The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-10-31
How n Cloud rumblan Down

loretta Carlin, in Golden Days.
Everybody seems to think you ought to be
believe some folks are. 1 know my Aunt
Jennie is rot. She said to mamma, the
other day:
''Now Della"-that's mamma "when my
birthday comes, on the fifth don't for pity
sake. speak of it before Dick"-Dck is pIpa.
Mamma said:
why not?'
And Aunt Jennie said:
''Oh, because shall be so old. and don't
care TO have every one remind me of the fact.
After this, ! prefer to have my birthdays in
private"
Mamma laughed, and thought
How strange of Aunt Jennie. For il
you have private birthdays bow can folks
know when to give you present.
Mamma said:
You'll be thirty, won'tsyou?'
And Aunt Jennie kind of shievered and
said:
Horrible factr'
well, l won't tell" said mamma. "It
shall be dead secret between us two"
But they did not tell me not to tell. They
never seemed to think Of me.
Now, secrets always kind of weigh on my
mind-this one did-and by "Wednesday, the
birthday | could not bear the weight any
longer. So at dinner L said and there was
company present. too:
to-day. But it's dead secret"
And Aunt Jennie turned red and mamma
frowned at ME. But think Aunt Jennie
ought to have been grateful to me- TOR father
gave her the prettiest book that evening when
he came home-all OH account of my tell
ing
Now, L like my BIRTHDAYS. Catch me bav-
Ing private ones. On my last birthday, though,
when was ten years old, some pretty pro-
vOking things happened.
The very first thing that morning when [
was sOrnd asleep in my bed, my bad brother
Dick named after papa, you see-he remem-
bered was my birthday, and he thought he
would celebrate 1t in his own way. Boys
are so mean, you know. always teasing the
cat, or their sisters, or doing something disa-
greeable,
l forgot to say that I'm not boy myself
I'm girl; but mamma calls me a tom-boy
sometimes.
Why, if I'd known what Dick was going to
do. believe | would have kept my birthday
private, like Aunt Jennie. L would to Dick
anyway; not everybody, of course, on ac-
count OF the presents
Well, I'll tell you what he did He went
and got some red pepper and dropped it on
my tongue when i was asleep. | suppose I
must have had my mouth open. though
never do sleep with it open, very often.
The pepper burned awfully, and | began
to dream had been telling fibs like the boy
III the fable. His tongue burned you know
But the minute opened my eyes | took
in the situation" as papa always says.
know our Dick so we'll, you see. Besides,
lSaw him watching me through a knot hole
inthe door
But was not going to let him see how
badly the pepper was making me feel, SO |
turned my face to the wall and rubbed my
tongue on the sheet.
Then felt some better and made believe
to so to sleep again; but my tongue burned
a'good deal while was pretending. think
looked pretty calm though.
"Oh, il Dick had only known the resolves
was making inside of me about Furnishing
him.
But never said word about red pepper
to him all day. was not ready yet, and 1
guess Dick thought the pepper must have
been poor stuff, that did not make any fuss.
As long as II had burned me L was dread
ful angry, but afterwards did not want to
hurt Dick exactly. but wanted to pay him
back L could not think of any way for
awhile.
But that night it began TO rain, aud it
ralned all night and all the next day, just as
hard as it could pour.
The day after my birthday MARINA sent
me into the boys room for something, and
then, all at once, thought of way to pun
ish Mr.. Dick. IL seemed to me very extra
nice way, too: but / suppose must have
been mistaken, for mamma scolded me- after
| bad done il, harder than for anything
ever did before in all my life
When / went into the room noticed that
the ceiling looked rather strange The walls
and ceiling are not plastered in some of the
houses here in California; the ceilings are
made OF thick canvas stretched from one
wall to another, and the walls are papered
lthad Tained so bard the last twenty-four
hours that the water had come through the
roof. but it did not drip on the floor, because
of the thick canvas
ltjust collected there and the ceiling in
one place. right over Dicks bed, looked all
baggy, and weighed down with the water.
don't suppose any one else had noticed it
yet
Well. the thought came to me that If l
could only make the water fall down Oh