Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-12-31
NORMA AND NORMAN.
10y ALICE Y. PALMER.

",rhercl His mouth'll fairly water when
he sits eyes on them ere mince pies an
SIGH. Why. they're that rich that they kin
sknrsely keep from busting with their own
importance, like Square Jones. ALI the
tilno was a-stonin the raisins, an cuttin
the candy peel, an mincin the meat fur
'em. Miss Vedder, L KEEP a-scein that
curly headed youngun as he used to stan
re-ound bothern' me at my bakin' SO
long ago. Hetpia, he called it, an mind
me we1l how oncet when he was Almost
as small as Square Jones generosity, he
was mincin' the meat an chopped his finger
drciful; an L bein' awful scairt an some
mad, says, '6aryes you jist right, pesterin
mo when Tn busy An says he, looLin
up 20 cute-aike an blinkin' back the tears
he WAS always brave little fellow, why,
Auntio Q'lsty, I'd mos suffer def fur one
O your E:uce pies He was always that
quick. recollek, when I was a-visitin
his mother oncct, she sent him with big
bottle she KEEP it in, fur some benzine.
Well. he forgot tho name of il, but he
pushed the bottle toward the clerk an says
he, with his head turned away an his nose
in tho air, Smell it an gimme a quart.
Aunt Calsta paused i'll both reminis-
cenccs and packing to give an admiring
glance at tho tin-tEpc in its star shaped
frame wound with brown thread, the one
over the table. IN sooth, he was hand
some. maniy little fellow, albeit he wore
the suffering expression common to boys
having their cultures tooken." Then she
continued:
"tin then, Miss Eedder, when he growed
bigger, he'd came out fru.n the city to spend
his holidays with me. 'Holer-aays,' he
called 'cn.. Land sakes! l should think
SO! Ned eat dried apples tin was that
worrit! I'm the way my fried-cakes an
SIGH truck I'D disappear was q caution to
enalleS"
"Such q time as I'd hev gittin' him to
bed too. Why, Aunt C'listy, he'd say,
You're SO contrary; you want me to go to
bed before want TO, an git up fore want
to, both
"Wcll, I've set here a-lsnittn' on them
ere socks am thought over his lovin ways.
photographed fur hima too," and, with a
grimace. she laid Tho picture in the box.
81 al]ays sent him Christmas box to
college but O course the three years he was
in Europe he couldn't git em. This'll re-
mind him O ole times"
Aunt Gelisla would have been q funny
sight if she had not been pathetic one.
Little, bent, her skin brown and withered
with dull, Ted spot on each check like an
less bough Her soft hair, either blonde
inclined TO be gray, or gray striving to be
youtllfully blonde, one could scarcely tell
which, was gathered into a pug half way
up her head from which it protruded like a
handle. giving one an odd notion Of its be-
ing for the purpose of holding tho active
little woman still. Moreover she wore an
ugly brown mohair dress Of that depressing
shade that must have been one OF the evils
consequent upon Ewes fall, and black
silk apron which she mediativoly smoothed
as she dropped into one the large rocking
chairs cushioned with violent red chintZ
and turned her faded blue eyes upon thc
carpet.
How many times had this same Norman
Denslow. when compelled to take his de.
tested siesta on a warm summer afternoon
stretched himself out upon that bright rag
carpet, and lazily tried to compute how
broad purple stripe would make. or rested
his curly head on that identical chair
back while he told himself stories wherein
figured the gallant gentleman who, on one
of ats arms, with stately courtesy was as.
sistins q Pompadour beauty into a row.
boat, and On the other arm was kissing hel
as she leaned from a osc-entwined lattice
Then. just as Nor would be deciding
whether he'd grow to be that man or the
daring one on the other easy chair, who
was dealing death to q frightful dragon
with widely distcnded jaws. the monoto
nous ticking of the old fashioned clock il
tho corner, the regular swinging of it.
weights the dreamy humming of the bee
just outside. mingled with occasional puff
of faint odor from the petunias over which
they lowered, and the lazy shining of TIL
thought, golden ribbon tying it to thu
siivercd glass knot over which it wa
looped,- all these became dim and quiet
aud curly-headcd little boy would b.
sound asleep; though this same little bo
always stoutly maintained that he neve
could sleep i'll the day time.
In q PARKWAY New York home. ga
group were packing box to surprise thei
sister with some trinkets, her present
having been given her before her start, tw
or three days previously, for a visit Wit
her friend, Mrs. Cameron. And this lux
urious city room was not in more contrns
with that other one, than were the JOHN
group to quiet Aunt Calista and lie
widowed friend.
TO each article some absurdity was at
tachea. Grace put in box Of neck rucll
ing, having scrubbed on its cover, "Neve
4'uUe yourself; there will be always som
one near to do that for you" Dick
donation was pair of dainty, steel
embroidered shippers, with a card project
ing from one: Con with the dance; let Joy h
unconfned." Nell. knowing her sister
liking for odd things, contributed two fin
cambria handkerchefs. On one of thes
she had etched with India ink, skull an
cross-bones in the corner, and along til
hem, in large German text, "Mement
Mo1i." The other handkerchief had
spirited figure Of her own design, Oh
Time, tripping, in his great haste, over hi
scythe and the words, "7'empus FM0it.
Tom sent "BeD- Hur," Gen. Wallace's fas
cinating novel, as particularly appropriat
to the season. There was a card for
book mark, with the exccrable nun, eff L
jBen-Her I'd have owned it long before.
Tom also put into the little old fash'one
beaded silk purse mother had knit, n tin
bottle of homeopathic pills, new nicke
and a number of paper hearts strung upo
h