Mover were two sisters more unlike in appearance—for Lucy's cheeks were but faintly tingled with pink, and her eyes were hazel and her hair straight and brown — or more alike in disposition. Ai>d never did two sißters love each other more dearly.

L'icy was ten and Sunshine four when their poor mother left them. She had be?n Buffering !i>&ny weeks, and the night she ceased to suffer ab« said to Lucy, who sat by her bodside, " I mv! t leave you very soon, my darling, and I want you to promise to be >v little mother to Suiehine when lam goue. You have always been a great blesaiog and comfort to us a. I, but now you will have to try to fill my placa as well as your own."

A week or two after that night a stater of Mr Wro-iKaf'B camo and took charge of the houo - hold atf,iirH, and resignation — not forgetfulcf sa — coming to the Bori"'wing hearts, things began to go on in much the rißual way again. And most faithfully did Lucy fulfil tho promise she had triven her dying mother. Sho naver left her little sister day or night. Even when reciting her lessons to her governess she kept the little one by her side. She bathed her, dressed her, played with her, took her to walk, taught her, and heard her say her }i,ras'era. But in spite of all her dovoled watchfulness and care, Sunshine had scarcely reached her sixth year when she fell sick of a tei rihlo fever, and lay between life and death for fiwn lonj, lr,n? montbß. Than came a blessed October evening when she coasted toPHing hor head to and fro on her pillow, w ', i<■ '; into n quiofc sleep, from which aba awok^s us..;, her old smile on her pale lips. " Aud now," said tug fiool u<r;to?, "nowia the timo to be more careful i hem ever. The least excitement might prove fatal." The next day, and the next, Sunshine grew better and better, and on the third night her father, v/ho had watched with her almost every night since aha was first taken sick, want awny to his own room to try to cet a little of the rest of which ha was so much in need (this room was in the oecond Btorey, just below Lucy's), leaving Lucy lying on the bed beside her sleeping siHter. And just before daylight Sunshine axvoke, and to Lucy's great surprise, said in a weak litfcle voice, " Tnll mo a ntory, Lu." "What, kind of a story shall it he?" asked Lucy.

" A Httlo girl ntory with a fairy." answered ►vir.Jjiue, speakii.g very slowly. " Make it out of your own head, Lv, I like your own-head Btories beat."

And Lucy began at onco : " Once upon a time there was a little girl so sweet that thoy named her Sweet-as-sugar. Sho lived in a tiny bouse, near a wood, with : -»-- K-RuJi^'i'Jfi 1 , who was ft very good old Woman. Well, nvesybody loved Sweetaßsugar but the railler'a daughter, who was so eour that thoy called her Sour-as-lemona, and shn not only did not love Sweet-as sugar, but she actually bated her aa moat bad children hate good oneß, and aho was always watching a chance to do hoy mischief."

Lucy had got thua far in her story when somebody tapped ac tho door ? and slipping softly from the bed she went to it;, and opening it a little, she b&w her father ei&ndiug in tho entry. Taking her hand, and drawiug her towards him, he closod tho door, and said hurriedly, " Tbore is a nmell of nomefching burning in the house. It comeo from downstairs, and I am going down to eeo wbsA it is, You had better dress yourself ; but doa'fe lie fnghtened s doa?, ft* if I find Iboze io asy real danyoi I will

come for you at ones. And above all things don't, let Sunshine bn f right oncd." " I won't if I cm help ifc, pipa," said Lucy, and returning to hoc room she bagaa to dress herself, at the eama time coubiuuing her Rtocy : " Sour-as-lemouH was always trying to vex or hurt Swaet-as-sugar. Sac followed hiv when she went on crrand3 for her grandmother, and threw stones at nor, and smiled a disagreeable cream-of-fcartar smile when one struck her. But Sweet-aa-sugar tanver loat her temper. It's wonderful how she kept it, but she bid. Wall, one day Sweot-as sugar v/'&n walking through tho wood," said Lucy, spaaking a Uttlo louiar and faster as the sound of voices and tho splashing of water reached her room from bo low, "when she found on tho ground a wee, wee bird that had fallen from the nest. Sho took it tenderly in her hand aud looked up at the treo from which it had fallen. It was not a tall tree, and Swcot-as-augir flaw that she could climb it easily, and 3D putting the bird in her bo3om she began to climVi tb.B tree," she .repeated, the smell of smoke becoming f)fcron£;er and stronger as sho spoke, and then, Sunshine Beaming to doz>, she stepped sofhly to tho door and out upon the landing, and looked down into tho hall two flights below. She could juat make out through the smoke the forma of her aunt and two earvant girls moving about with pails in their hands, and as ehe looked a bright tongue of flimo darted up the balusters of the parlour ataira. Her heart gavo a great leap. " What if the staivs should be burnad away?" she said with trembling tips. " How would Suushine and I bo saved?" But in a moment she answered her own question: "Papa knows." And in a moment more she went quietly back into the sick room.

" I'm not rtsloep, Ln,'' eaid Sunshine's sweet voice. " You said iait that Sweet aa pugar found a wee, wee bird. But there's smoke in the room, ien't there? Whero does it come from?"

" Thero must ba Homo trouble with tho fire down slaii-R this morning," said Lucy, and her voice was as steady jvj over as she went on with the story once more : ''And Sweat-ar,-BUgar began to climb the tree to find the bird' 3 neßt when Sour a? lemons came and stood near it. • What are you going to do now ?' she asked with a sneer *Take a little bird back to its homo,' answered Sweet-as eugar. 'Oh, you silly thing,' paid Sour-as-lemons ; 'crive it to ma, I'il have oome fun with it.' ''No, indeed II 11I 1 said Sweet-as sugar ; and she climbed on uniil fibs found the nest, and lo ! and behold there was a cunning little fairy Bitting in ifc with threa ofcher wee, wee birds.

"•Much obliged to you,' said the fairy, ' very much obliged to you for bringing him back. I promised his mother to take care of him and his brothers and sinters while she went to gat them some breakfast ; but the wind rocked the branch tha nest rested en go rif e'y that I foil apleep and it tumbled out. Very mu.:h obliged to you indeed ! for if he had been killed or stolon, tha qu^en of the bird fairios would have puni3hed me severely. And now I'll give you two wishes for being nn good.' 'Oh! I do wieh grandmamma would n : .ver have tha r!»unnti--m ap,f>in«' said Sweet as sugar. At thia tha fairy laughed so that she nearly foil out of thf; uout berfelf, ' You're a queer girl,' said she. ' She's a little fool,' cried Bonr aK-lcmnusi frum tiv\ f«jofc of tho tteo whore she sfc< o 1 Jisteriop. ' Why didn't sljq wiph for lots of. mon<jy ?' 'Ami what iB your oecond wish? ' asked (".he fairy. Svy6Bfc-nB-oug<ar though*; a moment thia timß, and then aha said, ' I wißh Sour-as lemons wouldn't ba naughty at.y more, and thit sh« would love evaiybody, and erarybody would lovo hor.'" Another light tap c me at tho door. Lucy opened ifc again, and in epita oi herself gave ft little Btart of sorrowful surprise. There stood her father, hia face blackened with srariko, his hair and eyebrows soorche^, hia clothes (and, worst of all) one of his b.mds badly burned. " My dear HUlo woman !' ha said as he bont tokiashor, "My bravo little sister mother ! The firo i« all oat. Ifc wnsn'fe of much consequence, though ifc did inak* a great, show. Someone must havo dropped a match is th» roll of matting that stood iv the front hall. Were you much frightened dear? And how ia Sunshine ?"

" Yea, papa, 1 was," faltered Lucy, " but Sunshine ia all iigh!;. Pieasa tell her that grandmother novor will hivu rhcuniatism again, and that Sour a-< lemons 1 namo wjh ohaaf.'6'l to Hont-y girl, because Rfcn— beevißß — " but h o r3 Bne f dinlod away in father's arms, and as he carried her downstairs bei 1 annfc, wbo had com 1 , iip a' momeut b?foro, pa-isod into the mom to tell Sunshine tho end of tho story. — Wide-Aw?ike;