The Portland daily press., 1886-01-16
THE PRESS.
SATURDAY MORNING, JAN. Is.
PINKIE's REVENGE.
BY HELEN JACKSON

room. don't suppose, if she is from the
backwoods she has got ears that can near
through DOORS"
"GiTls, / am ashamed of you. How can
you be so unfeeling toward your own
cousinv
81 don't care, mamma; she is sure to be
awkward and dowdy. How can we have
her at the dinner table tonight? | shall die
of modification to have to introduce her to
Mr.. Morris as our cousin.
isPerhaps she will be too tired to come
down to dinner after such long ride. 1t is
a little awkward to add another to set din
10 mamma, bless you for the thought!
You can arrange it, know"
''Well, I'll try"
ears of Priscilla Bent as she sat alone, wait
ing to see the aunt and cousins whom she
had come all the way from Kansas to New
York to visit, of whose welcome she telt as
sure as if she had known them all her lie
II was by blunder of the servant that she
had been shown directly up stairs into the
drawing room, which communicated by Iolu-
ing doors with the room where were sitting
mother and daughters.
"Pinkiei What a namei" continued the
first speaker ''Who ever heard of such a
name, except for dog?"
'sHer name is Priscilla , replied the moth
err "but Pinkie was given to her by her father
when she was. little girl, on account OF her
sWell, will call her Priscilla"
"Your father viii not like it," said Mrs.
Bent. ''But we must go down."
A swift rush of three women down the
staircase, three loud EXPLANATIONS OF dlslnay
at the sight of the empty. reception. room,
looks of dismay and smothered whisper OF
veXation. L..
How. stupid OF Ben! DO you suppose She
heard?"
These were the next scenes in the swift
little drama which here began so inauSpl-
ciously under Mr.. Silas Bents roof this
morning. And next to these followed one
which Seemed almost justification of all
that the Misses Bent had said in regard to
their cousin. Slowly rising to her 1eet,
grasping her umbrella firmly in her left hand
rose tall,an exceedingly tall young WON
an, who exclaimed in q nasal voice, wen,
was jest comm to look ye up, 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 and four nights in the cars is
enough to kill an OK. But III be all rignt
soon's get my coffee. reckon breakfasts
all cleared away by this time, but don't
want much only cup q eo nee aIad de IL co see
hep"
And pausing in her breathless speech,
pretty Priscilla Bent looked sheepishly into
the faces of her equally shame-faced rela-
tives If they had not been too guiltily dis
turbed in their own minds by fears of hay
ing been overheard in their inhospitable
comments, they might have detected
strange look on their Kansas cousins lace,
mixture of twingle and terror, But they
saw or heard nothing except what SO thor
oughly corroborated their worst fears. Even
Mrs. Bent herself, who had resolved before
hand to be thoroughly kind to the child OF
her husbands faYorite 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 clapper, and
when the dinner party was mentioned, she
sNot much Iain't too tired I'll just bunk
down. and by six o'clock I'll be as fresh as
rooster! We Idou't often get a chance to a
regular dinner party out in Emporia, and
don't mean to miss one this winter. Say, shall
wear my very best? Eve read about the
kind of clothes you New Workers wear to
dinners. But Eve got some No. gowns
tell you. Nyw you just show me my room,
and I'll 60 straight to bed an stay there till
dinner time. You let your black man bring
me up tumbler of milk, will you, along
about one O'Clock, and doughnut or hard
tack. I'm used to eat1n heartily In the MD
die of the day.
When the door was finally shut upon
Piukie her aunt and cousins exchanged
looks. ,.
Carrie ats worse than / ever conceived.
How could papa send fer herr?
'sHe has not seen her since she was ten
wears old" 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, girls!"
Bunk DOWN. calculated the eldest
daughter, Sophia.
Fresh as a roosterl' echoed Carrie.
Mamma, shall go to bed myself and be
too i'll to appear tonight don't believe
Mr.. Morris will ever cross our threshold
"Then he is welcome to stay away" said
Mrs. Bent, hotly.
While this distressed consultation was 60
ing on between Mrs. Bent and her daugh-
tiers. Pinkie, safe locked in her room, was
her eyes, but her face was full of mirth.
II wili!'' she muttered. II will do it! 1t
will be good enough for them. know
can. 1t will teach them good lesson But
shat will do. Ha! / have it! That old
tableaux dress will be just the thing"
%How lucky brought it she chuckled,
as she shook out the folds Of the white mus
lin of tdemost antiquated country fashion.
NOV / en- go to sleep and rest easy for an
hour Awkward and dowdy, that Is what
| will be-" an,t in five minutes mSchleyous
Pinkie Bent was sound asleep. c. 81,
Anxiety and veXati0p bad made Carrie Ill,
and it was with most ulbecoming flush on
her harassed face that Sle appeapea n IN t the
drawing room a few moIHen1S p aulls INC
dinner hour. There sat the COUSIN ttoli N nIa
sas! Was ever such Inquire seS1u >" Q ''o"
York drawing room before. -,
A plain white muslin, made in the shep-
herdess style, very full and very short, sHai
let STOCKINGS, a broad scarlet sash, and Worss
of all, on the head turban OF white muslin,
with scarlet poppy Haunting in front! This
is what the malicious Pinkie had done with
herself, whose trunks were full of exquisite
French gowns such as her cousins had never
owned and not often seen. She knew at
least that the opalS on her soft white neck
would command a certain sort of respect,
even from her inhospitable relatives: =,
THANK heaven she wore them! That VIII
show people she at least has money. Ihat
necklace couldn't have cost less than 81 600:
YES" replied Pinkie, nonchalently. ma
likes 'em best of all she's got. They're Ma. S;
l like flowers better. I'm great on artificial
flowers; always wear 'em every day. ~,
The guests were already arriving MI.
Bent himself among them, he having, ac-
cording to the fashion of New YORK business
men, arrived home only in time to dress Tor
dinner. His heart was SO full OF a1ectlonatee
welcome for his niece, whom he remembered
well as beautiful child OF then, only nan
dozen years ago, that he did not at first note
anything but the lovely uplifted eyes and the
afectlOnate voice.
As the dinner progressed, even unobser-
want Mr. Bent became aware that his niece
attire was not what it should be, and that
her voice was too loud. but the women
folks can soon straighten that all out, ana
the child's as pretty as picture"
So also thought the Hon. Mr. Morris, who,
to Carries veXation, ON being told by her
that the young lady in white was a cousin,
who had arrived most lnOpportunely from
Kansas, had exclaimed: From Kansas How
delighted [ am That is the State of all 9TH
ers am most interested in seeing. am go
ing out there in the spring If all Kansas
ladies have so wonderful complexion as
your cousin, that is another reason for visit
ing the region. Pray, present me to her, will
you? | should like to ask her many queS-
MOns Perhaps, ah''-he stammered with
the curious mixture of diffidence and andac-
it5 one so often sees in Englishmen, per
LET me Iaye the pleasure of sitting by her
side s at d ~ner-that is, if it will not diSar-
iA 4 am sV quite sure mamma will not gelin-
qush the pleasure Of hsV ogcSE XIV 9 eey %
Carrie her heart full o. anger t amd % nc tbe
cation Nevertheless, seN tl LINES bor ID t te
course of the dinner, Mr.. Nj TITS He .Wha te
shrill voice, and thought to him. y add' =,
pity the American voice is so high dson n
- inlDpd the Nultb III