The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-03-23
HOW AUNT ORPHA GAZE TO Us.
BY SARAH DE WOLF GAMwELL.

BY SARAH DE WOLF GAMWELL.
1t was Het's turn to serve Thanksgv-
ing turkey this year, and we all said she
did it to perfection. We all know, for
we were all there. We are always all
there with the Thanksgiving turkey;
we pass ourselves around at Thanksgiv-
ing time like choice fruit. Last year,
we all went down to Nantucket to visit
brother John Brewster. He was named
from a second cousin of our mother, and
we always call him John Brewster
The year before Aunt Filura invited us
to Brooklyn. Two years ago the lot fell
on me, and where live is of no conse-
auence. Next year we are going to
Mates. Mate lives in Kansas City. Het
lives in Berkshire. There were 20 of us
in all at table, including brother John
Brewster's wife's sister, and Crete's duet
that means Crete's twin 12-years-old
girls.-and Aunt Orpha, who is Charles
aunt and lives with Het. Charlie is
Het's husband, and drives killing bust
ness in the pill, and scalpel line. Clayte
had the seat of honor this year. 1t is
way we have, when any of us has done
ANYTHING little better than ordinary, to
give him or her the best seat at table.
Art had it the year he took the first prize
for scholarship at Harvard, and Ray (she
is the soprano in Crete's duet, and short
for Rachael) had it the year after she
saved all her pin money to buy reading
blocks for the deaf and dumb daughter
of colorei washerwoman. AS for
Clayte it would be quite as much to the
point to tell what he had not done, as
what he had. Negatively then he had
been out in Chicago one year, and he had
not smoked one cigar, he had not once
as much as Cooked upon the wine when
it is red," he had not once forgotten to
write to his mother every Sunday, lex
cept when he had the measles, and then,
he wouldn't give Joe any peace till he
had written for him-Joe is fellow
boarder,) he had not once failed to keep
an appointment with his employers, or
to tender them the full measure of
honest, faithful, cheerful service, every
time, full, pressed down and running
over. And so it came to pass that just
before Thanksgiving time they had sent
him home for a week, with promise OF
a very honorable promotion on his re-
turn. Positively he was taller, broader
shouldered, fuller chested, deeper voiced;
he bore his IS years with the dignity of
q man who looks the whole world in the
face out of honest eyes, who means to
serve his day and generation faithfully,
and so successfully Of course We made
him our king, pro ten. I learned that
last at q woman's convention. and like
it, it sounds judicial. After the turkey,
came chicken-pie. Het's cookery bore
the charm of novelty to us, because there
had been q kind of family tradition
which had its root in actual demonstra-
ton, that when she married she could
not do anything but "hssty pudding"
and some of the more critical among us
had been known to affirm that even here
her efforts were not always crowned with
the highest success. But it must be con-
fessed that the very first meal in her
house was q disappointment to the
Family" Henceforth not one individual
member had even the melancholy salts
faction of remarking to another member,
81 told you So"
Speaking of chicken-pie," said Uncle
Philetus, passing his plate for the sec
ond time, speaking of chicken-pie, Me-
hitable, Che was Aunt Filura's husband,
and always gave Het the full benefit of
her name, seems to me have heard
that your first efforts in that direction
were attended with an amount of uncer-
tainty as to results"
mo uncertainty about it," replied
Het with laugh. "In the first place it
never aspired to be anything but meat
pie, and as to results-it was q most per-
feet failure, the --LATEST, deadest failure I
ever saw, as Aunt Orpha or Charlie here
can testify. But the story of that meat
pie is so mixed up with smallpox that !
will defer it till after dinner,
Smallpox and meat-pie! How queer,
said Ray.
'How queer" echoed her second.
''That reminds me- said Clayte, "of
the time we had up in Chicago, this fall
vaccinating . church full of people"
'You don't say So" "Were you
there?' ibid you have anything TO do
with that?' Why, read about that in
the papers," from chorus Of voices.
''0h, yes, was there. We locked the
doors and charged in upon them right
and left; not one man, woman or child
scsped."
Clayte suddenly doubled himself ny
and grew very red in the face.
WAL, I never would believe il Of you
Daniel Clayton Doolittle,v groanet
grandma, with all We have heard and
believed Of your steadfastness, that yor
would 60 gallsvsnting around with q se
OF scape-grace doctors, and disturbing
people at their worship on the Sabbath
dev i wonder the minister did not hav,