Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-03-29

| CupUOuEUSs HAVING SncAS0S e"eso az ~AAS
ted of being taken out in house'clean'
ING time. painted bewitching cream
color and we engaged that buttery,
regardless of cost or Of the character
of the neighbors.
The next momentous step was to get
my aunt's ''things'' removed. Were
writing a scientific essay on psyche.
logical distinctions of sex, should
make one strong point the tenacious
attachment Of the feminine mind to
''things.'' Ten thousand dollars In
stocks and bonds at stake in an unset
tied estate have been known to excite
less interest and create less jealousy
than the disposition of an old table
cloth.
My aunt was for some days in har'
rowing state of irdecision as to wheth.
er she had better have her things in.
voiced as freight or to hire a car: By
virtue of the handsome figures l learn
ed to make at Commercial College, |
proved to her that it would be cheap
est to hire car. had to go to her
former place of abode TO see about get
ting the things en- route. and had to
''meet them with carriage" at our
depot. felt like Il collector Of antiqui'
ties just getting an assortment over
from Egypt. shall ever feel grateful
to the small boys of our village for
their self restraint on this tempting
occasion. I don't recollect 4 single
opprobrious epithet. They treated my
loads with i respect to which nothing
but hoary hairs could entitle them.
There was a cheese.press, and l don t
know but a cider.mill: there was some.
thing with four tremendously heavy
legs, always believed to be something
in disguise Of a bedstead. There were
seven bandboxes flour large and three
smalO. five feather beds. seventeen
comfortables. and great deal of crock
cry which evidently came over in the
May flower, but had much better have
put back to land in the Speedwell.
Weneed not say that our residence
when furnished, was neat but not
gaudy. l slept under "rising SUM-
| bed quilt, and had I: round braided mat
| to put my feet on when got out in the
morning. l sighed for my former cosy
valuation, and reasoned that if she
was my only living female relative on
the fathers side, must of necessity
be her only living male relative on the
mothers side.
Soon after we were domesticated, l
found that my aunt was subject to
mysterious attacks, which attacks in.
variably seized her in the night time,
and made it imperative that l should
run for the doctor. Liability to these
attacks precluded the possibility of my
being away from home evenings, ex.
cepting Sunday and Thursday evenings,
when was expected to see my aunt to
prayer meetings anu attend her home,
though Evelina went off in an opposite
direction with another fellow. didn't
know but justice both to myself and
Evelina demanded that I should have
a conversation with my aunt, and set
before her, in language which even a
child might understand, my views Of
the duties and privileges OF an engaged
man but felt extremely doubtful of
her sympathy, and seventy.five thou.
sand was a good deal to risk. We had
one servant, whose wages my aunt
thought it right should pay, because,
as she said, if there was no one but
herself, she shouldn't keep girl. Our
cuisine was managed with strict regard
to economy. We lived largely upon
soup, which consisted principally of
broth. My aunt highly esteemed
marrow.bones. wonder if it is gen.
orally known among psychologists how
long healthy person can subsist on 4
persistently boiled marrow bone?
For two or three years had been in
the habit of smoking q single cigar at
the close of the days labors. O2e
evening was sitting on the piazza in
dulging in this luxury, when cut came
my aunt.
"sam'wel!" cried she, care you
smoking?"
"Yes'm," very meekly.
SWELL said she, calmly but firmly,
'none Of my money shall ever go up in
cigar smoke. Then again, "How
much do you pay for cigars? g
"Ten cents.''
"Now, Sam wei, I want you to take
your pencil and calculate how much 10
cents day will amount to in a year,
then how much in fifty years, then
want you to put this sum at compound
interest, and see how much it will
amount to by the time you are IS years
of age"
1t struck me that I had somehow,
during my lifetime, met with similar
problems, but conscientiously made
the calculation.
"Aunt," cried I, elm perfectly ap.
palled. Never did I dream Of this. Of
what mad extravaganza have l been
guilty!' and wildly hurled my cigar
into the camomile bed.
It became generally known through.
out our village that my aunt was
wealthy and was heir.expectant, and
l soon perceived that, whether or not
l ever obtained the gold, was going
to have the glory. At town meeting
legally called, and with the moderator
in the chair, I was elected one of the
nine prudential committeeman: duty
Ito see about getting the wood"
Our sabbath. school appointed me
delegate to Cummingford: privileges
lose my time, pay my own fare,
change cars twice, stage it five miles
over country road and through a
November landscape; prospects-ad-
dress by Deacon Thomas Jones: music
that rare and intricate composition,
''Shall we gather at the river?''
I secured the position of Waterman
at our store every other Sunday night.
Aunt asked me if expected extra pay
for this service, and I said l did.
Evelina had talked of green reps for
our parlor, but 1 found that calcula.
ton had now assembled to some kind
of rose.colored something value about
treble that of the reps.
Aunt was at length seized with an
''attack" of more than ordinary vio-
lence. called three physicians, for
I shrunk from exposing myself to the
irresponsible village gossip which
might accuse me of not employing
every effort for the prolongation of
her life. With three doctors in at.
tendance, she not unreasOnab]y felt
that this attack would prove final, and
sent for lawyer. l was in a state of
great nervous trepidation.
''ls there anything can do for you
o,,n+ ~