The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-07-23

a ragged signal Of faded blue hutterine
| like flag of distress from some storm
beaten ship; but the hand that set the
| signal was cleaning white down in th'
red coral. The angry winds that had
! driven her lovers ship upon the pitiles:
rocks came in the June days and kissed tbs
faded kerchief softly, and caressed il
tenderly, as though in sorrow for what
they had done: and in December they
snatched and tore at it angrily. as though
they would destroy every trace OF the
sailor from off the face of the earth.
But Aunt Powell never touched it. "Let
it wave there till he comes back, she said
'he may see it yet, some day, and know
that am waiting for him."
And so it fiuttered and faded, and little
by little the winds tore it away, and the
blue in her eyes faded with the silken
token, and their light grew dim as the hope
in her heart went out.
All that her sailor had in the world he
had left TO his sweetheart. He was an only
child, and when his heart-broken old
father followed him, in a few years, he,
too, left his fortune, which was an ample
one, to the girl he lovingly called his
daughter, in his will. And so our dear
Aunt Powell was very rich. But she never
married. Lovers knelt at her feet, for she
was still beautiful, but there was only one
image in her heart. And so she grew old
and rich and lonely.
But when, little by little, this story came
to US, our hearts warmed to our father s
only sister. We wrote to her often and
most affectionately. We learned her BIRTH
day, and always remembered her with
loving messages and such little presents as
we could afford. encouraged the children
to write to her, and Lem went and told
Abner about it, and if Jennie didn't keep
every one of her four children away from
Sunday school, the very next Sunday
afternoon, to make them write to Aunt
Powell! l told Mrs. Roberts | thought she
ought to be disciplined for it, If she was
my own brothers. wife. The idea that any
woman should imperil the souls of her own
children for her own mercenary schemes.
For my own part, | loved Aunt Powell
honestly and disinterestedly. Jennie, L
know, was mercenary from the very start,
and so was Hamer's wife, but they wasn't
neither of them Powells. When Jasper
Blake built his new house on Wayne Street
Maria wrote to Aunt Powell that they had
built the largest room in the house with
big bay window especially for her; it
would always be called AUNT Powell's
room," and whether she ever came to stay
in it or not, no one else would ever occupy
it. And for a very good reason, too; they
weren't able to furnish it; and they didn't
even paint it, for that matter, for nearly
two years after they had lived in that
house, and they used it for a general
lumber-room. A nice time Aunt Powell,
or anybody else, except the rats, would
have living in that mice large room"
Well, at last Aunt Powell came, with
seven trunks and French maid. Abner
drove over to the station to bring her
home. He and Jennie had it all fixed up
to take her right to their house, and shut
all the rest of us out on the plea that Aunt
Powell was fatigued and needed rest. But
Jennie, as usual, coniided her little plan to
three or four confidential friends outside
the family. She seemed more surprised
than delighted to see US as we came
dropping in about fifteen or twenty min
uteS before stage time, and when Abner
came, leading Aunt Powell into parior
lust full to the windows with his brothers
and sisters and their children, his face was
a study for a photographer. He didn't
even have the pleasure of being master Of
ceremonies in his own house, either, for
before he could recover from his amaze
ment we had captured Aunt Powell, intro
duced ourselves, and made the most of our
first opportunity.
If ever Aunt Powell had been beautiful,
it was a long time before we saw her. Her
eyes were bright as diamonds, but one OF
them was a little 'set," and she could pin
you with that eye like a gimlet. She was
tall and angular; dressed like a lady, but
very quietly, and wore no jewelry
save an elegant pearl pin at her throat.
Her maid was the ugiieSt and croSsest
creature in all this world, do believe, and
as none of US understood a word OF French,
the bits of conversation those two used to
have when we were with them were fairly
especially if Aunt Powell
happened TO transtix you with her ''set"
eye, while she looked at her maid with the
other.
In about a month Aunt Powell felt
strong enough to look at toe places Abner
had selected for her. But none of them
suited, and at last she grew weary of law
yers and agents aud began to talk mourn
fully about going back to her home in
Maine.
Where know will die of home-sick-
ness" she said, ''because l have, for the
first time in my life, learned how sweet it
is to live among those of your own blood"
Aunt Powell" [ spoke up, quick as a
flash, "why should you wear yourself out
looking for a home when you always seem
so conJented in the little blue room at our
house? 1t isn't what you've been ac-
customed to, know, but if YOU like it, or
will endure it, can't tell you how glad we
will all be to call it yours, and all the rest
OF your days you can"
With that Aunt Powell stopped my
words with kisses, and began to cry.
When she could command her voice she
blessed me, and said my home should be
hers ''for the little time," she faltered,
that | want home"
And that very afternoon Aunt Powell
and the seven trunks and the French maid
were moved to our house, and l was hated
most cordially and politely by all the sis
ters and brothers in the Powell family.
Once settled, | am free to say Aunt Pow
ell was anything but a pleasant companion.
She had her breakfast at all hours of the
morning, sometimes in the dining-room,
sometimes in her own room and sometimes
in my Sitting-room. She was generally
irritable and imperiouS, and acted as
though the house belonged to her. At
other times she had wonderfully sweet,
winning way with her that charmed you
in spite of herself. The children never
liked her, however, and as she detested
tobacco, LENS one little weakness, his
after-supper cigar was reformed in short
order.
"Mark the perfect man." said Lem; but
l caught him once or twice putting away at
a great black pipe out in the wood shed, so
l wasn't much afraid that his reformation
was going to strike in on him. And Aunt
Powell ''couldn't abide a great binding
glare OF light" so our CHEEKY little home
was shut up until it was as dismal as a
spare room. She slept the greater part of
the morning, and We had to sit up and en-
tertain her late every night, SO that we
who had to rise with the lark nearly died
of sleepiness. 1t was very wearing, but
we bore it bravely.
"We can work great deal harder than
this for $J0,000," Lem used to groan as he
fell into bed at night, and the unmeasured
envy of my brothers and sisters kept me
bravely up.
After we had endured this for two full
years, if Aunt Powell didn't up and go to
AhnorfSf 7 xVaa an mad I brOEa nd
cried.
"Don't be so heart-broken about it, nv
dear child" said Aunt Powell, tenderly.
And then she put her arms about me, and
told me how sorry she was to go away
from the little blue room that had become
so dear to her; but some talk had reached
her ears, she said, that convinced her the
ntbar cbilIrav, - -