The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-01-13
PINKIE'S REVENGE:
BY HELEN JACKSON.

BY HELEN JACKSON.
"What perfect shame that she got
here today!'
"Sh-sh-, she might hear youn'
"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 DOORS"
"Girls, 1 am 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.night2 ]
shall die of modification to have to in
troduce her to Mr.. Morris as our cousin y
"Perhaps she will be too tired to come
down to amer after such a long ride.
| 1t is little awkward TO add another to
set dinner party"
"Oh, mamma, bless you for the
thought! You can tell her that she is
too tired. You can arrange it, know" "
"Well, III try"
These we've the sentences which fell
ON the ears Of Priscilla Bent as she sat
| 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 a b!under of the
servant that she had been shown di-
rectly up stairs into the drawing-room
which communicated by folding doo:s
with the room where were sitting mothe;
and daughters.
"Pinkie! What namc!" continued
the first speaker. "Who ever heard of
such name, except for dog?"
''Her name is Priscilla" replied the
mother, 'but Pinkie was given to her by
her father, when she was little girl, on
account Of her pink cheeks
"Wcll, will call her Priscilla"
"And I too"
"Your father will not like it," said
Mrs. Bent. ''But we must go down."
A swift rush of three women down the
staircase, three loud exclamations of
dismay at the sight of the empty rccep-
tion room, looks Of dismay and smoth-
cred whisper Of vexation.
"How stupid of Ben Do you suppose
she heard"
These were the opening scenes 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 Il
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
i tall, an exceeding tall young woman,
who exclaimed in nasal voice, "Well,
was jest comm to look ye up. /
didn't know as that fine black gentleman
o. vourn had condescended to let you
know I was here. I'm most tired to
death, I tell you: four days an four
nights in the cars is enough to kill an
OK. But I'll be all right as soon's get
J my coffee. Ireckon break fast's all cleared
away bv this time, but 1 don't want
much, only cup of coffee, if the cook
amt thrown it out. I'm real glad to
see you. Is'po>e uncle got my letter,
didn't hc?'' And pausing in her breath
less speech, pretty Priscilla Bent looked
shee epishy into the faces of her equally
shame-faced relatives. If they had not
been too guilti!y disturbed in their own
minds by fears of having been overheard
in their inhosp!table comments, they
might have detected strange look on
their Kansas cousins face, mixture of
twinkle and terror. But they saw or
heard nothing except what so thorough
ly corroborated their worst fears. Even
Mrs. Bent herself, who had resolved be-
forehand to be thoroughly kind to the
child of her husbands favorite 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. Radiant good humor
shone in her face, her tongue ran like a
clapper, and when the dinner party was
mentioned, Pinkie cried:
mot much amt too tired! I'll just
bunk down, and by 6 o'clock I'll be as
fresh as a rocster We don't often get
! chance to regular dinner party out in
Emporia, and I don't mean to miss one
this winter. Say-shall I wear my We y
best? I've read about the kind of
clothes you New Workers wear to dinners.
But I've got some A No. gowns, 7 tell
you. Now, you just show me my room
and I'll 60 straight to bed an stay there
till dinncr-time. You let your black
| man bring me up tumbler of milk, will
you, along about l o'clock, and a
| 1o,rbnut or b,r1 tocl- I,y, ,,cod IN
eatin' heartily in the middle O. the
day."
When the door was finally shut upon
| Pinkie her aunt and cousins exchanged
looks.
"Horiblew crie;1 the youngest
daughter, Carrie. 'It's worse than
ever conceived. How could papa send
for her?'
"Hc has not seen her since she was
ten years DID," said Mrs. Bent, dismally.
"Of course he could not dream she
would be like this. He has always said
her mother was charming woman, and
they lived in Europe for several years
when she was little. 1t is horrible,
girlsn'
Bunk down" calculated the eldest
daughter, Sophia.
''Frcs!l as roostern' echoed Carrie.
'Mamma, l shall 60 to bed myself and
be too i'll to appear tonight. don't be-
licve Mr.. Morris will ever cross oul
threshold again."
''Then he is welcome to stay away,
said Mrs. Bent, hotly.
While this distressed consultation was