The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-09-19
FOB OUR YOUNG FOLKS
BAYBERRY LODGE.

piazza waich overlooked The sea. Be-
fore her stretched. first shelving slope
of turf broken by masses of rock, over
grown with creepers, then a craggy
edge rising here and there into cliffs.
and beyond that the wide blue of the
ocean. On the right hand, toward the
sunset, the water curved inland and
made winding bay, half uncovered at
low tide, with rocky shores and points
and wooded islands. Boats lay mo-
tionless in the bay. each with its double
in the shining depths. where dark hulls
and white sails were perfectly. reflect
ed; and far on the horizon the mack
erel fleet drifted past like swarm of
white-winged butterflies
Miss Eunice had seen this view everv
day, AMI all day long, for most Of the
summers OF her life; but she never
got tired of it. or thought it less beau
tiful, and she now dropped her work
in her lap. and looked and looked with
as much pleasure as though it were for
the first time. Presently she began to
hum 10 herself the words of the old
hymn.
IF such the pleasures Of the spring,
What must the fountain be
Where saints and ANGELS draw their bliss
Immediately from TheeY'
Beautiful sights were apt to recall old
hymns to Miss Eunicc.
The singing ceased. and her thoughts
came back to earth at the sound of
voices from the lower cliff, where her
nephews and nieces, who had arrived
the night before to spend the summer
with her. were building a playhouse
1t had shed-like roof of boards laid
over two tall rocks. the back was made
of stones piled together, and a fire.
place was being constructed with q
length of drain-pipe by way of a CHM
ney.
That's daisy. tell you," Fred was
saying, just as his aunt began to listen.
''Set the pipe little mite farther this
way, Tom Look sharp! don't let it
tumble, l tell you'll What duffer you
are!''
''You hold your jaw" retorted Tom.
II know as much about chinneys as
you do any day. I'll bel"
swell, should smile! You! When
did you ever build a chimney before,
Buttertingers?"
..Boys. don't quarrel" cred Fanny.
Its . lovely chimney. It's COOP
ti0usr'
Its bang-up," said Ted.
Its bully" added Tom. my!
amt hungry? When do you suppose
aunty's grub will be ready?''
Hungry after that big dinner saw
you eat a few minutes agor' exclaimed
little Di. "Why, Tom. you're as bad as
Jack the Giant Killerr'
''You shut up" reioi1ed Tom, po-
litely. ''Small Kids like you should be
heard, and not seen"
sI'm not kid. retorted Di. valiant
ly. ''And you're boss-Ted said SO.
You're always trying to boss the rest
of us.
s.Children! childrenr' called Miss
Eunice, who had listened to these
flowers of speech with mixture of
aston;shment and dismay. Tea in
twenty minutes. Come in, and get
ready"
Up the rocks they scrambled. all four,
rosy, hungry, and. it must be confessed
dirty, for drain-pipes and wail-buiIding
leave traces on hands and clothes. Miss
Eunice ordered all upstairs, and
presently they came down again pre-
sentably clean, and with hair freshly
brushed.
s.Aunty. our house is too daisy for
anything" declared Ted
And we've chosen a name for it."
said Di; we're going to call i: Bay
berry Lodge"
Don't you think / have right to be
the housekeeper, and call it my houseP'
asked Fanny.
"And have the others live with me,
and be my children. Pm the Oldest.
you know"
s.Well. / should SMILE" retorted
Tom. "You may be the oldest, but I'm
the biggest And say it ought to be
my house. I'll be the father of the
family"
You'd be daisy sort of father"
remarked Ted, while little Di put in:
Tom is SO swell. He always wants
to boss u.s."
"But Aunt Eunice, please say which
of us shall call the house ours because
we agreed to leave it to you," said
Fanny, anxiously.
'If you leave it to me-" replied her
aunt, Il shall say the one who earns
it"
Earns it? How can we earn itp
What do you mean, aunty?"
"Ill tell you. Did you ever hear of
such thing as the English Ianguagep"
why, aunty-that's what we
speak"
''Pm not so sure as to that. my dear.
The language you speak seems to me,
for the most part, quite different from
English"
What times do you mean, aunty"
cried little Di. with wide-open eyes;
while Tom relieved his feelings by
twisting his legs over the arm Of a
chair, and muttering under his breath:
''Crickey! Here's go'' Miss Eunice's
quick ear caught the remark.
tan ov0uav,lo IN v,osvf ~ che co;d