The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-01-07
A SUDDEN CURE.

81
stemmed-this is our scene: and our
dramatis PERSONA consists of Mrs. Per
kins, whose drowsily clicking knitting
needles, keep time to the purr If an over
grown Maltese cat, and pretty young
girl, with rather flushed face, who had
just entered from doorway leading to
the hall
"Well" said Mrs. Perkins, looking
up with that ineffably wise expression
which is impaired to the human coun-
tenance by round silver spectacles perch
ed obliquely on the bridge of the nose
He amt asleep, is he?"
eyes, he is, was the reply.
"Glory be thanked for that, at least"
said Mrs. Perkins, apparently impaling
herself on long knitting needle which,
however, entered harmlessly in the horn
sheath that she wore at her side, incased
in a scolloped red flannel. "There will
be five minutes of peace, at least. You
are tired, amt you, Dora p'
Yes,'' said Theodore White, +" am
rather tired"
But her languid voice spoke plainly
that the more accurate phrase would
have been very tired"
Theodore White was u tender, soft
eyed girl of eighteen, with a complexion
of pearly clearpess, and q rose apiece on
her cheeks-a girl with a poor, straight
nose and q dimple on her chin, and q
pretty pleading way of looking at you
when she spoke. She sat down beside
the window, where the mignionette-
scented grape blossoms were swaying in
the summer air, and leaned her forehead
against the easement.
Mrs. Perkins eyed her with an owl
like glance of sympathy.
It's shame, so it is" said Mrs.
Perkins, emphatically. GA man hasn't
no business to be SO tryin' mo, not if
he was sick forty times overl Scold,
snap, snarl-this amt right, and t'other
thing is wrong! That's the way he
keeps it up. I'd as soon wait on the
old boy himself"
Theodore smiled family and arched
her eyebrows.
"Why, Mrs. Perkins, you don't mean
to compare my uncle Joseph with so
obnoxious parsonage as you allude
TOP" she said, demurely.
Well" said Mrs. Perkins, reflective
ly, they amt so unlike, after all. /
declare when he gets in his tantrums,
"I've two minds and o half to give
him a good shakin'. There amt no
sense in a man being SO unreasonable =
You can't please him no way you fix
it.n
1--WE can at least try, Mrs. Jones'"
Yes, and that's just what's a-spilin
him. He knows very well that if he
was to want the moon, you'd hunt up
the longest stepladder and try to reach
it down. 1t always did spoil children to
let 'em have all they want, and your
uncle Joseph amt nothin' but grown
up child"
'But 1 don't let him have all he
wants, Mrs. Perkins"
And pretty kettle o. fish there'd be
if you did. Humph /"
And the old house-keepe. pounded
upon her ball as if she had, for mo-
ment, identified it with the parsonage
under discussion.
" 1t mighn't be such bad idea," said
Theodore, after moments thoughtful
silence.
" Are you crazy?" demanded Mrs.
Perkins, tartly.
Hush !" Theodore started from her
seat with uplifted finger. " He's awake !;
he wants me-"
And she was gone, swift, noiseless as
white-winged dove, before Mrs. Per-
kins could volunteer to go in her stead
Il" Yes" said Mrs. Perkins to herself,
" it is shame. He seems to think she
is made of cast-iron and India-rubber =
the old torment ~
With this rather illogical expression
of her opinion, Mrs. Perkins resumed her
knitting more vigorously than ever.
Meanwhile Theodore fastened up
stairs into costly curtained sick-room,
where querulous old gentleman lay
tortured with great deal of "hypo"
and very little actual illness. But Un-
Gle Jooeph White choose to believe that
he was i'll and who, pray, was a better
judge of the state of his bodily health
than himself?
He screwed his face up into the SEM
blance of nut-cracker as his niece hur-
riedly entered the apartment and came
to his bedside.