The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1882-12-20
A Case Of Coincidence.
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She vas queer old lady, vas Grand
mother Grant she was not bit Ike
other grandmothcrs she was short and
fat and rosy az winter apple, with
oSeat deal OF snow-whitc hair set up in a
bio paff eli top of her head. and eyes as
black as hrcklebcrries, always packered
I'D with smiles Or laughter
She never woii}d wear zap.
Il can't be bothered with EN-" she
said: and when Amelia Rutledse. who
vas determined her grandma should, as
she said :go,k halfway decent" made
her two beautiful little mob caps, soft
and fluffy, and each with a big satin bow,
one lavender and enc white, put on to
show where the froiit Was; H:snama
never put them on right; the bow was
over one ear or behind, or the cap itself
was awry, and in the END size pulled
them off and stuck them on a china jar
in the parlor, or a tin canister on the
kitchen shelf, and left them there till
flies and dust ruined them.
"Asneiia's az obstinate as pig" said
the old lad, she would have me wear
'em, and I Wouldn't
That was all, but it was enough; not a
grandchild ever made her another cap.
Moreover Grandmother Grant always
dressed in one fashion; she had calico
dress for morning and black silk for
the afternoon, made with an old-fashion-
ed surplice waist, with a thick plated
ruff about her throat; she sometimes
tied a large white apron on, but only
when she went into the kitchen; and
she wore pocket as bigas three Of yours
Matilda, tied On underneath and reach
ed through slit in her gown. There.
in she kept her keys, her smelling bottle
her pocket-book, her handkerchief and
her spectacies. q bit of flag-root and some
| liquorice stick. I mean when l say this
that all these things belonged in hel
pocket, and she meant to Keep then
there: but it was one popularity Of the
dear cid lady that she always lost hel
necessary conveniences, and lost then
every day.
"Mariaw she would call out to he1
daughter in the next room, shave yor
seen my spectacles?"
"No. mother; when did you have
them?"
give minutes ago, darni Harry
stockings; but never mind, there's an
other pair in the basket"
In half an hour wheh Gerty came int
her room for something she needed
Grandmother would say:
aGerty, do look on the floor and see i
my specs lie anywhere around"
1 Gerty couldn't find them and the1
Grandma would say:
probably they dropped out on tn
grass under the window. you can SCI
when you 60 down; but give me m.
gold pair out of my upper drawer"
And when Mrs. Maria went to cal
her mother down to dinner she woul
; find her hunting all about the room
turning h cushions over, peering int
} the wood...l,sket, shaking out the sill
quilt, and say "What is it you wan
mother?'
"My specs, dear I can't find on
pair"
'But there are three pair on your hea
now p and Grandma would sit dow
and laugh till she shook all over, as if ]
| were the best joke in the world to pus
r your spectacles up over the short whit
curls on your forehead, one pair after ar
: other, and forget all about them.
J, She mislaid her handkerchief still o
t tener. Gerry would sometimes pick u
: six of these useful articles in one da
}, where the old lady dropped them as 81
: went about the house; but the mo
troublesome of all habits was way ST
had of putting her pocket-book in SON
queer place every night, or if ever ST
left home in the daytime, and then u
terly forgetting where she had secrete
it from the burglars or thieves she hs
!, all her life expected.
The house she lived in was her ow,
o but Doctor White, who had married h
q daughter Maria, rented it of her, and Il
. rent paid her board she had athousa1
a dollars year beside, half of which 81
! reserved her for dress and her charlie
q keeping the other half for her Christm
~ grifts to her children and grandchildre
/. There were ten Of these last and the t
o always needed something. Gerty Viii
. the Doctors daughter, was twelve yes
4 old: she had three brothers: Tom, Jol
n and Harry, all older than she was. NJ
4 Rutledge, who had been Annie Ora,
- was widow with three daughters
Sylvia, Amelia and Anne, the latter t.
now out in society and always glad
OF new dresses, gloves, bonnets, ribbo,
I'd lace. and the thousand small finer
id girls never have to their full satisfactic
IN There were Thomas Grants two girls
" thirteen and fifteen, Rosamond and IA
1g and his little boy Hal, crippled in
babyhood SO that he must always 60
= crutches, but as bright and happy
Grandma herself, and her prime fay
lite.
Now it. was Grandma's way to DIR
her money out of the bank two wei
before Christmas, and 60 into Bos
with Mrs. White to buy all the thin
she had previously thought over
these ten and their parents; and (
winter she had made herself all rec
to take the ten O'Clock train, and !
just taken her pocket-book out of
drawer when she was called down-st;
to see poor woman who had CO
}; begging for some clothes for her /
III band.
"Cone right up stairs, Mrs. Slae
said Grandma. Il don't have many
We ,,l;,o4;onc fnr rpan'a fhinos So I on