Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1880-11-02
Mis ELLAN Eous.
AUNTY's STORY.


":3s UNITY, tell ae renl. true story, won't
~ you, please?" said little N ina. as she
climbed into nay lap as | sat by The firslight
in the stiffness that sams between the going
down of the sun aud the lighting of the
lamps.
.'Yes, Nius, every bit true Auutie don't
tael in mood TO tell anything else to>night.
will tell you just about myself. You see
when your grandfather came up here. to live
there wern't nearly as many folks here as
there are now. Iu some families there were
great many children, but there were few
families, and they were all.poor and lived a
long way apart. One schoolhouse had to
answer for very large district, and some of
the scholars had to go two or three miles to
school and carry their dinners Your grand
father lived very near the center of the dis
triet, SO that your father and unclcs aud NV
self could go home to dinuer. Some times
We used to tease our mother 10 let US take
our dinner. SO that We could stay and play
with the childrea at Eoon, but she ALWAYS
said No" Once in a while she would let
US go home with the children that lived a
long way frsm school aud stay ever night
and make visit, and then their mothers
would put our dinner in with theirs the next
day, und we could stay through the duy. We
thought that great treat
''Oae day, the summer [ was nine wear.
old, my mother told me had been such a
good girl to take care of tho children while
she was away with sick sister | might 90
homo with Mrs. Narsh's children and stay
all night. 1 could hardly get through nv
lessons that day, l was so full of the antici.
Pated visit, and staying with go maBy of the
| children the next day. for | knew nv din,
ner would be put up with theirs I had
happy tune that night playing in the old
older mill, hunting eggs in the barn and
jumping from the pasture into the ral dark
ferns that grew all around there 10 the
morning I helped fOed the chickens, and
turkeys, aud goslings, and drive the COWS to
the pasture; and then the cid horse was har-
messed to go to school. l thought it was very
plce and grand to ride to school, and wished
lived so far that I had to ride every morn
| ing. But my best time was to come. All tho
forenoon kept thinking of the play I was
to have, and just as as the school was
out called out-"Girls, ana going to STAY
with you tO-dsy,' snd without waiting even
to cat my aisaer ran cut TO the playground.
was SO eager not to lsso a minute fe!-
got all about my littls brothers till stopping
to talk with one Of the girls, felt some
thing pull my dress and heard the pitiful
vsice of little four ysar-old Harry sayiag j:
.'Plsass sissy, do ge home with nc ?"
L was irritatsd asd answered sharply:
''I shan't go along with the bsys' Then
seeing his lips quivsr, and the tears in his
syes, l triad to sxplain it to him how it was
mud get him to run on with his brothers who
we're waiting for him. But he snly began
to cry, and when I turned to go away from
him, he caasht hold Of my dress to hold me
bask. Then, children, did something that
don't knew as ] ever did before, and know
l never did i, aga.n. I turned and struck
my little brother
81 loved my brothers better than all the
play in the world and vixen the little band
let go my dress aud he turnsd sobbips nway.
forgot all about staying nt noon and every>
thing else only seeing him happy again and
running after him / wiped the tears frsE his
! face asd kissing him over and oyor told him
how sorry l was Before we we're half way
home he had forgotten all about it, aud Per.
haps should never have thought of it again.
sr been 80 sure that never struck one of my
| brothers afterwards, If il Land't been for
something that happened sooh after.
''1n few weeks we children were all
taken sick with tho whooping cough Harry
was always feeble child, and 10 less than
four weeks my father called aie up one night
| and told me he was dying When 7 kpelt
beside him Ee didn't know me. but kent
nsying his hands Two or three Zines l
heard him say. 'Please, sister, go home with
me Then the blue eyes shut and INV father
told me be was dead. Oh. how l cried WI.
l came to realize what that nesEt: that nv
little brother was never to speak to me agai1.
be bad gone home where couldn't 90 with
him if wanted to; but I never though.
what his last words meant till the next day,
when enc of my schoolnates came and We
went in to look at him. After 1 had taken
the cisth of his face and we had stood look
ing at it for few minutes, she said:
''Jenrie, don't you wish you hadn' t struck
him that day when he wanted you to gs
home from school with him?
81 did go home with him, said
''I know it; but if was you I shosld
wish 1 hadn't struck him 1 can see Just
how he looked when he let go your dress
and started without you"
81 could see it all then. 1 knew what
his words meant when he was dying and
ssked me to go home with him. In the last
moment of his life he was living over again
what l had nearly forgotten, and what L
would have given worlds Gf had them) to
have felt that be had forgotten.
''My mother had been feeble for long
time, and little girl, as was, had had the
most care of him, and 1 can't tell Seu hsu
loved him. I covered up his faca and