"Charleston, March. "Dear Darling Bella: "Here I am all safe, sitting in a pleasant room, with the window opened—listening to the singing of the pretty birds, and looking at three little black picaninnies over the way, playing "Now they have all scrambled heels over head into the yard, and shut the dog's tail in the gate; but he pulled it through, and so I can't see them any more. "I hope the doll baby has been good, and the little heels on the boots have behaved themselves. Good-bye, my darling. "Mother." Bella smiled, and patted one little hand with the other, and a sweet loving expression came into her eyes as the last words of the letter was read to her, and she said: "Darling mamma. I love her. I want to go to Heaven with her." The dear little child had been told that there would be no pain When her papa came home, Bella ran up to him with her letter, exclaiming: "Oh papa, see! see the letter mamma writed to me!" "Is it possible! Why, what a big woman you are getting to be!" and he took her upon his knee, and read the letter—out loud of course, for Bella "Ah! that is a beautiful letter," said her papa; "you must answer it, you know." "Oh yes, papa; and I want to, 'ight away now." "Oh! do you? Well, here is a sheet of paper, and pen and ink. Put out your tongue; dear me, how long it is! it looks in very good talking order. Now you talk, and I'll Then Bella put her little curly head one side, and stared up at a corner of the ceiling. She was thinking, you see. Presently she put her finger in her mouth, as if to pull the words out—then she looked at her father. Her father smiled, All at once her eyes rested on her dolly, fast asleep in her pretty bed; and then the words came right out—"Oh, dear mamma! I love my little baby, "That is a beautiful letter," said her father; "now sign your name just here—and I will seal it up, and direct it on the outside, and send it to the post office." So Bella made such a funny little scratch with the pen for her name, that it looked as if a fly had turned round and round, with ink on its legs, and The next day her cousin Stanny came to spend the day with Bella. Stanny was a dear little fellow, with light hair, and great blue eyes, and cheeks as fat as butter—they were so fat that the dimples had hard work to make holes in them. Bella loved Stanny, and she ran to kiss him, and show him her new baby, and the other "Oh Stanny," cried Bella, picking up the dolly tenderly, "she's most killded." "Why don't she cry then?" said Stanny. "'Cause she isn't a cry baby," said Bella. "I mean to punch her and make her cry," said Stanny. So he doubled up his fist and gave the dolly a great punch in the stomach—but the dear little thing just stared at him without winking, and never said a word. You see the truth was that she had no crying Bella did not like to have her baby treated in this manner—and it was very fortunate that their grandmamma came in the room just then, with two large slices of bread, with the Pretty soon a lady came in—whom the children called Cousin Caroline, and said: "Oh! here is Stanny; why, where did you come from, little boy?" "I come from Brooklyn. "Because I am going to see old Mrs. Badger, up the street." "Are you? Which do you like best, Mrs. Badger, up the street, or grandmamma?" "Why, Stanny! I like grandmamma a great deal the best." "But, why for?" said Stanny. "Why, because she is my aunt," said Cousin Caroline. "Your aunt!" cried Stanny, You may be sure that Cousin Caroline and grandma laughed at this long speech—and then Stanny and Bella laughed—and they all thought it was a very funny idea—to make a little The rest of the day Bella played she was the mother and Stanny the grandfather; and except he wanted to whip poor dolly very often, because he said she was naughty, they got along pretty well; and upon the whole they both had a very pleasant day. |