Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-08-02
patched and mended. and made real

iorts anu cOnvenlenceS, IN the nair'
cloth trunk, ready to take with them by
the early train in the morning, she al.
most felt reconciled to think Guy had
made the mess of it she had prophesied
Ito have given her this opportunity of
convincing him of the infallibility Of
her prescience While Uncle Hiram
packed big basket with all sorts Oh
ssgoodies" off the truck patch-enough
to stock the Norris junior larder for
weeks.
The late winter sun was not yet half
way up to the zenith when the cab
Uncle Hiram had hired at the depot
stopped at the street and number des-
ignated, and the country people stepped
out, paid their fare, and stood with
their luggage around them, while Aunt
Keturah took critical survey of the
pretty little detached house before
them.
''The mans made a mistake. This
amt the place. Guy don't live in any
such house as this
Uncle Hiram put on his glasses, and
scrutinized the cottage from its tiny
sbalconied tower in the top-centre to the
long, wide piazza, in cream-and-b blue
thing, upon which the first-floor win
dows all opened, with pretty lace cur
tains and damask lambrequins TO them.
mo, Guy don't live here, sure
enough. But I'll just step up and ring
the bell, and mebbe the folks can tell
me where 80 Emerson street is-for
don see no number on this
But Uncle Hiram's eyes were not
sharp, or he would have seen the en-
bossed silver numbers on the door-bell,
as he gave it rousing jerk. that brought
the neatest of little colored girls, twelve
or so years old. to the door, in dark
pink dress and white apron, pretty red
stockings and slippers.
And, to the very great establishment
of both the old folks, she said that Mr..
Norris lived there but he was sick.
Mrs. Norris was at home. Please would
they walk in and give her their names.
Aunt Ketuah walked in-grim,
solemn-faced, bewildered; while Uncle
Hiram went to shoulder the trunk and
basket.
''Tell 'em Aunt Ketury's here from
York State-her and Uncle Hiram"
she said. a little uncertainty, as she
stepped inside the charming little sit
ting-room into which TopsySs descend
ant ushered them-a charming, little,
-windowed room. where plants
grew and bloomed in the eastern sun
shine; with brown-and-orange Brus-
sells carpet on the floor, and pretty,
brown rep lounge, with a knitted afghan
and a pillow to match, -cozy Turkish.
chairs and ottomans; with drapery at
the windows, few choice bright pic
lures on the walls. a fire glowing in a
low, silver-barred CRATE, a canary twit-
tering in a gilded cage, and a fat,
motherly Maltese cat and three baby
kittens lying on rug before the fire.
Aunt Keturah looked around in
speechless amazement, curious little
culver under her eyelids, and sort of
half-choked, half-terrified expression in
her eyes, that changed to one of adj
miration impossible to repress as
young, beautiful woman came into the
room-the most beautiful woman Aunt
keturah had ever seen in all her life
before-with lovely, bright brown eyes,
and bronze-brown hair, and COM
plexion palely olive, and vivid, scarlet
lips, like a robins breast.
$50 this is Guys auntieP Aunt Ke-
turah, | am quite sure, and Uncle
Hiram? | am Jessie, and very glad
you have come to see us. Guy is very
much better, and he is so anxious to
see you. Let me take your shawl and
bonnet, auntie. and Annie will see to
your luggage"
SO gracious, so sweet, so perfectly
the hostess-and actually Guys wife
Guys shiftless, lazy, story writing wife!
this charming woman, who, for all
her pleasant ways, had certain some
thing about her that impressed Aunt
Keturah with a realizing sense of supe-
riority and proud dignity.
For once in her life, Aunt Keturah
was ''numstruck," she said, afterward
and in subdued silence followed Jessie
through the pretty, neat halls. up the
Brusses-carpeted stairs, and into very
bower of cheerful beauty, with every
comfort heart could wish, and many
dainty luxuries besides, to where, in
and slippers, their boy
Guy lay on the lounge, little pale,
quite thin, but contented and well cared
for, beyond the shadow of a doubt.
1t was all-everything- so very, so
different from what Aunt
Keturah had supposed! She had an
insane desire to pinch herself to see if
she were awake; and as she suddenly
thought of the things she had brought
to feed and clothe Guy and his wife,
81 ,.nIl1anI III aka %
a sharp, dead stop in the middle of
sentence addressed to Guy.
whats the matter, Aunt Kitty?"
he said.
And she bestowed a sheepish, side
ways glance ON Uncle Hiram, who, al
though he was unusually silent, gave
ample evidence, by the twinkle in his
shrewd little eyes, that he appreciated
to nicely how ludicrously they had
been mistaken in Guys wife and Guys
condition.
"I'll tell you what's the matter" she
said, stoutly-and then there crept a
little half-ashamed, half-sorry tone in
her voice. "We've been couple of
old fools, Hir'm and me-that's what
ace'Ue been! But because we've been
in the wrong, specially me, amt any
reason why we shouldn't acknowledge
it. | always was opposed to you. my
DEAR" she said to Jessie, who listened,
flushing little and smiling more. II
had an idea-the Lord only knows
where came by it-that you warn't
very good for much. cause you war a
story writer; and we even imagined,
Hir'm and me, that we'd find you and
Guy very poor; and yonder, in that
trunk. is vittles, and patched-up under
flannens there is indeed
Tears were in her honest red eyes,
for all the hearty laugh in which she
joined, and Guy insisted on her not
taking the things back again.
II am glad You were mistaken. Aunt
Kitty" he said, kindly. but my
Jessie there is quite an heiress. She
earns sixty dollars every week of her
life, and saves most of it. 1t is her
have been laid off, and nearly all the
luxuries in our home have been earned
by her busy pen. Even the house is
rightly hers, and the furniture, for she
paid the running expenses while my
salary bought it. She is n treasure,
this little girl of mine; and, Aunt Kitty,
when you've eaten one of her dinners,
cooked by her own hands, and seen al
over the house-neat as q pin, and hei
only help colored Annie-you will be 8
convert to my cause
And when Aunt Keturah went home
a fortnight afterward, she was thorough
~ convinced that, of all women in tn,
world her nephew had von tho ,.ichast