Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-03-08
Sarah's Tramps
BY aAzELLE STEVENS SHARP.

BY 0AzELLE STEVENS SHARP.
The girls had been so full of fun and
nonsense that morning that it was "as
good as n circus" to watch them, I'M
less you CHANGED to be the victims of
some oil their mischevous pranks; and
it did seem too bad that they two, who
had been trying to the nerves and
patience of everybody all the forenoon,
should have been away in the delight
full shade and quiet of the woods when
the tramps came, leaving poor, timid
Sarah alone, with no one to share her
fright.
TO begin with, Sissy had upset pan
of milk in the cellar She had entire
charge of the milk that summer,
ami was carrying Drumming pan to its
place, while Rhoda assisted mamma
with tue after breakfast work mp stairs,
when she happened to recall Aunt l. u
Zle'S last letter written to congratulate
her on her new responSb lities. The
part of the letter which did the mis-
chief was the closing sentence:
Il cannot realize that the butter Won
sent was really made bv you, unass ST.
ed. How can you be demure enough
for n dairy maid? DO you ever forget
yourself and turn somersuulls with a
pan of milk in your hands?"
1t was too ridiculous. and before she
thought, she was laughing so hard that,
rs far as that pau OF milk was concern
cd, She might rs well have done as
Aunt Lizzie had minated.
They had just finished making the
dresses Mr.. Brown had given them,
dark red calico barred with white lines,
and now they were done and on, all
the pent up force that had to be held
in check while they were being made
by hand, carefully, stitch by stitch at II
time. for inspect on, seemed bound to
find vent. They raced about the yard,
jumping the bars, crawling under fences
and over rustic benches, turning somer-
sautS. dOdging around among trees and
dover beds, or darling through the
shrubbery, turning, whirlng, falling, n
turmoil OF quick motions, their red
dresses and black braided hair making
each so like the others double that
you could scarcely tell them apart;
and little Hope, looking on admir-
ngly, wished she were large enough to
do everything that SISSY" could.
Just rs Mrs. Brown got comfortably
settled to the weekly mending, glad to
see them innocently amused, she
glanced out of the window and saw
Sissy standing without support on the
very peak of the new barn, and Rhoda
but few feet below her on the scat
folding. Obedient to her summons
they came in, demurely enough this
time, bringing with them book agent
they had CHANGED upon rs they APP
preached the house. He was a lank
siX-footer, with blue eyes, bald head,
blonde moustache, ami the squeakiest
of squeaky voices. The girls had be-
come slightly acquainted with him
during the spring turn at the academy,
where his good natured simplicity.
childish egotism and ridiculous at
tempts TO NO tenor because his voice
was pitched high. has accustomed them
no end of amusement. At the literary
society, few months before he had
clapped the climax of the ludicrous by
his delivery of ''Bingeu on the Rhine"
as select reading. He attempted to
enforce his very peculiar rendition of
the beautiful poem by frequent awk-
ward gestures which were sure TO be a
lrifle out of time and were invariably
followed by his losing his place. And
now nothing would do but he must
come in and recte It for her mamma
who Sissy insisted was 90 fond of
that particular piece. and no one else
could recte it as he did; said lie, tickled
with the tlattery. gladly consented.
Mrs. Brown seeing ut n glance what
the mischievous girls were about. but
unwilling either for his sake or theirs
20 let him know they were making fun
d him, welcomed him kindly, and
quietly seconded Sissy's entreaties for
ihc poem.
The girls seated themselves on a low
souch behind him, while he faced Mrs.
Brown for audience. and with Difficult
ty kept their mirth within bounds. in
deed. he did stop once and look
around, hearing something suspicious
ly like a giggle. But the girls were as
demure as kittens, and all attention,
and although he had thought they
were laughing at him. the expressions
on their faces and word from Mrs.
Brown treasured him. and he continued
10 the end.
Mrs. Brown made them do penance
Tor this piece of audacity By combining
chem TO the house and % sewing car
pet-raps for the rest &c the forenoon.
and al hui ''srOrie' : ~ the girls,