The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-07-25
ler's! 1 was so mad l broke down

cried. W
Don't be so heart broken about if Il
dear child" said Aunt Powell tandeerity
And then she put her arms about me III
told me how sorry she was to 90 awav
from the little blue room that had hacorcl
so dear to her; but some talk had reacbpS
her ears, she said, that convinced her H.
other children were jealous of her stavibo
so long with me, and she could not hear S
be the cause of any contention. She Wa
going to stay with Abner for little whiia
to pacify Jennie (Jennie, knew mvsaGf
was really outrageous, and talking dread'
fully. But it's only for a little whiIa -
Aunt Powell said. keep the little blna
room for me-"
And away went Aunt Powell, French
maid, and the seven trunks-''the Ple;-
ades," Lem called them. And vexed as T
was about it all, the children were SO de-
lighted, Lem looked so comfortable with
his cigar-for he fell from grace the minute
the restraining cause was gone-and the
house was SO bright and CHEEKY, that l felt
half reconciled to it.
Let's go to bed before supper" said
Lem. 81 haven't had a square ration Of
sleep in two years"
Aunt Powell led Jennie dance and
was glad of it. Jennie, whatever other
faults she had, and | do not screen her,
even though she is my own brothers wife.
is a model housekeeper. Everything goes
by clock-work in that house. The verv
cat goes to bed at nine O'Clock, aud knows
better than to get up before the alarm
clock rings at half past five in the morning.
Jennie wouldn't put off her regular Sweep
ing days not for funeral in the hous,
But Aunt Powell, as soon as she found
what were the sweeping DAYS, settled upon
those very days for taking her morning
nap in the parlor Abner Powell. WIS :
Fro, "a rNfa II, n"
Aunt Powell made him drive her outtwi6e
a week. l wonder the man didn't tHrn
gray. l don't believe single wash day
passed while she was living with Abner
that she didn't insist on having some of us
to dinner, although that was nearly as
hard on the rest of us as it was on Jennie.
think she lived at Abner's for two
years, and then went to Warder Martins,
Sarah's husband. They refurnished the
parlor for her, and gave up their own room
to that hateful French maid. Aunt Powell
ruled them with q rod of iron for ten
months, and then actually quarreled with
Sarah Martin, the sweetest, best-tempered
woman in the world! 1t was the first
quarrel, believe, Sarah ever had in her
life. None of us ever thought she knew
how to quarrel, but Aunt Powell managed
to goad her into it somehow, and then
went off in a huff to Hamer Powell's, leav-
ing poor Sarah heart broken, and Ward
Martin so mad that he tumbled the seven
trunks out into the middle of the street in
broad daylight, and let them stand there, a
spectacle for the gOSsipingest street in Clos
ter, until Homer Powell heard of it, and
came with dray to get them. Hamer
went to Ward while the man was loading
on the trunks, and began to talk to him, a
little severely, | guess, about the way he
had acted; but Ward roared out that if he
said a word to him he'd stand him and the
whole Powell family on their heads along
side the trunks, to the great delight of the
whole street, and the unbounded wrath Of
Aunt Powell, who heard of it.
That very nightishe sent for a lawyer, and
before she went to bed we knew that a new
will had been made, and Sarah and Ward
were left out Of it. OF course Aunt Powell
felt so strongly in the matter we couldn't
well 90 against her. She refused to see
Sarah or her husband, or 90 where they
were, and so we had to leave them out of
the family gatherings, and cut them dead
on the street ii we met them when Auut
Powell was with US. They acted very I'M
reasonable about it, and ignored the rest of
us everywhere; all except Lem. Lem Wis
tied there lust as usual, and told Ward he
intended to divide his portion of the Powell
fortune with him.
Well, our aunt lived with Hamer Powell
a year. Hamer was teller in the Gloster
bank, and it was through him we learned
that Aunt Powell had big tin box, locked
and sealed. denosited in the vauIt Of the
bank. She got along pretty we'll that veSr-
fOr. Hamer and Alice were vonne neonIa
very lively. and had lots Of vonnG com
pany. and didn't mind Aunt P0weIi's was
verv much. They had no settled wavs Of
their own To he rooted ont of and no cbii-
dren for Aunt Powell to train, and on the
whole they seemed to have an easy time
with her. From Hamer's she went to Ellen
Bradley's, quarreled with Ellen straight
along every day for two months, and then
lived quietly enough for the rest of the
year; and then went to Maria Blake's,
revoutionized everything about the house.,
scolded the children, quarreled with Maria,
and bullied Jasper, and Just as was begin
ming to hope she was coming back to us,
she melted into her very sweetest temper,
lived like an angel for few months, and
died one morning with her head pillowed
in Maria's arms.
Well. the dav after the funeral we all
gathered at Amer PoweII,s ia hear tha
will read. know NV heart was full of
real sorrow. but if. there was one throb of
genuine Grief in another beort in that
room. their faces didn't show IL Jennie
PoweU,s countananra Ivas tho vow, i'm
thought 'Siah Bradley was going to snatch
the will QUITO the lawyers hands. Lem sat
with his face buried in his handkerchief,
and | was really delighted with the wav
he was behaving until | saw him wink at
Ward Martin-for Ward and Sarah
were both with us however the top of his