The Portland daily press., 1888-04-28
MY GRANDDAUGHTER.
BY KATE VIRGINIA DARLING.
[Youth,s Conlnanlon.l

tYouth's Companion]
| am an old lady-no matter how old,-but
not infrm; and l am also old-fasnioned
enough to prefer the old manners to the
new. 1 never lean against the back of my
chair, nor appear at the breakfast table in
my wrapper, and no one, except my made
ever sees my curl papers. was brought up
not to take my ease in public.
But my granddaughter, Ethel, is very diff
ferent. She says, "Oh, let's be comfortable,
grandma She has 'given up"-actually
given up-wearing corsets.
They're not hygienic, grandma" ely
gienic" to woman of my age, who never
had headache!
"What kind of figure do you expect to
have?" asked, severely.
s'Grandma, she answered, shaking her
pretty head lit is pretty,-"my waist meas
ures just three inches less than the Venus
de Medicis.''
"Then all can say is, that Miss de Medici
would have been considered very dumpy
young woman in my day." answered.
Ethel laughed. Times are sadly changed.
The modern young girl laughs at her grand
mother, and does many other curious things.
She learns curious things at school, too.
One day she rushed home from school, her
curls flying in the breeze.
Grandma" she cried, 'I've learned some
thing wonderful to-day If you should cut
your brachial artery
"But don't intend to cut my brachial
artery at my time of life," said l. with some
dignity.
IQt,t oh i cfo
the flow of blood instantly, and save your
life. See here!" and before knew what
the child was doing, she had my arm all tied
up in a knotted handkerchief, with broom
stick twisted through one end so tight that
though she would amputate it on the spot.
That is a very strange sort of knowledge to
give young girl. 1t doesn't seem ladylike.
Then, too, she has such perfect self-reli-
ANGEL Why, my granddaughter, Ethel Starr
Raymond, sits down sometimes and looks
into my eyes with such level gaze, and
talks to me with such entire reliance on the
accuracy of her own views, that might be
the school girl and she the old lady, for all
the Difference she pays to my views. More
over, something that happened recently gives.
the child great advantage over me; and as
sure as l say, "Ethel, do be little more
feminine'' she has roguish CLEAN in her
brown eyes, and is sure to say
"But, grandma, if | must be so soft and
feminine, what will you do if the 'man-in-
the-moon' comes down again?'
1 suppose must tell the whole story.
| have been great traveller in my day
north, south, east and west. haven't been
- A f-;o raf Init horo,c M falling hnt that
| yet may round the Cape of Good Hope
Last autumn, when Ethel took bad cold,
which gradually developed into bronchitis,
thought nothing of packing up and start
ing off for California with her. We stopped
at beautiful little town, situated in val
ley not far from San Francisco Bay, with
the soft hills of the Coast Range all around
us, and taking furnished house, settled
down comfortably for the winter.
Now have spent a great deal of time In
my life looking for somebody. 1t is a Man.
No matter how inconvenient it might be,
neither heat nor cold late hours nor early.
company nor lack of company, could ever
induce me to neglect the time-honored Gus
tom of looking for that man who hides
under the beds, shuts himself up in closets,
folds himself up behind doors, or doubles up
in dark corners, for the purpose of robbing
and soaring peaceful and unprotected
women.
If all the precious hours that good women
are forced to spend in this pursuit could be
added up, turned into dollars, and put out at
interest, am sure they would pay the nat
ional debt, with something left over to put
in the bank.
Well, the house we took for our California
winter was an old-fashioned, rambling
house that had been brought around the
Horn in 40" in pieces. and was full of hid
ing-places.
All around the front and sides were wide
verandas, shaded by great acacia and ever
green trees; then the original house had
various additions, wings and LIS up one step,
or down two, or attached by long, narrow
halls, full of dim outlines, that lively
fancy could easily turn into the shadow of a
man.
A stray black cat which no persuasion In
The way of sticks and stones could induce TO
retire, furnished many nightly alarm, and
caused more thorough nightly search.
My maid slept ON the same floor with us.
but the other servants, who, after the
fashion of the country, were both moon-eyed
Chinese, roomed in a small detached house
at the end of large, neglected garden,
beautiful with feathery locust trees, fan
palms, great r0se-bushes, one or two orange
trees, and beds of brilliant lowers, which
grew with the wild luxuriance of semi
tropical climate.
The garden was full of fragrant charms
and full Of hiding-places. l never dared
even to look into it after dark.