The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-07-25
BAYBERRY LODGE.
How Little III Earned the Right to n
Ets Mistress.

BAYBERRY LODGE.
How Little Di Earned the Right to ne
Its Mistress.
Miss Eunice was sitting on her own
piazza which overlooked the sea. Be-
fore her stretched. first shelving slope
of turf broken by masses of rock. over
grown with ereepers, 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 a swarm of
white winged butterflies.
Miss Eunice had seen this view every
day. and all day long. for most Of the
summers of her life; but she never
got tired of it, or thought II less beau
tiful, and she now dropped her work
in her lap, and looked and looked with
as much pleasure rs though II were for
the first time. Presently she began to
hum to herself the words Of the old
hymn:
"If such the pleasures of the spring,
What must the fountainbe
Where saints and angels draw their bliss
Immediately from ThoeT
Beautiful sights were apt to recall old
hymns 10 Miss Eunice.
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 a shed-like roof Of boards laid
over two TALL rocks, the back was made
of stones piled together, and fire.
place was being constructed with Il
length of drain-pipc by way of CHM
ney.
That's daisy, l 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, / tell you'll What dufl'cr you
arer'
you hold your jaw" retorted Tom.
IL know as much about chimneys as
you do any day, ri bet. y
"Well, should smile! You! When
did you ever build chimney before,
ButterfngersP"
"Boys, don't QUARREL" cried Fanny
Its a lovely chimney. It's gosop-
tioes"
ats bang-up," said Ted.
"It's bully" added Tom. "My!
amt hungry When do you suppose
aunty's grub will be readyP"
Hungry! after that big dinner saw
you cat a few minutes agor' exclaimed
little d. why, Tom, you're as bad as
Jack the Giant Killerr
"You shut up" rejoined Tom, po-
litely. Small Kids like you should be
heard, and not seem"
''I'm not kid" retorted Di, valiant
ly. "And you're boss-Ted said so.
You're always trying to boss the rest
of U.S."
children! childrenr' called Miss
Eunice, who had listened to these
flowers of speech with a mixture of
establishment and dismay. "Tea in
twenty minutes. Come in, and get
ready"
Up the rocks they scrambled, all four,
rosy, hungry. and. 1t must be confessed,
dirty, for drain-pipes and wall-building
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.
"Aunty, our house is too daisy for
anything" declared Ted.
''And we've chosen name for It, :"
said Di; "we're going to call !. 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. I'm the Oldest.
you know"
well, l should SMILE" rctorted
Tom. you may be the Oldest, but L m
the biggest And I 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 NO." replied her
aunt, II shall say the one who earns
it."
Earns itP How can we earn itp
What do you mean, auntyP"
I'm tell you. Did you ever hear Of
such thing as the English iangusgeP"
why, aunty-that's what we
speak"
''rm 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
IAN example in point" she said.
tom, oblige me by explaining where,
in the English language, the word
'Crickcyr is found, and what Here's .
go! means.
'Why-it means-it is-it isn't-it's
just common expression, aunty.'
Like daisy, and bully and boss,
and .goloptious,' and 4 should smile,
and kid and 'butter-fngers. and
buffer and 'duffer. and muff;'"
went on Aunt Eunice. with unsparing
calnness; my dear, misguided chiI-
drep, do you really suppose, when you
use such words as these, that you are
talking Englishp"
They're not French, anyhow" said
little Di.
mo, Di, but neither are they English
anyhow. They are slang, which Ia
language by itself.
We'll. know them any way. If
they re not English, " said Tom, sturdily;
''all the boys use them"
Elm afraid they do. Slang crseps
b ovsrywhsre now-a-days, md ths ~