American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-01-17

reflections ana comments.
"Isn't she exasperating?n say, when
she is fairly off; but Lou only laughs.
''She means it for our good" she
says. I" If our ideas differ, suppose the
fault is not in us, but in temperament
and circumstances"
Fortunately it is Aunt Con who lives
with us, not VIC with Aunt Con. Things
are never so bad but that they might be
worse, l suppose, and Aunt Cons
grumblings ut our extravaganza are not
SO hard to bear as submission to her
wonderful system of economy would be
Lou and L are not rich, but we have
comfortable little incomes. We have
been orphans from childhood, but our
guardians are of an accommodating
turn of mind. Finding that we pre-
ferred independence to share of either
of their luxurious abodes, they threw
no obstacles in our way, provided we
could find suitable sIeep-dog. So we
took a pretty, any cottage, III quiet
country town, invited Aunt Con Tracy,
our father second cousin, to take up
her abode with us, and set up for our
selves. So far, l think that none of us
has seriously regretted 1t. Now and
then Aunt Cons conscience smites her,
and she bestlrs herself 10 interfere with
our housekeeping, begging us to try
some of her wonderful and economical
recipes-to repress our vain longings for
Ia,
bles, and to content ourselves with such
fare as strict regard for economy
would, In her opinion, dictate. Such
rebellion is promptly repressed by Lou,
who is at the head Of every thing in
our little household. Only decided
suppression will avail with Aunt Con-
Lou represents to her in vain that our
bill for fresh fruits and tempting dishes
does not equal what the doctors bill
would if we adopted Aunt Cons .us-
gestions, and starved ourselves in win
ter, or ovcrhested our blood in summer,
from false ideas of economy. Never
will either of us forget the time when
we were deluded enough to put the
reins of housekeeping into Aunt Cons
hands for season, worked UP thereto,
against our better Judgment, by her ex-
postulatiuns and entreaties.
"What ais this butter?' says Lou,
at our first meal under the new regime.
"What can Brown mean by sending us
such? 1t fairly burns my throat. Was
there no better In market, Aunt Comp"
"This butter cost fifteen cents a
pound. That which you are in the habit
of using costs twenty-five" says Aunt
Con, severely, with an air of conclusive
ness which ought to shut Lou up, but
doesn't.
GO. No more Of that, an thou lowest
me- aunty,'' she says, making a wry
face. "Bad butter is one of the things
that can't and won't stand.''
Aunt Cons reply is nipped in the bud
by my exclamation as 1 taste my egg.
"What is the matter?" asks Lou, as
hastily pour a whole goblet of ice
water down my throat after the single
spoonful of egg which have swallowed.
Horrible!" gasp. BadP Well,
not exactly, but stale to the last degree.
Brown must be beside himself. He
never sent us such eggs BEFORE
"They are second-quality eggs" says
Aunt Con; "they cost two cents less on
the dozen than those you have been buy
ing, and are quite as good-to my taste,"
she adds, as she sees the expression with
which Lou and 1 receive this assertion.
"For Heavens sake, aunty, no more
'second-quality' thingsl" says Lou.
" Starve us, if you like; but don't, pray
don't poison us. That is too humiliat-
ing"
Our dinner that day consisted of
corned beef and cabbage with the mer-
curry at 92o), potatoes favored with
rancid butter, the whole repast crowned
by a plain rice-pudding, through the
whole of which the taste of the "sec-
ond-quality eggs" is plainly diffused.
We struggle through one more meal up
on Aunt Cons plan, and then Lou takes
the reins back into her own hands.
"We can't afford it, Madge-we
really can't" she says, when we are
alone. s. A week or two of Aunt Cons
system would ruin us in doctors bills,
not to speak of the trifing fact that
have been obliged to throw away all the
stores of butter, eggs, coffee, tea, and
such things that she has laid in. Aunty's
economy is such a very expensive ar
could not pretend to tell you half of