The prairie news., 1859-01-27

, bic. Alexis, on the contrary, is becoming
quite gay. l hear them chatting pleas.
antly. She holds her hand before her
face to keep the fire from burning it,
He rises gallantly, and holds newspa-
per before her.
mo, please don't" she says, "you
will be tired. Indeed you must not
IL should be perfectly delighted if you
would let me hold it," he pleads.
"No, you would be tired
IL should be far more uncomfortable,
Miss Ada, if you forbade it," and she be-
lieves the polite speech; the square
shadow of the paper falls on her fair
face. The next words are lower and
more earnest,
"You are SO gentle, Miss Ada; Won
der if You ever did anything wrong"
! If | could see her face now, know it
would be study, but that newspaper is
in the way; her voice hesitates:
"Oh please not to think such a thing.
it is so wrong. am sure you would not
think so if you saw how cross am some
times" and the religious little soul seems
quite sad. They are looking at the pic
lures again.
| My mother and Walter are sitting on
the sofa, not far off, discoursing n do
nestle matters.
II am sure my mother says, II am
delighted that the holidays are over, they
are no pleasure to housekeepers. Why,
the dust and confusion that there is in
this house is scandalous, dreadful. |
never saw the like. The servants, | YER
lily believe, do nothing but sleep and
dance"
Il passed the kitchen door this morn
ing," Walter remarks, "and noticed a
circle of choice spirits. Lyt seemed to
be the boss They were all chaps of
about the same age. The fair sex were
not represented They stood in circle,
and each danced by himself with silent
and solemn joy. | wish, mother, you
would have them ali provided with
churus, and in that way combine the use
lul and ornamental. AS it was, | never
saw such unprovoked and inexcusable
murder OF the graces.
Ny mother smiled little, but pursued
the current of her thoughts.
q am going to have the house thor
oughly cleaned up the day after tomor-
row; 50 Walter, you must move your
guns and things, for shall have your
room completely overhauled."
| O, Mother, | beg y and he holds up
his hands in exagg Grated depreciation.
"lt must be DONE" she observes, in
the tone of domestic Brutus. "And !
think, considering all there is to do, |
might have one Of the women out of the
field to help. | do not see that they are
doing much. But it is of no use to ask
Mr.. Hope. The way overseers do take
things into their own heads is too pro-
voking. BY the by, Lyt has never
brought back the smoke house key"
My mother has departed in search of
Lyt, a hazardous and uncertain voyage.
| do not think | ever heard it remarked
that the mistress and the overseer on
Southern plantation, are in secret but
perpetual enmity. The lady's gentle
ness and kindness, almost always i'm
pei her to persuade the master to soften
the stern discipline that the subordinate
thinks necessary. 'I'is well so. Man is
too stern without the tempering softness
of woman's influence.
My father sits reading the news papers,
far the mail came in late this evening.
Walter joins him. Politics will begin
to be discussed presently, and what shall
| | dol l had thought that my old ene-
nv was decently buried. The Christ
mas holidays would have been dull
enough except for home pleasures. One
evening, however. the 2Sth, Matte, Ada,
Alexis, Walter and |, went to a ball in
our little city. A mile of mud We had
to traverse, ere we reached our village,
the brightest and tallest for its age of
all Mississippi's children. When we en-
tered the ball room, we found almost all
the company assembled though the dane