The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1859-07-09

tea, set her chair, and before she had
got through her first cup of tea, or swal-
lowed fat rascal, she had recovered
her temper, and was ready to hear rea-
son.
"Just fill me up my cup, Patty dear,
and give me mouthful more of some
thing Dear dear how those things
do make ME think of when | was young.
Before you were born, Patty-when ]
was staying with your father, poor dear
man, at Redear, after he had the small
pox, and we went in shandry-dan to
Saltburn to see the country, and got
caught by the tide, and stopped to tea,
that was the first time | ever tasted fat
rascais-we used to have cakes some
thing of the same kind at home, when |
was girl, but they called them singing
hinnies. They are famous at Saltburn
for their fat rascals. My mother, having
remarkably short memory, continually
forgot this story was not new, and pre-
faced it with, d" bid ever ! tell you
Patty Z" or 8 You'd like to hear, child. !"
think l rather liked to hear her
touch on the subject; it was like a
Spring wind blowing away the mist and
dead leaves Of Autumn. Even then,
after tie lapse Of years, the remembrance
of the ly-gone sunshine oheered her
heart.
| Well that evening l sent Betsy off
early to bed, and made my mother so
comfortable in the nl-chair, with the
red handkerchief over the back for fear
Der old cap should grease it, (shc always
put on an old one in the evening, when
it was too la;e for visitors,) that she
presently fell fast asleep, and left me to
follow my own devices.
Then sat myself down on the floor,
by the oak cupboard, and settling the
candle on one Of the willow-seated chairs,
began a long hunt on the bottom shelf.
First of all pulled out china lamb
with only one broken leg, and two little
shepherdesses that held matches behind
them, and bird 's-nest with eggs in it,
that made an inkstand ; and when had
d&tcd them, ] put them aside to orna-
ment the chimney in the same parlor-
| hunted through my red work-box, and
put out some patches for mothers quilt,
but it was a long time before | came on
what | WAS really wanting. At last,
under a great pile Of Manchester Guar
dians, there it was-a bit of thick paste
board, one side blue and the other white,
that about six months before had come
from linendraper's with lot Of new
blond for my Sunday cap.
When | got this | went back to the
table, and with great deal Of
trouble, succeeded in printing 's Fur
nlshcd NpnrtmeAts TO Let" on the
white side. 1t was legible, certainly,
but | am afraid the letters were not very
strai ght; some of them looked as if they
wished to fisticutf their neighbors, and
the great A. in Apartments was like
the Leaning Tower at Pisa, Pye read
about somewhere.
Next morning my pasteboard was up
in the parlor window, and | popped on
my bonnet, and went out to see how it
looked from the street.
Then Besty and had such day.
persuaded mother she spoke hoarsely,
rubbed her chest with hartshorn for five
minutes, then had her safe in bed till
afternoon; and, what with scrubbing,
and rubbing, and polishing, and getting
Joe from the shop below to move the fur
niture, we had done wonders before
nightfall. went in the last thing to
look about me and admire my handiwork,
and really it did look very nice, though
| say it who shouldn't. When we had
got the new drugget Id be bound to say
there wouldn't be such another Il lodging
in all Aiskrigg.
All! but all that hurry and scurry
went for nothing. In spite of the big
handbili, and even an advertisement in
the weekly paper, 30 one came near us
for upwards Of a month. Then it was
only an application from an old lady who
thought the rent too high, and wanted Il
deal of attendance. After her arrived
a widow, whom mother thought would
be just the thing; but it turned out that
she had pack of children, and there
wasn't room. Goodness me thought
these rooms would never let and many's
the time | could have cried with veXa-
ton when remembered all the trouble
had taken about them. Everybody
found an objection, one said the rooms
were too low, and another that they
we're too dark one dislikcd the butch
er's shop, and another the churchyard.
You never saw such dissatisfied folks in
all your life
Well, again mother and | were sit
ting in the parlor. We had given up
the fire because the weather was so
warm, and the CRATE was we'll polished,
. and filed by yellow and pink paper
mat. And mothers eyes had been bad,
and she wore green shade, and amused
herself with making lighters. We were
talking about the lodgings, as usual ;
and mother was just saying it was no
use keeping up the handbill, for no one
came, and that she would spend no more
money in advertisements, when we heard
a knock at the passage door, and present.
ly Betsy came in to say a gentleman
wished to see the apartments.
l did not keep him minute. l just
picked the ends of cotton from my gown,
and pulled my cap straight before the
looking glass, and went out to him.
He was standing at the bottom of the