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

and listen to other people talklnS,
can not imagine. Untold gold could
not have coaxed them TO do it st any
other time. Probably thev were rather
dispirited and worn out by sundrv
kindly meant but most uncomfortable
pattings and rumplings Of Their
curly heads, and by an uuceasing
string of "Yes, ma'ams," No,
ma ans" Seven and eight last Au-
gust and other stereotyped replies
which they had been giving at each
house on their route. Certain it Is, they
must have been both quiet and atten-
tive, and the result of such an unusual
proceeding was unfolded to me at bed
time BY remark from Bobbett.
s'Say, Barbe." said he, after | had
kissed him and was going downstairs,
''a'n't father ever going to have an
other young man to study with himP'
"No. / hope not. Whys
ssOh, he's just got to have another.
What will you do, if he don'tP"
II shall not have to wait land tend,
make so much cake or so many pies,
for one thing"
..Oh, don't they eat, thought and
Vic's curly head waved to and fro with
the bare remembrance of some of her
losses at the table, on account OF the
immense appetites of those three young
men now my august brothers-in-law,
who took their preliminary studies for
the ministry under our father.
"Yes. they do eat awful" added
Bobbett, "but we've got to have an
other
began to suspect some sinister mo-
tive in this conversation, and so went
back from the head of the stairs, poked
Vic back into bed. and began d plomat-
lcally to get at the reason of this sudden
interest on their part in our household
economy.
"Iell sister Barbara why you want to
have another young man study with
father L had said to Bobbett. who was
chief spokesman, and whose head was
generally the clearer of the two.
80 Barbie, you can't be an old maid!
it's awful.'' was his startling response
to this gentle Insinuation.
Then VIC arose and poured forth the
announcement that:
'.Old Granny Barton said you'd be
one unless father took somebody soon.
like he did for Madge and Nate and
Ruth. but you sha'n't, Me and Bob
bett Just yelled at her in the window
when she said so. the mean old thingr
Ibid you listen, children" l said.
trying to be judic;ous and TO inculcate
principle; land you must not say gran
ny"
"Yes, we did, and peeked. too, and !
s,f
own sister and marry her when We
wanted to without her! She said We
were queer children but L reckon she's
queer herself. meddling so. You shall
be married. Barbie, in spite of what she
says. Wen coax father, and he'll have
another somebody. like brother Robert
or Tom. you know. and you can be
married big as anybody, if oil gran
Mrs. Barton does say there's nobody
you would think good enough for you in
the village"
These were Bobbett's manly senti-
ments. After their delivery / soothed
their rulf'ed feelings and did good deal
of what Bobbett calls proper talking,
OF the Stiffness of such an idea, and
came away with the firm conviction
that all further med tat ons on that SUBJ
ject were effectually banished from
their childish. but loving. hearts. 1t
had not been so easy. however, to drive
the remembrance of the scene from out
nv own mind, and it had fretted and
ranked against my sensitive soul for
these last two days, in a most weari-
some fashion.
1t is rude awakening to any simple
uatured. pure-hearted girl. to lind that
/, people are discussing and specializing
upon subjects that to her are sacred and
carefully cherished. 1t seems a desc
Grafton, that questions, which vet her
own heart has never asked, and GER
tainly her lips never framed. should be
tossed back and forth as food for idle
gossip. 1t Is nv first experience OF the
kind. so arerully have we been shell
tered, and thoUgh 1 reason with mysel
and men ally shake myse T. | am hurt
and refu e tn pc comfort j. | frye.
| that | am be.o eli daue hte.'. in 4 sweet
old home. ;hs. lie help of an oN e.
worked clergyman and his mu n minis
! tering wife; forget that am the much
worshipped sister of the angelic Vic and
| Bobbett, and that have my best work
and nobIest mission ready to nv hand
in the daily living. doing and homely
serving that wait for me each sunrise,
and whose cheerful fulhllment has
been nv only crown at each days sun
| set.
We girls at home had not been
| brought up to speculate upon our fu-
ture post ons in the world as wives OF
-some possible heroes, who were to come
| from somewhere with full hands, bear
| ing great gifts, and carry Us straight
away to the fairylands of happiness and
glorious wifehood. In our Utmost wo-
man souls we knew las what pure
hearted girls do noti) that the rounded
orhpletion, the perfection of our wo-
manhood, lay in such possible glory,
but it had been holy something in the
shadowy future UPON VIII ch it were
desecratIng to lay the rough hands OF
comment or of speculation. My sisters
had each gone out from her childhood
home with the blessing of those she left,
and carrying the honor of her new hap
piness sseetly, simply and bravely into
the untried paths of her future life. II
occurs to me now that it is mortifyingly
true that they have each married men
who studied with father, though as one
was engaged to Kate before he came,
and one to Ruth not until long years
after he went away. the peculiar signih-
canoe had not struck me before
The shadows grow longer on the
grass. as I sat thinking; down the
lane l hear the tinkle of cow-bells
still through my mind are float.
ing half-formed plans for fight into
the world-for selfsupport-for wonder.
full deeds that shat leave no time for re.