Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-10-17
Cousin Druzilla's Trunk.

| fY" At. " HH iFi p
Somewhere in the length anC
breadth of the land there may liv,
a palmer woman than my cousin
Druzilla Pidge; but if such a mis-
erable individual exists | have beer
spared her acquaintance. Mis-
Pidgc is not one of the legion o
unfortunate people who arouse th'
sympathies by their pityful deform
! Iity; but she has a certain upright
downright ugliness Of visage that
never saw equ,l.ed. Yet my cous
in has the blessing of perfect health
Her cheeks, and for that matter, al
her features inclusive, bloom witt
perpetual roses; and there is about
her withal an air of durability
which makes il utterly impossible
to think of her as subject to the
changes and illnesses common to
us mortals,
It was this same Druzilla, a couis-
in in the remotest degree, who ap-
peared to me one bright morning
in June, as with rolling-pin in my
hands and crimping-pins in my hair
| was making pastry for that even
ing's party. ! heard the door-bell
ring in the deepest recesses of the
pantry, and felt a sudden chill creep
over me, though ut the moment l
believed some aristocratic soap
man or importunate beddler was
seeking admission. To the very
wire she seemed to have impaired
some of her own unAinching zeal
and disagreeable persistency- The
maid was in the garden hanging
out the clothes, so with rueful
consciousness Of my bristling hair
l answered the summons myself;
and there on the front doorstep
stood cousin Druzilla.
"How do you do, cousin p | be-
gan; not that really cared much
just then how she did. But she cut
short my greeting by exclaiming i'm
agonized tones: ,4
Laura, I've lost my trunk" !"
And seiZinp nv hand as though
it had been a lever to raise her
from her misfortunes, she went on
exeitedly, drawing in her breath in
gasps between the explosive sen
tences: SntGi i9E By lt
o"Its my big black leather, one
with D. A, P. (Druzilla Ann Pidge,
you KNOW in brass nails on the
front. And | took and put all my
best clothes into that trunk! There
is my silk-velvet cape and changea-
Bile silk that I've had these ten
years, fort l know, and not brack
in 'em ] sot my life on them
And my Dunstable bunnit that's
only been done over twict. l
wouldn't lose Gransir Swiggins' ru-
matiz liniment for the world, and
that's in the led along O. my hair
oil. Oh dear!"
And cousin Druzilla seated her
self tragically like one bereft Of all
earthly hope.
q "Then You didn't check your bag
gage ?"
BY way Of reply my cousin wea-
rily removed her left hand cotton
glove, revealing check.
"What does that brass thing
amount to ~ said She pathetically.
aWhy, Laura, the up train shifts
over here at Camden and they
the baggage; but in the
usual hurly- ba-loo they forgot my
trunk !" 1850
q GLOW do NSaa0w they did,
cousin aa1
~Why, / watched with all my
eyes. If it had been on the wheel
barrow don't you think I'd have
seen itW
"Perhaps not. You need to have
taken no trouble about it. All you
had to do was 10 walk across the
platform and change cars for Scar
field with the rest of the passengers,
With Chat check in your pocketyou
are rot responsible for your trunk
No doubt, cousin, it is on its way
home this minute"
Druzilla shook her head till its
fringe Of short curls danced in de-
spair
"Why, Laurry Hammond, don't
you know women folks will get i'm
posed upon if they amt ON the
lookout It's Grandsir Swiggins'
advice to me, Never 60 ahead of
your baggage, Druzilly;3 50 ! just
asked tie man with the wheel-bar-
row, where's my trunk 2 Says he,
It's all right" pointing with his
finger to the Scarfeld track. | was
ready to burst out crying, but l
looked up as chirk as l could, and
says /, i suppose you calculate to
be an honest man, but the best of
us will make mistakes. How long
do YOU wait here? About five
minutes he said. We'll, sez /,
I've a cousin here in Camden, and
seeing there's some mistake would
YOU not stop over till the afternoon
trainP And then if l don't find
that trunk my name amt Druzilla
Ann Pidge.'"
eWhat did he say to thatT"
oHe only laughed, Laurly, as il
he consulted twas very queer !
should set such a value on my trunk.
Why just think" continued my
roor consin crnshino hack the