The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-02-17
From tie Saturday Er'ni"y Pos!.
RAINY DAYS.
The day is Geld, and dark, aud drcary
II nI,l il., mind L.

II rains and the wind is never weary
The vine still clinrs to the moul,lcring wall.
But at every gust the dead leaves fall.
And the day is dark and dreary.-- Lr"gi;lio,r.
That may do for Il poelical conception
very well, but wonder if Mr.. Longfcllow
was ever shut up in :. house with seven
children, through the moually long hours
o. rainy day. l fancy it would give him
more practical IDEAS upon the subject than
he ever before cherished
OF these said seven CHI .ircn, the three
little girls are not much trouble, there be-.
ing implanted in the feminine heart, from
an early age, il vast amount Of selt-rcspect
sometimes called vanity-which acts as
a kind Of moral check rein in keeping the
! little one i'll order. But there arc those
three terribly active, energetic boys, to be
amused and kept within rational bounds,
and the baby, poor little unt,!tunatc, WHO
is expected TO sleep Though all ,hc noisy
day. No wonder mamma looks with dis.
may upon Tie bright little faces .l.at sur
round Tic breakfast table.
| Ncd~-thc very embodiment of mischief
lis already making IL proposition to lis
next younger brothcr,--a very little boy,
with Il very large head, a.i,l who !, general
ly known as " Fatty TO play at "butch-
cr after breakfast, TO which the lcllrlcd
Fatty yields ready consent.
Asa pleasure commencement to this
day of disorder, Charley, the little three
| year old, tumbles down stairs whilst man.
ma is washing the breakfast things, and in
SO doing acquires lump on his head that
would puzzle q phrenologist, and which
fair y casts the bump Of caution into the
shade. By successive application of
arnca, oil, Jumps of sugar, and the story
of The Threo Bears, Charley is restored to
good humor, and the mother of the family
applies herself to the soul cheering occupa-
ton of darning stockings but the work is
destined to interruption, for cries of dis
tress are heard to issue from the bathroom,
and upon Investigation Fatty is found lying
in the tub, fortunately not full of watcr,)
| where the amateur butcher, Ned, has Just
| left him tied hand and foot The culpriL is
| summoned to receive u severe reprimand
from an indignant mother, whom lo dis
arms at once by innoccntly explaining:
"Why, mamma, Fatty is my calf, and l
had just killed him, and left him to bleed
in the slaughter house, until I was really to
cut him up"
The scolding that was to be ends in a
laugh, and Ned proclaims his triumph in a
series of gymnastic performances on the
floor and over the sofa, in which he does
everything but swallow himself, winding up
with a backhandcd somerset that ovcr-turns
mammals workable, and creates universal
havoc. The mother is too we'll accustom-
ed to these little accidents to lose temper,
but on tho other hand, is rather glad Of it,
as the picking up Of spcols, scissors, &c,
will afford some occupation TO her sadly
restless boy. 1t is but temporary, however,
and Ned goes off wllislling Pop goes the
Weasel s" So loud that the baby is awakened
thereby, and comes down to mamma,
whilst nurse performs some household du.
ty. What n never ccasing fascination
there is about the baby. Each child is
clamorous for the sole and entire charge of
him, and SO he is huggcd' and kissed and
pulled and jostlcd, until, good-naturcd ba.
by as he is, he is driven to yelling in self
defence, and refuses to be comfortcd until
cake makes its appearance. This, Of
course, excites the hunger a!was lying Ia.
tent in the childish stomach, and cakes be-
come universal panacea. The. little girls,
in order to prolong and enhance the enjoy
ment Of eating, have "party," and after
having asked for and obtained u thousand
little accompanimcnts TO the cake, the
piece nc resistance Of tho feast, they GET
fairly under way. But now comes a mes
scnger to complain of CharIcy's gormanGi
zing propensities. lie keeps asking for cake
all the time, aud you know mamma, it ism:
good for such little children, says his early
ripe little sister, his senior by cno year.
Charley is finally managed by being gran
ted table and party all to himself, by his
much enduring mother. But meantime all
these little frets and jars have so worked
upon my old maid nervous system, that in
order to preserve my temper, l put on a
! wet weather costume aud start for a walk
thanking my stars that the management of
seven children does not como within nv
range eff duty.
How to Win the favor of Ladies.-To
win the favor Of ladies, dress and manner
must never be neglected. Women look
more to sense than to beauty, and man
shows his sense, or his want of it, in every
action Of his life. When young man first
finds himself in the company of the other