"Why," said Grace, running up and kissing her little brother affectionately, "I wished your wish would come true, of course."
PATEM'S SALMAGUNDI[10]
By E. S. Brooks.
New York boys, especially, will enjoy this tale of the doings of a group of Dutch schoolboys in old New Amsterdam.
LITTLE Patem Onderdonk meant mischief. There was a snap in his eyes and a look on his face that were certain proof of this. I am bound to say, however, that there was nothing new or strange in this, for little Patem Onderdonk generally did mean mischief. Whenever any one's cow was found astray beyond the limits, or any one's bark gutter laid askew so that the roof-water dripped on the passer's head, or whenever the dominie's dog ran howling down the Heeren Graaft with a battered pypken cover tied to his suffering tail, the goode vrouws in the neighbourhood did not stop to wonder who could have done it; they simply raised both hands in a sort of injured resignation and exclaimed:
"Ach so; what's gone of Patem's Elishamet's Patem?"
So you see little Patem Onderdonk was generally at the bottom of whatever mischief was afoot in those last Dutch days of New Amsterdam on the island of Manhattan.