Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-07-30
PINkIE'S REVENGE.

"Sh-sh-, she might hear you J"
"Nonsense she is down in the recep-
ton room. l cont suppose, if she is
from the back woods, she has got ears
that can hear through floors"
"Girls, l am ashamed of you. How
can you be so unfeeling toward your
own cousin !"
81 don't care, mamma; she is sure to
be awkward and dowdy. How can we
have her at the dinner tonight? shall
die of modification to have to introduce
her to Mr.. Morris as our cousin"
"Perhaps she will be too tired to
come down to dinner after such long
ride. 1t is little awkward 20 add an
other to Il set dinner party"
"Oh, mamma, bless you for the
thought! You can tell her that she is
too tired. You can arrange it, know" D."
DWELL, III try"
These were the sentences which fell
on the ears of Priscilla Bent as she sat
alone, waiting to see the aunt and cous-
ins 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 the days of her
life. 1t was by blunder OF the SER
want that she had been shown directly
upstairs into the drawing-room, which
communicated by folding doors with
the room where were sitting mother
and daughters.
"Pinkie! What name!" 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, OH account of her pink cheeks"
"Well, | will call her Priscilla"
"And toO."
Your father will not like it," said
Mrs. Bent. "But we must 20 down."
A swift rush of three women down
the staircase, three loud exclamations Of
dismay at the sight Of the empty recep-
ton room, looks of dsmay and a smoth-
cred whisper of vexation.
"How stupid of Ben! Do you sup
pose 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 10 her feet, grasping her
umbrella firmly in her left hand, rose a
tall, an exceedingly tall young woman,
who exclaimed in nasal voice:
"Well, was jest comm to look ye
up. didn't know as that the fine black
gentleman o. yOurn had condescended
TO let you know was here. Pm most
tired to death, | tell you; four days an
four nights in the cars is enough to kill
all OK. But III be all right as sOon's l
get my coffee. | reckon breakfasts all
cleared away by this time, but 1 don't
want much, only a cup Of coffee, if the
cook amt thrown it out. Pm real glad
to see you. 'spOse uncle got my letter,
didn't he?" And pausing in her breath.
less 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 over
heard in their inhospitable comments,
they might have detected a 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 tHTOWu VII bci udiaHSCJ huu III
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 Il
clapper, and when the dinner party was
mentioned, Pinkie cried:
"Not much. | amt too tired! I'll
just bunk down, and by 6 o'clock I'll
be as fresh as rooster! We don Z
often get a chance to regular dinner
party out in Emporia, and don't mean
to miss one this winter. Say--shall |
wear my very best? I've read about
the kind of clothes you New Yorker.
wear to dinners. But I've got some A
No. gowns, l tell you. Now, you
Just show me my room and I'll 20
straight to bed and stay there till dinner
time. You let your black man bring
me ND u tumbler Of milk, will you
about 2 o'clock, and doughnut or hard
tack. I'm used to eatin' hearty in the
middle o. the day"
When the door was finally shut upor
Pinkie, her aunt and cousins exchanged
looks.
"Horrible!" cried the younges
daughter, Carrie. "I.'s worse than
ever conceived. How could papa SEND
for herr"
"He has not seen her since she wa
ten years DID," said Mrs. Bent dismally
"Of course he could not dream sh'
would be like this. He has Away
said her mother was charming woman
and they lived in Europe for severa
years. when she was little. It is hOrri
bic, girls."
"Bunk DOWN." calculated the eldes