Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-11-13
PINKIE'S REVENGE.

BY HELEN HUNT JACKSON In. n.y.
"What a perfect shame that she got
here today" ST.. ,...
"sh-sh-. She might here you'll"
"Nonsense! She is down in the re-
ception room. Idon't suppose, if she
IS from the backwoods, she has got
ears that can hear through t1oors."
"Girls, lam ashamed of you. How
can you be so unfeeling toward your
own cousin"
II don't care, mamma, she is sure
to be awkward and dowdy. How can
we have her at the dinner table to-
night? shall die of modification to
have to introduce her to Mr.. Morris
as our cousin"
"Perhaps she will be too tired to
come down to dinner after such long
ride. 1t is little awkward to add an
other to O set dinner party"
ooh! mama, bless you for the
thought. You can tell her that she
is too tired. You can arrange it,
know"
"Well, I'll try"
|. These were the sentences which fell
on the ears OF Priscilla Bent as shesat
alone, waiting to see the aunt and
cousins whom she had come all the
way from Kansas to New York to
visit, of whose welcome she felt as
sure as if she had known them all her
life. 1t was by blunder OF the SER
want that she had been shown directly
up stairs into the drawing-room, which
communicated by folding doors with
the room where we're sitting mother
and daughters.
"Pinkie! What q name" continued
the first speaker. Who eyer heard of
such a. name, except for dog?"
"Her name is PRISCILLA replied the
mother, "but Pinkie was gwen to her
| by her father, when she was little
girl, on account Of her pink cheeks"
"Well, | shall call her PRISCILLA
And ItOo."
"Your father will not like it," said
Mrs. Bent. "But we must 20 down."
A swift rush OF three women down
the stair case, three loud exclamations
OF dlsmay at the sight Of the empty
| reception room, looks OF dismay and
q smothered whisper of vexation.
Glow stupid of Ben. Do you sup
pose she heard"
These were the next things in the
swift little drama which here began so
inauspiciously under Mr.. Silas Bent's
roof this morning. And next to these
followed one which seemed almost a.
justification of all that the Misses Bent
had said in regard to their cousin.
Slowly rising to her feet, grasping her
umbrella firmly in her left hand, rose
a tall, an exceedingly tall young wom-
an, who exclaimed in q nasal voice,
"Well, | was jest a comm to look We
up. l. didn't know as that fine black
gentleman O. yourn had condescended
! to let you know ] was here. I'm most
tired to death, tell you. Four days
an four nights in the cars is enough to
kill an OK. But I'll be all right s soon's
! | get my coffee. I reckon breakfasts
all cleared away by this time, but
! don't want much, only a cup of coffee
if the cook hain't thrown it out
Pm real glad to see you. 1
'spose uncle got my letter, didn't hep"
And pausing in her breathless speech,
pretty Priscilla Bent looked sleepishly
into the faces Of her equally shame
faced relatives. If they had not been
too guiltily disturbed in their own
mind OF fears OF having been overheard
IN their inhospitable comments, they
might have detected a strange look
on their Kansas Cousins face, a mix
ture Of twinkle and terror. But they
saw, heard nothing except what so
thoroughly corroborated their worst
fears. Even Mrs. Bent herself, who
had resolved beforehand to be thor
oughly kind to the child of her hus-
bands favarite brother, was thrown
off her balance, and in spite
OF herself, the welcome she gave was
curt and cool.
But nothing appeared to daunt the
terrible Pinkie. Radient good humor
shone in her face; her tongue ran like
a clapper, and when the dinner party
was mentioned, Pinkie cried:
"Not much! amt too tired. I'll
just bunk down and by 6 o. clock I'll be
! fresh as rooster! We don't often get
achance to q regular dinner party out
in Emporia, and I don't mean to miss
one this winter. Say-shall wear my
very best? I've read about the kind
OF clothes you New Workers wear: to
dinners. But I've got some A No. 1
gowns, I tell you. Now, you just
show me my room, and I'llgo straight
to bed an stay there till dinner time.
You let your black man bring me up
a tumbler ofmilk, will We, along about
/ O'Clock, and a doughnut or a hard
tack. I'm used to eatin' heartily in
the middle O. the day." - -. !.
When the door was finally shut up
on Pinkie, her aunt and cousin ex-
changed looks IS *,> ...s -. y.
HORRIBLE" cried the youngest
daughter, Carrie. .sIt's worse than I
ever conceived. How could papa send
for her?'' G* lZ,,$z .s|1* E 5='>s]. X 4
He has not seen her since she was
10 years old, = said Mrs. Bent, dismal
~. aOf course he could not dream
she would be like this. Hehas always
said her mother was q charming wom-
an; and they lived in Europe for sew
erai years when she was little. It is
horrible, girls! ..=.t t5,
Bunk down. calculated the eldest
daughter, Sophia. III.
Fresh as arooster?'' echoed Carrie.
!. Mamma, shall 50 TO bed myself and
be tooill to appear tonight. Inever
can live Through it; neverl I don't.
believe Mr.. Morris will ever cross our
threshold again. B .Is3 81
Then he is Welcome TO stay away,''
said Mrs. Bent. hotly '.. ss#