Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-05-07
PINKIE'S REVENGE.

"What perfect shame that she got
here to-day!"'
'Sh-sh-, she might hear you'll"
"Nonsense! she is down in the recep-
ton room. [ don't suppose, if she is from
the backwoods. she has got ears that cali
hear through foors.''
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 tonight? shall
die of modification to have to introduce
her to Mr.. Morriss al our cousin.''
perhaps she will be too tired to come
down to dinner after such long ride. 1t
is little awkward to add another to a 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, I'll try"
These were the sentences W hich 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 blunder of the SER
want that she had been shown directly up
stairs into the drawlng-room, which COM
| MN TOR hv FnIAipG dOnrq with q
where were sitting mother and daughters.
"Pinkie! What name!'' continued the
first speaker. "Who ever heard of such a
name, except for dog?"
"Her name is PRISCILLA" replied the
mother, ''but Pinkie was given 70 lei 55
her father, when she was a little girl, on
account of her pink cheeks"
"Well, 1 will call her Priscilla"
"And too"
''Your father will not like IT" said Mrs
Bent. ''Bnt we must 60 down."
A swift rush of three women down the
staircase, three loud EXPLANATIONS of dis
may at the sight Of the empty reception
room, looks of dismay and smothered
|
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 in
auspiciously under Mr.. Silas> Bent's roof
this 10 orning. And next to these follow
ed one which seemed almost a justification
| of all that the Misses Bent had said In re-
gard to their cousin. Slowly rising to her
feet, grasping her umbrella firmly IN her
left hand, rose tall, an exceedingly tall
young woman, who exclaimed in a nasal
voice:
"WelI, was jest comm to look ye up.
| I didn't know as that fine black gentleman
o. yourn had condescended to let you know
[ was here. Pm most tired to death, 1
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 l get my coffee.
reckon breakfasts all cleared away by this
time, but don't want much, only cup
| OF coffee, if the COOK amt thrown it out.
I'm real glad to see you. | 'spo Sc uncle
got my letter, didn'5 hep" And pausing
in her GREATNESS speech, pretty Priscilla
Bent looked sheepishly into the faces Of
her equally shame faced relatives. If they
had not been too guiltily disturbed in
their own minds by fears of having been
overheard in their inhospitable comments
they might have detected a strange look
on their Kansas Cousins face, mixture
of twinkle and terror. But they saw OF
| heard nothing except what so thoroughly
corroborated their worst fears. Even Mrs,
Bent herself, who had resolved beforehand
TO be thoroughly kind to the child of her
husbands favorite brother, was thrown
of her balance, and, in spite Of herself
the welcome she gave was curt and cool
But nothing appeared to daunt the ter
r1ble Pinkie. Radiant good humor shone
in her face, her tongue ran like clapper,
and when the dinner party was mention
ed, Pinkie cried:
mot much [ amt too tired I'll Just
as rooster We don't often get chance
bunk down, and by 6 o'clock III be as fresh
to regular dinner-party out in Emporia
and don't mean to miss one this winter
Say-shalI 1 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. l gowns, l tell you. Now
YOU Just show me my room and I'll GO
straight TO bed an stay there till dinner
time. You let your black man bring me
no tumbler of milk. will you, along
about l O'Clock, and doughnut or hard.
tack. I'm used to eatjn' hearty in the
middle o. the day.
When the door was finally shut upon
Pinkie, her aunt and cousins exchanged
looks.
"Horriblel" cried the youngest daugh-
ter. Carrie. "It's worse than | ever con.
ceived. How could papa send for her ?"
HE has not seen her since she was ten
years old, "said Mrs. Bent, dismally. "Of
course he could not dream she would be
like this. He has always said her mother
was a charming woman, and they lived in
Europe for several years when she was lit