The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-06-06
PLAYING AT HOUSEKEEPING.

PLAYING AT HOUSEKEEPING.
Mrs. Slipperkin Is eight years old
Just eight, too, although, when she Is /
asked, she takes pains to say that she |
VIII be nine her next birthday. 1t is a
harmless delusion Of Mrs. Slipperkin's,
that such a statement makes her seem
considerably older, while 1t has the adj
vantage OF being strictly true.
MIR. Slipperkin is said to be travelling
II Europe, and his wife sometimes re
celyes small letters, bearing a foreign
post mark, which she says are from her
husband. Buton examining these letters
closely, we were of the opinion that the
only part which has seen the post Office
Is the stamp; and we have frequently
remarked to Mrs. Slipperkin that her
husband writes a hand resembling her
own IN most surprising degree; we
think, but do not say, that the letters
are lat, and the is and is neglected.
She lives with her dear friend, her
sister, IN fact, though she does not usu-
ally call her so, Mrs. Coppertip, in our
attic.
This latter lady is ski beg her
pardon, will be seven her next birthday,
and she also has q husband travelling
II foreign lands. Mr.. COppertip, how
ever, does not attend 10 his family as he
should, for his wife has received but
enc letter from him, and that was writ
ten on piece of old writing book, ID
hand strongly resembling Mrs. Slip
perkins and not written III her best
style.
Mrs. Coppertip isoneof the gentlest of
human beings. She has little, soft hands
which are often cool and kind, on aching
heads she has gentle brown ewes, and
soft brown hair, very nice to brush, and
very easy to care for. I believe she
loves everybody, and I am quite sure
that every body loves her, because 1
know they cannot help il.
Mrs. Slpperkin's eyes are likewise
brown, but they have more snap IL
them than Mrs. CoPpertip's. Her hair,
too, is brown, and and very pretty, be-
ing full OF snarly curls, which she loves.
but which are quite dreadful TO brush
l know she doesn't love everybody, for
she goes to school, and I have heard her
say shat she - hates" Laura Brown, AID
. despises' Amelia Lake, and g can I
endure somebody else and so we Judge
from this that Laura and Amelia and
somebody else, DO not love Mrs. Slip
perkin either
Mrs Coppertip has three children, all
OF whom have been extremely unfor-
tunate.
One has lost sn arm, another both
legs, and the youngest, shocking TO say,
once lost her head, which was aftera ards
found, and IS now very insecurity fast
J ened on with white wax
In spite of their misfortunes. they
are very still and well-behaved, and
their mother loves them dearly. She
does not believe in dressing them too
finely; she does not think IT Is good for
children to be so much interested in
fashion and then, besides-this Is be-
tween ourselves-she is not much of a
sewer, and really finds it impossible to
put many stitches IN their dresses so
they are made Of calico, and all the en-
broidery IS done with the scissors.
When her youngest child, Evelina,
was baptized, she attempted a little
more, and actually hemmed the skirt of
her dress all around but every stitch
was marked by drop of blood, where
the cruel, sharp needle pricked the pa
tent little finger, and 1 counted three
great big stains on 1t, caused by the fall
OF three great big tears.
The Slpperkin children, on the con-
trary, are always decked out in the
finest of clothes.
| cannot positively state that Mrs.
SllpperkIn Is fond of sewing, for we
have to quote the old saying, " "A stitch
IN time, saves nine, a great many times
IN the course of a year. But. though
she can endure rents in her own dresses
with perfect calmness yet she must
dress her children well, or be wretched.
Ii the sewing viii not bear inspection,
can affirm positively that the long
stitches are all on the under side.
She says, with great pride, d" Ny CHI
dren haven't got one calico dress to
their pames-sor -
Slipperkin p said a particular friend of
hers to her one day.
Three, and a baby" was the an
swsr but why the baby, poor innocent
is not called a child, have been unable
to discover.
The only difference I can perceive be-
tween it and the remainder of the fami-
~. rs that it wears long zIotlsess and,
as 1t has lost both legs, always sup
posed that long clothes were a necessity.
Mrs. SEpperkin has brother, Joe, a
big boy, who wears cowhide boots,
which make a perfectly fearful noise
and he has no conception of the sort of
thing headache Is, never having had
one himself.
The two ladies wanted Joe to take
the house next to them IN the attic.
adopt family, which they offered to
give him g for nothing" and call him
self Mr.. st. Clair, whose wife had re-
Gently died.
But Joe said it was "girls' play"
and he wouldn't try ii after the first
day. Then he took the plaster-of- Paris
children, poor infants and fed them to
his af,Tclauc - Al. lo--e
of his name, and he was greeted with a
perfect yell the next morning when he
went into the school-yard. At first he
did not know what they were saying,
but when he realized that they were
calling him Mr.. st. Clair he laid about
him with his fists 10 the right and left,
though without any signal success. He
received seven notes that day, ed
dressed, in large, crooked, boys letters,
" Air. Joe st. Clair" and the next day
the number increased to twelve, and
then. having stood 1t as long as he
could, Joe though il quite time that
something was done.
So, during the geography class, he
printed on piece of paper the word
Attention in the largest letters he
could make, not at all sparing the ink.
Then, at recess time, when there was
little lull in tag playing, he m ,unted
8 high bench, and pinned this paper
across his breast
At first there was lots of laughing and
considerable hooting of Mr.. s.. Clair,
but, as Joe did not move, the boys stop
ped ard listened to what he had to say.
His address was not long, neither was 1t
marked by any flowers of speech, but il
was delivered IL an easy MAJ nar, and
was very decisive.
" See here, fellers, he said, "you've