The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-08-16
The Day of Judgment

am fourteen years old, and Jill is twelve
and a quarter. Jill is my brother. That
isn't his name, you know, his name is limo
thy, and mine is George Zacharas but
they've always called us Jack and Jill I'm
sure don't see why. If we'd had much
water to carry-but it isn't well at our
house, it's pipes. And We never broke our
heads on hills, or anything of that kind /; the
most | ever broke was a toe joint, and it was
splntered up, besides the cash in Jill neck
from coasting.
But don't think you often understand
about names. There's Mahershalal- hash baz
for instance We had that at Sunday-school
last Sunday. I'm glad wasn't Isaiah boy.
Well Jill and | had an invitation down
to Aunt Johns this summer, and that was
how we happened to be there. It's great
thing to have an invitation to Aunt Johns.
We don't go visiting in our family without in
vitations; I-mean il we're relations. We like
it better Then they're glad to see you
and the girl isn't sick. and there's berry
cake for supper, and you have the spare
room, and like as not maple syrup on your
flapjacks Once had broled chicken for
breakfast three times week at Cousin
Palmer's.
Aunt John can't afford chicken unless it S
Sundays, because her chickens are most all
guinea hens and one turkey. But Id rather
90 to Aunt Johns than anywhere else in the
world. When | was little fellow | used
TO think Id rather 90 to Aunt Johns than
to 90 to heaven. But | never dared to
tell. But when had the scarlet fever down
there, | let it out to Aunt John, and she
never scolded bic. | thought she cried,
but | never was sure, because she was Just
digging over the guava-jelly with teaspoon.
You couldn't tell what it is about going
to Aunt Johns. 1t isn't so much the maple
sugar. Nor the four o'clock dinner Sun
days and the crisp on the mashed potatoes.
] don't think it s the barn nor the ol-house :;
it isn't all the old carryall out under the
butternut tree Aunt John leaves that car
ryall there yet. though it's just a smash
from the wind and weather and US boys, be-
cause Jill says he'd feel homesick not to
see it and she couldn't even play go for
the doctor in it, it's such smash.
Aunt John takes photographs and tin
types. Most boys think it's funny for Ia
dy to take tintypes but Jill and l don't
She always has. At least, uncle did, and
she helped, and so he died, and she kept
right along. She has saloon next the post
Office, and her girl gets dinner, and she
comes home at twelve, to sit round in the
shady places on the steps with Jill and me,
and guess what we're going to have for des-
sert.
| don't know but it s the saloon that's
good deal of it at Aunt Johns. You ought
to see the album, Jill and I've got, of just
pictures OF ourselves every way you can i'm
agne-wth two heads and three; and
upside down; and backside front; and eat
ing iapjacks and the turkey for frontis-
piece. besides.
1t takes me great deal longer than
thought it would, to get to what set ont to
say about how we went to Aunt Johns
this time.
She'd invited US to come on the 18th Of
August. 1t takes all day to get to Aunt
Johns. She lives at Little River, in New
Hampshire, away up. You have to wait at
South Lawrence in poky little depot. and
you have to change cars at Dover, and you
get some played out. AT least, | don't so
much, but Jill does 30 We bought paper
/ bought the paper, because he bought the
pop-corn and the mustest tumble ever ate
But got some prize-candy, when it came
my turn, and fish hook in it; shouldn't
have noticed the fish hook if hadn't come
SO near swallowing it.
SO We bought the paper and Jill sat up
and read he tipped his cap on the back of
his head and sat up like the man in front
of us with the big neck and the long mus
tache. I'd have punched a pin IN him to
see him jump, if he'd sat up so long, but he
didn't. When he'd sat minute and read
along:
Look here! " said he
Look where?" said l.
Why there's going to be comet to.
night said Jill
who cares" said I.
Jill laid down the paper, and crunched
pop corn all up before he answered that.
Then said he " | don't see why father never
told u.s. s'pose he thought we'd be fright
ened. or something. Why. s'posing the
world did come to an end? That's what
this paper says. 1t is predcted-it is =
yes, where's my place? Oh, | see pre-
dicted by learned man that a comet will
come into con-conjunction with our plan
ct no our planet this night Whether
We shall be plunged into wild vortex of an
gry space. or suffocated with n-o-x-noxious
gases. or scorched to a helpless crisp, or
blasted at once into eternal an-nihi-'"
A gust OF wind grabbed the paper out Of
Jills hand Just then and took it out of the
window so never read the rest. l looked
it up in my definitions when l got home,
and thought that word must have been
humiliation.
Father isn't goose" said /. He
didn't think it worth mentioning. He isn't
going to be afraid of comet at this time of