The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-04-05

~ my life, but for all that / hurried
ana dressed myself and was back to
cnurch in time to light the lamps, for
lsknew well enough that those girls
would pring and prink, and so they
did.
"Well by eight O'Clock everybody'd
got there, and the sellin' began very
brisk, and as l said before, if Aunt
Betsy and me had been alone it would
have gone on brisk to the end, yet
law! those six creatures just spoiled
everything.
When Mr.. Allen came in he walk
ed right over to where l was pourin'
tea and coffee, and made as though
he was goin' to set spell, and with
thasSally Stiles and the two Davis
y rs Jest crowded themselves down
into tiny same corner and began to
talk so hst that no one else could getin
a word edgeways. But when Mandy
and 'MUy Jones and Lyddy Hall
jined in l jest told 'em their room
was better than their company,
thinkin' Nhey'd take the hint. Now
you'd harlly guess what they did
they wentand sot on the platform in
front of thepulpit, takin' the minis
ter with zen of course, and there they
kept up sucl laughin' and a chat
term as younever saw, pretendin' to
wait on Mr. Allen, bringin' him
plates of pe,cheS and ice cream,
crumblin' up rood slices of cake and
wastin' 'em, Until | could haye slap
ped every one of the six.
II got so nevouS at last, Watchin'
their doin's That L poured tea and
coffee into the same cup, and when
our big dog, (roWler, came creepin'
in and put his cold nose onto my
hand, dropped a cup and saucer and
broke it into twenty pieces. / told
Growler to go out, but instid of mid
in me he walked over and lay down
at Mr.. Aliens feet, and in a minute
that Lyddy Hal screams out: See
there. Mr.. Allen! Miss Mix has sent
Growler to take care of you, aren't
you obliged to her?' and [ felt my
face gettin' as red as fire, L was so
mortified.
81 think the minister was partly
to blame for what happened next,
though there's no known, for those
girls KEEP on gittin' wilder and wilder
every minute. But l saw him 90 and
get a basket of cake off of Aunt
Betsy's table, and then he took his
seat again in the middle and begun
to make believe eat all the cake him
self. Jest as he sot there, with his
head bent down over the cake basket,
Sally Stiles puts out her hand and
tWitches him by his back hair.
81 saw her do it, the forward thing!
but | wasn't no more prepared than
she was for what came next. 1t was
a sharp pull, and there was the min
lister with his head as bare and shiny
as an ivory ball and there was Sally
lookin' ready to faint, with his wig
in her hand
swell, she gave one scream that
was fit to wake the dead, and drop
ped it right down on the floor.
GrowIer didn't wait for no second
invitation; he sprung up, took the
wig in his mouth, and raced off as if
he was mad, tossin' it and gr)Wlin'
as he went. Mr.. Allen started after
him, but the dog thought this was
part of the play so he went up one
aisle and down the ether, and then
out of the door. and away as fast as
his legs could carry him, and poor
Mr.. Allen behind.
"Brother Ralph jumped up and
made grab at the minister's coat
tails, shoutin' as loud as he could
Stop! don't run, the more you chase
him the further he'll go,' t'wan't a
bit of use he jest ran on and in a
minute they were both out of sight.
Most of the young men started off to
see the fun as they said, and as for
that onlucky Sally Stiles, she tainted
in good airnest, which made more
confusion.
"Sech hubbub you never saw
everyone askin' questions and laugh
in, and the girls a holdin' up Sally
and sprinkIin' her face with cold
water, and Miss Stiles cryin', fol
SalIy's faintin' gave her sech aturn-
and in the midst of it all most of the
small boys went and helped them.
selves to as much cake and ice cream
as they could git, and all without
payin', either.
"Aunt Betsy saw 'em first, and
made a grab at Johnny Evans, jest a'
he was dippin' into the freezer, ant
somehow, between 'em. they upse
the coffee kittle, and it streamed al
over everything.
"Well, that was the finiShin' toucl