The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-10-12
OCTOBER

"Say something, Aunt Fanny, if it
is only 'boo.' What on earth has CI.r-
eooe Hooper, STD, ever done to you,
to cause such conduct as this ?" cried
[ as picked up her brush.
II beg pardo,, Fanny" Il am Aunt
Fanoy's namesake, though if they had
only given me her nature, they might
have called me Karenhoppuch.) II
hadn't heard his name for years, and it
brought up little incident Of my
youth"
"Now, Auutie, don't dive ne crazy
with your mystitying generalities, but
give me every single particular ill t bo
says Is anu says he's, and the hope
We shall part as trle nds' q, the end ETC..
etc. If you will," I added, With reck.
Less bribery, "I'Il do your hair for you y
Now Aunt Fanny delighted in this
toilette service, and I. rendered it less
reluctantly to her than any other NOR
tai because Of the exquisite 6ueuess
and sottness Of her hair; but, selfish
sinner that I was, held it in reserve
as final cajolery when I had an end
to gain with her.
"Why, there is nothing to toll, my
dear only this: Mr.. Hooper once did
me great service for which should
like to have thanked him."
"Wby didn't you thank him Z"
"How foolish of you, child 4! Inev.
er saw him in my life."
| "Goodness, gracious me v'-"You
needn't look sc.at me, Aunt Fanny, you
said 1T yourre)f only ten minutes sgo-
yes you did, with your own gracious
lips. But now, please, put me ont Of
nv misery snd explain yourself Why
didn'tyou write gratitude it you coald
not speak it p
"But it was such peculiar service,
aud I'LL was so peculiarly situa.
ted at the time it was rendered, th t
that was out Of the question. I could
neither speak nor write my thanks, you
know under such circumstances"
mo, [ don't know, Aunr Fanny
You talk as one of the foolish women
talketh, and not like your own wise, or.
derly SELF Now give me the brush,
and begin at the beginning and end al
the end while l make your hair look
heavenly. Ii you would only braid !,
in front at ight-not ftizz it you know,
but wave it a lit,le-you would be per-
fecttulIy bewitching."
"1'll send you into your room, Fan
ny, if you treat your old aunt as If she
were an idiot 10 be beguiled by aatter
| ies."
"sh-'sh. Stick to your text, ny
logic teacher; Dr.. Hooper is your text
Now begin: 'Ouce upon a time, wher
1 was a beautiful young minister,
daug ghter-I mean the beautiful daugh
ter of a minis.er-Dr. Hooper rescued
ME from burning building by means
of pair Of longs two miles long, &C
that we never met; and as 1 neve,
could mus ter the requisite indelicacy
to say, Thank you, sir"
| 1 don't think she had heard a word
had said, for when peeped around
into her face Il stood behind her, WELD.
ing the brush vigorously to SEQ the eff.
feet of my pertness, her eyes bad
lapsed into their dreaminess again, and
she neither spoke nor looked the re-
buke l deserved.
I changed my tactics, and gave ma
licious twirl of the bru:h which sum-
marily arrested her wandering thoughts,
aud >seiziug the opportunity, began
again: Gas you we're saying, Auntie,
once upon time, DR.. Hooper"
swell, you audacious tease, I sup.
pose I shall have no peace until you
hear'just how little 1 have to tell; only
please don't uproot any more of my
sparce locks than is Indispensable to the
arrangement of heavenly coiffure 7
| remember very we'll that my hair wa.
long and abundant enough tho first and
only time saw Mr.. Hooper"
j.: Eager as I was for the Story, inter
rupted her with the reminder that she
had before said that she never saw MIN
mo, did T? Ishou)d have said thai
I never had met him. 1 saw him once
and heard him talk at times during the
space of two or three hours, but only
took a limited vi,w Of bim, like the
Marchioness, through key.ho|e."
"You! Aunt Fanny! through
key. hole p
'Yes," sighed she, with a fresh in
fux of "strawberries" to her cheeks
aud brow; "but really I didn't see thu,
I could it help at the time, neither DO
now"
"Aunt Francis Draper" said I, i'm.
p:essively, 81 am fast approaching .
state in which I shall be dangerous to
friends and foes alike. Will sou obIige
me BY beginning your story and going
straight through it, whatever may op.
pose Now thon,-
One to begin,
Two for show,
|: Three to make ready,
Four to 60 =
"Once there was an amorous youth,
yclept Clarence Hooper"
:"Not at all. prefer to tell my own
story. Once there was, on the con-
| -