Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-12
A GUEST AT HOME.

watching Lne lane an6lOusly, as IL snt
were in a great hurry to see some one
coming. Once or twice she went into the
house to look at the fire and to make suIe
that everything was IN order for supper
The table was already set and there were
signs that it was more than an ordinary oc,
Gasion in the household.
81 don't suppose she'll come anyway,
called a despairing voice from an inneI
roOm and Mrs. Hollis looked discouraged
for minute, and then went to the door OF
the bedroom and looked in.
ooh, yea, Annie will be here, Aunt
Harriet she wouldn't d:sappoint us.
think likely that the cars are late. The
boys are way down to the end OF the lane
I told them to be there SO as to open and
shut the gate. 1t seems as if they couldn'
wait to see Aunie. Poor child l DO hope
she's going to be contented. expect It'll
be a great change for her."
" l never did think it was any kindness,
for my part" grumb led Aunt Harriet.
8 ] don't care if Henry was your brother,
II he had given her couple of quarters
schooling TO some of the academies near
by, she'd got just as much good exactly,
aud 'Gwoul1n't have put none O. these
high notions into her head. She'd have
settled down and kept school somewhere
near here, but now she'll always be want
ing t. get back among city folks, and ali
that painting OF hers is all nonsense. Ia
like to know what good it's going to do her,
after all's said and done. | expect she'll
come home and be so high and mighty
there won't be 10 living with her, and
the poor old soul who was half paralyzed,
and who had also a temper that was much
warped and twisted, gave her head an
angry twitch and fairly pushed pillow of
the b ID to the floor.
" This hot weather's real trying for you,
Aunt Harriet said Mrs. Hollis, good
psturedly, as she crossed the room to
pick it up. Il should think all these
blankets would be too heavy. Don't let's
worry about Annie until we find there j
something TO make us. I'm sure she will
do the best she can, and she don't seem to
have lost her interest in home, il We eau
tell anything by her letters"
I'm all Of a shiver," said the old lady,
complainingly. 81 don't see how you can
talk about it's being hot You needn t
stop with me, and Mrs. Hollis waited for
III oGNbL4 bloAlAdSdis Ous uulllCu bhIh ~ Vic
door again to watch for the wagon. The
boys were shouting and chasing each other
up the lane, and in the distance she could
see the old red horse trotting slowly along
the crooked by-way, and her heart began
10 beat very fast; she did not know
whether to hurry forward to meet her
daughter, who seemed almost like a
stranger and a guest, in her own home.
She had been away almost three years, llv.
ing with an uncle, and since he had sent
her to a city boarding-school she had spent
the vacations in travelling, or at his house
II New ork.
As they drove nearer Mrs. Hollis looked
Auziously at her husbands face to see if
ne were pleased with his daughter, and mis-
expression was most satisfactory. He
looked almost as if he had pleasant sur
Prise for his wife, and as if he were not at
all embarrassed or dismayed. The girl
who sat beside him looked happy and ex.
pectant, and az if she were not bit sorry
to come home again, and Mrs. Hollis said,
eagerly, "Tnere, | am so glad to have you
back, Annie" and her daughter sprsng
quickly down and hurried to meet her
while the two boys, who had been most
enthusiastic and daring a few minutes be-
fore, went rapidly towards the barn to.
gesher, being much dismayed at the sight
Of such well-dressed and elegant sister.
" Look here, Jack and Lonny," she said,
after she had kissed her mother half a
dozen times, aren't you coming to speak
to me ! / can't believe it's you-you have
grown so, and being thus summoned they
same awkwsrdlY back two freckled,
clumsy, great fellows OF - and H. They
are little shy tonight, said the mother
to make up for the col1ness of their vel
GOMEZ " but they haven't been able to put
their minds to anything for day or two,
they were so pleased about your coming.
I'm make friends with them fast
enough, said Annie. 90 mother, there
are so many things l want to tell you that
I don't know where to begin"
" You had better 90 in and see your
Aunt Harriet. guess" said Mrs. Hollis
" she's been looking forward to your com.
ing. expect she'll be aggravating some
times she Is to all of ms, she added, in an
uneasy whisper. g gu can sit with her a
few minutes and I'll put tea on the table
it's all ready, and they went into the
house together.
For all her pleasure in getting back to
her own family, our heroine felt little
distressed and homesick as she entered the
low doorway. She had been living in a
handsome city house for a good many
months, and somehow the ceremony and
luxury OF city life had seemed always Ia
mihar TO her and she had adapted herself
30 it without the slightest trouble. She
had always been little impatient from her
childhood of the bare walls, and the plain,
hard life of the farm. she was by nature
refined, and she had been delicate, SO that
ler father and mother had taken great care
OF her, aud had made life as easy for her
as they could The minister's wife had
-lken great interest in her. aud che had
made some vlslts N New York. and her
Unc,e.s family had tried TO make her prom
lee Go 1--we with them altogether. People
had said It vas pity so bright girl with
such appreciation of the things thatcah be
touud IN better houses and in the more
artistic and cultivated society OF a CITY,
should be forced to live in a dull farming
town, whore there would be SO little com.
psnlonsUIp and sympathy.
Annie Hollis knew that these THINGS
W. 'N''H- ~ AilA ttAtAQsr anu ~ ITHL she
Pitled herself very much, and she dreaded
more and more going home to live. She
wished that every month of her school life
might he year. But one night when she
could not 60 to sleep, she thought il all
over, and somehow she began to see It in a
different light. she saw that there would
not be very much for her to take but
there might be q great deal that she could
give. She remembered thar her father
had looked old and tired when she saw him
,st, and that he had been q bright bow
with an ambition to have q college eduoa.
ton, but his father had died suddenly, and
he had been obliged to leave school at
once, and 70 give up this dream Of his
she remembered, too, that he liked read.
ing. and that he was very fond of history.
and how many a winter evening she had
seen him sit by the fire holding one OF
bis books in one hand and candle in tn,
other. She thought of the wider world Of
literature and art of which she had already
been made cit zen, and she wondered il
she could not bring many pleasures ant
treasures into this life. Her father haC
always been poor man. He had to pay
d, ,,o+s ,.-b,oI ba h,5 fooT,.b1,, ;rIo-sol g.,