The Penn's Grove record., 1885-04-11

LITTLE SUNSHINE.
The good ship LlSette made her way
merely over the blue waters; the morn.
ing sun shone upon her white sails and
made a golden track on the ripping sea-
the sky was cloudless, and the snowy
guJls hurried by with their short low
screams. She was homeward bound;
months had passed since she had lost
sight of the English coast, n merry
were those on board at the prospect OF
seeing their mother-land on the morrow.
Only one was sad-young Jack Carew.
He was leaning over the bulwarBs, talk
ING to his bosom friend Harry Mayne.
Eyes, it's Jolly enough for you fell
flows who have homes" he said, in an
swer to a Joyous remark from Harry on
the prospect of running into port on the
morrow; and then he sighed heavily.
Harry looked sy~mpathizing and said
aBut, though you have not a home,
Jack, my lad, have you not some friends
whom YOU can look up and knock about
with during our three weeks leavep''
81 have one relative, " answered Jack,
with "A sorrowful gTIn-"a equity, n!l-
serly old uncle, who will probably
grudge me the beggarly dinner to which
Ii evil invite me when | call upon him -
Harry looked surprised, and said
quickly
stIf YOU will come home with me, /
shall be- delighted; but Pm going to
spend the sine very quietly-a little
Shooting perhaps, and then boating, rid
ing. aud lawn tennis with little Sun
SHINE. would have asked you before,
but that | thought you would rather
knock about in town with some Of our
fellows. 1t is very quiet at Mayne;
but. if YOU can put up with that, come
The words were so heartily spoken
that 1t was evident to Jack that Harry
was in earnest; and the poor fellow
grasped his friends hand warmly as he
accepted the invitation.
'sThen [ shall spend my holiday i'll an
English home after all" he SAID, with
a bright smile on his handsome face,
INSTEAD of dawdling away the time at
% cheap seaside lodging"
"Ah, there's no place like homel" re-
Ilied Harry sentimentally.
TEL us about your home, old fellow;
it's in L0amshire, is it not?"
YES; the grounds slope right down
TO the sea. 1t is a jolly old place, very
quaint and Old-fashioned, half cottage,
half castle; here and there you see tur-
rets, and then, again, you see some of
the rooms have gabled roofs. The house
is very large; / used to explore the I'M
used rooms when / was a y%0nngster.
There is a queer old pieture-gallery full
of Maynes; my portrait was the last
addition. An ancient avenue of beeches
leads up to the house, which stands i'll a
great garden, full of terraces and ten
nis-lawns and big elm-trees and foun-
tains and flowers. This is little Sun
shines province, and she has it an
ranged just as she pleases. She hates
the modern paTterres, which seem to be
designed after the pattern of Worcester
china; and there are none of such or
thodOX hower-beds in our garden"
"HOware they arranged them" asked
Jack, in an interested tone.
"Oh, you find a circle of scarlet ger
aniums around the trunk of an elm
tree, or you come suddenly upon a
clump of rho%dOdendrons. There are
passion flowers and roses, and jasmines
and honeysuckles running owe the
house aud playing at h~ide.and-seek with
the gables and turrets. She has a large
grotto full of ferns, with a fountain
playing IN the center; and there is a
walk with ivy hedges, from which tall
graceful Venuses and Apollos peep out,
Oh, | assure you the arrangement is
anita ,a,.f,Na Tlutf a 20 Y.raf fUs a nd lttla
Sunshine is the presiding genius"
at must be ~perfectl" said Jack en-
Enthusiastically. "And who is little Sun
shine'f''
My little sister. Her name is Belle;
but everybody calls her Sunshine. ."
allow old is she? What is she like?''
asked Jack curiously.
"She's seventeen, and she is like
Harry paused. "There-lookI' he cried
eagerly, and pointed to a thistledown
which was winglng its airy way over the
Fippling blue waters.
like that2" said Jack, laughing.
swell, | suppose she is not quite such
a wee thingl"
''Not quitei"-and Harry laughed.
9'She is very small, though. But what
1 meant was that she moves ike that
CnistiedOwn. She does not walk or run
or move like other folk; she seems to-
to float, or to move about like you see
it doing now'-ahd he pointed AGAIN to
the thistledown.
"How niceln said Jack, with an APP
proving nod. 81 like TO see a woman
move like a ship with her sails up in a
gsHhA hraav4 huA a giufaV ngRans eha
-" Jack paused, and a frown gath,
cred on his clear brow; then he said ab-
ruptly and sadly. "I've no sister now.
Your fathers alive, Mayne, is he not?"
Eyes; and a dear Old boy he is ,always
glad to see me aud my friends, and he
dotes on little Sunshine"
''The little thistledOwn," said Jack
mischieyously.
The little thistledown," assented
Harry. Another reason why she re-
sembles it is that she is always in white
in the summer at least. See if she is
not IN white muslin tomorrow. I've
brought her home some muslins and
crepes fIom China, and they are all
white.o
Il like snowy canvas on a vessel"
SAID Jack, with another approving nod.
Shave you good fishing and shootingf"
"You can have both s~ea-dshing and
river-ashing, for the Cray runs close to
the part; and my father viii be delighted
if you viii 60 popping with him in the
preserves
For the Third time Jack nodded with
A satisfied atF.
"Meli, then, 1t Is all settled, old fell
dow" said Harry, grasping bis friend