The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-02-08
TWO YOUNG CONSPIRATORS.

TWO YOUNG C0NSPlRATORS.
'Where are you going Barbie3'
lam already halfway down the lane,
and L take care not to stop or turn
around as I answer, shortly: Down to
the orchard"
Can't l 60, too?"
No"
ssNor me ne ther?n
l shake my head, still walking, and
add by way of excuse: Il want to be
quiet. children"
"You amt obliged to make any more
noise Just because we 90.
That is good sound reasoning, still l
persist in be NO impolite, and only COM
promise by adding, '.Iou can come
down Just before supper, and walk home
with me.
Two hours later how 1 wish 1 had
taken those spirits of mischief. my little
brother and sister, with me! Anywhere,
ANYHOW rather than to have left them
with the threads of my destiny in their
chubby fingers. and only their own
sweet wills to guide them. Afraid of
another interruption, or detention un-
less l speedily disappear from sight,
hurry forward until have let down and
securely put up again the old gray bars
that serve as cloister doors between my
little world of home life and small du-
ties, and that sheltering retreat of al
nv girlhood DAYS, the orchard. With a
SIGH of relief | toss nv hat on the
ground, throw down the books, wise
and otherwise. which | had brought
unde.. the pretense that shall improve
nv time by reading, and give myself up
to the luxury of being alone and uncom-
Portable Softened by the many leaves
of the low-branching apple trees. the
hot July sun falls with tender, dreamy
light upon the green grass at nv feet;
stirred by n gentle breath of fragrant
summer ar, the green leaves whisper
soothing words OF peace and rest; a
saucy squirrel on twisted bit of fence
is cooking up his tail and winking at me
with one eye in the jolEest. give care
the-go-by manner possible: but though
heartily ashamed OF myself | am still
unhappy and only take comfort in one
thought, that neither the dear old trees,
twisted and gnarled- by many year $
contest with wind and weather, nor the
twttering birdsln their branches. young
and silly, nor the squirrel risky and
care-free, will critieise me or reason
with me- They do not know that have
suddenly discovered that [ am twenty
four wears old. and that the village Cos
sips have decided that the minister is
going TO have an OLD maid in his family,
after ali. They do not know that for
the first time rude hands have swept
across the wires OF my sensitive girl ma
ture and set it all a jangling and out of
tune; they do not know how have been
longing to run away from them
ever since mother came home
from her round of parish calls
the other day, on which. contrary
to her usual custom, she had taken
Vic and Bobbitt. the two angels to be,
whom we entertained in our home and
whose company l refused this after
noon.
Dear little mother takes day now
and then and goes calling about dong
her duty as minister's wife IN q large
and proportionately mixed-up parish;
mixed up of small pinch of good. SEN
sible people, a large proportion of the
gossipv, 'tend-to-some one-else' s-busi-
ness sort, with sprinkling of monde
scripts, who do not give either favor OF
sweetness to the compound but serve to
hold IT together. There is not q single
thing which we IS minister's family
do not know about the duties of minis
ters' wives; for first, there Is mother,
who has been steadily at work for thir-
ty-five wears; then Ruth. Kate and Mar
garet, my three older sisters, have each
one taken unto themselves ministers and
their parishes for husbands, and are
struggling on, each one morally sure
she Is in Just the path marked out for
her, and comfortably settled in hel
mind that she IS doing her duty and full
filing her destiny. To be sure there is
distinction with 8 perceptible amount
of difference between them Ruth has
a country home like ours, and is living
Just such another life as mothers; Kate
ministers to the wants OF q wealthy city
congregation; and Margaret and hel
husband are progressive, as they say
nowadays; they are hard workers,
looking out for the manners and morals
of their people, their bodies as well q:
their souls, to say nothing of attending
to two or three religious papers and
periodicals. and running 8 missionary
enterprise by way of recreation
But all this has nothing to do with
mothers calls, the other day, only thai
It was because Of our being such min
stering family that l had to have the
little thrust from old Mrs. Earton
which had fretted and ranked eyel
since.
Vic's and Bobbitt's stock of good
manners. reservedfor this occasion only
had b-gun to run low about the time
mother reached the Bartons', and she
had asked permission for them to stay
and play there until her return. The
old Lady had said she would be delight
ed to have the little dears, and the
younger Mrs Barton had been as polite
Is new carpet. spotless piazza-iioor,
and well-swept walks could allow; SC
the blessed children had sat on the edgs
of the porch with their feet hanging
over, and their heads close under ths