Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1881-09-22
MlistsllaHsous.
hecompe1se,

A letter from t,rnrge.' exclaimed SISTER
katr. coming IN from the po.t-nthce and
holding up Tor ouF inspection large vel
low rn, ,rlopc. And addressed to mother /;
isn't Il funny p"
10 me. exclaimed mother. Ia turn. Law
ing dow the blue sock she ~as mendlng.
aud smoothing her apron As though she
Wrrv gong To take the baby. ''Dear me -
.Wh,. how queer .a4d Hattie. dropping
her book and looking at X ate ~oud,rinsl,
.'Gcorgr hasn't wTitten TO any Of u ia an
age and never to ma What secret. brew
Ius noW. ! " onder -
''MA,he he and Mil, are coming home
uu - N.s4t. ~llG !.
Not - earl, IN the spring a. this. re-
turned liAttr, sagei, "Milly and house
cleaning can't be separated
Al ihl> moment mother. who had sue
ceeded IA traring off the envelope With ca-
ger. trembling fingers, and had commenced
reading the letter, suddenly twi.ted her
chair around 80 D. TO turn her face from Us.
cleared her throat, and Siped her eyes ON
corner Of her gingham apron.
ANY thing the matter. mother = question
rd h ate. auxIou.!y. While Hat and sat ia
wondering silence.
+ There ~as no answer for a moment, then,
turning toward u, she held out the letter,
saying, head ii, X katie M,lly Is taken very
al with typhoid fever. aud Grorge la. wni-
ten for nae to come TO them. Dear child. /
wish It 30 could go"
1 Go :" echoed X ate dcci,iyeh. 'uf course
You'll gu, and take one Of u, girls along to
help nurse. too"
But the work. III, dear How will you
manage ?"
''Solne~a.." said X kaIle. Let's see the
express goes a. half-past sil. and its half
past i've no~ just an hour Go and get
ready, mother. and Cad aud III pack your
,ail.c."
bat Your father"
''Nell taAe care OF hIm. never fear, and
he'll be Al homs. before YOU 60. Hat. you re
not fit for much at home except TO run er-
rand' and keep as axe nighis. and you ran
DO that theEe. Get ready quickly pos
>ihlc. and help mother; shes 50 excited
she'll he sure 10 get her dress on hind side
before. and forget TO lace up her shoes
Ny energetic sister had by this time gath
cred together the clothes, and, bringing
the salise from :he wardrobe, was packing
1 them into il IN 4 manner which ioretold
/ their coming out IN a mass OF wrinkles; |,
meantime. looked helpiessly on. BY dint
of her earnest efforts they we're ready in
season and when father came home from
/ his work. be found Us haillng a street car to
Z tab them TO the depot.
Now. what's to be done first p inquired
, Kate, after We had seen them of. and had
re-entered the house with something of a
realizing sense of the responsibility We had
undertaken weighing our minds.
There's supper TO get, Of course, and
. Nellie can wash the dishes. That's all
/ isn't it >"
Mother said something about baking to-
morrow" | suggested, with vague idea
/ that certain preparation was generally
made concerning the bread the evening be-
/ fore its manufacture.
/ Tomorrow ?" Well, let tomorrow take
care Of itself" so promptly, that was al
once slenced. Lets see whats for sup
| per light bread cookies, float and cold
beef. Very good. The clouds disperse,
aud the sky is most serene and fair Set
/ the table, Cad. while make the tea
! And nov, while | am doing that, if the
reader will take little Retrospective glance
over our lives up to this point, she will no
doubt the better understand why We were
all so ignorant of household affairs There
was large family Of us-ten children in
all John. master workman in one of the
machine shops in the fourishing manufac-
turing town Of which We were resident; Mil
/ ly, the married sister and general fayorite !;
Rate and myself, twins, totally unlike, both
in looks and disposition Hattie. studious
girl of sixteen; Ross. a boisterous school
boy of fourteen; Nellie, delicate, petted
/ child af oil and thysa Etfl. hoy. in