The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-04-30
THE MAGIC WAND.

winds and tempests which had beaten
against it for more than half century
The low roof and small windows added
to its homely appearance, but the eye
need not larry there, for in the general
surroundings there was many a redeem
ing feature.
Here had found home and eventu-
ally my mission. For in three months
after my arrival Aunt Lucy chad q
stroke" and I gave up my wanderings
among the hills and woods, and turned
my attention to the making of butter
and cheese, in fact became housekeep-
er, nurse, and maid of all work to my
uncle and Aunt Howard.
Uncle was plain, shrewd man, thin
and round-shouldered, and terribly
methodical. In that first summer i
used to wish that he would only forget
Just once, so that he would either be
obliged to step little quicker or else
vary the dull routine for that one day.
But nothing of the kind ever occurred
When first used to go to church with
uncle, spruce young farmers used to
"help me out" and sometimes the
storekeepers son or the schoolmaster
would find something to talk with uncle
about OF Sunday evening but they
were all married off long ago, and to
the next generation / was, of course,
" the old maid"
What wonder that I grew prim and
precise. If it had not been for aunt's
sickness and suffering should haverun
away, but that held me fast.
The spring had come and gone with
it's April rains and May flowers, and the
rare days of June had again appeared,
when one morning Aunt Lucy told us,
that " sure as we were alive, something
was gong to happen, for she had had a
warning i'll the night, strange noises,
which foreboded i'll to some of u.s."
Uncle found upon going to the barn
that the speckled COW had contrived to
step into an opening in the floor, and
in her vain efforts to extricate herself
had become strangled
That night, when my days work was
over, the milk strained and the pals
washed, L walked out by the babbling
brook. Time had been when I should
have heard unwritten music in the con-
stant ripple, ripple over the moss-grown
rocks, but was too antiquated for any
thing like sentiment then. I was
startled from my reverie by a carriage
driving rapidly up to our gate, from
which alighted two young ladies, who,
to my unsophisticated eyes, looked
amazingly stylish and citified.
Before I had recovered in the least,
was embraced by the girls, and in the
midst OF q shower of kisses, heard N.Y.
self called "dear cousin Jennie, " old
darling" and other endearing epithets,
which sent my heart into my throat in
a strange way.
They enjoyed my surprise immensely
and hurried me into the house; they few
at uncle, upsetting the three-legged
stand, candlestick and Bible, and such
hugging as the poor old man received!
He began to quote Scripture, but ended
with "Did you ever?"
that time we had a light, and found out
that our visitors were some down-coun-
try cousins. 1t did not seem very clear
to which branch of the family they
belonged, and | suspect our welcome
must have been rather constrained but
it made no difference, the girls had
come for a good time, and were not to
be deferred from having it. Aunt asked
triumphantly, "Didn't tell you that
something was going to happen? The
noise wasn't for nothing, sure"
The girls We're as unlike as possible.
Bella, tall and queenly, with hair which
would rival the ravens wings for black
ness, and eyes that should have belonged
to some Egyptian princess.
Kate was a regular hoyden, petite,
pretty and light-hearted as a child. She
upset rything which she came in
contact with; in three days she had
broken through all our time honored
rules, had gone whistling after the COWS
an hour earlier than usual, and upon
being told by uncle that she GO must not
run them, because they wouldn't give so
much milk" declared she "knew what
she was about. it would not take so long
to milk them"
Whatever Establishments she used
upon uncle, to the surprise of us all, he
harnessed up the old mare and took her
to the village and post-office, returning
after dusk, thing unheard of with us.
She persuaded aunt to get off the bed
that she might see how tall she was, and
by dint of flattery and persuasion, had
her dressed and out to the dinner table,
We should not have been half as much
astonished if a ghost had walked in up
on us.
She asserted that she had wonderful
"healing powers, and that she believed
she "was sent to restore aunt to health,
and that she had wrought miracles ali
her friends knew" and she called upon
Bella to corroborate her testimony.
:. Uncle and aunt believed every word
she uttered, and in two weeks time she
had aunt outdoors feeding the chickens
and ducks, and uncle had hired one of
the neighboring boys to assistin the farm
work.
The next step was to declare. that she
"must have some butter and cheese
made by aunt's own hands. Ever since
child she had listened to the most
marvellous stories of what aunt could
do, but seeing was believing " l.
=. OF course was quickly deposed, and
between aunt and the girls found con-
siderable time upon my hands. ,,.l
Kate told me, in great confidence,
thatishe chad brought Bella off to give
her time to think she had been under
the influence of girl who was not true
to her, and through her influence was
likely to- throw away the best part OF
her life. ~. -.
"' Couldn't say something to lead
Bella to decide on what was right and
IN at 2U