Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-08-23
Grandfather's Bank.

- SSSAAAsh
There were four of us: Beck Wyman
and fat little Bunnie, besides me. We
all lived in grandfather's house. 1t had
been a grand place in its day, and the
boys and girls of long ago used to walk
out in the summer twilight to admire
the great wooden pineapple and its
green leaves carved and colored over
the front door. In our day il was an
old-fashioned house in a shady city
street. Mother died when Bunnie was
but a baby, so grandfather took us TO
live with him. The stage brought us,
under the charge of Mrs. Stocking, and
ives cared and wondering, stood in a
row before him. He said:
''Weil, well, children, Nurse, take
them in to get some supper" Then he
rubbed his hands and went out into
the garden TO potter about some plants.
While we were eating at a small table
in the middle of an immense dining
room he came and stood in the door
way.
"Rehecca is the eldest" said he, re-
ferring to paper in his hand. Eff
teen, Want your nurse YETI"
Beckle's eyes filed with tears.
Tut, Tut;r exclaimed grandfather /,
"don't cry. can't bear crying!
''Sir," began Beckie, resolutely, 81
can do whatever you think best; but
I'm afraid / do not know enough to
take care of Bunnie all alone"
"Then nurse must stay till you do
know enough. Learn as fast as you
can"
He then made some agreement with
Mrs Stocking about wages, and our
dear ..Stockie,'' as we called her, after
Bunnie's perversion, staid year.
There was the great house, nothing
changed for more than half century.
\ wide, shady garden ran down to an
other street. We bad free range with
out and within - always excepting
grandfather's rooms.
On the rainy days, or when We felt
particularly full of fun, We used to 60
to the garret, where our racketing
could disturb nobody; and in that great
cob-webby space we had royal times,
till we needed other things, attiring
ourselves in the antiquities we found
there.
Wye and | wrote a thrilling drama
of the war, in which he represented a
Union officer taken prisoner, and Beck,
the lovely Virginian, VINO set him free.
Bunnie was a sentinel, l, spy. There
were scenes with soldiers, in which We
four appeared, and hospital sketches in
which holsters laid out male capital
sick soldiers; and Wye was surgeon
to cut off arms.
We all felt out of sorts when Beckie
grew too old for this entertainment
and used to walk alone in the garden,
like an imprisoned princess. We inner
tied from our mother an income OF one
hundred dollars year; that was pune
tually paid to Beck by grandfather, in
quarterly instalments, to be spent for
the four. What a life we led her
How we insisted she should buy accor-
- deons, pistols, dolls, work-boxes-for-
getful of ragged hats and toes sticking
through our shoes.
All this time the great civil war was
raging, and grandfather, who hated
war, and thought everybody wrong,
and everything going to perdition,
talked nothing but politics to his neigh
bors, and to us, when we were still
enough to listen.
He particularly hated the paper cur,
rency, and Bunnie once came in glee
with dirty fifty-cent note fisherman
had given her grandfather in change
1t had fallen to the ground, and he, be-
ing irritated that morning, told Bunnie
TO take it away. He had never given
us anything before, and we sent Wye
out to buy chocolate candy.
When Beckie was eighteen, Wyman
was in his last year of the High School,
send him. For long time one hundred
dollars had to be expended on this
youth. We knew he must have an ed
ucation, and wear decent clothes. We
looked forward to his getting situa'
ton sometime, and our having each a
new alpaca in consequence. lie would
grow so, One of our most wretched
experiences was when he insisted on
having a sage-green overcoat that
faded in streaks, and that he had te
wear. Bunnie's little clothes, even tC
his caps, we contrived out Of hi;
brothers. He was independent.
Beckie and for several years exer
cised in the shades of evening, or now
and then. spasmodically appeared sep
arately at the little mission chapel neal
us. We had a black alpaca between u:
oneskirt, and two basques. Beckie had
a sash when she wore hers. l hat
some bows / pinned on mine. One
summer we asked grandfather for two
linen sheets-they were superbly fine
and made Beckie dress, which shs
wore in triumph to picnic with Mr.
Van Aster, the young man who tool
such an interest in Wye. He belonged
to the academy, and taught Greek ant
geology in the High School. Wye some
times brought him to tea.
Beck had the best clothes. 1t wa'