The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-08-30
SIS BROWNS FORTUNE.

TO begin with, I am a long young
person, with big bones and plenty OF
Chem-and don't care Il button if my
hair is redl l have good reason tC
know that L am not considered bcauti-
tul; that my nose, for mstance-but
there's really no need for such distress.
ing details.
My father, Peter Brown--tho best
farmer living in all Fairfax, be the dead
one whom he may-is tho unfortunate
possessor of IL children, every single
one OF them girls-and the married ones,
too, for that matterl Of course, girls
are all very well as far as they go, but
one gets too much Of good thing
sometimes, and when poor pa takes a
notion to upbraid fate because all his
boys turned out girls l must say |
rebel against the decree that condemns
me to SlaVish frocks and friZZes. Most
good folks sing out that they want to
carry harps and be angels, but I--if
only were Peter Brown, Junior, and
had a farm like pal 1 don't blame ma,
OF course, but l really do think the
even dozen ought to have contented
her-and, what's more, say so, when
pa and l get beyond tile subdung in.
tiuence of her eye-fOr there's nothing
tritlmg about mas eycl
When pa and mas love was young
and their future a roSe-colOred rose
therel I've heard pa say it Il dozen
times, but When girl happens to bc
shackled with a memory like boys
pocket upside down, and the middle
nowhere, and get that memory from hel
ma, suppose there's to be allowances
anyhow, the first girls got the bene.
l1t OF 1t all i'll the way OF mugs, and
corhls.. :and AGNES as fine as iiddles
Cnen tnefe came such q disastrous lul]
IN pas enthusiasm that ma says, when
he painted up from the fields one hot
noon and found our dear old twins
waiting, instead of his dinner, it set
him 50 frantic that he threatened to
bunch the whole family together like Il
string Of fish and do Il dark and despe-
rate deed. But ma just kept on having
her own way-wllich means girls
until by the time she wound up the
nome circle with me-at your service
she had SO worn her intellect down at
the heels thinking up double-barrelled
names for the other dozen, that she
handed my christening over to pa, and
pa eyerlastingly disgraccd himself, in
my estimation, by heartlessly calling
me Sis-absolutely nothing but Sisl
II 1 mad been a boy this indignity
at leaSt-but there are some wrongs SO
great that the only thing one can con.
yenicntly do is to forgive them! But
though pa has been cheated OF his bish.
ops and senators and things (poor dear
he never dreams that SONS Of his might
have turned out farmers like himself
only not half 50 good) the girls have
certainly made up his loss in husbands
indeed, pa seems to have more sOns-in
law than he quite knows what to dc
with-and as TO grandsonsl
eff one could only feed them like
chickcns!" sighs poor ma, plaintively.
''lf one could only kill them like
chickens, you mean," / retorted, vim
dictiycly.
After that little business talk pa and
l had behind the barn I've settled il
my mind that the Browns have got tc
ecOnomiZe-and l mean to start will
the grandchildren by way of a noble
beginning.
"Now, look here, ma," | say to tho
dear old soul who is already staring at
me with big, anxious eyes, like Il hel
with her feathers ruilicd, "this thing
has gone or long enough, and l Just
mean to hitch old Calico to the cart
and dump every scrap OF grandchild al
his own lawful door, dol It's down
right mean in the girls to impose on us
III this everlasting way--as if there
wasn't work enough of our own"
"There, there, sir'' interrupts ma
pathetically, "they only mean to please
pa"
"And a nice way they take to do it
l'a's an old man now, and after pinch.
ing and Shaving all his life for us arm,
OF girls, what right have they to keel
him pinching and shaving to tho lasti
On, You needn't look at me like that
ma, dear; children, like good MINERS
ought to be found at hOmc-hi, yo,
Tom, Dick, Harry, etc., etc. :" an(
when at last have packed them in tl,t
cart, and we 60 laughing, scratching
and squalling down the road, I fec
like the pied piper of IIamlien, only
there's no hill with wide, greedy Jaws
waiting ut the end of the trip-more's
the pityl
That sounds as if Sis Brown wer,
not fond Of children; but | really am
when they come like silk frocks ant
other occasional luxuries-considere
as everyday affairs, however, if an
to be allowed preference between til,
two--why, give mo the locusts of Egyp
and accept my grateful thanks.
When l have impartinlly divided
their howling household goods between
the eight sisters who 1.-Two SO mcon
iortably near, the sun is sinking behint
tho trees in blaze Of glorious yellow
There Is a long road with many leaf,
turnings, that Calico knows rs we'll n
!, and while she dawdles along It witt
y languid elegance that suits us both
"lt, tailor-fashion, in the bottom o