Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-12-04


that Miss Naxett eyed me as though
she considered me suspicious ad-
venturer by way Of saying some
thing, ! made the commonplace little
remark that she seemed to be busy,
"Yes," she replied, very conclsely !
"sister Patience has taken tho upper
rooms in charge, while am superin'
tending the parlor' We are expect
ing company for Thanksgiving-an
uncle and his wife, whom We have
not seen since our fathers death; and
these family meetings always appear
to us 80 sacred that wc think it right
to do them all possible honor, and We
give up everything else for that pur'
pose
"You must look forward to it with
n great deal of pleasure" said, while
! thought;
"This Is an age OF steam; by your
own confession, you have not seen
these afiectionate relatives for ten
years, and could probably wait, with
just as much composure, ten years
longer"
| felt in a bad humor, but. being
gifted. with considerable share OF
perseverance,, | resolved to make one
more trial.
The Bingler menagc was not m al
Turing one--the center Of the solar
system there being as disagreeable a
specimen of Young America as ever
encountered. l have always classed
spoiled children in the same category
with mad dogs, and the prosecutions
that suffered at the hands OF that
wretched infant are not pleasant to re-
fleet upon. That six-years'old nui-
sance was n constant thorn in my side
whenever made q visit TO her weak
minded mother; and, if obliged to
swallow her with my Thanksgiving
dinner, | hesitated about the dinner.
But it would be very forlorn to dine
in the clearinghouse seeming to
say so plainly that l had nowhere else
to 60; and | walked twice around
the block to consider whether l could
possibly get down so large dose of
spoiled child.
The young catamount IN question,
who was perfect interrogation.point,
always declared war as soon as she
saw me, and usually opened the ball
by asking what l had come for, par
ticularly if l had come to spend the
day.
"Why, Matilda!" her mother would
demonstrate.
"Well, but why don't she have a
house of her own ?" cotinued the in
fant prodigy. 81 don't like old maids"
At this interesting juncture, Mrs.
Bingler would wink at me to admire
her precocious wit, while my torment
Or proceeded to inquire:
"Why don't you wear some other
dress ! Haven't you got any other
but that I've got ever so many =
And I'm not going to be an old
maid !"
Mamma in convulsious Of laughter
at "Matllda's comcal remarks and
in convulsions of anger that l cannot
indulge in the satisfaction of shaking
the little befounced and befurlowed
wretch. Thin children are always
malicious they are as unnatural in
mind as in body. can always get
along with II fat, tearing, roly-poly
but 1 require some system of defence ;
against small girl of cadaverous pro- ,
pensities. {
However, nothing more eligible pre- ,
sentiug itself, ! mustered up courage
to ring the bell. 1 got no further
than the hall, though my youthful !
enemy had the measles. 9
"What malicious little wretch {
I could not help exclaiming to myself;
"to think that with the whole winter
before her, she must select this week
of all weeks to have the measles in J" 4
And quite worn out and dlshearten-
ed, I returned to my clearinghouse. y
How peoples moods change be- t
tween the tying and untying of their 6
bonnet strings | took off my things l
in a sort OF ferocious despair and
then, catching up the first volume f
that came handy, I descended to the S
parlor. ?
1t looked comfortably there, if not /
grand +; and I had it to myself. The
fire blazed brightly-the chair IN q
which l established myself had stuff 8
fed back-and the book in my hand q
was "Pendennis. Dimly conscious =
that l had something to be thankful t