Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-03-16
MY FORTE.
Being Extracts from Young Lady's journal
stolen and Selected.

HieuCeu, lot guy Dfan-neW VOlum
every year. / looked over the oil
books this morning, and | am yer
much dissatisfied with the result.
am eighteen ! Well, what else am |
Nothing am not pretty. Siste
jessie, our eldest, is beauty. Sucl
black eyes, such heavy brown curls
such lovely complexion, and sucl
q stately, graceful figure are not me
with every day The rest Of Tho
girls. Hattie, Louisa, Mary, an,
Jennie, have each some special ac
coinpllshment or talent, all excep
me Every one of them, even Jennie
Who Is Younger than | am, can tall
Of forte. Hattie plays most splen
dldIy Gu the piano that's her forte
can't; | shall 90 raving distracted
with nervousness, if | spent sever
hours a day, as she does, running III
and down, scrambling over the KEY
board like kitten after a ball, OF
hanging chords I'LL every drop on The
chandelier quivers. No! I can pla,
dancing music, at which Hattie turn,
up her nose, but music, as an art, is
certainly not my forte
Lon, bless her blue eyes does the
most wonderful piece Of fancy work
Such shawls as she knits such mats
As she embroiders such slippers
smoking caps, table-covers, and pin
cushions as she works Why can
s: Lon amt half as big as | am
though she is older, and her thir
little white hands are lost in mine
but she manages needles in a manner
wonderful to behold. To see hcl
WELD a knitting-needle as big as tbs
kitchen poker is sight worth seeing
How she can have the patience tC
spend whole weeks over one shawl Of
one table-cover is a mystery to me
IIeigh>ho! What Is my forte
George, that's our grown-up brother
takes my head between his hands
and kisses me on the lips, and SAYS
my speciality is to be the dearest
sister in the world ; but that dom
comfort me much.
Mary paints. To be sure, you
can't tell her cows from her horses
unless you look for their horns; and
offended her mortally by taking hel
head portraying "Revenge" for hel
idea Of Hunger" didn't mean any
harm ; but the man had his eyes ant
mouth So wide open, and he was Sc
thin and peaked looking that was
certain he was starving. His nose
was all to one side, and one eye was
bigger than the other but still Mary
says art is her forte, and ! suppose
she knows.
Even Jennie, who is crazy on the
subject oflanGuages. talks Of her fort
being a talent for acquiring foreign
tongues.
1t is horrible not to have aal
speciality in a family where every
body has one. They all treat me il
the most of-hand manner. Ma says
''IIere, Fan, Just mend these stock
isgs, won't you? Hattie is practic
ing Or, "Fan, you run down the
/ street for me, won't You Mary is al
work on her Judas. You haven't
anything to do III particular" George
brings me all his gloves to mend anC
bis shopping commissions to attend
to, on the supposition that | haven
anything to do | am errand girl
/ seamstress, and able to make mysel
generally useful in family" as the,
say when they give girl character
/ but | wish, l do wish | knew wha
was my special forte.
July 10th. = have found it
Eureka | know my forte 1t is ;
very humble one, but still it is a speci
atty.
This is how it came about Las
week, Hattie and Mary went into thu
country to spend the summer Jessie
and Jennie went with Aunt Margare
to Saratoga. Nobody was left a
home but father, ma, George, Lou
and l. Yesterday Susan, that's on
cook, had an attack Of a disease sh,
calls mulerdlqia in her head, and lef
at an hours notice, and Jane, The
chambermaid, said she couldn't do al
the work III this large family, and sh'
left in the afternoon. This led to tn,
discovery of my forte. am do
nestle that's it, DOMESTIC Pa say
that my mutton-chops to-day wer
not to be beat che said beat. so
don't care If beaten is better gram
mar, and George says he neve
thought fried potatoes could b
brought to such perfection.
Don't we have fun, This morning
H / Yas up before the sun. Ma too
the upstairs department, Lou under
took the parlors, aud | was left I
reign over the pots and kettles. | 90
breakfast, dinner, and tea, and | onl
went to ma twice about the meat
once about the cabbage, three time
about the pudding, ard four time
about the gravy.
July 21St. Ma and Lou went ava
Yesterday. As there were only tire
; OF Us left, | persuaded her not to &c
any new girls till she came back, an
she IS TO be gone three weeks. Thre
whole weeks Somehow it amt ioil
without ma and Lou to laugh ov0
the work with me.
Pa and George went off early tn
{ morning; | am horribly afraid the
breakfasted down town. 1t was to
bad | had sliced the potatoes
fry, and had cut the mutton.chops a
: ready TO broi the coffee was mad
. the bread cut, and | had my potatot
on. when the bell rang. 1t was Ii
milk,man l hadn't the least ide
p how much milk ma takes, but he sri
! four quarts so took it. 1t lool
. dreadful big lot for three people,
put in their coffee. When l came i
: my potatoes were all burnt black
George was standing at the top
the stairs, whistling "Come, Com
Away" 50 | knew he was in a hurr,
and pa cried, Fan, any breakfast 1
: day ?" | tried TO laugh it off.
; made pa carry up the coffee-pot, al
4 Gaoroe the Mate OF bread while