The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-03-03

the recess, and the moon can not shine in
there.
September l7.--How provokingl was
out shopping this afternoon, and when got
home found the gas-ftter at work putting
huge lantern in the recess of the doorway.
/ asked them what that was for, and they
said papa had ordered it. i bounced him
about it when he got home, and he said that
he mad noticed that we all sat out in front
good deal and thought he would make it as
nice as he could for us. Poor, dear, limo
cent old papal He is so good and kind and
always means so well. But then he knows
so little about things. OF course,
could not explain to him
why it was so undesirable to
have SO much light on the subject; but l
suggested to him that our gas bills were
already pretty large. But he replied that
we could turn down the gas IN the back
parlor while we we were sitting out there,
and that would make it all right. There is
one comfort, however: we don't need TO
| light the lantern, and we won't
September 20.-Last night Fred and Gus
| and Harry were all here, and we were all
out on the front steps having such a good
time, when papa came home. With his
hearty ways, there was of coarse great
] hubub OF hand-shaking, welcoming, and all
that sort of thing, which was the fashion, /
| suppose, when he was a youngster. By the
way, it seems drolI TO think he was ever
! youngster; but L suppose he was. When
the performance was through with, papa
exclaimed, in his bluff way, "Why bless mel
what are you all sitting in the dark for,
| when it is so easy to have light?" With
that he ran and got match, and in an in
slant everything was in a blaze of glory,
with what we girls nickname his calcium
| light" The effect was Just what
any one but papa would have an
| ticated. In the language of Scripture-I
think it is Scripture, or is it Tristan Shandy?
But il reads 'And Immediately there was a
great calm In few minutes, when the
silence was beginning to become painful,
Fred suggested that we go in and have some
music. think that was what they call cut
ting the Gordian knot. We went in and in
a few minutes all the rest followed after us.
l watched my chance, and slipped and turned
the calcium light of, thinking that perhaps
we would all go out again. But it is some
times difficult to take up the thread of any
thing just where it was broken off and the
evening was completely spoiled.
| September 24.--Papa keeps ON lighting his
calcium every night whenever he sees any
one sitting in front, just as if he were doing
the kindest thing in the world, as no doubt
he thinks he is. But good often comes out
Of evil, as | heard preacher say once, and
it has turned out so in this case. The second
night of papa's illumination 1 saw that Fred
was growing restless, poor fellow; l knew
just what was the matter with him, and /
would have grown restless, too if
had been man, but we women
have more control of ourselves. l tried
to be as interesting as could, but it was no
use. Fred would not get interested, and d.
rectly he said, quite abruptly: "Lets go and
get some ice cream" 1t was the same way
the next night and the next, and last night
we went off to the theater and tomorrow
night we are going to concert don't
know that the calcium is bad as L thought
it was and papa builded better than he knew,
unless he was deeper than 1 ever gave him
| credit for
September 90-The evenings are now too
cold to set out in front and Fred and / have
gos into such habit of going to theaters,
concerts and dances that l am seldom home
of an evening.
| December At is now more than two
months since l have written line in my
diary. l am getting tired of it any way, and
what with Fred being here every night and
me being taken up every day planning things
l don't get any time-so here IS an end of the
business.