American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-05-18

proven alr brake, ne naturally looked
out great deal. Idleness is the root of
curiosity as well as of mischief. 1t is
astonishing how persistently he watch
ed the Lubkes and their doinEs, and
how much entertainment he found in
doing so, all the time persuading him
self that he was studying Chiay on Spe-
cial Pleas, which lively work he held
in his hand, to be sure, but over the top
of which his eyes were forever straying
to note the comings and goings next
door
"iIeavens! what a lot of girls" was
his first reflection as he saw the sable
clad procession delile up the walk
"And how much alike they arel' was
his second. They were strangely alike
The four elder all seemed OF the same
age. They wore of the same slender
built, with clouds of flaxen hair flying
over their shoulders, the same pale blue
eyes,the same colorless skins. For long
time Erasmus could fix on no point of
difference by which to distinguish them,
but after while he learned to classify
the four as "Sister," "The Twins"
and g Hilda.' The twins were always
together, inseparable as Castor and Pol
lux. '' Sister " was the central star of
the little ones. They were forever
clinging to her skirts, and following to
help or hinder in her many household
tasks, from washing windows and hang
ing out clothes to sweeping the door
steps in the early morning. Hour after
hour Erasmus heard the hum of her
wheel. He had seen it carried in with
the other things-a genuine old-fashion-
ed spinnlng-wheel, which an antiquari-
an might have coveted for its quaint
ness, but which {" Sister" valued for its
use. 1t was she who took the lead in
reforming the garden, where disorder
and neglect were giving place to thrift
and neatness, groundsel and pursley to
peas and beets, and where pot-herbs,
pinks, and multitudinous cabbages jost-
led each other in true German fashion.
SISTER r" took the lead, but every one
helped. Even the little ones could weed
and dibble holes for the insertion of in
FAINT roots, and in the cool of the day the
sedate old pastor himself would descend
from his study, knife in hand, to prune,
not in the most skillful manner, the
fruit trees whose best days had gone by
with the better days of the old house
round which they grew.
Hilda was the prettiest of the sister,
hood. Her blue eyes had the advantage
of a fringe of long golden lashes; her
hair waved naturally through all its pale
length; there was a tinge of color in
her fairness which deepened at times in
to lovely pink. People in general
might not have called her very pretty,
but Erasmus learned to think her So
and in fact a girl must be plain indeed
not to look pretty In the picturesque
framework of an old garden, ivy hung
and bosky, with glints of sunshine and
dusks of shadow. Erasmus watched
her fit in and out and to and fro, her
veil of flaxen hair blown by the wind,
her plant figure in its plain black frock
looking slender as fairy's, and present
ly, to his surprise, he found himself in
love with Hilda. He had not meant it,
but how could it be helped? A young
man fancy is easily caught, and mos,
easily of all when, as in this case, he il
lying on his oars for a while, and has moi
much to do.
Had Hilda noticed him? He could moi
tell. She had never given look, so far
as he could detect, in his direction, mol
had her sisters. But good deal can be
seen without looking, and it is so little
in the course of human nature that sew.
en- girls, with fourteen eyes between
them, should not see a young man who
sits at q window and gazes out at then
all day, with only fence between, tha
1 am inclined to think they did.
Meanwhile, though he knew theil
names and was familiar with their hab
its, Erasmus had never exchanged {
word with his new neighbors. 1t wa:
not from want of inclination; but hi
was a modest fellow, and truly he die
not know how to begin. Pastor Lubkt
was =" strict " father. "Be sober, b.
vigilant," was his motto. He had NJ
sympathy with the frivoliites of youth
among which frivolities, it was rumor
ed, young men were conspicuously in
cluded. Erasmus studied his stern
placid face from behind the blind, ant
saw nothing to encourage him there
And so, while thus his " hopes belied hi.
fears, his fears his hopes belied," thu
days went on. He made no progress
and might have made none for mucl
longer time, had not Fate taken pit,
and sem her messenger to assist mat
tiers. That messenger was-a monkey
The monkey appertained to a hand
organ, and the man who ground the or
gan-and the monkey also, it is to b.
feared-sent him in to levy the custom
airy black-mail on the Lubke sisters
who, sitting on the doorstep, in thu
pear-tree shade, were knitting stocking
of the blue yarn spun by "Sister's'
wheel. The sudden apparition of thu
diminutive messenger, in his red Goa
and cooked hat, startled the simple fam
lily, whose lives heretofore had included
few monkeys. They jumped up, scream
ed; Hilda dropped her thimble: Ben;
and Naunul chung to each other; ever
"Sister lost her presence of mind TO
moment. The monkey, emboldenet
by their evident fear, danced, chatter
cred, and, suddenly bouncing on Hilda'
| thimhla ran aorncS tho uarran with /