The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-07-17

LUIuEe and these second cousins 81 NINE
aI1 rather agreeable girls, If they do milk
cows. spin, cook, and even feed horses aud
scatter hay By way Of frolic sometimes
There IS something fresh and genuine about
them, which rather ike as q contrast to
Hates schoolmates. The girls are very sen
sitive, too, and talk as though they were
reasonably-well educated, very much to my
surprise. In fact. Mabel, with her soft
brown eyes, would be a beauty, welcomed
as such in any city parlOr, were It not for
her robust health, which my observations
among Hates schOolmates convince me is
extremely questionable and unlovely. Her
name is Mary Jane, by the way what a hid
eous infection It must be, to be sure!) ,, but
] call her Mabel, which IS much prettier,
and really ike the girl, though / would
not tell Kate so for the world. I tease my
little sister most numerically about the
girls, Of whom she Is becoming inordinately
fond.
JUNE 3O.-That witch Mabel told me three
DAYS ago that was lazy and of no account.
She really seems TO have no sort Of defer
cnce for my dignity. Now her observation
as to my worthIessness nettled me q never
dreamed a woman could do that and when
she challenged me to ''bindn wheat with
her, took up the gauntlet, like a block
head, and have been laid upever since, sore
from head to foot, besides being beaten, for
she can tie up two sheaves to nv one
Speaking of gauntlets, what very pretty
hand that girl has! noticed it when she
was rubbing my stiff neck and arms with
some decoction of herbs which she said
was good to take the soreness out. She
works at anything that comes to hand, and
is genuine country girl, but still she reads
Tennyson and even Browning. Sometimes
she seems very respectful to me, while at
others she will make fun of me and laugh
in my face with the most insolently saucy
air l ever saw. I walked out to see her
milk the COWS this morning, at the very un-
christian hour of six O'Clock, and somehow
fell to talking rather egotistically, / am
afraid. / said something about wishing al
ways to seize the joys of the moment with
out regard to the future, sunset, if moth
ing better could be had, moonlight stroll,
a good dinner when hungry, etc., ETC., when
she coolly asked me, ''Why don't you quote
the passage correctly, and give Owen Mere
dIth the credit which belongs to him He
says it much better than you can:
Il wish to enjoy what can,
4 sunset, If only sunset be near;
moon such as this, IL the weather be clear.
A good dinner II hunger come with It; good wine
II I'm thirsty; fire If I'm cold, and in fine,
II woman be pretty, tome tbs no matter,
Be she blonde or brunette, so she let's me look at
her.
III.
EXTRACT FROM KATE's LETTER TO HER
MOTHER.
don't know what to make of Harry.
He ridicules the girls dreadfully to me,
when we are alone, though he behaves him
self pretty well, for him, when they are by.
He says Minerva, who.has auburn hair, will
set us all on fire some day, and the way he
talks about pretty little Mary Jane is a
shame. He romps with her all over the
place. however, and she gives him as good
as he sends whenever they quarrel, which
they do, dreadfully. Poor fellow, / des-
pair of ever making him get married like a
sensible man, and have made up my mind
to see him grow into an old bachelor broth
er. But his rompings and frolies with that
girl are making him as strong as a giant,
mother. They do the oldest things you
ever heard of. l looked out of the win
dow Just now and saw Harry riding behind
Mary Jane Tor Mabel as he calls herr on
barebacked horse out in the lot. Yesterday
Mabel made Harry carry water for her
while she was washing the clothes, and
when I went down to the grove where they
were, found my dignified brother with his
sleeves rolled up, actually pounding clothes
in barrel of water with great maui,
which is a way they have here Of saving la
Dor in washing. never saw Harry carry
on so, and shall be afraid to 90 anywhere
with him when we return to New York, for
he will be sure to say to every stuck up"
woman he meets that he has washed
clothes. You know he likes to shock
people.